Unfortunately, one of the most enduring legacies of American Christianity is a sermon from 1741: "Sinners in the hands of an Angry God". Few today know the sermon, but most know the belief behind it, as its influence over modern images of God and faith is immense. This week, we deconstruct the term “sinner” and unpack an alternative Christian belief: that the most true thing about you is that you are loved by God.
Read MoreHealth, wealth, and prosperity messaging is not just that of celebrity televangelists like Joel Osteen. More subtle examples are in nearly any church that teaches or models praying for others, and in secular settings like the self-help industry. What does it look like to give up those subtle messages and find the reassurance they promise in more reliable beliefs?
Read MoreThe cultural pictures we have inherited for imagining a powerful God are mostly “white, bearded, muscular, dispassionate God up in the sky, who can do anything” images. But, for the long-suffering, the image of a God who "can do anything but refuses to" is no comfort at all. Is there a better way to imagine a powerful God?
Read MoreSorting or categorizing the world into good-bad or in-out is a deeply ingrained human behavior, evolutionarily, meant for protection from danger. But this instinct can easily turn into scapegoating or exclusion. Is the religion of Jesus just another example of that? Or can living it out push us beyond the in-out mentality? (Art: book cover of Scapegoats, by Jennifer Garcia Bashaw)
Read MoreCuriosity > Certainty. Connection > Answers. It’s okay to be both a believer and a skeptic at the same time. Hayley gets us talking about how much we humans crave certainty, how we might ween ourselves off of it, and what can nourish us better.
Read MoreHayley prepares us for our Lenten experiment of “giving up unhelpful beliefs” with a look at how healthy belief is an act of creative re-purposing. (Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash)
Read MoreHealthy unlearning or deconstruction isn't burning down what was before. It is looking back on our younger selves with love and fondness, not disdain or embarrassment. It is differentiating and integrating what was before into a broader, more beautiful story. (Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash)
Read MoreConflict, family, prayer, the pros & cons of labels & categories, the unique offers of belonging in the context of mature spiritual convictions: some of the topics Hayley and Vince hit for our final discussion on belonging in modern life.
Read MoreHayley speaks to another angle on belonging in modern life, and casts a vision for small groups for our community. Art: "Three Friends" (2018) by Salman Toor
Read MoreInspired by Discord comments and personally shared reflections from our first two messages on belonging, Hayley and Vince expand on various themes.
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