Here’s the simple challenge: list the chronological events of Jesus’s resurrection.  That’s it.  Create any single narrative that: Could possibly make sense with every other Biblical account, and includes every detail given by the Bible. Feel free to be as generous as possible.  So, for example, when Matthew says an angel appears to the women, then Mark says there is a young man in a white robe – maybe that’s the same thing. Then, when Luke says there are two men in dazzling clothes, and John mentions no angels…that’s allowed!  Maybe there were 2 angels and one just looke ..read more

Will you be a beta reader? I’m looking for beta readers to provide pre-publishing feedback on my new book about deconstruction.  Round 1 is closed and under way (except for experienced, full-time Christian pastors, who I would still eagerly welcome!), but anyone can sign up for round 2, which starts November 22nd.  The introduction and outline are below. To receive your advance copy of the full book, please fill out the non-disclosure agreement here. INTRODUCTION – A Letter To My Evangelical Friends: Dear Friend, Whatever you think of us “Deconstructionists”, please consider that man ..read more

“A man addicted to alcohol needs shame like a man dying of thirst needs salt water.” – Terry Real The Matthew 18 Principle In Matthew 18:15-18, Jesus is giving advice for dealing with sin in a church. The advice starts out just fine: If you’ve got a problem with someone, talk to them about it instead of going around gossiping.  Great advice. Direct and clear. After that, the advice (or the way its most commonly interpreted, applied by the majority of humanity) falls off a cliff: if the person is unrepentant, you should take another person with you to confront them. But if they still don ..read more

Categories In the paradigm of a dichotomous fight against evil, the categories are easy: Sin is evil.  Holiness is good. Holiness is praised, rewarded, and promoted.  Sin is punished and, if the offender is sufficiently repentant, forgiven (though the offense goes in the record books in case the offense is repeated in the future). In the church, we talk about sin as if it is explosive and dangerous. I was “living in sin,” or “giving into my sinful nature,” or “sinning against God.”  And we keep our distance from even the appearance of sin, and wear our spiritual hazmat suits whe ..read more

Accusations Someone accused me today of being a “true man of God”.  I’m sure they meant it as compliment.  But it also instantly triggered my inner critic who spat back at me, “They only think that because they don’t know…” ‘Know‘ what? It doesn’t really matter.  It’s undeniable – there’s a million faults and bad decisions they probably don’t know. The inner critic isn’t always wrong about the facts, just the conclusions.  He’s not a completely useless son of a bitch, he’s just not to be trusted or taken at face value. I relate to mine much like I related, as a child, to my ..read more

Puffed Up Pastors often counsel parishioners who are going through the heaviest personal problems on the planet: suicide, homicide, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and more.  Of course, they are – almost as frequently – completely unequipped to handle most of the problems they are trying to solve. These are not psychologists or grief counselors or marriage counselors and, deep down, they know it!  …at least most of them knew it when they were young. They could feel the pressure of not knowing; the imposter syndrome that they unfortunately conquered. But after enough years of convent ..read more

Weekend Audit Seems like pastors mostly play the role of keynote speaker in the Sunday morning ritual, and CEO of the weekly ministries.  More on ministries elsewhere.  For now, let’s look at Sundays.   What’s the point of the Sunday morning ritual? Just to have ritual?  Fine.  Can we keep the time slot and find something more productive?  More helpful?  Is a keynote speaker necessary?  What are the parts of the Sunday service? Music Keep the music.  Maybe that’s fine, even if the format needs to be overhauled.  People like to sing, and ar ..read more

Church Costumes There’s hardly a moment where a narcissist looks out of place behind a pulpit.  That’s not to call all pastors narcissists, but a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing is a hard act to maintain.  Better to shell out the extra effort for a snug “shepherd” costume.  Fits so well, sometimes it’s hard to remember which is the costume and which is the beast.  Without a great deal of caution, the cloak seems to turn the insides a little wolf-y anyway, so at some point, it’s often a distinction without a difference. Plus, the job of “Prophet” is a bit of a self-selecting popula ..read more