DRIVING THEOLOGY

Disney's live-action version of The Little Mermaid has sparked controversy. I comment of the controversy as well as the general story as I remember it. And at the end, I hope you will say about this podcast, "Isn't it neat..."

A not-at-all-extensive reveal of my own path to a kind of atheism, a refusal to believe in the God that was presented to me over 40 years of being a "Christian". And boy, did I ever believe in him! I was a true believer, a sinner in the hands of an angry God, All in, so to speak. And then the scales fell from my eyes, and I was presented with a beautiful image, a truly divine portrayal of God: Jes...

I, like many of you, avoid Bible passages that make me uncomfortable, which challenge my beliefs of who God is or what the Bible says. Here, I will make an attempt of reconciling the last parable of Matthew 24, a parable that challenges, for some, the non-violent image of jesus. *By the way, what I say here about the people weeping and gnashing their teeth is most likely wrong. After looking again...

"Every time I draw a line to exclude someone, Jesus crosses the line and waits for me there...", or something like this, is a meme I recently saw, after I had recorded this podcast. It would have fit perfectly here. Why do we separate ourselves from spending time with certain people? What role does the church have in influencing such decision? Who's in and who's out?

If you challenge the status quo, you will find yourself alone. Alone at least until others are encouraged to come forward as well and voice their dissent, perhaps by your willingness to speak up. The ability to see that things could be different, better, can be a gift and a curse. I explore some ideas here, brainstorm style, of advice I would give to someone who feels alone in their context.

Faith deconstruction has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And, at times, one of the worst. Still, dark though the road sometimes be, on I trudge. If you are starting to ask questions, if you think that the life with Christ is supposed to be so much more than it has turned for you, this podcast may be for you.

We have all had bad experiences as children. Those incidents have, to some extent, influenced who we are today, at least in terms of our personality, our habits, our phobias, etc. At a human level, we are what we have experienced. We have become who we are due in part to our environment and the nature of our nurturing, or lack thereof. But what of our identity in Christ? How does Christ see us? Ho...

Matthew chapter 24 is a controversial passage in a controversial book. How it has been understood over the years has affected the church and the world. This is my take, my attempt to debunk some of the myths about this chapter and how it has been understood over the years.

In this episode, I meander my way to, I think, a pretty good place, namely, the attractiveness of the package, influences, to some extent, how it is received. The Evangelical package that the gospel is placed in, has completely compromised the message of the Gospel of Jesus, in my opinion.

Yes, another institutional church critique podcast. And as long as people are oppressed by it, I will continue to podcast about it. Religion tends to take what we need every minute of every day, and package it for once a week consumption. Christ, and the many metaphors used for him and his way of life, show that he was meant to be the foundation of our everyday lives, not saved for weekend rituals...

Asbury, Kentucky, has experience a phenomenon few get to witness: a bona fide revival. What is a revival, exactly, and what, if anything, will come of this one?

Do you remember your dreams, the big things you wanted to do, the heights you wanted to achieve, when you were a child? Actually, I don't. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I have a hard time remembering any big dreams before I was a high schooler. Not sure why... But, when we encounter the big dreams that kids have, how should we, as adults, respond? Should we temper or encourage the big drea...

Comparing choral singing and solo singing to institutional church and "organic" church may not see intuitive, but I think i make it work here. Check it out! For singers and those wanting to follow The Way.

For whatever reason, at some point, you will probably come to the realization that one aspect of your life, if not the whole thing, is no longer enough, no longer living up to the promise it once professed. It might be your job, your church, your marriage, but most likely, something in your life will lose the shine it once had. What do we do then?

What do the Globalization movement and The Kingdom of Heaven have in common? More than you might think, in my opinion. Have a listen!

Today, the church is so busy defining itself as victims, as marginalised, that we forget Jesus came and served those in the margins, those pushed aside by big government, religion, and business. Those are who he came for. But by his calling, we stepped into the light and left the margins. We found family and identity in Jesus. He saved us from the margins. Saved us so that we could save others. NO...

The first podcast of the new year for me, here I discuss traditional roles of women in the church and how my faith tradition, Church of Christ, has traditionally denied leadership roles for women. Why does this persist?

What does it mean, "Peace on earth"? In what way has peace come to earth? What is peace? How might it affect our lives if we let it?

A message for the third week of advent, or at least my advent, "joy". please en-JOY!

A loosely based podcast on the second week of Advent: Faith. How does the birth of Jesus, the salvation of Israel and the world, hope and faith intersect? I'm not sure. But I do explore it a bit here!

Note: "The Anticipated Christ: A Journey Through Advent And Christmas" by Brian Zahnd is the book which I couldn't remember. Also, I refer to Jeremiah as the builder of the wall of Jerusalem. I should have said Nehemiah... In this advent message, I speak a little about salvation and what salvation might look like on the ground, realistically. I would love to know your thoughts...

Prompted by an episode of Grey's Anatomy, I revisit the problem of suffering and try and bring some perspective to this very real and very mysterious subject.

In this episode, I explore the proposed idea to call missionaries something else, as the term/title missionary has become a mixed bag which brings up all kinds of images and emotions for different people, based on their experiences and their country's experiences with missionaries in the past. Will a name change change anything? Is it necessary?

After 262 plus podcasts, I, again, feel the need to explain why I do what I do, the way I do, Driving Theology. There are some new insights here, I think, that I haven't discovered before.

How much of what ails the church today can be traced to a lack of humility in leaders? How do we know we know what we think we know?