DRIVING THEOLOGY

I recently became aware that I may have finally shed my christian programming. Good or bad? Not sure. But it's happening. At least on some level. My journey to shed the bad while focusing on the good has been a nearly 20 year journey and has led me down some interesting roads, mainly to organic church (whatever that means) and more freedom.

What does Jesus have to do with Jazz? More than you might think. In this episode I wax philosophic on jazz and the way that dissonant chords are resolved so beautifully in Jazz, and works beautifully as a metaphor for the resolution of the chaos which we face so often in life. That's Life!

I begin by talking a little bit about Jazz, and then get into the main topic of today: as teachers, parents, and clergy, do we know the difference between manipulation and inspiration? What are the differences? Is it possible that we have been manipulating, all the while thinking we have been inspiring?

I have another life as a solo singer, Opera and classical, among other styles. In this podcast, I explore what it means to be an artist and yet not giving in to self-centeredness and selfishness. It's not easy, of course. Being a soloist necessarily involves having the focus on you. So, how can we be like Jesus, who, though he often had the focus on him, remained humble and self-less?

Is your church a benign cult or a malignant cult? Neither? Both? Most churches develop cult-like tendencies if they are not there outright from the get-go. Here I brainstorm some ideas of what benign cult-like tendencies might look like and my experiences with them.

(Apologies for the background noise. It cuts out after a few minutes.) Fear is a part of life and it can be healthy in certain circumstances. But using fear as an educational tool has its drawbacks. Many drawbacks. And as a method of conversion is downright off the mark.

A sad week in Japan, former prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, has been assassinated. In this episode, I delve back into the ways of violent conflict resolution, a bankrupt system which has run its course. We are all lucky to have survived it at all.

People have fallen in love with the Bible while missing Jesus. Possible? Yes. Even probably. This one thing explains so many of the ever increasing holes found in Evangelicalism today.

The church today, as a whole, is caught up in the ambitions of empire and all that it promises. Meanwhile, all those in need and brushed aside or trampled on. When is the church going to embrace it's Jesus-given mandate to take his GOOD NEWS to all the world? To love our enemies? To turn the other cheek?

A reiteration of a podcast I did two weeks ago, after going on a two-day trekking excursion with my friends, Pat and Cam. One thing that came to me during this podcast was that one definition of mankind, especially when compared to other living creatures, is "overcomer". That is what we do. We overcome obstacles, together and individually. We make up for our weaknesses through innovation and inven...

The media, on both sides, will tell you that you have to do one or the other. One side claims that evil is at fault. The other that easy access to guns is the issue. Truth is, it's both. We can work on one without neglecting the other. The children's blood is crying out to us from the ground: DO SOMETHING! Let's not let them die in vain. Let's work on the problem from every angle.

In today's world, leadership tends to hover and protect, instead of help and prepare, whether it's parents or pastors or presidents. One thing you can be sure of, disaster will strike; physically, mentally, socially, or spiritually. We will be hit with something which will cause us to question everything we thought we knew and believed. How can we prepare for that day of doom?

Again. Another shooting. Seems to be a weekly thing now. America is violent. That's just what we do. We shoot. There has to be a better way. Update: As of today, 19 kids and two adults-21 now, have died. WHAT IS GOING ON!

A sequel to last week's podcast on the Beatitudes of Matthew 5.

Matthew chapters 5-7 contain some of the most loved and most controversial teachings of Jesus, beginning with the so called "Beatitudes". This 8 (or 9)sentences are among the most quoted and also most misunderstood sayings of jesus. When is the last time you took the time to contemplate their meanings, or, God forbid, apply them to your life? This is my attempt (3rd attempt, actually, to make sens...

So, did God make us to sin? I know it is a stange, and some might say, offensive notion, but how do you reconcile the fact that God knew we would sin, and made us anyway? What are the implications?

Covid 19 has ushered many dark times, both for individuals and organizations. Churches are not immune, and actually have been quite hard. But, the dawn follows the night and these dark times will one day be a thing of the past. What does Jesus' resurrection teach us about overcoming darkness?

How are you processing all the information you take in on a daily basis? How do you know what to believe? This is a brainstorming session about trying to navigate through all the noise on the way to finding the truth.

In this episode, I meander my way to a possible truth: A broken understanding of hell can lead to a shying away from an encounter with God. To few of us have mystical experiences. Why is that?

Do you recognize when rhetoric is being used? Do you recognize it in the Bible? Recently in Facebook Jail because my sarcastic rhetoric was taken literally, I talk about that experience and about learning to see rhetoric when it is being used, in the Bible and elsewhere.

Abortion is a failure, but not perhaps of who you think. The Kingdom of God was meant to prevent such failure, to use it for good, even. Christians need to begin taking responsibility for our failures and do better. We need to embody grace. We need to do a better job of educating and nurturing. This is a difficult topic, perhaps too difficult for me to handle. Let me know what you think.

Russia, one week ago, invaded Ukraine. It seems like, just when we think things are getting better, someone in the world decides to make war on their neighbor. Haven't we evolved past that point yet as a species? Are we still blind to the damage we do to ourselves when we try and solve our problems with our neighbors by violence? How can we stop this cycle?

Why do churches chase numbers? What are the consequences in trusting the world's definition of success? Is the church today enslaved by money and the pursuit of money?

What has happened to Christendom? What is the era we find ourselves in today? What is the consequence of the church playing the world's game of numbers, power, and fame? I believe we have a date with the Refiner's Fire, and it won't be pretty. In fact, it has already begun.

Our theology of Heaven needs tweaking from time to time. Mine, at one time, was in need of a total overhaul. This is a story of two Heavens. Or, more precisely, the Kingdom of Heaven and an "afterlife" version of Heaven.