It's taken a couple years, but I realized this week that I'm completely done with being called an Evangelical and a Republican. I simply cannot abide the toxicity inherent in both labels. Here's some thoughts about why. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/the-end-of-my-evangelicalism/

Faith perhaps, should be something like a basket of Easter eggs: each one colorful and unique and ornate in its own way, each containing something different and surprising, but all together comprising the totality of Christianity, in the promise offered by Easter Sunday. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleoffaith.com/rainbow-of-faith/

Do we as Christians have the moral right to preemptively use deadly force? And do we as Christians have the moral right to kill to defend ourselves or our property? Some thoughts. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/shoot-first-ask-questions-later/

Lately I've participated in several discussions about the fundamental nature of the Bible. A frequent refrain is the all-encompassing, totally sufficient, utterly complete, perfect nature of the Bible. But is the Bible truly everything we need to know about God and the universe and history and our lives? You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/an-incomplete-bible/

Recently a friend asked me what it felt like to lose so much of my faith. I don't think I lost anything: instead, I feel like I've shed things that weren't mine to begin with. Let me tell you about my own encounter with Aslan. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/shedding-my-dragon-skin/

I've always believed that Christians go to heaven when we die. It's a staple of many people's faith. Where did that doctrine come from, and what does the Bible say about heaven? Join me as I survey the various verses that talk about heaven. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/am-i-going-to-heaven-when-i-die/ One of many articles discussing the Jewish doctrine of heaven can be found at https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4848230/jewish/Heaven-and-the-Afterlife.htm and I quote this web page in this episode.

What's more important? Evangelicalism, or Christianity? Lately I've seen a lot of people defending the former at the expense of what I believe is Jesus' example of how we should live as a community of faith. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/the-preservation-of-evangelicalism/

Jesus said we'd know a tree by its fruit, and perhaps we can also know a doctrine the same way. I grew up with an end-times doctrine that is widespread in the church, but which I now recognize is bearing a lot of bad fruit. Maybe it's time to recognize the harm. You can also read this post at https://crucibleofthought.com/how-revelation-warped-my-theology/

I'm intrigued that for an institution so absolutely central to human life, the Bible has shockingly little information about the ideal marriage. Hardly any of the examples about marriage fit our modern Christian definition of "one man, one woman, for life, with the blessing of the church and the state." You can find links to the sources mentioned in this episode on the Crucible of Thought blog at https://crucibleofthought.com/what-defines-biblical-marriage/

Too many Christians seem obsessed with power and control. But being oppressed was the very thing that helped the early church grow explosively. Are we pursing the wrong thing? Good Faith podcast episode: https://thedispatch.com/podcast/goodfaith/learning-to-live-in-exile/ You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world/

Today's media systems use outrage as a currency to drive engagement. But is outrage a poison pill that is tearing us apart? I suggest there's a better way to exist in this modern social media world. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/outrage-as-social-currency/

It's really hard when trusted people change dramatically. For the sake of our faith, often we don't really want to know why they changed. It might require us to change too. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/its-best-not-to-ask/

I've seen a lot of conservative Christians recently argue that gays cannot be saved, or cannot be Christian, specifically because of 1 Cor 6:9-10. What does that verse say, and is it relevant? You can also listen to this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/can-homosexuals-be-christian/

A Jewish pastor read a sermon written by AI to his congregation, and they thought it was human-written. Can a robot or AI ever replace a human pastor? Perhaps that's the wrong question. Do most Christians today even understand what a pastor is supposed to be? Read the article about that sermon here: https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/business-and-innovation/article-729 You can also read this episode here: https://crucibleofthought.com/the-chatgpt-ai-pastor-of-the-future/

"Which takes precedence - the Bible or Jesus?" On Twitter, this question has blown up into a rather ugly argument in the last couple days.  I've watched the dispute, occasionally chipping in here and there myself, but mostly learning from the various viewpoints thrown into the fight. There's a lot to be learned from it. Here are some thoughts about the Bible, and how it relates to Jesus, and who or what we worship. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/is-the-bible-the-word-of-the-lord/

The point of the gospel is not to get the work done. The point is accurately represent the Father. Jesus' charge in Matt 28:19-20 wasn't colonial; it was to be ambassadors in the fullest sense of the word - to personally BE an extension of the Kingdom and to fully embody Jesus to those around us. That looks a lot different than many approaches to the gospel. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/the-gospel-according-to-jesus/

The origins of the Bible are fascinatingly complex, much more than I had understood as a younger believer. Why would God let it be so complex? You can also listen to this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/did-the-bible-evolve/

Jonah was so opposed to the people of Nineveh that he couldn't abide God's forgiveness of them. There are parallels with evangelical Christians' insistence that God punish people in a fiery hell for all eternity. Is that insistence righteous? You can also read this post at https://crucibleofthought.com/rejecting-a-jonah-spirit/

Treating fellow believers with contempt is a sure way to shut down any ability of the Holy Spirit to use each other to grow us up into one Body, one Bride of Christ. You can also listen to this post at https://crucibleofthought.com/deadly-contempt/

The younger generation of Christians are looking a lot more like Caleb and Joshua than like Moses. They're willing to go at risk with the Lord into a dangerous but bountiful new land. And it's stirring up a lot of anger among the elders. You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/a-caleb-generation/