Geoffrey Holsclaw
I was wrong. I was out of date. I had a much too narrow understanding of “progressive” when I talked about (and criticized) progressive Christians. In times of social transition WORDS CHANGE. A word changes because people change, cultures change, and institutions change. And right now it seems that “progressive” has come to name that […]
It’s OK to Go Back to a church, to community, to seeking, and trying—to trying to believe. To walk away to create distance for honest processing of disappointment, to admit that you don’t understand, to listen to others—that’s OK. And to return is OK too. Community is hard to leave. And it’s hard to return. […]
It’s OK to do those Jesus-y things while deconstructing faith. Because it is WHAT WE DO that activates WHAT WE KNOW. In other words, can we normalize continuing to follow how Jesus lived while we deconstruct, rather than putting on a practical agnosticism or atheism? Too often I’ve know people who have genuine questions and […]
For all of us…it’s OK we’re asking questions while deconstructing. But can we ALSOs normalize BEING ASKED questions by others, of being REDIRECTED by those who have gone before us? Are we open to shifting our “AWAY FROM” to a NEW WAY? I’m saying this in the context of already acknowledging that sometimes we need […]
Can we stop placing “deconstruction” on a continuum between conservative beliefs that are transformed/updated/revised into more progressive ones? Instead, there is modern fundamentalism in the West pretending to represent ALL OF CHRISTIANITY. And we need to deconstruct it in favor of the historical, ancient faith. The process of many exevangelicals is to fault conservative […]
For those who need to hear it, let’s normalize the experience of God’s absence. It’s OK that you DON’T SEE Jesus as you deconstruct faith. And that might be a good thing—in the long run. You used to see Jesus everywhere, in everything…leading, working, guiding, providing. But now Jesus is gone, absent, invisible, missing. […]
For those who need to hear it, It’s OK to be Exasperated With, Frustrated By, and Not Understand this thing called Christianity, this thing called Faith, even this person called Jesus. Angry. Sad. Frustrated. Bewildered. Let down. Downcast. These are honest emotions and honest reactions when the church, theology, the Bible, and God gives you […]
For those who need to hear it, sometimes it is OK to walk away from your church, your community. It hurts too much to stay. But don’t walk alone. For the deep disappointment, disillusionment, and plain old discouragement, sometimes you need to get a little distance. Sometimes you need to walk it off. For […]
This is from the file of “Things progressives say.” This sounds enlightened and freeing. But it actually isn’t. Giving up on “why” is ultimately a commitment to the status quo—there is nothing revolutionary about it. Gungor is opting for a more Hindu-Buddhist view of the world (meaninglessness) rather than a Judeo-Christian view (meaningfulness). […]
