Fear is the opposite of love. This is probably the single most important grounding principle of my own Christian faith and theology. This became so important to me when I was experiencing the full force of evangelical patriarchy as a student at Moody Bible Institute. I was struggling to reconcile my queer sexuality with my …
If our faith is only about spiritual fulfillment and community, then we are a part of the problem, not the solution. Our job is to, day by day, gradually conform our lives and our churches to the way of Jesus, asking how we can leverage our resources, our privilege, and our power each day for …
This is a time for you to use the power granted by your privilege to elevate others’ voices and to make substantial changes wherever possible. Next, let’s think through what local faith communities can do to utilize this strange power. When I was serving as the pastor of a church, I wrestled with this question …
What local faith communities can do to utilize this power Read More »
Fast forward to the age of the United States of America. While the nation was not technically founded as a Christian country, nearly all of the founders came from the British Empire, where Christianity was privileged and any other version of religion was eschewed. Christianity has enjoyed privilege from the very beginning of the nation’s …
For those of us who find ourselves within the religious structures of Christianity and yet are awakening to just how disparate our religion has become from the message of Jesus, there is no other path. Jesus himself spoke of a day when the central institution of his religion – the temple – would be destroyed: …
The early church was not primarily a religious gathering, but a social movement where individuals opted out of participation in the dominant society and began constructing a new social ordering within their own little community. It was as if they were realizing Jesus’ vision of the kingdom of God on earth as in heaven on …
Bishops were answering not to God but to Constantine Read More »
Remember the story of a young Jewish scholar who approaches Jesus and asks him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16, au. trans). This young man goes out of his way to explain to Jesus that he has been faithful to the commandments and has been materially blessed by God. Surely, his …
Jesus lived in an unjust society and throughout his life witnessed the constant abuse of his people by the Roman Empire. Not only this, but his religious tradition consistently reminded him of how often the Jewish people had been enslaved by cruel empires such as Babyon and Egypt. This bleak reality is what fueled the …
From a theological lens, Christians assert that God chose to incarnate as a first-century Jewish man, as a member of a community that constantly lived under the threat of colonizing forces moving in, yet again, to oppress and exploit them. This is a theological insight that must not be taken lightly. The creator of the …
God in Christ makes clear whose side God is on when it comes to questions of injustice Read More »
by Brandan Robertson https://chalicepress.com/blogs/news/6-ways-to-embrace-true-inclusion-in-your-faith-community
