Blog
The “What” Vs. the “How” of Belief
In my last post I sort of set the stage for a kind of Christian agnosticism, a way of doing faith without swallowing the jagged little pill of feeling like you have to be an asshole about it. Allow me to elaborate. Christianity is often rather gnostic as opposed to agnostic — conservative believers operate as though they know everything (Gnosis in Greek means “knowledge”). They know that God exists up in heaven, they know that he will judge everyone according to a standard that, again, they know. In their minds, their polar opposites are...
read moreAgnosticism for Dummies Christians
I am kicking around this idea for a book called Agnosticism for Dummies Christians. Who knows if it’ll ever see the light of day, but I think the idea deserves a few posts (if for no other reason than to see if it strikes a chord with anyone). I would like to offer a suggestion: Those who dwell on the old “Theism vs. Atheism” debate are stuck in an increasingly outdated paradigm and therefore are asking the wrong question. Sure, you can pull up any number of YouTube debates between some conservative Christian and an ardent...
read moreI Hate Rob Bell
Seriously. I hate that guy. Now I admit, I’m not like an authority on him or anything. I haven’t read his new book, the one about how the Bible is a collection of stories or whatever. I haven’t read the one before that, either (I forget what it’s about, but I’m sure reading it would just piss me off). But I did read some of his one on “talking about God,” and I think I read most of Love Wins. It’s hard to know exactly how much of any of his books you’ve read, since he writes like ten words per page, somehow convincing his publishers to let...
read moreSo Now What?
So that happened, and my side lost. (Well technically, my side lost when the DNC conspired against Bernie in order to coronate an establishment moderate hawk, but I digress.) So what now? On the one hand I could stomp my feet, wring my hands on social media, or join one of the very secessionist movements like #Calexit that I mock when they originate in places like Mississippi. (But then, California is the sixth largest economy in the world while Mississippi’s entire cash reserve can fit in one of the state’s ubiquitous double-wides. And...
read moreAnarchist Theology
This is adapted from Misfit Faith, ch. 6: “Too Good to be False (Or, Religion is a Fairy Tale)” Politically and economically speaking, I am pretty much an anarchist. Now before you start flipping out about how society needs organization and oversight, I would urge you to relax, unclench, and understand that as a theory, anarchism concedes these things for the most part. It just suggests that the organization we need should come from the bottom up rather than from the top down. In a word, it’s not so much about oversight from on high as about...
read moreBourbon, Sex, and Magic
This is an excerpt from Misfit Faith, chapter 6: “Too Good to be False (Or, Religion is a Fairy Tale)” We all know the story of Cinderella: Oppressed and despised stepchild wants to join her stepsisters at the royal ball, but she can’t because she has nothing to wear (Hashtag, WhitePeopleProblems). So what happens? A fairy godmother magically appears and solves her issue, clothing her in an exquisite gown and furnishing her with a coach and driver. But then, the condition: She must leave the party no later than midnight, or else her dress...
read moreGod is Weak
Excerpt from Misfit Faith, chapter 5: “Shit Happens (Or, The Excruciating Disruption of Power”) “How could a loving God give people cancer?” It’s a really good question, and before we address it we would do well to remind ourselves that a healthy dose of agnosticism and humility at the prospect of defending God or speaking on his behalf is required. Who the hell do we think we are, anyway? I’m reminded of a comic strip that shows a man lying in a hospital bed while his doctor tells him that although he has cancer it is all a part of God’s...
read moreCommon Ground, Catholicity, and Misfit Faith
This is an excerpt from Misfit Faith, Chapter 4: “Unity in Diversity (Or, We’re One But We’re Not the Same)” Like it or not, we are all connected. Not long after the tragic shooting of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman, a slogan began to spread across various social media platforms: “I Am Trayvon Martin.” What this slogan was attempting to express is that we are all potential victims of xenophobia, fear, and the violence they incite. We’re all a minority somewhere (and you may be one right where you live someday),...
read moreJesus Can’t Fulfill You. Sorry (and You’re Welcome).
Excerpt from Misfit Faith, chapter 5: “Shit Happens (Or, The Excruciating Disruption of Power)” Christianity as a kind of panacea and cure-all for every single problem we face is a complete farce. In fact, it’s precisely the idea that we are supposed to feel whole and complete that creates most of our problems and confusion in the first place. Going all the way back to the creation narrative we find man longing for wholeness and fulfillment—in Adam’s case it was the fruit of the forbidden tree that represented the “sacred object” that would...
read moreYou Have the Right Duty to Remain Silent
There once was a time in this country when “political correctness” was something that only people on the Right complained about: “Why do the Redskins have to change their team’s name?”; “Wait, ‘colored’ is all of a sudden off limits?”; ”So now we can’t say ‘midget’ anymore?” No, you can’t. And you’d better not opt for “People McNuggets” either. . . . (That, by the way, is a case in point: I seriously debated whether or not to include...
read more