Reconstructing Christianity
I believe in the holiness of Scripture. I don’t believe in progressive revelation. I don’t believe that Scripture has changed. I actively endeavor to submit to the entirety of Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe he has changed his mind about sin. I also want to examine what the Bible … Read more
This is prompted more by recent conversations I’ve been having than by the Scripture in the reading the plan, but it seems a good time to discuss it nonetheless. This post is not meant to be definitive. This post is going to be my experience with the question of sexuality. I will, next month, address … Read more
I distinctly remember having Ahab presented to me as a cry-baby when I was a child. Patch the Pirate, if you were ever exposed to that gem of children’s Bible programming, had a song called ‘The Poochie Lip Disease.’ I loved Patch the Pirate. (I’m serious, I actually love it.) “King Ahab went a walking, … Read more
I honestly never gave it a whole lot of thought before this read through and blog series, but Samson always bothered me. I mean, what was the point? Samson is one of the earliest Bible stories you are taught if you are raised in the church. He’s up there with Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. … Read more
I was taught that Moses wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land because he got violent when God told him to speak peacefully. He hit a rock he was only supposed to talk to. He disobeyed. DON’T DISOBEY! Okay. But… Aaron wasn’t kept out of the Promised Land after making an idol, or scheming against … Read more
I was raised with the idea that Moses was punished for his anger when the Israelites made the golden calf. The lesson was something like this: God wrote the first tablets with his own finger. Moses was so angry that he smashed the tablets. Because he acted rashly in his anger, he had to carve … Read more
I want to take a minute to talk about speculation. Most of the stories we have in the Old Testament don’t give us a lot of detail, especially about what people are thinking or why they make certain choices. A lot of what I do myself as I reflect on passages is speculate about what … Read more
This one has me scratching my head more than shaking it. I mean, at least in this lesson they weren’t so much wrong as…I don’t know. Let me just get to into it. The story/passage I’m addressing today is Isaac and Rebekah, otherwise known as Jacob and Esau. The questionable lesson I received from it? … Read more
I can’t say I really disagree with how my Sunday School lessons presented the question of Ishmael. I was taught that the strife between Ishmael and Isaac was a result of Abraham and Sarah getting impatient and taking matters into their own hands. Now, I do think that’s a little simplistic. I wish there were … Read more
This is what really started it all for me. I can’t remember how young I was, probably in junior high, when I read the story of Noah for myself. I remember being…upset. I remember wanting to know where the rest of the story was. See, I was told that a) Noah tried to convince his … Read more