Holy Heretics: Deconstructing Evangelicalism

02/04/2024

The After Party: A free 6-session course that seeks to reframing the Christian political identity. Check out the trailer below and sign up either individually or with a small group.

"Have things always been this crazy? Amid today's political turbulence, Jesus offers a better way than the 'Us vs. Them' that's dominating American life. -- Join Curtis Chang, David French, and Russell Moore -- along with appearances by Nancy French and Charlie Dates -- for an interactive online experience that helps churches, small groups, and individuals create and maintain Christian unity across differences. In the face of political polarization and growing tribalism, the course will help you understand why this age feels uniquely chaotic and encourage you to submit your politics to Jesus. Even when we disagree, Christians can have unity in Christ that goes beyond mere political alignment."

🎉 Access the course for free: https://after-party.orgHave things always been this crazy? Amid today's political turbulence, Jesus offers a better way than t...

04/13/2022

03/19/2022

We will be meeting this Sunday, March 20th, at 5 pm. There will be an in-person gathering at the Hopping's house as well as an online version (message me for the Zoom link).

Topic wise, we will be continuing our conversation about the bible, inerrancy, and literalism. Last time we talked a lot about our personal stories, which was amazing! This time we would like to talk about the cultural aspects of how we approach the bible. The "Reclaiming My Theology ...From White Supremacy: Worship of the Written Word" podcast really brought up some good questions about how different cultures view the bible, the message therein, etc. Hence we thought it would be good to talk through these items.

For those who have not listened to the podcast, here is the link to that episode. You can also find it on Spotify or other podcast platforms.

In this episode, Brandi talks with David deLeon to get a first pass at the worship of the written word. We talk bible, origins, interpretation, and really, how a collective reading of scripture outside of white supremacy, can make us more free. Y...

03/03/2022

I wanted to remind you all that we will be meeting this coming Sunday (March 6th) at 5 pm. The gathering will be both live at the Hopping's house and online via Zoom (link given upon request).

The topic of the evening will be biblical literalism and inerrancy. Hopefully you all had the chance to look over some of the resources I posted previously. No one is expecting you all to have read/listened to everything - rather I included a bunch of options for you to choose from (I like options...so sorry if I overwhelmed anyone...). =/ If you only have time for one thing, I would suggest listening to the below podcast. They did the best job IMHO in outlining the issues surrounding this topic.

"Reclaiming My Theology ...From White Supremacy: Worship of the Written Word w/ David deLeon"

In this episode, Brandi talks with David deLeon to get a first pass at the worship of the written word. We talk bible, origins, interpretation, and really, how a collective reading of scripture outside of white supremacy, can make us more free. Y...

02/23/2022

There's plenty of resources in the world. They are just horded due to the false narrative of scarcity coupled with a culture of 'me' rather than 'we.'

Enough lives beyond our greed and our waste.
Challenge the false narrative of scarcity.

Art by Hannah Lewis, Geez 63: Sound the Trumpet.

02/17/2022

"if the God revealed at the Cross of Christ is self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love, then we can ask ourselves where that God appears in the Old Testament. The result would be a lifetime of uplifting study (as you get with Mileto, Irenaeus, and Origen) that leads us to conclude, “Everywhere!” The people of God did not primarily think of God as the violent warrior, punishing judge, absentee landlord, deadbeat dad, genie in the lantern, or fairy godmother. Rather, their central and breakthrough revelation was, from the beginning, that “God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” This refrain is found so frequently across the text that it is fair to describe it as creedal. Indeed, the Old Testament experience of the glory of the Lord was, in truth, Christ in their midst!"

"....Ultimately, God’s compassion and mercy are revealed to the whole world, promised to Abraham, fulfilled in Christ. Christ will reckon with satan, sin, and death through his death and resurrection. This is the ‘Old Testament God’ of Abraham, Moses, David, and Isaiah—fully and finally revealed in Jesus Christ, there all along for those with ears to see. These creedal statements are hermeneutical keys by which I can see and worship the Christlike God in every book of the Bible."

“THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD” A great part of my spiritual journey has been learning how to read Scripture in light of Jesus’s revelation of ‘a more Christlike God.’ More Christlike than what? More Christlike than I had reckoned, given the hellfire preaching of the revivalists I endured in my ch...

02/14/2022

50% OFF all back issues of Geez Magazine. If you have never heard of them, I would suggest using this opportunity to check them out.

"Geez Magazine is a quarterly, non-profit, ad-free, print magazine about social justice, art, and activism for people at the fringes of faith in both Canada and the US. Geez is for the over-churched, out-churched, un-churched and maybe even the un-churchable."

We're spreading some mid-winter love.
Celebrating three years of Geez in Detroit.
And sharing in the mischief, contemplation and resistance.

This week, get 50% off all 63 of our back issues!

https://geezmagazine.org/store/back-issues/

Coupon code: BACK50

02/14/2022

Some good thoughts about the Old Testament by Dr. Brad Jersak:

"First, for first-century Jews (Christian or not) the Scriptures were not entirely in Hebrew. While the rabbis would eventually narrow their sacred canon to the Hebrew books of the Tanakh (the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim), the Scriptures of Jesus's day included Greek books not preserved in Hebrew (cf. the LXX). To reduce the Jewish Scriptures to 'the Hebrew Scriptures' (as the Protestants have) is to exclude a huge swath of books that first-century Jews (including Jesus and his apostles) embraced as sacred scripture. The later reduction by Jewish rabbis and Protestant theologians does a disservice to those Jews who held the first two books of Maccabees, Tobit, Judith, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach, Baruch, and Greek sections of Esther and Daniel as holy Scripture."

In recent years, biblical studies scholars and theologians, among others, have begun to regard the term "Old Testament" as problematic in terms of both political correctness and interfaith dialogue. While a number of alternatives have been floated, the most dominant...