I would suggest the greatest threat to AMERICAN Christianity is Jesus himself. The Jesus of the Gospels is a stranger to most Christians in the USA. Fundamentalist and conservative Evangelicals promote a version of the faith based on fear, exclusivism, the “hereafter,” legalism, arrogance, and a dearth of compassion. In their preaching and theology, good news has become bad news. Continue reading
(11 minutes) In part one of this series, I wrote about a fundamental disconnect between the life and message of Jesus and Christianity as it has been practiced over the centuries. Of course, there have been times when the church and individual Christians have been faithful to the revelation of… Continue reading
On September 13, 2022, the Pew Research Center and the General Social Survey released some alarming statistics. In the early 1960s, approximately 90% of the U S population identified as Christian (this percentage included children). In 2020, only 64% identified as Christian. The number of people who identify as religiously… Continue reading
“I pray God to rid me of God (Meister Eckhart 1260-1329) Having surpassed by two years my allotted “three score and ten” on this earth, I am still puzzled by so much in Christianity. Let me get some of these puzzlements and frustrations off my chest. How can some Christians… Continue reading
For years Native Americans, like the natives of many other lands, were told that they must embrace the perspective and customs of Western civilization if they were to be truly Christian. Native American children were severely punished in their schools if they spoke Native American languages. In many cases, children were taken from the parents and raised in white-operated orphanages and forbidden to demonstrate anything about their native cultures. Some Native Americans surrendered to such pressure and entered into despair and hopelessness as they saw their roots ripped from their souls. But others refused to become white in order to become Christian. And today there are Native American Christians who are writing theology from their perspective and experience. They are learning how to be Christian without surrendering their roots. Continue reading
I am still astonished and appalled by the continuing support of so many white Evangelicals for Donald Trump. As I have written elsewhere, there is nothing about Trump which even remotely resembles the life, teachings, deeds, death, and resurrection of Jesus. How can anyone who claims to be a follower… Continue reading
