Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
Reading Galatians Right

Reading Galatians Right

Last updated on: May 25, 2026 at 9:57 am by Matthew Distefano

0 Comments

Reading Galatians Right 2026-05-25T09:57:37-06:00 Matthew Distefano

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Reading Romans Right came out well over a year ago. March 18, 2025, to be exact. And while the majority of the responses have been glowingly positive—probably due to the fact that most of Keith’s and my readers are open-minded and theologically progressive—there have been some harsh criticisms from those in more conservative camps.

“Classic leftist trope,” says Chad Earwood.

“I don’t recommend this book,” writes Kristina Lewin.

“Book should be called Reading Romans Left,” quips “Massi” on Amazon.

Of course, if you’ve actually read Reading Romans Right, you’ll likely understand that nothing in that book is “classic” leftist theology—whatever that means to Chad. I doubt Mr. Earwood has read Douglas Campbell’s 1,200-page tome, The Deliverance of God. Or David Bentley Hart’s The New Testament: A Translation. Or Lucy Peppiatt’s Women and Worship in Corinth. Or Chris Tilling’s Paul’s Divine Christology. These are some of the books we draw from, and none of them are imbued with “classic” leftist tropes (does Chad even know what the word “trope” means?). Rather, they are highly respected academic works published by some of the most prolific traditional publishers of our day—Eerdmans, Yale, Cascade.

And now… Quoir.

Okay, I’m kidding, but only kind of.

While our little, punk rock publishing company doesn’t stand shoulder to shoulder with stalwarts like Eerdmans or Yale, it does value a well sought out truth, as well as the pursuit for the sake of the pursuit.

That’s why the Quoir Bible Series exists in the first place. We aren’t here to vomit out tropes of any kind, nor do we care to take a left vs. right perspective. This is especially true when commenting on someone as contentious as Paul. Do we value the apostle? Of course. Do we revere his writings from both an historical and theological perspective? No doubt. But is he the final authority in our lives? Definitely not! As we admit in Reading Romans Right, Paul’s writings “can in fact present us with some internal inconsistencies.” And further, we argue that he had “what we now understand to be harmful views of women.” So, again, Paul is a bit of a mixed bag who cannot escape the context in which he lives—but is this not true of all of us, both left and right?

Nevertheless, for those who valued our insights in Reading Romans Right—or, if this article is the first you’re hearing of the series, and you have an open mind—we hope that it’s follow-up enlightens you in some way. Personally, Paul’s letter to the Galatians it’s one of my favorites of his—and not just the part where he tells judgmental zealots to castrate themselves (5:12). This epistle is fiery, yet full of Christ’s love. Paul is pissed, but for good reason. And it will be Keith’s and my job to help elucidate for you just what is going on at this point in history to cause the apostle to be so irate.

Now, allow me to say two final things before I get back to writing this book: 1) you can expect this upcoming edition to be on the short end. Unlike the Epistle to the Romans, Paul’s letter to the Galatians is not chock full of multiple chapters of rhetorical arguments against hypothetical false teachers. It’s much more intimate than that. The church of Galatia is Paul’s. He knows these people, and gets down and dirty from the get-go.

Does this mean we are going to cut corners and rely on “leftist tropes” for our arguments. No! We will still be covering a lot of ground, both theologically and historically. So, strap in and get ready for such an adventure.

And 2) this will be the final book in the series written exclusively by Keith and me. After this offering, we are opening things up to friends of ours who are scholars, theologians, mystics, saints (and sinners), heretics, apostates, orthodox, heterodox, and everything in between. This is the Bible, after all. So, we must remember that the theology derived from it must be a conversation within a community, and what better community than the extended Quoir family?

So, I hope you look forward to this book—you too, Chad! The fact that you’ve read this article is hopefully a sign that you are willing to expand your knowledge and grow in areas not all Christians are willing to go. We thank you for that, and hope that we can deliver an exhilarating and refreshing look at yet another letter some love to hate and others hate to love. We hope you enjoy Reading Galatians Right (release date TBD).

If you’re navigating faith after certainty, loving Jesus but not the empire, or trying to hold on to hope in a burning world, you’re not alone. I explore these themes weekly on the Heretic Happy Hour podcast.

You can also explore my books—including Heretic!, The Wisdom of Hobbits, and others—right here: https://quoir.com/authors/matthew-j-distefano/

Thanks for reading. Thanks for thinking. And thanks for refusing to settle for easy answers.

History and Religion

epistle to the romans

galatians

paul and galatians

About Matthew J. Distefano

Matthew J. Distefano is an award-winning author, best known for The Wisdom of Hobbits and Mimetic Theory & Middle-earth. He is the co-host of the popular Heretic Happy Hour podcast, co-owner of Quoir Publishing, and owner of Happy Woods Farm—a small permaculture farm nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. Matthew's thought-provoking work explores spirituality, theology, philosophy, politics, and culture, and his writing has been featured in Sojourners, Patheos, and beyond. He is a graduate of Chico State University, and when he's not writing, farming, or playing The Last of Us, he enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

May 4, 2026

An Evangelical Case for Trump as the Antichrist

Next Post

June 11, 2026 It MUST Be Obama's Fault

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"I have to admit I was stunned by this show. I couldn't tell if y'all ..."

Bill Bond

Addressing the Recent Heretic Happy Hour ..."

"I'm so perplexed at how people who talk about others (women, immigrants, etc) with such ..."

Paul

Addressing the Recent Heretic Happy Hour ..."

"Guys like Andrew miss the whole point of being Christian, relationship at any cost, hence ..."

Patrick Dennis

I Debated Andrew Wilson, Here’s What ..."

"I went to an evangelical website and ask them why they would vote for Trump ..."

Guerillasurgeon

An Evangelical Case for Trump as ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement Book Review Early Church Eschatology eternal torment Hell Hermeneutics LGBTQ+ Mimetic Theory Mysticism News Old Testament Podcast Poetry Politics Prayer Religion Sacrifice Satire Soteriology Theology Uncategorized Violence

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 June 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 June 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the youngest son of Jacob?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Benjamin Dan Joseph Levi

Books by This Author Books by All Set Free

See All Titles »