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

Atonement

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

March 2026

March 16, 2026

My Universalism Demands Hell

Universalism has a reputation problem. For a lot of Christians, the word sounds like moral...

September 2024

September 12, 2024

How to Read Romans Right: A Fresh Perspective

Reading the Book of Romans is no small task. For many, it's the cornerstone of...

June 2024

June 14, 2024

How Christians Can Make America Great

In the '80s, Ronald Reagan said he wanted to make America great again. No, really...

January 2022

January 24, 2022

10 Things That Aren’t In Your Bible

There are many things Christians think are in the Bible, but aren't. Here's a list...

October 2021

October 15, 2021

Evangelicals, I’ve Got Some Questions For You

American Evangelical Christianity is where I come from, but it's no longer the place I...

August 2021

August 13, 2021

No Hell? Then Why Care About Jesus?

I affirm universal reconciliation. Meaning, even if there is a hell, it doesn't last forever....

July 2021

July 27, 2021

“What If You’re Wrong?”

As someone who believes in universal restoration, I'm often asked the question, "What if you're...

July 08, 2021

Repent: Behavior Modification, Changing Your Thinking, Or Both?

What does it mean to repent? If you ask most evangelical Christians, they'll likely start...

June 2021

June 30, 2021

God Saves Us (But Not From God’s Self)

In my last entry, I discussed a ridiculous Paul Washer quote about how God saves...

June 29, 2021

God Saves Us From God?

"When a man gets saved, he gets saved from God. The justice of God was...

March 2021

March 30, 2021

Licensed to Sin: Part II

In Part I of this two-part series, we talked about Christianity's assumptions about so-called "original...

March 29, 2021

Licensed to Sin: Part I

A lot of Christians have a skewed view of sin. If I had to guess...

March 23, 2021

Book Review: “Jesus Unforsaken” by Keith Giles

It's no surprise that Keith Giles and I go way back. We've been with the...

March 09, 2021

The Messiness of Deconstruction

Everyone is talking about deconstruction. Conservative Christians are talking about it. Progressive Christians are talking...

February 2021

February 17, 2021

10 Things To Give Up For Lent

We are in the season of Lent, that period of time where some Christians give...

January 2021

January 05, 2021

“Matt, What If You’re Wrong?”: Addressing the Infernalist’s Version of Pascal’s Wager

In case you didn't know, I'm a Universalist. This means that in the end, I...

April 2019

April 18, 2019

The Suffering Servant of Second Isaiah: A Non-Penal Consideration

Tomorrow is Good Friday, which means that you’ll likely hear all about how the death...

April 15, 2019

7 Assumptions About Universalism That Are So Often Wrong

Universalism is the belief that all will be saved and reconciled to God in the...

April 04, 2019

Christianity Shouldn’t Be This Exhausting

Growing up in the Evangelical church, I was often told that I needed to “win...

September 2018

September 19, 2018

7 Things I Wish More Christians Considered

Although I typically don’t get into many theological discussions or arguments on social media these...

April 2018

April 20, 2018

Am I Really One With Satan?

I’ve often been accused of being one with Satan. Given that the satan—or, ha satan...

April 05, 2018

5 Reasons People Aren’t Drawn to Christ

The other day, I made a phallic joke on my Facebook page. It was generally...

March 2018

March 28, 2018

Introducing “Heretic!” Out April 1

I wanted to take a moment to introduce my forthcoming book Heretic! An LGBTQ-Affirming,...

January 2018

January 29, 2018

Saved From God? 5 Problems With Penal Substitution Atonement Theory

*Note: this is part I of a two-part series I am doing on atonement theology....

January 18, 2018

Is Christian Universalism a Slippery Slope?

*Note, this is a guest piece by Charles Watson, author of Hell in a Nutshell,...

January 09, 2018

5 Things I Wish My Pastors Told Me

I spent roughly 25 years in the Evangelical church; 12 of them in some form...

December 2017

December 07, 2017

A Response to One of My Detractors (Re: ‘What My Universalism Is and Is Not’)

On October 1, 2016, I published an article entitled “What My Universalism Is and Is...

November 2017

November 10, 2017

Distefano’s 35 Theses Nailed to the Patheos Wall

It’s been just over a week since the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, which...

May 2017

May 22, 2017

PART 3: PODCAST- Does The Evangelical View of the Cross Lead To Violence?

Awesome Part 3 of a conversation between Quoir authors Matthew Distefano, Keith Giles, and Jamal...

May 22, 2017

PART 2: PODCAST- Does The Evangelical View of the Cross Lead To Violence?

Part 2 of a conversation between Quoir authors Keith Giles, Jamal Jivanjee and Matthew Distefano...