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2025-04-04T10:49:09-06:00

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.

Why I’m A Universalist Who Believes In Hell

Last updated on: April 4, 2025 at 10:49 am By Matthew Distefano

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Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not here to sell you fire insurance, pitchforks, or eternal harp lessons. But I am here to talk about hell—or at least my particular flavor of it. And spoiler alert: my version doesn’t involve eternal conscious torment or an underground barbecue. But it does involve correction, accountability, and maybe even a metaphorical whoopin’. (Because let’s be real: some folks could use one.) First off, yes, I’m a universalist. But before you get visions of... Read more

General Christian

Relationships and Religion

Christian Universalist Perspective

Divine Punishment and Redemption

Hell as Correction

Non-Violent Justice Theology

Reconciliation and Justice in Heaven

Universalism and Hell

2024-11-21T09:16:17-06:00

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.

The Problem with “Homosexual”: Let’s Change Our Language

Last updated on: November 21, 2024 at 9:16 am By Matthew Distefano

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In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) made a landmark decision: it removed homosexuality from the second edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-II), marking a monumental shift in how society viewed gay people. This decision came after years of advocacy, scientific research, and cultural change, and while it didn’t immediately end the stigma, it was a significant step forward. Still, the pathologizing label of “homosexual” lingers in our language, carrying with it the weight of... Read more

LGBTQ+

Affirming LGBTQ+ language

History of homosexuality in the DSM

Homosexuality and language history

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Retiring harmful language in faith

Why stop using the term homosexual

2024-11-21T08:41:17-06:00

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.

Trans Day of Remembrance: Standing With the Marginalized

Last updated on: November 21, 2024 at 8:41 am By Matthew Distefano

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Every year on November 20th, we pause to observe Trans Day of Remembrance, a solemn occasion to honor the lives of transgender individuals lost to violence and hatred. It’s a day of grief, reflection, and, hopefully, a catalyst for change. Yet, as I reflect on the state of the American Christian church, I can’t help but acknowledge the collective failure to protect and uplift some of the most vulnerable in society. Jesus commanded his followers to care for the marginalized,... Read more

Politics and Religion

American church and trans rights

Christian response to transgender rights

Faith and LGBTQ+ inclusion

Jesus and marginalized communities

Progressive Christianity and justice

Trans Day of Remembrance 2024

2024-11-19T18:13:45-06:00

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.

Breaking Free from Harmful Beliefs: A Review of Finally Free

Last updated on: November 19, 2024 at 6:13 pm By Matthew Distefano

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There are books that entertain, books that inform, and then there are books that dismantle harmful ideologies while offering hope to those who’ve suffered under them. Seth Showalter’s Finally Free is one such book—a transformative read that courageously confronts the damage wrought by conversion therapy and the broader cultural and religious rejection of the LGBTQ+ community. As someone who has spent years calling out the toxic theology that harms so many, I couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this book and... Read more

Family, Parenting and Religion

Book Review

LGBTQ+

Dangers of conversion therapy

Finally Free book review

Healing from religious trauma

LGBTQ+ inclusion in faith

Online course for LGBTQ+ healing

Seth Showalter conversion therapy

2024-11-17T09:27:54-06:00

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.

Wrestling with a Church Gone Rogue

Last updated on: November 17, 2024 at 9:27 am By Matthew Distefano

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On a recent episode of Heretic Happy Hour, Keith Giles and I took on some heavy topics—issues that stick in your soul long after the microphones are turned off. If you caught our discussion, you know we dove headfirst into the documentary For Our Daughters, Kristen Du Mez’s searing exploration of sexual assault within the church. This episode wasn’t just hard-hitting; it was necessary. It challenged us to confront a question the institutional church has failed to ask: why do... Read more

Politics and Religion

justice and accountability

kristin du mez

MAGA christianity

progressive christianity

2024-11-18T12:47:53-06:00

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.

Why FOR OUR DAUGHTERS Is a Must-Watch Documentary

Last updated on: November 18, 2024 at 12:47 pm By Matthew Distefano

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We’ve often heard that history is written by the victors, but when it comes to how religious institutions handle sexual abuse, the truth is more often buried. That’s why our recent Heretic Happy Hour conversation with Jules Woodson and Tiffany Thigpen—two incredible women featured in the documentary For Our Daughters—felt so urgent. Their stories highlight not only the harm inflicted by abusers but the systemic failures within evangelical communities that perpetuate silence and suffering. The Systemic Rot of Silence and... Read more

Style and Religion

2024-11-15T11:36:19-06:00

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.

Donald Trump Promises Brand New Executive Order

Last updated on: November 15, 2024 at 11:36 am By Matthew Distefano

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Washington, DC — President elect Donald J. Trump has made a lot of boisterous and public promises, but one that has, until now, slipped under the radar is a new executive order that he plans on implementing on day one of his second term. The order, dubbed the “Promoting Equal Diversity in Orchestration,” or P.E.D.O., is an idea that the Trump team has stated will “unite the American people around cherished songs we all know and love.” The order lays... Read more

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2024-11-19T13:34:21-06:00

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.

What the Bible Really Says About Sodom and Its Sin

Last updated on: November 19, 2024 at 1:34 pm By Matthew Distefano

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For centuries, the word “sodomite” has been flung around like a theological dodgeball, aimed squarely at queer folks by those who apparently skipped the part of the Bible where God commands love and compassion. But what if I told you the term has been misused? What if, instead of fixating on consensual relationships between adults, we took the Bible at its word—specifically Ezekiel 16—and used “sodomite” as a label for those who fail to care for the poor, the immigrant,... Read more

Old Testament

Politics

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Biblical definition of sodomite

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Caring for the poor in the Bible

Ezekiel 16 and Sodom’s sin

Redefining sodomite biblically

What was Sodom’s real sin

2025-05-19T18:28:50-06:00

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.

Is Donald Trump the Antichrist?

Last updated on: May 19, 2025 at 6:28 pm By Matthew Distefano

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Growing up in evangelical circles, I was practically marinated in end-times theology. The Antichrist, Gog and Magog, the head wound, the mark of the beast—it was all there, baked into our dinner table conversations and Sunday school lessons. If a politician sneezed in the wrong direction, someone was ready with a chart, a Bible, and a laser pointer to prove they were the Antichrist. For a while, it felt like every world leader got a turn in the hot seat.... Read more

Politics and Religion

2024-11-11T15:00:31-06:00

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.

The Camp Fire: Tragedy and the Human Spirit

Last updated on: November 11, 2024 at 3:00 pm By Matthew Distefano

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I was living 15 minutes away in Chico when the Camp Fire ignited on November 8, 2018. For those unfamiliar with California’s grim tradition of naming wildfires, this one is infamous for its devastation: Paradise, California, was nearly wiped off the map. Eighteen thousand structures disappeared in just three and a half hours. It was as if a nightmare script had been unleashed on an unsuspecting town. But this isn’t just a story about loss—it’s about what comes after. What... Read more

Recreation, Outdoors and Religion

Podcast

Theology

Finding hope after loss

Healing through farming and nature

Impact of tragedy on resilience

Lessons from the Camp Fire

Paradise California wildfire stories

Rebuilding after tragedy

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