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Progressive Christian

2022-12-07T07:01:56-08:00

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.

Fight or Flight on Social Media

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 7:01 am By Gregory T. Smith

I’ve lost a lot of “friends” on Facebook over the last couple of years, because of my stance on social issues. Most of these don’t bother me—but a few have been people I once considered dear. There’s a difference between “friends” on social media, and actual friends. It hurts the most when precious people argue with you on the internet’s public forum, or when they drop you altogether. Is the Carnage Virtual? Studies show that when we’re on social media,... Read more

Relationships and Religion

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Fight or flight

Losing friends on Facebook

Social media

Unfriending

2022-12-07T07:01:23-08:00

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.

Love the Sin; Hate the Sinner

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 7:01 am By Gregory T. Smith

No, I didn’t get the title backwards. Contrary to the popular Christian aphorism that says, “Love The sinner; hate the sin,” many Christians do it the other way around. I’m reminded of Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church. Picketing funerals and other events, they brandished signs that read, “God hates fags.” Their brand of Christianity turns my stomach and illustrates the fact that they really love the sin and hate the sinner. Something to Oppose They love... Read more

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Fred Phelps

Love the sin; hate the sinner

Pro-birth movement

2022-12-07T07:01:10-08:00

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.

Crossing Borders: Tearing Down Dividing Walls of Hostility

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 7:01 am By Gregory T. Smith

Last week, someone called me an “Effing Yank!” This is particularly funny to a Southerner from Virginia, where we grew up thinking Yankees were people born north of the Mason-Dixon line. So, for me to be called a Yank makes me chuckle. But, coming from a non-American, it was meant to be hurtful. It got me thinking about borders. I’m drafting this article while sitting in line at the border between the United States and Canada. I live north of... Read more

Home and Religion

Politics and Religion

2022-12-07T07:00:45-08:00

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.

Can Christians Watch Horror Movies?

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 7:00 am By Gregory T. Smith

Spoiler Alert: I paused my horror movie to draft this article. That first sentence sorta gives away the ending, doesn’t it? Read on, though—and we’ll take a serious look at the question. Also, Warning: Some of the language below describes graphic violence. Patheos asked its writers to work on a project called “People Are Asking,” tackling the top one hundred inquiries readers have about the world’s different religions. So far in this series, I’ve answered the question, “Can Christians... Read more

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Christian horror movies

Violent movies

2022-12-07T07:00:14-08:00

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.

Who Helped Jesus Carry the Cross?

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 7:00 am By Gregory T. Smith

Take a journey with me as we visit the Holy City, on a day when Passover was not passive, and a man of peace helped Jesus carry his cross. Jerusalem teemed with Jewish travelers from all over the Roman Empire, who had come to the holy city for Passover. Though they all worshipped the Jewish God, they came from many cultures. Tarshish, Babylon, Egypt, and Ethiopia all boasted Jewish populations in the Diaspora—and many people, indigenous to those regions,... Read more

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Black people in the Bible

Simon of Cyrene

Who helped carry Jesus' Cross?

2022-12-07T06:59:41-08:00

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.

How Should Conservative Christians Treat LGBTQIA+ Folks?

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 6:59 am By Gregory T. Smith

“Dad, I’m bisexual.” “Mom, I’m a lesbian.” “Pastor, I’m gay.” “Boss, I’m transgender.” “Friend, I’m questioning my sexual identity.” What can you, as a conservative Christian, do when someone comes out to you? This is Pride Month–so this issue may hit home sooner than you think. I hope you’ll keep reading–because I’m not going to try to convince you to believe anything different than you already do. Plenty of books and articles exist, making theological arguments on both sides. If you have... Read more

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Christian response to LGBTQ

Gay Christians

2022-12-07T06:59:27-08:00

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.

Can Christians Curse? What the Bible Says…

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 6:59 am By Gregory T. Smith

Christians have a lot of unwritten rules when it comes to cussing, cursing, swearing, or having a “potty mouth.” But what does the Bible say about cussing Christians? Rules for Cussing Obscenity laws are written to limit what you can and can’t say in public, to protect public decency. Unwritten rules, on the other hand, get enforced by society in general. There are all kinds of unwritten rules about cussing. Let me write down three: Certain people shouldn’t hear you... Read more

Family, Parenting and Religion

Home and Religion

Challenging the Church

2022-12-07T06:59:12-08:00

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 Chosen People and Guns: Our History of Supremacy, Violence, and Genocide

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 6:59 am By Gregory T. Smith

White Americans love guns because they think of themselves as the Chosen People. Don’t believe me? Look at history. Whenever folks think of themselves as the Chosen People, genocide and violence follow. History shows many examples, but today I want to focus on three: Israel, Christendom, and White America. Israel as the Chosen People The Bible tells the story of the Hebrew people who were enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years. Having learned the brutality of their Egyptian... Read more

Politics and Religion

Recreation, Outdoors and Religion

Challenging the Church

2022-12-07T06:58:48-08:00

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.

Does Our Sin Separate Us from God?

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 6:58 am By Gregory T. Smith

Don’t believe the LIE that your sin separates you from God. Jesus proves otherwise. The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden 1426-27. Fresco, 208 x 88 cm. Cappella Brancacci, Santa Maria del Carmine, Florence Evangelical teachers instruct their students to imagine a great chasm between themselves and God, which can only be bridged by the cross. Gospel tracts usually depict the fires of hell at the bottom of the chasm. The message is your sin separates you from God,... Read more

Family, Parenting and Religion

Home and Religion

2022-12-07T06:58:14-08:00

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.

God’s Nonbinary Pronouns: How Theology Can Learn from Queer Studies

Last updated on: December 7, 2022 at 6:58 am By Gregory T. Smith

Trans and nonbinary people are changing their pronouns–what if God is, too? As part of their transition, the trans people in my life have changed their pronouns. They’ve come to a new understanding of themselves, and want others to know the new person, too. That’s why they introduce themselves by their chosen name rather than their name assigned at birth (what many call a “dead-name”). It’s also why they often tell you their pronouns–so you’ll make the transition along with... Read more

Family, Parenting and Religion

Home and Religion

Challenging the Church

Does God have gender?

God is nonbinary

Is God male?

Trans and nonbinary pronouns

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