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Progressive Christian

2021-12-07T19:26:46+00:00

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.

Understanding Progressive Christianity, Part 2 – Sexual Integrity

Last updated on: December 7, 2021 at 7:26 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

In the first instalment of this series, I looked at the necessity of deconstruction. The rigidity and thoughtlessness of reformist/evangelical doctrine, along with its approach to scripture, leads to an inevitable exodus, as believers look for better answers and a healthier atmosphere, in which the questioner is encouraged rather than silenced. As a result, many sincere Christians, who love Jesus, end up taking their faith apart and rebuilding it from scratch. Though a valuable experience for some, there are... Read more

De/reconstruction

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2021-12-07T17:24:42+00:00

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.

Understanding Progressive Christianity, Part 1 – The Necessity of Deconstruction

Last updated on: December 7, 2021 at 5:24 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

Many of my posts challenge the assumptions of Evangelicalism, but in this series, I’ll be examining Progressive Christianity, exploring its tenets and principles, and whether it is a step towards or away from Jesus. The heart of Progressive Christianity is not a commonly-held set of beliefs; it is a shared process – the deconstruction and reconstruction of faith. For me, this journey was embarked upon as a necessity, because the faith of my youth no longer provided me with satisfying... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Understanding God

Understanding the Bible

deconstruction and reconstruction

progressive Christianity

Understanding the Bible

2021-11-27T02:49:25+00:00

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 Most Important Lesson My Father Taught Me

Last updated on: November 27, 2021 at 2:49 am By Duncan Edward Pile

I was brought up in the faith, and as a very young boy, used to read the Bible each night with my Dad, before bed. On one such occasion, Dad presented me with the idea that everyone was equally important in God’s eyes. At the age of five, I was struck by a compelling conclusion: “Does that mean I’m as important as the Queen?” I asked. “Yes, but it also means you’re as important as the nearest tramp,”... Read more

God has no favourites

made in God's image

2021-11-26T01:50:54+00:00

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.

For the Avoidance of Dishonour

Last updated on: November 26, 2021 at 1:50 am By Duncan Edward Pile

A personal reflection: I often write about the church of my upbringing, highlighting the messages I needed to unlearn later in life. This is unavoidable if I’m to tell my authentic story, and share the lessons I hope will bless others. Unlearning is often the first part of learning, just as removing shackles is the first part of freedom, so I can’t apologise for detailing the spiritual starting point in my journey. My best hope is that others will read... Read more

2021-11-24T13:47:02+00:00

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 Prayer God Can’t Answer

Last updated on: November 24, 2021 at 1:47 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

In the church of my upbringing, it was commonly understood that if we prayed for something, the outcome would be God’s will, whether the specific request is answered or not. In particular, this was the approach when praying for the sick. James 5:14-15, ‘Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

2021-11-19T21:48:10+00:00

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 is Calvinism – Why This Matters

Last updated on: November 19, 2021 at 9:48 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

In this, final instalment of the series, I’ll be looking at the fifth point of Calvinism, Perseverance of the Saints, and explaining why I think any of this matters. But first, a comment on my approach: A reader commented on part four of this series, observing (without criticism) that I do not quote Calvin or Calvinists in any of these posts. There are good reasons for that. First of all, Calvin himself did not define the TUPIL mnemonic. Distilling... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

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Understanding God

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God is good all the time

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TULIP

2021-11-16T00:02:03+00:00

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 is Calvinism – Part 4

Last updated on: November 16, 2021 at 12:02 am By Duncan Edward Pile

In this instalment, I’ll be looking at the fourth point of Calvinism – Irresistible Grace. Calvin believed first of all that human beings are corrupted by sin in every part, lacking any innate goodness, and therefore unable to respond to God at all. Therefore, he concluded that God alone chooses who is to be saved, and who is destined for eternal damnation in Hell, and that you and I have no part or choice in our response. In addition, as... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

The dangers of Calvinism

Yielding to Grace

2021-11-12T00:06:46+00:00

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 is Calvinism – Part 3

Last updated on: November 12, 2021 at 12:06 am By Duncan Edward Pile

In the first post in this series, I established a baseline argument – that Calvinism is fundamentally harmful in all five of its tenets. I’ve already looked at Total Depravity and Unconditional Election, so today’s topic is the third point of Calvinism – Limited Atonement. Even among Calvinists, this point is controversial. A sub-group has attempted to circumnavigate the difficulties it poses by holding to Four Point Calvinism, which has rather conveniently left Limited Atonement behind, but for me,... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Understanding God

Limited Atonement

the danger of Calvinism

2021-11-12T00:03:45+00:00

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 is Calvinism – Part 2

Last updated on: November 12, 2021 at 12:03 am By Duncan Edward Pile

In part one, I established a baseline argument – that Calvinism is fundamentally harmful in all five of its tenets – and spent time looking at the T in Calvinism’s mnemonic, TULIP; Total Depravity. I argued that Calvinism focuses on original sin and fails to notice original goodness, which came before the Fall and is fundamentally who we are. We are made in God’s image, and that image is beautiful. Sin derailed and derails us, but our fundamental nature... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Understanding God

Understanding Self-Worth

Calvinism

demonic doctrine

reformist doctrine

the deception of Calvinism

TULIP

unconditional Election

2021-11-06T19:21:30+00:00

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 is Calvinism – Part 1

Last updated on: November 6, 2021 at 7:21 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

At the age of nineteen I was keenly aware that my spirituality lacked vitality. I wanted something deeper and better, but didn’t know how to get there. I’ve written before of how that changed, but that’s not the topic of this post. Before I found the answers that changed my life for the better, I explored a few dead ends, one of which was Calvinism. The church I attended at that age was a large, reformist, Evangelical kind of... Read more

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Understanding God

Understanding Self-Worth

the problem is Calvinism

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