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Progressive Christian

2024-04-25T17:03:35+01:00

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.

Releasing Ourselves From Ego

Last updated on: April 25, 2024 at 5:03 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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Over the course of our lives, we are exposed to damage that can result in all kinds of false personas, depending on how we react – masks, if you like, to avoid vulnerability, especially when removing the mask would expose festering wounds. The damaged person learns to wear numerous masks, each of which is a defence against openness. Perhaps they validate themselves through financial success, or by seeing themselves as a disruptor, or through some form of dominance over... Read more

General Christian

Loving Ourselves

Mental Health

Mental Health and Faith

2024-04-21T17:56:15+01:00

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.

Less of Me and More of You?

Last updated on: April 21, 2024 at 5:56 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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I often look back on popular worship songs and wince, seeing the harm inherent in the lyrics. I don’t doubt that they were written with good intentions and sung sincerely by worshippers the world over, but the truth is, if we regularly bathe our minds in an idea, we subconsciously absorb the message. If the message in the words promotes wellbeing, then that can be a powerful tool for positive change, but if there’s poison in the pot, it gets... Read more

General Christian

Christian Parenting

De/reconstruction

Loving Ourselves

Mental Health and Faith

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Reframing Evangelical dogma

self-rejection

2024-04-09T18:57:34+01:00

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 Deconstruction Necessary For All Believers?

Last updated on: April 9, 2024 at 6:57 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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Deconstruction has become a major buzz word in Christian circles, whether progressive or conservative. For some, it is an exciting journey into new wisdom, for others, the shedding of dead weight, and for yet others, something to avoid for fear of dismantling their faith entirely. Today, I want to explore whether or not deconstruction is a necessity for all believers. First of all, what is deconstruction? Is it the same process or set of questions for everybody? I would... Read more

Evangelical

De/reconstruction

Interpreting Scripture

Mental Health and Faith

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

asking hard questions

deconstruction

finding new answers

mental health and faith

2024-03-31T19:56:17+01:00

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.

Christ is Risen

Last updated on: March 31, 2024 at 7:56 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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After a day of horror and another of numbing shock, each of Jesus’ disciples was suffering in their own way. Mary lingered at the tomb, lost in grief, Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus were bewildered, and Thomas withdrew into hard cynicism. There’s no right or wrong here. We’re all different, and our reactions to tragedy are largely shaped by childhood experiences. I love that Mary kept her eyes on Jesus, and that at a word, she... Read more

General Christian

Religious Events

Understanding Self-Worth

2024-03-23T20:20:10+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.

Is ‘Sin’ a List of Forbidden Activities?

Last updated on: March 23, 2024 at 8:20 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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Sin is such an emotionally laden term, associated with heaviness and accusation – the angry finger of a vengeful God, wagging in our unworthy faces. Any Biblical term, if twisted out of shape, can become harmful and misleading, which is exactly what I believe has happened with sin/sinner/sinful. In this post, I hope to drain all negative associations from the word ‘sin’ and start from scratch by asking a simple question – what makes an action/choice sinful? I propose... Read more

Evangelical

De/reconstruction

Interpreting Scripture

Loving Each Other

Loving God

Loving Ourselves

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

journeys of healing

sin for some but not for others

the importance of conscience

What is sin

2024-03-14T18:29:41+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 Rich Man and Lazarus – Parable or Story?

Last updated on: March 14, 2024 at 6:29 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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In recent weeks, the Rich Man and Lazarus has become something of a ‘capture the flag’ Bible passage, with some insisting Jesus presented it as a real exchange, thereby proving he believed in eternal conscious torment (Hell). Others, who don’t believe in eternal conscious torment, prefer to see it as a parable, containing only symbolism and metaphor. Personally, I’m fine either way. Even if understood as a real event rather than a parable, the story doesn’t support a belief... Read more

Evangelical

Education and Religion

and Sheol

De/reconstruction

Interpreting Scripture

Old and New Covenants

Sound theology

Understanding God

Understanding the Bible

Hades is not Hell

judgement

Sheol is not Hell

The Rich Man and Lazarus

universal salvation

Wise fire

2024-02-28T15:51:20+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 Book of Job, Part 4 – Job’s Heart is Revealed

Last updated on: February 28, 2024 at 3:51 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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In the previous three instalments of this series, we established several key foundations: Job was not a Hebrew and didn’t have any knowledge of the Lord as revealed through Abraham. He was a man with his own view of God, whose behaviour and ultimately, whose words, demonstrate the nature of those beliefs. Job lived in fear of disaster, of punishment for sin. He never knew or trusted the goodness of God. His spirituality was based on two key pillars... Read more

General Christian

Interpreting Scripture

Old and New Covenants

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Job is self-righteous

self-righteousness versus faith righteousness

The book of Job

2024-02-15T17:38:09+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.

Spiritual Discipline is Still Important

Last updated on: February 15, 2024 at 5:38 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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A person who’s been burned by legalism is likely to associate any talk of discipline or growth with past pain. For many, it has become a trigger point. Those who live for years under a burden of obligation, and who then discover they have been doing so needlessly, tend to embrace the message of grace with open arms. I get it – I was legalistic for years in my youth, believing that sin (which I had no sensible understanding of... Read more

Progressive Christian

growth after deconstruction

Spiritual discipline

spiritual growth

2024-02-09T16:22:52+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 Book of Job Part 3 – Job Calls God His Enemy

Last updated on: February 9, 2024 at 4:22 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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The common Evangelical interpretation of Job states that Job was a righteous man who refused to blame God for his loss and was commended by the Lord for his piety. In the introductory post in this series, I argued that this is the absolute opposite of what the text shows us, and that the wool has been pulled over our eyes, with devastating consequences. In the second instalment, we began to look at the text, establishing several key points: ... Read more

Progressive Christian

Interpreting Scripture

Re-thinking Christian Concepts

Sound theology

The importance of theology

Understanding God

deconstruction and reconstruction

Evangelical dogma

God is love and light

god is not the author of suffering

The book of Job

2024-02-03T22:58:01+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.

Being Kind to Our Younger Selves

Last updated on: February 3, 2024 at 10:58 pm By Duncan Edward Pile

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When I look back at some of the dumb stuff I’ve said and done in my adult life, it’s tempting to wince. I’m not just talking about selfish choices, but attitudes I held for years, jokes I thought were harmless but which were, in fact, hurtful, moments where I let people I love down, and far, far more. The list is endless, but I don’t mean this in a self-critical way. To put it simply, we are all fools, and... Read more

General Christian

Loving Each Other

Loving Ourselves

The importance of kindness

Understanding Self-Worth

accepting ourselves. accepting others

do not judge

freedom from self-judgement

the importance of kindness

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