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Progressive Christian

2016-08-15T14:25:01-05:00

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.

One Hurting Group the Church Desperately Needs to Welcome

Last updated on: August 15, 2016 at 2:25 pm By Steve Austin

I long for the Church to echo the words of Christ, who said, “Come to me, tired ones. Come to me in your dysfunction. Come to me with your disappointment. Come to me and bring your exhaustion with you. Come to me without production or pretense and rest.” Read more

The Struggle With Church

Christianity

Church

evangelical Christianity

2016-09-06T09:58:28-05:00

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 Want to be More than Just a Good Man

Last updated on: September 6, 2016 at 9:58 am By Steve Austin

I was a victim of childhood sexual abuse before the age of four. When I was 12, I discovered porn. What started as teenage curiosity turned to fascination, and eventually a powerful addiction to pornography. For nearly ten years of my addiction, I was a youth pastor in the Bible Belt. I lived in constant fear of my perfect image being shattered. But one conversation with my little boy changed everything... Read more

Family

Parenting

Recovery

Recovery from Porn Addiction

addiction

childhood sexual abuse

2016-08-12T11:23:36-05:00

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 the Holy Spirit Your Comfort…or A Crazy Cousin?

Last updated on: August 12, 2016 at 11:23 am By Steve Austin

During my childhood, I saw people act forcefully on behalf of the Holy Spirit, but I never experienced Him that way. I knew the Holy Spirit as a gentle nudge, a Comfort, like one of my Grandmother’s quilts. But what I heard was that He was the hall monitor of our souls: the ever-watchful Eye of a perfect and holy God, who was more interested in finding the secrets we hid in the darkest places of our wandering hearts than being the balm for our weary souls. Read more

The Struggle With Church

This is My Story (series)

2016-08-11T08:49:53-05:00

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 to Have Authentic Faith in the Midst of Anxiety

Last updated on: August 11, 2016 at 8:49 am By Lindsey Austin

Anxiety often feels like the deep end of the pool, and I feel like a brand-new swimmer. In the moment, I forget my options — a place to set my feet — and my current emotional state isn’t a death sentence. Read more

2016-08-10T20:27:47-05:00

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 a Vote for Trump is a Vote Against Women

Last updated on: August 10, 2016 at 8:27 pm By Guest Contributor

When asked about sexual harassment in the workplace as it might pertain to his daughter, Donald Trump said, “I would like to think she would find another career or find another company if that was the case.” So Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, a very wealthy and educated woman, could just quit and find herself another job but what about the rest of us? Most women can’t as easily quit and find gainful employment. What about single moms, or poor women, or elderly women who can’t go without a paycheck for any length of time? Read more

presidential election

sexual harassment

women's rights

2016-08-09T12:07:22-05:00

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 Being a 90’s Kid in the Church was Scary as Hell

Last updated on: August 9, 2016 at 12:07 pm By Steve Austin

I just knew the Henchmen of Heaven would come and steal me away in the middle of the night as a thirteen-year-old and damn me to eternal punishment early because I’d said “shit” or been caught lingering too long on the adult movie channels late at night at my grandparents’ house. Any 90’s boy knows exactly what I’m talking about: the high numbers on satellite, blurred out, with the fuzzy green and pink lines. Every once in awhile you could catch the shadow of a boob if you just stared hard enough. Read more

The Struggle With Church

This is My Story (series)

Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames

kid

2016-09-01T08:17:15-05:00

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.

6 Ways to Recover from a Suicide Attempt

Last updated on: September 1, 2016 at 8:17 am By Steve Austin

Since I’ve begun sharing how I went from a being a pastor to being hospitalized in a psych ward, people often ask about my recovery. Everyone wants to know, is there a single solution? Where does the magic lie? How do they get their own lives (or their loved ones’) back? Or, as others have said, “What is the one thing that made you want to start living again?” Read more

Recovery from a Suicide Attempt

Self Care

This is My Story (series)

2016-08-08T10:08:02-05:00

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.

Jesus Taught Us How To Really Live a Blessed Life

Last updated on: August 8, 2016 at 10:08 am By Steve Austin

The Bible says Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount once he saw his ministry really beginning to grow. He was drawing large groups by this time and his disciples had proven they were in for the long haul. So as the people crowded in, Jesus gave a talk on what it really means to be blessed. Maybe you’re new to my blog or new to Christianity. Maybe they’ve never made any sense to you, either. But after spending time with them, I think I get it better than I did. Here’s my version of the Beatitudes... Read more

2016-08-18T13:51:38-05:00

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 I Found Radical Grace in a Facebook Group

Last updated on: August 18, 2016 at 1:51 pm By Guest Contributor

I have found a virtual community, via Facebook and this blog, which expresses love in a way like I have never experienced before. It’s a place where everyone is accepted - regardless of station in life, gender, sexuality, chosen religion or any other differences. A place where seeking healing from brokenness is celebrated. Where friendships are born in an instant. Where life is messy and grace is abundant. I have found freedom in a way I cannot otherwise explain. Through reaching out during some incredibly dark moments, I found grace, peace, and a lack of judgement. Read more

This is My Story (series)

2016-08-04T07:04:02-05:00

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 I Found Healing from Childhood Sexual Abuse

Last updated on: August 4, 2016 at 7:04 am By Steve Austin

He only took my innocence. Only. That’s one heck of a word. It was only a loss of innocence. A loss of childhood. A loss of security. A loss of comfort. That one moment rippled out for decades. So much loss. So much lost. But a friend of mine, another victim of abuse, said something to me recently that changed my life forever. Read more

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