Digest #5
A collection of content I’ve seen/read/listened to this week, as well as thoughts, musings and other typed out words.
Day 1
1. THEOLOGY IN THE RAW: SAME-SEX ATTRACTION, DECONSTRUCTION AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL
In this episode Preston interviews Tony Scarcello, a bi-sexual Christian who shares about growing up in a very conservative home, his coming out experience, his marriage to his wife, and how his faith deconstructed and reconstructed while working in a halfway house.
What I want to point out from this episode isn’t Tony’s theology, but two incredible moments from his story where God seemingly stepped into his life in really jarring ways. The first is a time from his teenage years when he was contemplating suicide, and at the exact moment he was sitting with a gun in hand, middle of the night, his youth leader called saying he had just had an overwhelming sense of concern for him. Please listen to the story in his own words, just after the 22 minute mark.
Then in the wake of the suicide attempt of one of the students in the halfway house where he worked, Tony deconstructed his faith, all the way to believing there was no God for several months. Then a conversation with that same student brought him back to facing God. You can listen to that story right after the 56 minute mark.
The final portion is where they talk a bit about the problem of evil/suffering. Why are some people healed and not others? Why does God seem to step in and miraculously provide in some situations and not others?
Day 2
1. FUNNY/HAPPY TWEETS
I tend to come across as a serious person, and the state of the world is definitely not helpful. It seems that everyday I wake up to a plethora of bad news - storms and destruction across the world, “Christians” claiming Jesus was white or tied to a specific political party, war brewing, famine and needs world wide, the degradation of good theology by the Christian church, the pull of friends for me to stop holding firmly to the faith I profess . . . .
And yet - there is so much joy. ✨
In the video I shared in day 1 above, one of the men in the conversation said this, “for all the pain, there is also just as much inexplicable beauty and goodness.” How true!
And this morning I found joy in several tweets I stumbled across. Figured I would share them here so that we can smile together. 😊
A lovely father-son duet of ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen.
This cute, serious black lab 😍
A petty, but hilarious way of remembering who owes you what.
2. THE CENTER FOR FAITH, GENDER & SEXUALITY: A CELIBATE LESBIAN’S COLD HARD LOOK AT SEXUAL IMMORALITY IN THE CHURCH
I stumbled across this article in a response to this Twitter thread from Bridget Eileen on how often, within Christianity, celibacy is seen as a curse, or a “cross to bear” but marriage is viewed only for its positive qualities, and not the fact that it also comes with its own denial of self and challenges. She points out that we need to expand our perception to include the fact that celibacy comes with its own joys and that people can also choose celibacy out of a pursuit of happiness - the same way people choose marriage in pursuit of happiness.
In one of the responses to this series of tweets, someone noted that this seemed to be connected with the church allowing outside culture’s prioritization of sex and individual pleasure to seep in. Bridgets responded and included a link to this article that she had written.
As always, I encourage you most strongly to read the whole article because I think her critique is both correct, and desperately needed. But I’ll include a couple of my favourite quotes for remembrance sake as well as for you to get a wee taste of what the article covers.
- “Christians will accept the fulfillment of virtually every single other desire through satisfaction in Christ and Christ alone, but when it comes to sexual desire, they stop short. Suddenly, we’ve got to find satisfaction through something else. Sure, they say, fulfillment comes through Christ. But sexual fulfillment? That comes through a committed, monogamous, heterosexual marriage. If we ever hope to create an effective response to our culture’s rampant sexual liberation, this absolutely needs to change.”
- About 80 percent of evangelicals have premarital sex, and 1 out of every 3 born-again adults get divorced (which is the same statistical rate as unbelievers). Christian men of all stripes view pornography to the same degree as the outside world (in some cases even more), and roughly 60 percent of pastors use or have used pornography.
- Ultimately, when people encounter sexual attraction, it reveals the orientation of their soul. It tests their willingness to submit to the God of the universe.
- Learning to accept a life with unmet desire is good.
And one last note - this tweet in response to Bridget’s original tweet thread:
3. VOUS CHURCH: WORTH DYING FOR: NO REGRETS
This is a little outside my normal recommendations - not that I don’t watch sermons pretty regularly, just that I tend to share more academic theology - people working in research or teaching in more academic and less pastoral ways. But this sermon had some quotes that stood out to me, so I figured I would share them here and hope that they encourage you as well.
- Make a million mistakes, just stop wasting your energy making the same mistakes
- Partial obedience is still disobedience
- Back up every sermon with your life. Paul didn’t just say this was worth dying for. He said, I am going to die for this. (Acts 22)
- Accountability is having people who help you balance your actions with your values
- My commitments won’t last without my community
- Not every open door is a God door. You need to get conviction. Other opportunitues will come, but stay the course.
- No reserves. No retreat. No regrets. I have a course
4. YOUR OTHER BROTHERS: THE CHURCH VS. THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY: A MORE COMPELLING NARRATIVE?
This blog post discusses the struggle and the draw of the LGBTQ+ community and narrative. Especially for celibate, gay Christians, this tension can be a difficult one to navigate as they tend to feel that they neither fit in fully with either the LGBTQ+ community or the Christian community. This of course is not how it should be, as the Bible clearly states the good news that anyone who shows a “deep reverence for God, and are committed to doing what’s right, they are acceptable before Him.” (Acts 10)
Take a read and hear the tension, and consider how you are contributing or distracting from the narrative of the scriptures.
5. SEX & THE MUSLIM FEMINIST
This article may be a little out of my wheel house, as I believe in a different worldview as a Christian. But I think the author, Rafia Zakaria, made some good points about how in the west we equate freedom with sexual freedom. As the article tag line states, “on refusing to equate sexual pleasure with freedom.”
I recommend reading the full article so you can hear the full argument, but here are a couple quotes that stood out to me:
- If sex was understood as a commodity that women were choosing to consume, then its problematic aspects could be disguised. The objectification of women as sexual objects could hence be replaced by the objectification of sex and even sexualization.
- If burka-wearing Afghan women were repressed then surely American women, their saviors, were liberated.
- A few weeks ago, Michelle Goldberg, author of The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World, wrote in The Nation: “ For a lot of people, the contemporary sexual regime celebrating pleasure above all else isn’t that much fun.”
- In becoming the central metaphor for liberation, it has eviscerated critiques of imperial overtures abroad and encouraged a deliberate deafness toward all the dialects of empowerment that do not translate themselves into its language...based on their refusal to affirm that freedom essentially and centrally means the freedom to have sex.
Day 3
1. ALISSA CHILDERS: HOW WE GOT HERE: A HISTORY OF PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY
Although I’m not sure I’m fully in the same space as Alissa in the vehemence she speaks against progressive Christianity - I do find myself agreeing with a lot of the things she points out, and the fact that some (maybe even a lot) of the ideas presented in progressive Christianity do not accurately represent Christianity as presented and founded on the Christian Bible.
Take a read - let me know your thoughts.
- quoting Augustine, “You ought to say plainly that you do not believe the gospel of Christ. For to believe what you please, and not to believe what you please, is to believe yourselves and not the gospel.”
2. THIS TWEET IS SUCH A REFLECTION OF WHAT I’VE SEEN TO BE TRUE:
Day 4
1. UNSAFE SPACE: [DEPROGRAMMED] PAUL VANDER KLAY
I tend to be a fan of Paul Vander Klay’s work. He always comes across as thoughtful in his approach and is way more read and educated than me, so some of the philosophical ideas I do have to fight to grasp. Either way, I enjoyed this conversation and wanted to share it with anyone who’s interested. 😊
- Christians traditionally followed mortification, self-sacrifice, giving up oneself for the welfare of another
- Paul shares some interesting parallels that he sees between progressive and prosperity gospel Christianity
- There is a type of secularism and narcism that says, what’s fundamental is my lived experience and having the most pleasing experience from zero to 80
- most Christians in the West don’t take their beliefs seriously. They don’t live by them. They’re not guided by their beliefs. They’re guided by the same things all the rest of secular culture is.
- If there isn’t a value and another world to shoot for, then all of our values must be found here
- If there is no such thing as divine judgment or divine reward, then all judgment and rewards must be obtained in this world
- The prosperity gospel sees God as a tool to achieve the “good life” as defined by our broader culture. Progressives want our best social justice life now and uses the government in lieu of God to give everyone their “best life” now
- A Christian heresy is an idea that is mostly Christian, but has an aspect that is self defeating of the faith
- Misery. Deliverance. Gratitude. How we should live (ethics, 10 commandments, etc.) is a reaction of gratitude for the deliverance
- Pursuing purity out of guilt (shame, to make someone approve of you etc.) it will crush you. Pursuing purity out of gratitude allows you to find meaning, joy etc.
Day 5
1. NIKE COMMERCIAL
Not at all theological. I was just really, really impressed with the editing on this commercial, like, it’s honestly incredible, and hard work and art deserves to be appreciated. Enjoy!
Day 7
What is something you’ve read/watched/listened to, that sparked some interesting thoughts for you? Or if you check out any of the things I’ve shared - let me know your thoughts in a comment!