christianity – Page 2 – ParanormalChrist

Lent as Re-Membering: Reflections on Luke 4

Luke 4 is the traditional text that comes to mind when we consider the beginning of Lent: the 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday (Sunday celebration days withstanding) in which we reflect upon the journey of Christ into the wilderness and the temptations he encounters while there. During the season of Lent, weContinue reading “Lent as Re-Membering: Reflections on Luke 4”

God Can’t: A Review

“We don’t need the bible to know evil sucks,” writes Tom Oord, who has now taken off the gloves in his forthcoming work, God Can’t. In what might be his most transparently honest work to date, Tom goes after the Golden Calf of Christian theology: the idea that God Can do anything. Hang on tightContinue reading “God Can’t: A Review”

Leaning Into Death: An Alternative Reading of Acts 2.42-47

Preaching from Acts 2 this Eastertide, it dawned on me this familiar passage was saying something much simpler, yet more profound, than providing fodder for theological arguments between Pentecostals and, well, every other Christian. The early portion of this chapter (tongues of fire, upper room, etc.), gets most of the attention in the chapter, and rightlyContinue reading “Leaning Into Death: An Alternative Reading of Acts 2.42-47”

Value Voting is Nonsense

Recently, the Atlantic published a column describing the transition of part of the American voting segment from value voters to voters of nostalgia. Christians who used to vote based on a candidates position on abortion, gay rights, euthanasia, pro-family, etc., have forgotten those values and are now voting for their identity as Americans. We haveContinue reading “Value Voting is Nonsense”

I Don’t Believe in Jesus

This is the newest rage…and by people far less intelligent than Magellan. (FTR, I support Magellan, Galileo and Copernicus) Just go onto any social media outlet and you’ll find people clanging the cymbals of disbelief. And not just disbelief in general (for which there may be justifiable cause) but disbelief in Jesus, his actual historicalContinue reading “I Don’t Believe in Jesus”

God is a Dumb Idea

It is fashionable nowadays to hate on Christianity and theology. Any idiot with a keyboard thinks themselves a philosopher because they can debate an evangelical who’s extent of biblical, philosophical and theological nuances is the dictum “the Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it.” SMDH. It’s not that Christianity, or the vehicle ofContinue reading “God is a Dumb Idea”

Be Free in Christ, Ditch the Rules

“One thing, and only one thing, is necessary for Christian life, righteousness, and freedom. That one thing is the most holy Word of God, the gospel of Christ.” –Luther And Jesus said to the masses, “Come to me all ye who are weary and heavy laden…and be introduced to my list of rules.” (Matthew 11.28)Continue reading “Be Free in Christ, Ditch the Rules”

Go and Sin…Bravely

As I prepared for seminary after finishing my bachelor’s degree, a well-respected and articulate professor of mine said, “Go to seminary, study hard, but have fun. Theology is pointless if you’re not having fun.” I’d like to think what I have done since then has been a quest in having fun…and reading Sin Bravely hasContinue reading “Go and Sin…Bravely”

It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations”

The most popular and feared book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, suffers a thousand deaths every time someone gets this wrong. You can hear it at any coffee shop (at least in my town), church parking lot, or casual argument at work when a co-worker is trying to convince you of all theContinue reading “It’s called The Book of Revelation, not “Revelations””

Ghosts in the New Testament? Looking for Phantoms in the Gospel of Mark

INTRO With a name like ParanormalChrist, perhaps some biblical discussion on the Paranormal is in order, if nothing but to quell and satiate our fetish for paranormal activity. As has been argued in other posts, Christianity is a paranormal faith. It’s a faith that not only embodies paranormal elements in the general sense of thatContinue reading “Ghosts in the New Testament? Looking for Phantoms in the Gospel of Mark”