Biblical References
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages are from the NIVArchives
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Category Archives: behavior
Letter to an Anti-Gay Relative
A person recently asked for sample letters to convince an anti-gay Christian that they were wrong. I don’t think that is likely to help, so I submitted this… Dear Uncle Luke, I think you know you are very special and … Continue reading
Posted in alienation, behavior, gays, Jesus
Tagged clobber passages, Justin Lee, LGBT, Matthew Vines, Mel White, Troy Perry
45 Comments
More about Progressive Christians and How to Connect with Them
Last time we talked about who progressive Christians are and some things they tend to believe. High on the list of what most of them do NOT believe are harmful doctrines like angry god, inerrancy, hell, legalism, penal substitution, homophobia, … Continue reading
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child?
Michael and Debi Pearl’s parenting book, To Train Up a Child, is very popular among American fundamentalists. Michael has given great thought to his ideas on child-training and expresses them well. He also shares some good insights on child-parent relationships, … Continue reading
5 Ways Christian Patriarchy Harms Men
It is easy to understand how Christian patriarchy harms women, but it might not be so clear how patriarchy harms men. Patriarchy is a religious belief in which women must submit to their husbands, who are heads of their homes, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, suffering
Tagged Leave it to Beaver, patriarchy, Unbrella of Protection
42 Comments
John Piper Tells an Unconvincing Story to Illustrate Gender Differences between Men and Women
In Piper’s article we discussed last time, he also includes a story meant to illustrate specific gender differences between men and women. It is not convincing. Piper’s Story Piper begins: Suppose…a young man and woman…find themselves chatting before the worship service. … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, legalism
Tagged complementarianism, John Piper, patriarchy
38 Comments
John Piper and Christian Patriarchy
John Piper is a leading voice for complementarian patriarchy. Piper is chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, a mentor to younger men of the New Calvinist movement, and was Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis for 33 years. Today, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, legalism
Tagged complementarianism, Ephesians 5, John Piper, patriarchy
34 Comments
Examining Passages from Genesis Used to Support Patriarchy in the Church
Last time, we discussed biblical passages from the New Testament epistles used to support Christian patriarchy; today we will look at passages from the first chapters of Genesis. I chose these passages because they are specifically referenced in the 1988 … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, evangelicalism, fundamentalism, Paul
Tagged 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Timothy 2, Genesis 2, Genesis 3, patriarchy
22 Comments
The Alleged Biblical Basis for Christian Patriarchy
Untold numbers of Christians believe women are not equal to men and are subject to male leadership. This very harmful belief leads to terrible consequences such as the oppression and denigration of women and to an environment of physical, emotional, … Continue reading
Posted in authority, behavior, fundamentalism, inerrancy, legalism, Paul
Tagged 1 Peter 3, Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, patriarchy, Slavery, submit
34 Comments
3 Reasons Why Loving Others is Not All There Is to Following Jesus
In recent years the idea that loving others is the essence of following Jesus has exploded. And this is a good thing! It runs counter to the view that following Jesus means embracing harmful beliefs like angry god, inerrancy, legalism, … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, Jesus, Kingdom of God, love, love your enemies, the Good News
Tagged Luke 6, Matthew 28
62 Comments
Do You Know Someone Who Wants to Know How to Begin Following Jesus (without the baggage)?
Early in my blogging history (2013), I developed a page on How to Follow Jesus. Some of you might have read it. I have never been quite satisfied with it, though, and have revised it several times. The main problem … Continue reading
48 Short, Specific Suggestions on Loving Others as We Love Ourselves
In my previous post, I talked about Loving Others in 2017, which provides the general background for today’s post, and if you have not read it (or wish to reread it) you can click the link above. Today’s post is … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, God, love, love your enemies, suffering
Tagged loving others, loving ourselves
22 Comments
Loving Others with Empathy, Compassion, and Care this Year
A prominent part of Jesus’ message is that we should love others as we love ourselves. Sometimes, though, it is unclear how this plays out in practical terms. What does it even mean to love others as we love ourselves? … Continue reading
Posted in alienation, behavior, love, love your enemies
Tagged care, compassion, empathy, helping the needy, loving others, loving ourselves, unconditional love
28 Comments
4 Negative Consequences of Teaching Kids that Santa Claus is Real
This is probably not going to be my most popular post. But let me say that I am not against celebrating the Christmas season with gifts, and food, and sparkle and lights; with snowmen, and eggnog, and parties and cheer. … Continue reading
Stewardship is not Just Giving to the Church – Stewardship is Giving Wisely
For the past two posts, I have made the case that mandatory tithing does not apply to believers. Such teaching is unbiblical, legalistic, and wrong. We examined the proof-texts proposed by mandatory tithing proponents and found them faulty. This is … Continue reading
Jesus’ Final Act of Anti-Violence—Crucifixion
For the past several posts we examined passages in the gospels to determine whether Jesus is violent (see the links just below this article). The purpose of this survey was to answer both believers and unbelievers who claim that Jesus … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, hate, Jesus, Kingdom of God, love, love your enemies
Tagged Father forgive them, John 18, Luke 23, Matthew 26, violence, violent jesus
43 Comments
Isn’t it Violence for Jesus to Tell Us to Cut off our Hands to Avoid Punishment?–No!
Does Jesus promote violent acts? I don’t think so. Sometimes those who DO think Jesus promotes violence bring up a passage where Jesus tells us to severely injure ourselves. Mark 9 reports this saying of Jesus: If your hand causes … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, eternal life, hell, Jesus, Kingdom of God
Tagged Hebrews 12, Mark 10, Mark 9
27 Comments
Addendum to the Cleansing of the Temple—What about the Fig Tree?
Thank you Ruth F! In this week’s post on the cleansing of the temple, I wanted to talk about Jesus’ withering of the fig tree because I think it is closely connected to the story of the cleansing. Also, some … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, Jesus
Tagged cleansing of the temple, jesus and the fig tree, Jesus and violence, Mark 11, violence
35 Comments
Does the Cleansing of the Temple Show Jesus’ Violence? – I Don’t Think So
In this series we ask whether Jesus was sometimes judgmental, threatening, or violent. Those who say he was violent usually point first to the cleansing of the temple. Mark tells the story, which comes just after the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, Jesus, love your enemies
Tagged cleansing of the temple, Jesus and violence, John 2, Mark 11, temple
30 Comments
Does Jesus Demonstrate Threats and Violence?
Opinion is sharply divided among some believers on whether Jesus consistently promoted acceptance, peace, and love toward others or whether he sometimes demonstrated judgment, threats, and violence. This leads some to consistently support peace, love, and compassion while others accept … Continue reading
The Bible is not a Rule Book: Overcoming Legalism
People believe the Bible is many things that it is not. Last time we discussed that the Bible is not inerrant; by extension of that we will see today that the Bible is not a rule book. The claim that the … Continue reading
Posted in behavior, Bible, inerrancy, legalism
Tagged 1 Timothy 2, child abuse, Malachi 3, Proverbs 13, religious rules, tithing, women in the church
38 Comments
Jesus Without Baggage 