Biblical References
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages are from the NIVArchives
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Category Archives: legalism
Inerrantists are My Brothers and Sisters in Jesus—Not My Enemies
I do not believe in biblical inerrancy. I think inerrancy is a very harmful belief, and I often demonstrate the errors of the assumption, or presupposition, of inerrancy. Of course, I get a lot of push-back from inerrantists and (though … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, fear, hell, inerrancy, Jesus, legalism, love
Tagged angry God, enemy, homosexuality, John 13, LGBT, proof-texting, sexual abuse, spousal abuse
35 Comments
Jesus Says, “I Will Give You Rest” not “I Will Give You More Burdens”
Many say the foundational passage of the New Testament is John 3:16. Even young children can quote it: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish … Continue reading
Posted in faith, Jesus, legalism, the Good News, the invitation
Tagged burdens, following Jesus, I will give you rest, John 3:16, Matthew 11, sinner's prayer
21 Comments
Belief in Biblical Inerrancy Must be the Second Most Damaging, Misguided Christian Belief of All
Earlier we discussed that Angry God is a foundational harmful belief because it gives rise to other misguided, harmful beliefs. We can say the same about Inerrancy and for the same reason. In fact, the two are closely connected. Inerrancy leads … Continue reading
Posted in atonement, Bible, creationism, dispensationalism, evolution, fear, gays, God, hell, inerrancy, Jesus, legalism, love, Old Testament, Satan
Tagged angry God, Demons, LGBT, patriarchy, Penal Substitution, proof-texting, Rapture, YEC
84 Comments
If We Are Free to Approach God Without Fear, What Becomes of Our Other Religious Fears—Like Hell?
To many believers God is love. This is the primary thing we know about God from Jesus—unconditional love. This is what Jesus told us about the Father and also what Jesus demonstrated in his own life as the representative of … Continue reading
Posted in atonement, fear, God, hell, Jesus, legalism, love
Tagged angry God, Gehenna, Hades, Isaiah 66, Jeremiah 19, Penal Substitution
22 Comments
Belief in Angry God is Perhaps the Most Damaging, Misguided Christian Belief of All
What is more central to our religious experience than our relationship with God? But some believers understand their relationships with God much differently than others do. Most of us believe God loves us and cares about us. We even talk … Continue reading
Posted in alienation, fear, hell, Jesus, legalism, love, love your enemies, Old Testament, The Father
Tagged angry God, Deuteronomy 28, harmful beliefs, Hebrews 10, Matthew 5, sermon on the mount
44 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
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
5 Reasons Why Reading the Bible Through Each Year Might not be a Good Idea
There is a tradition among many believers of reading the entire Bible through each year. Check-off sheets are available from many places to indicate which chapters should be read on each day of the year in order to achieve the … Continue reading
Doubting Thomas Could be My Patron Saint!
Do you have difficulty accepting some things believers claim with certainty as God’s very truth? Do you sometimes question things you were taught in church and Sunday school? Then you might be a doubter. Well I am a doubter too—and … Continue reading
Posted in doubt, hell, inerrancy, Jesus, legalism, resurrection
Tagged angry God, Doubting Thomas, John 11, John 14, John 20
21 Comments
An Overview of Bill Gothard’s Role in Today’s Cultish Fundamentalism
Bill Gothard is one of the primary leaders who has taken Christian fundamentalism to the extreme in the past fifty years. Last time, we discussed Gothard’s teaching on authority and patriarchy. Since then, I encountered a newly-released 31-minute video that … Continue reading
5 Great Fears Believers Should Never Have
We mentioned before that many believers today are driven by fear—especially in very theologically conservative groups. This includes the fear of God, the fear of hell, the fear of making a mistake, the fear of being wrong, and the fear … Continue reading
Why ‘Love the Sinner; Hate the Sin’ is Opposite to Jesus’ Teaching
Have you heard believers say they ‘Love the sinner but hate the sin’? At least you likely have heard of them. In fact, they don’t love the ‘sinner’ at all—at least not the way Jesus loves people. As we read … Continue reading
Posted in alienation, Jesus, legalism, love, Pharisees, sin, sinners
Tagged John 3, Love the sinner; hate the sin, Luke 13, reconciliation
94 Comments
How Elias Missed the Point about Thanksgiving – Don’t be Like Elias
This is Thanksgiving week in the United States, and I am sure you who are Americans are already prepared for this Thursday. Most of us will gather with friends and loved ones for a Thanksgiving meal. Many will reflect on … Continue reading
Posted in Jesus, judgment, legalism, Pharisees
Tagged angry God, Luke 18, Thanksgiving, The Publican and the Pharisee, The Tax Collecter and the Pharisee
21 Comments
Does Paul Tell Us to Bring Our Tithes to Church on Sundays? He Does Not
In the churches I attended for the first 30 years of my life, I was taught that tithing to the church was mandatory—a claim I recently refuted in 5 Reasons Why the Harmful Doctrine of Mandatory Tithing is Wrong. Often … Continue reading
Posted in legalism, New Testament, Paul
Tagged 1 Corinthians 16, 2 Corinthians 8, 2 Corinthians 9, Acts 24, giving, Jerusalem relief project, Romans 15, tithing
21 Comments
5 Reasons Why the Harmful Doctrine of Mandatory Tithing is Wrong
Believers should be able to give as much as they want to the church and to church projects; and they should determine for themselves how much to give based on their own criteria, but telling people they are obligated to … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, fear, Jesus, legalism
Tagged Haggai 1, Perry, stewardship, the poor, tithing
47 Comments
The Bible Does not Teach Mandatory Tithing for Believers: Answering False Proof-texts
For decades I attended churches where pastors preached that the Bible requires believers to pay tithes to the church. Not only is mandatory tithing unbiblical—it is a harmful doctrine. In the next post I will share why mandatory tithing is … Continue reading
Posted in legalism
Tagged Abraham, Genesis 14, Genesis 28, Jacob, Levites, Levitical Priests, Luke 11, Malachi 3, Numbers 18, The Temple, tithing
34 Comments
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
The Best Blog Posts I Read in March-April 2016
Here is a list of some of the best blog posts I read in March-April that pertain to the themes of Jesus without Baggage. I hope you find a few articles here that are interesting and useful to you. If … Continue reading
Posted in creationism, evolution, favorite blogs, fundamentalism, gays, God, legalism, love
8 Comments
“If There’s No Hell then I Will Sin All I Want!”
One day I spoke with an elderly believer who was a fundamentalist all her life, and the issue of hell came up in such a way that I shared with her that I didn’t believe eternal punishment in burning hell … Continue reading
Posted in fear, God, hell, Jesus, legalism, love, sin, the Good News, witnessing
Tagged Do unto others, Love your neighbor as yourself, Mark 1, morality
62 Comments
Jesus Without Baggage 