Just over a year ago, I was compelled to leave a job that I loved because it became clear that if I was going to insist that my memories were real and demand adherence to an evidence based reality, I would have to look elsewhere.

I finally understood that this is why I have fought against biblical inerrancy for as long as I can remember; I am just wired to resist anyone and anything that asks me to reject the evidence of my own eyes and ears.

“…woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain, dragging that which is sacred into darkness and filth.”

Pope Leo IVX’s statement sums up why I do what I do (although the irony that these words came from the Pope is not lost on this Protestant).

Christianity has a long history of being hijacked by people in the pursuit of personal gain. We can find news stories going back decades detailing individual stories of spiritual abuse - when clergy used their positions, and the words of Scripture to enable various forms of abuse.

The last week has been hard. First there was the genocide thing. Then came the blasphemy thing. The audacious display of narcissism sent me into a spiral and I succumbed the lies that of those who declared that I am worth less. Who am I to think anyone would listen to me?

Then I came across a Substack that someone wrote a few months ago and it was exactly what I needed. Toward the end, the author wrote: “I still believe telling the truth matters, even when it doesn’t seem to change anything. Maybe especially then.”

The truth matters, while narcissism thrives on lies, the truth sets us free.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” These were the words of the President of the United States this morning.

This president has had the unwavering support of too many Christians for far too long. The key word in that sentence is “unwavering.” It’s idolatrous.

He is Risen!

The other day, I watched an interview with someone who used to be an evangelical New Testament scholar who is now an agnostic/atheist New Testament scholar (Bart Erhman). He doesn’t really believe in God anymore.

Last night as I listened to the story again, I heard the same words over and over again, “the Jews.” I suppose I can understand how that part of the story has been used to fuel antisemitism for millennia, but I don’t think that was the intent - I hear something else.

I hear the deep pain of betrayal.

Today is Good Friday, the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus. Many of us were taught that because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, our sins are forgiven. 

A popular theory as to how this works is that because humans are totally depraved we are worthy only of God’s wrath, therefore God sent his own son to take the punishment for our sin to reconcile us with God so we can go to heaven when we die.

I realized this week that it’s this characterization of God and understanding of salvation that I’m fighting against. 

Several years ago, I learned an interesting backstory to Palm Sunday.

In the time of Jesus, the king would enter the city before Passover through one of the city’s gates. The “king” (royal governor) would ride his horse and enter with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal parade.

And so it was that Jesus chose to enter the city at around the same time…

“Americans came to liberate, not to conquer; to restore freedom and to end tyranny.”

These are the words inscribed at the base of the flagpoles at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. 

I used to think that something we could all agree on was that tyranny, as a general principle, is bad. There seemed to be consensus around the idea that tyrants are bad. 

It was seven years ago this week that I spent hours building a play house in the wooded section of our yard in a cold drizzle, and in those woods, I saw two roads that diverged.

 I chose one and it has made all the difference. 

 What I saw was that I could continue on the path of American “biblical” Christianity or I could follow Jesus.

There are a lot of people with a lot more power and influence than us that I wish showed more courage. If they did, we wouldn’t be here, but here we are and so the need for courage falls to us.

 What does courage look like to you? I think it begins with having honest conversations about where we are.

Truth, Justice, and the American Way. I was going to focus this lesson on what Superman would do, since Jesus doesn’t really give us a lot to work with on the topic of patriotism. Or did he?

Minnesotans understood the assignment: do not be afraid.

 What’s been happening in Minneapolis, and around the country, is not about immigration, it’s about power. We are witnessing a corrupt, authoritarian government use a crisis to consolidate power.

Do you ever read, or hear, something and then a bunch of dots suddenly come together and offer clarity? That happened to me this morning. I learned something new about myself.

I’m a race traitor. I’m also a class traitor. I learned that this is why people like Renee Good and Alex Pretti are called “domestic terrorists,” “Marxists,” and “leftists.” 

I am not a Marxist or a Communist,

My family watched The Sound of Music on New Year’s Eve again, as is our tradition. I’ve seen it at least a hundred times, but this time, I saw something new.

 In the scene when the children were introduced, the Captain used the whistle and Maria refused to take it. I realized that this is what the movie is about and why it deviated so much from the true story of the Trapp Family Singers.

 We hear that it’s unprecedented all the time, but it’s not. It’s frustrating, it’s depressing, it’s exhausting, but it’s not unprecedented and we need to remember that.

 Other people have been exactly where we are today, and we can learn from them. In my research, what I’ve learned is that if we don’t want to continue this path, which historically ends badly for everyone, there is another group out there, well, two groups

What are your values right now? What is most important this year?

Last night, President Trump posted a video that ended with an image of the Obamas depicted as apes and today I was planning a post about living in a world ruled by the thought police.

 We’ve been taught to fear the idea that the thought police will come, and we will lose our sense of identity. We fear that we will become clones, incapable of independent thought.

We’re supposed to advocate for the poor and oppressed and that means that we do things like show up to protest, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and protect the vulnerable not only with our words, but in the flesh.

 Yet why do so many Christians ignore his teachings? Why do they demonize anyone who dares practice the kind of corporeal politics that Jesus did?

Tyranny is dependent on citizens who are willing to comply with terror. 

How does that happen? How do people support their own government terrorizing their fellow citizens? 

Once we believe our neighbors are a threat to us, we want that threat neutralized. It takes very little effort to convince people to fear their neighbors; just sprinkle a few half-truths, sensationalize one extreme story, and continually use defamatory language. Day after day, year after year.