This year I published my book, Jesus: A Field Manual (How to Live the Sermon on the Mount). On the surface, the book is all about how to encounter and follow Jesus for yourself, and grow into the enlightened, Christ-like human being he wants you to be. But beneath the surface, Jesus: A Field Manual is a first step into Christian mysticism. So don’t read it, and don’t read the rest of this blog, if you’re scared of accidentally becoming... Read more
The Apostles’ Creed reads that we believe in Jesus Christ, “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary.” At Christmastime we see symbols of Jesus’ virgin birth everywhere. But there are historical problems with the virgin birth of Jesus. Do we still really believe that Jesus of Nazareth was born of a virgin? And if we do, why does it still matter in 2023? The Virgin Birth of Jesus Is Our Mystical Hope Christians see the virgin birth... Read more
Can a Christian be enlightened? Spiritual enlightenment is biblical, and enlightenment was an important way that Christians throughought history expressed their faith. But there’s a major difference between Christian enlightenment and New Age enlightenment. So what is spiritual enlightenment in Christianity? In this article, we’ll look at what some early Christian thinkers said about enlightenment. The Bible’s Definition of Enlightenment In this video I talk about the New Testament uses of the word “enlighten,” from the Greek word photizo. Spiritual... Read more
In Matthew 28:19, Jesus’ final orders are “Go and make disciples…” But how did the early church obey Jesus and make disciples? They gave new believers the Gospel of Matthew. It’s still a revolutionary idea: what would our spiritual lives look like if our first steps into Christianity were guided by the book of Matthew? It’s time we return to our roots, making and becoming disciples the way Matthew did. Disciples without Jesus A few years ago I took my faith... Read more
The Apostles’ Creed is a confident statement of true Christian faith. Such confidence feels outdated in an age of skepticism. How can I actually say “I believe” and mean it in 2023? [This article is Part 2 of a series on the Apostles’ Creed. Part 1 of this series looks at the role of the Apostles’ Creed in early Christianity, and my intentions to use it to prove to my YouTube audience that I’m not a heretic.] Do “I Believe”? ... Read more
The Apostles’ Creed is a confident summary of true Christian faith. But is the Apostles’ Creed still a good measure of right belief in 2023? And can I, a post-modern post-Evangelical Christian influenced heavily by science and skepticism, recite the Apostles’ Creed and mean it? Faith without the Apostles’ Creed As a child of American Evangelicalism I didn’t learn the Apostles’ Creed, or any other creed, as the basis for my faith. We went the biblical route instead, and learned... Read more
The early Christians understood salvation as a process of spiritual growth. As we walk with God, the Holy Spirit leads us through levels of spiritual consciousness, making us more and more like Jesus. One of the first Christian thinkers to map out the stages of spiritual growth was the controversial theologian and philosopher Origen. His system, using Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs to chart our spiritual progress, is still a useful tool to help us understand spiritual growth today.... Read more
If my opinion counts, I think you should be forgiven for any hesitation or suspicion toward Christianity. In our time, you should be cautious when you hear grand claims of “truth,” spiritual or otherwise. It doesn’t matter if you start from skepticism or end up rejecting the Christian story. In our time, any soul brave enough to consider spiritual things at all deserves nothing but God’s grace. In our time, spirituality is hard. The Struggle For Spirituality What a time... Read more
Today’s man struggles to understand his role as father. This means we also struggle to understand what Jesus said about God. The Ancient Household Ancient Mediterranean society was built on the “household,” or the oikos. The household included all immediate family members, servants, free workers, and slaves. Roman thinkers believed that a healthy society depended on well-ordered households. This wasn’t just an abstract “family values” idea. The household told each individual who they were and how they fit into society.... Read more
Hello Patheos! My name is Jon, and this column is about what to do after religious deconstruction. In my early twenties, my childhood Christian faith collapsed. This does not make me special in any way. Millions of church-raised millennials are taking our spiritualities apart. For better or worse, the deconstruction movement is growing and gaining speed. Doubt is cool. There is money to be made pointing out Christianity’s flaws and failures. Older Christians tend to dismiss deconstruction as the complaints... Read more
Rebuilding My Religion
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