I found this version of “Lucky Man” in the early days of Covid. Lots of joy in this, and in much of his work (see also “Surprised by the Joy of It” and others). I was sitting here playing along and felt less lonely, less bored, less shitty. A little bit of virtual church. Oh oh, my my.
Another Prayer for Wisdom
To you, Loving God, we lift up our souls; in You
we trust. Guide us in your ways, make us yearn to
be like you, move us from worship to action and
change. Bless us this morning as we gather, bless
us when we part. Remind us that you are with us,
and that you call us to share your love. Illuminate
us so that we may bless others with our strengths
and seek your transforming power in our
weakness. Amen.
For Those About to Deconstruct
We salute you.
A few tips.
Don’t forget: people have done this before. For decades. For centuries, even. You’re not alone.
If you’re coming out of fundamentalism or conservative evangelicalism specifically, you might still carry linguistic baggage. In those circles, it’s common to think that Christian = fundamentalist/evangelical. Many of us grew up believing that there were no “real” Christians in other expressions. When you want to talk about conservative Christian culture, be specific. Don’t tweet about “Christian this or Christian that” if what you really mean is “fundamentalist this” or “evangelical that.”
Thinking through your faith is nothing new. In the current context, you might need to be reminded that movements away from so-called “conservative” Christianity are not new. They did not start with the term “exvangelical” or the the hashtag “emptythepews.”
Speaking of which. Allow yourself to be filled with thankfulness when you realize that evangelicalism and fundamentalism have never honestly represented fealty to the historic witness of the 2000+ year journey of the universal Church. You’ve been told that “conservative Christianity” is just an unbroken chain from Jesus, but that’s simply not true.
You’ve been told there’s only one theory of atonement. You’ve been told there’s only one way to read various scriptures. You’ve been told that you have to believe things about the Bible before you get to meet Jesus. None of these things are true. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other, truer expressions of the way of Jesus that are worth your time.
Blessings on your journey.
Stop Talking About John Piper
I remember Eugene Cho once saying “the oldest injustice in human history is the way we treat women.” I’m not sure if by “we” he meant men or society, but it hardly matters. I’m in the middle of trying not to have a stroke over the fact that people are still talking about complimentarianism.
Women. were. the. first. to. see. the. risen. Lord.
Women. helped. lead. early. churches. all. over. the. world.
Corinthians. should. be. taken. in. context. (All of scripture should).
Even if you think Paul’s instructions to the church in Corinth came straight from the heart and mind of God, you have to wrangle with the fact that in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he acknowledges and praises the leadership role of the woman Junia, even calling her an apostle. If you believe the letters to Corinth were from God, you probably believe the same about the note to Rome. But if believing such also means you believe that these letters are also meant for all Christian communities for all times, you have a problem. Which model is right? Should the Roman apostle Junia really consider herself a complementary (subservient, rather than co-equal) child of God next to her husband simply because Paul told the church in Corinth (and Ephesus) to follow the societal and familial norms of their native cultures? I don’t think so. I don’t think you can hold this view even if you say you think the Bible is the literal word of God.
So please, just stop. Stop it, John Piper. Stop it, SBC. Stop it, PCA.
Treat your Bible better than this…and you may end up treating women better, too. Wouldn’t that be something.
Opening Prayer for Wisdom
An opening prayer for wisdom. Could be used with a reading from Proverbs/Wisdom literature or on its own.
Lord, grant us wisdom as we seek your way. Remind us that you deal lovingly and graciously with us, and we are meant to do so with others. Help us grow in wisdom, works, and worship. Move us to share your love with each other and the world. Amen.
New Resources
Hello! As we put the finishing touches on Season 2’s pre-launch, we’re also working on adding new resources. We write a lot of liturgy, and we figured, hey, why not share it? Check back soon. If you’re a worship planner (or someone who just likes liturgy), what kinds of things would you like to see?
Worst Church Ever 