Snarky Faith

As weeks turn into months of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have many options in how we spend our time while under stay-at-home orders and quarantine. Some are Netflix and chilling, while others are using this time to learn new skills or take on begin new projects. I've been focusing my time in contemplation, conversation, and recalibrating my perspective of many things. Embracing that notion, I've spent time in conversation with many of my virtual friends. These conversations have centered around deconstruction and reconstruction of certain assumptions about faith and church. With that in mind, we'll be discussing different incorrect assumptions of modern-day Christianity concerning leadership, hierarchy, and prayer. Much of this misunderstanding comes from the sheep and shepherd parables and analogies from the Bible. It's amusing that pastors see themselves as shepherds of a flock when we're all just sheep. There's only one shepherd and he's not a celebrity pastor or author. We're all just sheep and that's okay.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.Snarkyfaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Here's the exclusive interview with author Elizabeth Geitz from our recent show where we discuss her new book, Spiritual Truth in the Age of Fake News. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In a few short years, the phrase "Fake News" has earned a place in dictionaries, in the national discourse, and our daily lives. But Fake News is not new. Fake News began when people first interpreted the Bible to advance their agenda. Commonly-held beliefs about what the Bible says regarding women, LGBTQ folks, slavery, immigrants, and Jews trumpets Fake News that is destroying people's lives. What is the best way to counter Fake News? With the truth. So today, we'll chat with Elizabeth Geitz about her new book, Spiritual Truth in the Age of Fake News, that sets the record straight on what the Bible really says regarding sexism, racism, anti-Semitism, and heterosexism. It is time for the Fake News about the Bible to come to a screeching halt. Join me as I talk with Elizabeth about rereading and re-engaging the Bible with new eyes. It's a fun ride that you're sure to enjoy. You can find Elizabeth Geitz's new book, Spiritual Truth in the Age of Fake News, here.  You can also find out more about Elizabeth here. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christianity is weird, but it doesn't have to be. Now, sure, it seems like weirdness is on-brand with Christianity, but that wasn't the original posture. Yet today, the separation of church and reality is more distinctive and vast than the separation between church and state. The Bible doesn't call for us to run away from truth and facts. Our faith doesn't tell us to ignore science and reality. Still, to the Christian mindset, logic and reason are often the enemies. It doesn't have to be that way. It shouldn't be that way. Christianity doesn't have to be weird. It should be grounded in common sense and intertwined with humanity. Spirituality and faith don't have to be devoid of reason and reasonability. The teachings of Jesus call his followers to be part of society and culture, not counter to it. They call us to care for others with compassion and humility. They call for sacrifice and effort. Yet the faithful are often too obsessed with the hereafter as their cosplay hobby version of end-times escapism. A Christianity obsessed with its own weirdness is a lazy copout and an excuse to ignore the call of Jesus to love others. A common sense faith is possible, we just have to walk away from the weirdness.  Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Too often do we get caught up in the fanfare of Easter. We're too busy celebrating the resurrection that we fail to miss the real humanity of the Easter story. We like to do this in Christianity. We skip over the journey and go directly to the endgame. Doing this negates the process. It's the process that determines the 'how' and 'why' of the situation. It's throwing a party and forgetting why you did it. Everyone likes parties, so you just ignore the 'how' and the 'why' because who doesn't like a party? This is why our Easter celebrations feel unearned. We champion Jesus but ignore his journey. We like his deity and want to forget the humanity of the story. King Jesus sells better than servant Jesus. Today, we'll talk about unspoken words and silence of Easter. Instead of jumping from his death to resurrection, we'll explore that space in between. I believe that the richness of the narrative is found in these small places of quiet despair because we've all had them in our journeys of faith. In this time of quarantine and pandemic, these themes of silence, meditation, and contemplation are spaces of nourishment. We would do well to embrace them as the world goes mad around us. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Without celebrating Easter services in churches, Christianity is basically done. Jesus is still in the grave. There was no resurrection. Nothing matters anymore because we can't have church in a building. It's a travesty and my faith may never recover. I'm only kidding. Easter has become nothing more than a marketing promotion and a show church pageantry. It's like heroin for Christians, they just can't quit Easter. Now with the Coronavirus, everything has become upended. What will the faithful do without their Easter fix? We once had the war on Christmas and in the time of the pandemic, we now have a new war on Easter. With so many Christians framing the stay-at-home orders as a violation of religious freedom, its a reminder that American Christianity had jumped-the-shark long ago. Faith doesn't mean testing positive for stupid. Join us today as we examine Easter from a cultural standpoint and juxtapose it with why resurrection should matters now more than ever. When Easter has become the Super Bowl for Christianity, we have a problem. The spectacle is never fair trade for substance. And when the substance of Jesus is lost in the cries of 'victory' and 'hosannah', we should have just stayed with the crowds cheering on Palm Sunday. Resurrection isn't a celebration. Resurrection is all about the messiness of life where God likes to occupy. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world. www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the time of Coronavirus with churches morphing from buildings to becoming Livestream events, we should take some time to ask the question, 'What is church, anyway?' Nowadays, the church seems to be more of a business than a movement. It values numbers and dollars over people. It's forgotten why it exists. Is it a product meant to be consumed via video? Is worship supposed to be entertainment? In this grand time of pause (otherwise known as a pandemic), let's take time to examine and the role of the church. Does it still embody love, compassion, grace, and selflessness? If not, where did it all go wrong and how can we right the ship? Join us today as take a hard look at the state of the church in the shadow of the Coronavirus. Contemplate with us what the future could be. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.   www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pandemics are like girlfriends, you always remember your first one. The coronavirus has fundamentally changed the rhythms of culture and life. After all, it's not every day that your schedules come to a grinding halt and we're quarantined in our homes. Hopefully, this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. With so much uncertainty at the moment, there is only one thing that is certain; the world will be fundamentally different once this pandemic is over. The person that entered quarantine will be different than the one that exits it. If you can look past the grim realities of COVID-19 and the effects of social isolation, there is an opportunity here at present. In these times of pause and pandemic, we have an opportunity to gain perspective about ourselves. We can look at our lives critically. We take a deep breath and ask ourselves those hard questions. Remember those dreams you had? Remember how you wanted things in life to be? These moments are an opportunity to course-correct and set a new path forward. What do you hold onto and what do you let go? While the world takes a breath, take the opportunity to become something new. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.   www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On a regular day, toxic masculinity is bad and unwelcome, but the shadow of the Coronavirus, it's downright criminal. Things like this only get worse when you sprinkle in conservative Christianity. From pastors peddling fake virus cures to megachurches staying open during a time of quarantine, it's all just a holy pissing contest. On its' best day, the church has a terrible track record cultivating and preaching patriarchal systems of submission. Christianity is adept at perpetuating archaic gender roles and ties them to faith in God. The patriarchy reigned in the time of Jesus and there are still remnants alive and well today. The streak of toxic masculinity has gone on for far too long and needs to end. You'll hear topics like, 'biblical manhood' and 'biblical womanhood' that strips us of our God-given uniqueness. It separates and divides us and toxifies marriages and positions of leadership in churches. It also gives us a distorted view of God. Toxic masculinity is a cultural artifact from an age past and it needs to die. If we're all created in the image of God, we need to be able to celebrate and encourage our God-given uniqueness to change the world around us for the better. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.   www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Living life in the shadow of a pandemic is stressful. There's so much anxiety and unpredictability on the horizon and all we can do is separate and quarantine ourselves from one another. The isolation leads to more fear and becomes a vicious cycle filled with doubt and paranoia. So what is the path forward in the face of uncertainty? It's gratitude. Sounds crazy right? People are dying. Resources are scarce. Jobs hang in the balance. So why gratitude? Well, we can become so obsessed with what's right in front of us and fearful of the unknown, that we forget our own stories. If you've made it this far in life, it hasn't been without struggles and tough times. You've overcome things. You've learned from your mistakes. You've gotten better and wiser along the way. These times when we're forced to slow down and stop can become a great place to regain perspective. Remember where you've come from. Remember what you've survived. Remember that you haven't done this alone and others have helped you along the way. Contemplating all of this can lead to gratitude and that gratitude can fuel us to push through this pandemic and look forward to a hopeful future. So instead of hiding from the outside world with the next Netflix marathon, begin to think about what you're grateful for. With each breath, we are reminded that we're not dead yet and should live like there are better days ahead. Those around you need you awake, aware, and soberly alert of what is needed now and beyond. In the midst of all of this pandemic, we need to become compassionate neighbors, keen observers, ardent contemplators, and hopeful dreamers. Remember what is good. Remember what is next. And if God is moving in the world today, where can we see her moving and how do we join her there? The first step is gratitude. Come along for the ride as we skewer through life, culture, and spirituality in the face of a changing world.   www.SnarkyFaith.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.