Snarky Faith

"We’ve Already Come Too Far To End This Now.” - Sang-Woo, Squid Game   Squid Game is a popular Netflix series from Korea. It tells the story of debt-ridden individuals who are out of last chances when they receive a mysterious invitation to compete in the ultimate game of survival for possibility at a big cash payday and a reversal of fortune. The cutthroat game is ultimately for the viewing pleasure of the rich and powerful. It's a farcical, yet deadly look into the corrupt power structures that govern the world today and the lengths to which individuals will go to get ahead.   If Squid Game is a polemic tale about the moral corruption of society, why does it also seem so similar to the avarice, values, and aims of modern-day Christendom?  On today's show, we continue through Jesus' teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. Delving into topics like murder, adultery, and divorce should seem simple enough for the church, yet that's not what Jesus is doing in this scripture. He's pushing something new. Christ is reframing scripture in radically new ways to the contemporary culture. He's not talking about murdering, but about our aversion to love others. Christ is flipping religious norms as he presses his disciples and listeners to dig deeper.  Talk of adultery and divorce seem salacious and made of scandal, yet, Jesus makes them all about the value of the other in society. Here, Christ frames adultery as wrong because love is not predatory. Kingdom of God ethics are never about mere sin or feigning holiness; it's a press for a deeper understanding of what grace, love, equality, and compassion look like manifested in reality. In a time when much of Christendom seems to be drunk on seeking power, prestige, and perceived rightness, Jesus removes all of the bullshit. If we don't love, we don't know Him. Christianity was never about praying a prayer or solidifying your eternal destination; it's always rooted in sacrificial love and restoring dignity to those the world has forgotten.  Our modern-day Squid Church fueled by selfishness, judgment, piousness, and greed won't disappear anytime soon, but that's not the point. Christ called his disciples to a different way, and sometimes the pursuit of that way means walking away from unhealthy institutions, denominations, and churches for the glory of God - not despite it.  Sometimes the best way to win is to walk away from the game. Show notes Episode Timestamp: Notes on the show hiatus: 02:00 In the News: 10:00 Christian Crazy: 16:50 Main Conversation: 31:30 Book referenced: Taking Jesus at His Word: What Jesus Really Said in the Sermon on the Mount ~ Addison Hodges Hart Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible: Right Wing Watch Christian Nightmares Friendly Atheist 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.

"We live lives of hope in the hint of the promise of what is to come... [and] we live lives of faith in the unforeseeable, in the coming of what we cannot see coming.” - John Caputo     Is our faith cyclical and repetitive, or does it change, grow, and spiral in new territory. Too often do we treat our faith as a rinse and repeat cycle instead of an evolving journey. Why do we default to the easy approach? I think it has a lot to do with certainty. Following Jesus was never about certainty, it was always about risk and the unknown. He makes that clear from the start. The way of Christ calls us to embrace mystery without the promise of results. It calls us to live for others as we cast aside our own needs and ambition. The posture of humility and servitude are the hallmarks of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus talks about his followers being the salt and light of the world, it was never about being special or chosen. It was about serving, helping, and loving others. Look at how churches are set up and exist. They are built much like circles. They repeat on a cycle. You just need to show up every week to a building, listen to a sermon, sing a song, and give some money. That is modern-day Christianity - distilled into easy-to-swallow bites. Followers of Jesus are nothing more than spectators watching a performance. The simple way of Jesus calls us to more. It calls us to break these circles and bend them into spirals as we seek to paint outside the lines to embody mercy, justice, grace, and love. Anyone with me? Does anyone want to explore a faith that sends us outside the known - away from the guardrails and streetlights? The air is fresher here, and only new possibilities lie in the trails ahead. Hopefully, I will see you there along the way. Show notes Episode Timestamp: In the News: 02:30 Christian Crazy: 9:00 Main Conversation: 18:30 Book referenced: Taking Jesus at His Word: What Jesus Really Said in the Sermon on the Mount ~ Addison Hodges Hart Finding Our Way Again ~ Brian McLaren Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible: Right Wing Watch Christian Nightmares Friendly Atheist 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.

"Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions." - Jerry Falwell Sr. - Founder of Liberty university Liberty University was founded in 1971 by Southern Baptist televangelist Jerry Falwell. Liberty is now the second-largest provider of online education in the US. It was also Falwell, that famously claimed that “Aids is not just God’s punishment for homosexuals. It is God’s punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.” He was a real sweetheart. Unsurprisingly, Liberty University's honor code, the Liberty Way, is just a graceful as old dead Jerry. It states that “sexual relations outside of a biblically-ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman are not permissible at Liberty University” So join us today on the show is Lucas Wilson. Lucas is a former student from Liberty University and attended from 2008-2012. He is also one of 40 plaintiffs suing the U.S. Department of Education in a class-action lawsuit that centers on the question of whether or not religious colleges and universities (mostly of the evangelical or Mormon varieties) should receive federal funds while actively discriminating against their LGBTQ+ students. In our wide-ranging discussion, Lucas covers everything from Liberty's subpar academics to his experiences of discrimination on campus and conversion therapy. It is an eye-opening conversation about a university that claims to feign Christian values but, in reality, is just an immoral moneymaker more concerned with political power than the Kingdom of God. After all, who can forget Jerry Falwell Jr's cuckolding adventures with the pool boy that made national news? His father would be proud. Follow Lucas Wilson here:  Instagram - @lukeslamdunkwilson Twitter - @wilson_fw More on the story - www.advocate.com/commentary/2021/5/13/gay-man-says-he-was-tormented-liberty-university-now-hes-suing 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.

"Becoming a child is living the Beatitudes and so finding the narrow gate into the Kingdom" - Henri Nouwen If you're in the game to recapture the Gospels and look at Jesus in a new light, then this is the show for you. For too long has the institutional church hijacked the message of Christ. It's far time we reestablish the "kingdom of Heaven." So how do we do this? It's quite simple. Let us return to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. It's a way to ground our faith and understand the ethics and aims of the Kingdom of God. Jesus does not hide things; he speaks plainly. We should listen plainly as well. The words of Jesus are as audacious 2,000 years ago as they are today. He speaks of a revolution of power, where the weak matter and the strong don't. It's an upside-down version of the world we live in today. Maybe we should do some work to reimagine reality through the eyes and values of the beatitudes. Even comedian, Groucho Marx got it when he said, "Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light." Let us be people that embrace these timeless truths to let in more light to these dim shadows that have become the modern-day church. The light needs to shine through. It just seems that American Christianity is in the way and that's a huge problem. Join us today as we do a deep dive into the beatitudes of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. We'll look to how they should change us if we're willing to embrace the wild ways of Jesus. Change is at hand. Do you want to grab it? Show notes Episode Timestamp: In the News: 04:40 Christian Crazy: 10:00 Main Conversation: 17:30 Book referenced: Taking Jesus at His Word: What Jesus Really Said in the Sermon on the Mount ~ Addison Hodges Hart Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible: Right Wing Watch Christian Nightmares Friendly Atheist 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.

“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop.” - Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Sometimes in life, we get lost and lose our bearings. We forget where we are going, what we value, and sometimes we even lose who we are. In those times, it is often best to stop and collect ourselves. Here we can take stock of where we have come from and where we want to go. Otherwise, if we don't stop, we'll just keep pushing through while trying to find meaning amongst the chaos. The same thing happens with faith. It seems like Christianity has lost its way. It has become consumed with things that are far from what Jesus taught and modeled. From a movement that began with grace, compassion, and love, it seems like we have lost the plot entirely. So why not begin again? Let's strip down the facade of the faith and look back to Jesus. To follow Jesus means to understand the ethics of Jesus. When He preached about the Kingdom of God he wasn't setting up a new system of belief or dogma, he was giving a glimpse into a new way to live life. With that in mind, we'll be diving in to the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' centerpiece of his teaching and a vision into the ethics of the Kingdom of God. Let us go looking back at the beginning for what we've missed. Perhaps, along the way, we may have lost something in our faith. So we must ask ourselves: What has been lost? What needs to be rediscovered? Let's let these questions push us forwards into something new. Show notes Episode Timestamp: In the News: 01:10 Christian Crazy: 19:00 Main Conversation: 26:00 Book referenced: Taking Jesus at His Word: What Jesus Really Said in the Sermon on the Mount ~ Addison Hodges Hart Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible: Right Wing Watch Christian Nightmares Friendly Atheist 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.

"Acceptance does not mean passive resignation. Resignation means giving up because you've decided that there's nothing you can do about your situation, whereas acceptance simply means that you accept that your situation happened." - Psychobabble for Ordinary people, blogger As we make our way through life, we all experience our wins and losses. There's heartache mixed with moments of bliss. That's the human existence. Yet, along the way, those ups and downs leave their marks. They create baggage that impacts the way we look forward at the horizon and how we experience life right now in the moment. Seeing clearly and engaging reality with a clear mind requires perspective. To have that type of perspective, we've got to evaluate those times in life when we've given up and resigned ourselves to a particular fate or situation. Too often do we move past those hard times, bury the pain, and try to move forward. We do it to survive, but over time it affects us in ways we can't fathom. Hard times, disappointment, and failure will hit us all at some point in life in different measures. How we respond to those times impacts how we move forward and grow. Will we let disasters and defeat, no matter how big or small, define us? When we respond with resignation, we essentially quit and leave unresolved issues. To respond with acceptance does something very different. It doesn't nullify the pain. It doesn't mean you give up on your dreams. It just means you see things as they are and work to control the only thing you can control; yourself. Don't let disappointment define you. In the wake of loss, you have the choice to do what's next. Otherwise, you've set yourself up for a war with reality that ultimately you can't win. When we stop trying to control the things we can't control, we also stop fighting against reality. Acceptance happens. You see things as they are, warts and all. Then you are able to move on and keep living awake to life. You are able to be present in the world; fully grounded in reality. Do you know who else is fully present in the world? God. It's only by being in the present, being who we are where we'll find God at work. She's not in the past. So we should stop living there. Show notes Episode Timestamp: In the News: 02:50 Christian Crazy: 16:20 Main Conversation: 26:30 Articles referenced: Why Acceptance Is Not The Same as Giving Up ~ Jennifer Mulder The Difference Between Acceptance and Resignation ~ Christy O'Shoney Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible: Right Wing Watch Christian Nightmares Friendly Atheist 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.

"Well, it's full speed, baby In the wrong direction There's a few more bruises If that's the way You insist on heading" -Mary Jane ~ Alanis Morissette   Sometimes along the journey of life, we need a bit of a course correction. Sometimes we acquiesce. Other times, we find ourselves lost, miles off track in a different direction. With faith, it's much the same way.  Some of us end up raised in a system that indoctrinates early, while others have it instilled through a spiritual community along the way.  Either way, there comes a time when we must evaluate what teachings and beliefs are worthy of our efforts and which ones are not. It's the way of growth that leads us forward. Some ideas remain while others no longer have a place.  Much live the concepts of survival of the fittest, beliefs and theology compete within us, and hopefully, the noble and worth ideas survive. Such is the most of human existence. It's a metaphysical sorting of goods to be kept, recycled, and thrown away. We claim what we need and toss the rest because the journey ahead doesn't need that anymore.  Fresh faith constantly evolves into what we need to become, not holding on to what has passed, been, or occurred. To stop growth and evolution in oneself leads one to stagnation and rot.  So when it comes to following after Jesus, there is always a new road ahead that requires us to be awake, aware, and ready to engage with what life offers us. We must have a servant's posture, but one that's also on our toes, ready for the movement of God's kingdom.  In her book,  Into the Grey, Michelle Collins puts it like this, "For years, I was involved in bible reading, communion, religious study, and all the activities that make up the religious experience. Yet, nowhere along the way did I stop to evaluate what I was learning or what I believed. I just functioned without a lot of thought. I called it faith; I am sure others would not identify it that way."  In Matthew 10:14, Jesus tells his followers to "shake the dust off [their] feet" if they find themselves in places ill receptive to the movement of the Kingdom of God.  So, how many places of worship stifle spiritual growth because they don't like you asking questions that may make them uncomfortable. Churches that don't encourage you to grow are not churches at all. They're just a business, and you're a consumer.  Let's kick that dust off of us and find places where we can question, wonder, and grow into who we should be. If you're not growing, it may be time to walk on. Join us as we discuss when it's time to keep going.  Show notes Episode Timestamp: In the News: 04:20 Christian Crazy: 10:44 Main Conversation: 20:00 Articles referenced: With This Much Rot, There’s No Choice But To Deconstruct ~ Karen Swallow Prior Can You Choose Your Beliefs ~ John Beckett Big thanks to these outlets that make the Christian Crazy possible: Right Wing Watch Christian Nightmares Friendly Atheist 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.

"Reconstruction begins with recognizing these cognitive distortions and discovering new and better ways of thinking. If you have thoroughly deconstructed, then theoretically all that remains are mental, emotional, and spiritual voids which are ready to be refilled with new and better information that serves your happiness and allows you to love and give freely. We are never more like Jesus than when we are giving and serving others. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world, He gave. We should too!." -Todd R. Vick For 30 years, Todd Vick was a Southern Baptist pastor, and in 2016 he left church ministry after a nervous breakdown fueled by severe anxiety, depression, addiction, and a crisis of belief. This led him on a path of intense spiritual deconstruction, where he reimagined his faith and began to research the role of the human brain in creating a belief system.  In his new book, The Reconstructing of Your Mind: A Post-Deconstruction Journey, Todd shares the transforming power of the human mind to create better life outcomes. It's a field guide for those seeking a new way to live that balances science and faith. It gives you tools that are handy along the way. Join me as I chat with Todd about his journey and the truths he learned along the way. With people leaving the institutionalized church in droves, it's an essential discussion about rebuilding your faith after deconstructing it. The act of deconstructing gives a liberating sense of freedom after being religiously oppressed, but for those that can't let go of Jesus, reconstruction is necessary.  I've done it.  Todd's done it.  Others have too.  I'll probably do it again.  Hopefully, we can learn from each other along the way as we harness our faith to grow in ways that may no longer fit in religious systems comfortably. To deconstruct is human, to reconstruct; divine.  Buy Todd's book, The Reconstructing of Your Mind: A Post-Deconstruction Journey on Amazon. For more on Todd: https://toddrvick.net/ 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.

“There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the Incarnation.” ― Madeleine L'Engle We are all born unique and never meant to blend in, yet, humans spend a lot of time in life trying to fit in and look the same as others. We fear being different and labeled as weird, odd, or sinful. Then, slowly over time, we continue to strive to be something we are not and lose ourselves in the process. What makes you odd may be sacred, and you need to learn to own it. For those raised in the church, the deck is already stacked against you. Modern-day Christianity has developed a culture of control that uses guilt and shame to conform congregants. Then, lines are drawn as one side is labeled sacred and the other secular. Yet, it is a fake ideal that is more pious than Biblical. It is a lie. The way of Christ was meant to free us to walk differently. Jesus set up a set of Kingdom ethics that called for love, acceptance, and grace. The Kingdom of God did not call for conformity; it called for action. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy. Serve those in need. Feed the poor. All of those are expressions of a faith that loves deeply and acts lovingly. Christ's ways were audacious because they celebrated the uniqueness of the individual. With Jesus, odd is beautiful, and actions matter. Jesus painted outside the lines and celebrated those the empire had long forgotten. He loved those that religion had cast away. We are called to do the same. We need to work at untangling God from this cacophony of religious bullshit. God created humans to be unique and creative. She did not create drones or cookie-cutter beings. God wants us to be different. God wants us to own our oddity because it is very beautiful. Like Mike Yaconelli said, "You should know the truth, and the truth should make you odd." 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.

"To have enemies as a source of liberation—for ourselves and for those who do harm—is to recognize structures of power and their relationship to identity... We have enemies in particular and curious ways, ways that do not make sense within the structures of violent power-keeping around us. Instead, we are people who have set down our lives within the reconciliation of all things." -Melissa Florer Bixler Christianity tells us to love our enemies. Jesus commanded it, but how do we do it, and who are our enemies?  In a polarized world, it is easy to pick sides and become tribalized; whether in faith, politics, sports, or most other realms of everyday life. Those divisions make it difficult for us to see one another well, let alone love them. We see them as different from us, and it is nearly impossible to love someone in the abstract sense. Yet, the call to love others still exists.  So what do we do? How do we walk out this ethic in such a fractured time in history? To befriend an enemy, we first have to acknowledge their existence, understand who they are, and recognize the ways they are acting in opposition to God’s good news. In How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace, Melissa Florer-Bixler looks closely at what the Bible says about enemies—who they are, what they do, and how Jesus and his followers responded to them. Melissa is the pastor of Raleigh Mennonite Church and a graduate of Duke University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She joins the show today for a lively and timely discussion on her new book and offers ways to do the hard work of building communities, seeking justice, and tearing down systems of oppression. It is an essential conversation for such a time as this.  Buy Melissa's book, How to Have an Enemy: Righteous Anger and the Work of Peace on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08PQDQM2W/ For more on Melissa: https://www.melissaflorerbixler.com/ 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.