Snarky Faith

Join me today as I talk with the director, Rocky Roggio, about her upcoming film 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture. 1946 is a new documentary that investigates how the word “homosexual” was incorrectly entered into the Bible, and the grave consequences it had on religion, culture, politics, and the LGBTQIA+ community over the last century. The documentary explores exactly what ignited the anti-gay movement within American conservative Christians. The first time the word “homosexual” ever appeared in any Bible was in 1946, in 1 Corinthians 6:9, Revised Standard Version (RSV). This version used the word “homosexual” in lieu of the greek words “malakoi” and “arsenokoitai.” Researchers agree today these words translate loosely to “effeminacy,” and “pervert,” or “sexual pervert.” The decision to use the word “homosexual” instead of the accurate translations was voted on by the committee. So that begs the question, what if the word “homosexual” was never meant to be in the Bible?  In 2020, more than 45,000 churches still preach that the homosexual lifestyle is a sin. But, what would happen to these churches if they knew the truth?     For more information about the film: https://www.1946themovie.com/ To join the GoFundMe campaign aimed at finishing the film: https://www.gofundme.com/f/1946themovie 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.

“Some of us believe that God is All-Power and can do all, and that God is All-Wisdom and knows how to do all. But that God is All-Love and wants to love all, here we restrain ourselves. And this ignorance hinders most of God's lovers, and I see it...” - Julian of Norwich Too often do we play fast and loose when we talk of love. I love baseball. I love pizza. Or we think about love in an unrealistic manner that feels more like escapist fantasy than reality. The church is guilty of this too. American Christianity speaks of love and wields the word with such frequency that you'd assume they know what it means. Tragically, they don't. They've made love transactional. I've heard statements like, "God loves me if..." and "God loves me when..." If God is love, then there are no qualifiers needed. If the substance of God is love, then how does that love manifest itself? It does so through action. It is only through action that love can be seen and to believe it we have to see it. Digging deeper into scripture we see that love is something more. So what is love? It is showing up. It is caring for another. It is friendship. It is grace and compassion. It is responding to someone's needs. It is fueled by respect. It is hot and heavy and also gentle and kind. It is deepened by time and grows with vulnerability. It is selfless and often looks like sacrifice. Love is active. Love is moving. Join me today as I look into how the substance of love is deeper than words and requires more of you than you know. Are you bold enough to love and see where it takes you? “Dare to love and to be a real friend. The love you give and receive is a reality that will lead you closer and closer to God as well as those whom God has given you to love.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen 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.

“What’s translated as ‘charity’ in the Bible is ‘agape,’ which literally means love... We do have a responsibility to help the poor and those in need. That means taking care of them yourself—giving money yourself, giving your time, your efforts, not someone else’s.” - Michael Tanner Welcome to our 300th episode of Snarky Faith! Thanks so much for being a part of this ride! In today's show, I'll respond to a listener's request for an episode on giving to Christian charities and ministries. How does anyone evaluate which ones are worthy of your donations and tithes? With so much grabbing at our attention, money, and time, it is hard to know which investments are worth it. For too long have Christian charities gotten by on just being 'Christian' and a 'charity.' Let dig deeper into some clear-cut and quick metrics to evaluate how well an organization is run financially. We'll also talk about other areas of focus and mission in the effectiveness of a ministry as well. In the end, we're called to love others. That love requires an investment of not just money, but time. Christian charity shouldn't be solely about money, it' should also be about personal responsibility. You'd invest well for your 401K, you should do as much homework for that as you do with your tithes and donations. Just because a ministry seems good, doesn't mean it's run well, effectively, or even morally. So before you drop that cash into an offering plate or send your monthly donations, check out tips on how to be a wholistic investor of yourself and not just an ATM for Christian charities and churches.   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.

“A cult is a religion with no political power." - Tom Wolfe In a post-Christian, post-Trump world, how does one talk about Jesus? Living in a society in which a large swath of the population believes in an alternative reality is challenging. It feels like the cults had exited the shadows and entered into the mainstream. With the drumbeats of QAnon muted in the backdrop, America needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and do some soul searching. How do we become less susceptible to coercion and develop a keen sense to sniff out bullshit? Join me today as we look into the warning signs and symptoms of cults. While many churches in America don't fit all the criteria for being a cult, they definitely have cult-like behavior and inclinations in their structures and practices. Ever experienced situations where questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished? Ever had a pastor who was above accountability or church leadership that uses shame and/or guilt to influence members? Ever been in a group that was preoccupied with bringing in new members?  Don't be duped by greasy gurus or fall prey to slick-talking pastors. It's best to stay away from any group or organization that even smells like a cult. With cults, it's all fun and games until the Kool-aid comes out. I bet you didn't know that "saying no to cults" was on your list of New Year's resolutions. If it wasn't there, it should 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.

“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” - Not Saint Francis of Assisi, but still a great quote   In a post-Christian post-Trump world, how does one talk about Jesus? It seems impossible, especially when Christianity has become synonymous with nationalism, hate, bigotry, and misogyny. So, I am here to call an audible and declare that Christian witness in America is dead, or maybe it just needs to hibernate for a few decades. Either way, the traditional ideas and ways of evangelism must change dramatically to meet the reality of 2021. I worked for years in Christian ministry, pushing the gospel like it was the latest hot MLM scheme. Those days are gone. Those days are ancient. American Christianity needs to take a time-out to reflect on what it has become and what it has forgotten. The Gospel does not need to be preached. Its message has been used and abused by so-called holy men and women for so long that it is now merely words; hollow words. Christianity has prioritized orthodoxy (right belief) over orthopraxy (right practice). In this season and the next, actions are needed. Join us today as we look to the mighty strength of the Christian witness through action and deed. We'll delve into several saints from the past to see that actions always speak louder than words. Those actions are our witness. In regards to evangelism, actions need to speak again. The church must learn to live out the ways of Jesus. If we don't, we risk making his words meaningless and our faith impotent. To follow Jesus means to emulate his ways, not just spread his words. It's far time we put action and meaning behind his words. 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.

Join me as I sit down with author Brian Zhand and filmmakers David and Kathi Peters about their upcoming documentary, Postcards from Babylon. Postcards From Babylon is a documentary featuring author and pastor Brian Zahnd as he investigates possibly the most important question for the church in North America today, a church often characterized by Christian Nationalism: How does the church stay faithful to the beautiful way of Jesus while situated in one of the most divisive political climates in our nation’s history? The film, based on his popular book of the same name, begins with Brian some 350 miles into his 500-mile pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He walks “the Camino” in spiritual pilgrimage as preparation for the mental mayhem of the 2020 US election cycle. It’s against the backdrop of the elections that Brian exposes how the church in America has succumbed to the seduction of empire and has entangled Christianity with the Red, White, and Blue.  Prioritizing American Nationalism and partisan political agendas have “Trumped” the way of Jesus.​ The parallel between the modern-day United States of America and Biblical Babylon is one that is rarely drawn. Brian exposes the viewer to the culture war antics of evangelicals who rely on fear and scapegoating rather than the disarming qualities of humility, grace, and inclusion.  Evangelical alliance with American politics is distorting the core message of the cross and damaging the witness of Christ both nationally and internationally. The film’s crew journeys to places around the United States of America leading them deep into the heart of the story. John Fea, a history professor at Messiah College, gives his perspective on the history of Christians in America and explains the deep divide in America as Christians take sides in partisan politics. Jon Huckins, director of The Global Immersion Project, takes a team of people to the San Diego/ Tijuana, Mexico border for a three-day immersion experience.  Jon shows how immigration policies are creating harsh and dangerous situations for refugees seeking asylum. Brian Zahnd sits with Walter Brueggemann as Walter shares concerns for how the evangelical church has been tainted by its proximity to political power. Mark Galli (former editor of Christianity today) and Napp Nazworth engage in a panel discussion with students at Eastern University on the troubling issues related to journalism and the pursuit of truth for people of faith. Pete Wehner from the Ethics and Public Policy Center makes his way through the streets of Washington DC pondering the effect of the current state of politics on the emerging generation. Worship Pastor Daniel Deitrich sings his original song Hymn to the 81%, a heartfelt cry to his white evangelical friends to “come home” to the way of love and justice. ​Postcards from Babylon premieres online with an exclusive pre-release online ticketed showing streaming live January 21st at 7:00 p.m local time. YOU CAN BUY TICKETS HERE: LIVE.POSTCARDSDOC.COM To find out more information about the film: For more on Brian Zhand and his work: BrianZahnd.com For more on David and Kathi Peters: www.GlobalStoryFilms.com COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE AS WE SKEWER THROUGH LIFE, CULTURE, AND SPIRITUALITY IN THE FACE OF A CHANGING WORLD. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Right now, you'd assume that American Christianity is shameless based upon how much they've bent and contorted their beliefs and morals to encapsulate their love of Donald Trump. For a group that acts shameless, they sure peddle in guilt and shame on a Sunday to Sunday basis.  For far too long, has shame been used control structure to keep congregants in the pews complacent and coming back each week. Preaching that there's a loving God that hates sin, juxtaposed with teachings that people are inherently sinful creatures, creates a paradox.  It leads people to focus more on sin (or the avoidance of sin) instead of seeking after a loving and graceful God. Distill this down, and you've got a faith that ultimately says that even though humans are made in God's image, we're still garbage.  This is where guilt and shame come into play. They both keep us at a distance from a God that doesn't see a distance between us.  If we seek to fix our sinfulness first as a remedy to gain traction with God, we're doing everything on our own. Then, we're constantly at a disadvantage and never enough. This, then, warps our world view about ourselves and God. It leads to very messed-up theology. Many times, it leads to mental trauma, delusions, and disorders (look up scrupulosity).  To view God from the lens of Jesus, and even more specifically, the parable of the Prodigal Son, we see a very different view of God. In this paradigm, God is graceful, full of compassion and love. He doesn't see us through the lens of sin. God sees us as the beloved.  The way of shame leads to oppression. The way of Jesus leads us towards freedom and new life.  Which would you rather pick?    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.

2020's been wild year for all the wrong reasons, but I am thankful to have you along for the ride. This week, here's the most listened to episode of the year. Enjoy and I look forward to more snark in 2021! Cults and conspiracy theories are both founded on lies, but they also play heavily against people's fears and insecurities. You could say that cult leaders use misinformation and paranoia to manipulate others to follow blindly after them. It almost sounds like a lot of pastors too. This isn't a new occurrence, a Ponzi scheme as old as time. There are always swindlers and suckers. And every time, the swindler makes the sucker believe that everyone else is the true idiot. Christianity has a lot of willing idiots who have traded the simple message of the Gospel for complicated conspiracy theories about Satan hiding around every corner waiting to deceive you. The truth of this story is that we are our own Satan's deceiving ourselves. Yes, I said it and stand by it. Christians that believe in conspiracy theories or other nonsense like end times do it because doing the work of the Gospel is too hard and requires too much. If we can delude and deceive ourselves that we're righteous, then we can live our lives unchecked and judge everyone else. It's Jesus that disrupts this lie. Life is better when we don't get our own way. When we learn to live as people called to help and heal, that's a vastly different reality than one lived in fear of sin. One way is the freedom to live and love as Jesus did. The other one is to look at God's creation as dirty, evil, and broken. One way sees glory while the other sees desolation. Conspiracy theories require mental gymnastics to fit into reality. They require us to suspend our disbelief and embrace paranoia and fear. The way of Jesus sees the face of God in others and calls us to love. Which do you want to follow? 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.

Hurting people ask heart-felt questions about God and suffering. Some "answers" they receive appeal to mystery: “God’s ways are not our ways”. Some answers say God allows evil for a greater purpose. Some say evil is God's punishment. The usual answers fail. They don't support the truth God loves everyone all the time. God Can't gives a believable answer to why a good and powerful God doesn't prevent evil. Join us today as we talk with author Thomas Jay Oord about how God’s love is inherently uncontrolling and uncoercive. In his book, God Can't, he asserts that God loves everyone and everything, so God can't control anyone or anything. This would mean that God cannot prevent evil singlehandedly. This opens us up to understand and engage with God's work in the world in new and exciting ways.  Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author or editor of twenty-five books and an award-winning professor. Oord directs the Northwind Theological Seminary doctoral program in Open and Relational Theology. He also directs the Center for Open and Relational Theology. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, issues in science and religion, and freedom for transformation. Thomas blogs frequently at his website: http://thomasjayoord.com God Can't is available now at Amazon.   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.

Keith Giles was formerly a pastor who walked away from organized church over a decade ago to start a home fellowship that gave away 100% of the offering to the poor in the community. Today he is the author of the best-selling “Jesus Un” series of books, including "Jesus Unexpected; Ending The End Time to Become the Second Coming" which is available now on Amazon. He’s also a host on the Heretic Happy Hour.  Today, Keith is joining us to talk about the process of deconstruction and reconstruction in faith. Too often do we only focus on deconstruction and leave our faith in the rubble. While deconstruction is essential, we must also focus on rebuilding faith as we grow and journey forward. Keith is also hosting a new online conference for pastors deconstructing their faith called Ground Zero: Renew Pastoral Deconstruction. The conference includes the various voices like Alan Smith, Desimber Rose, Richard Jacobson, Lisa Martinez, Spencer Burke, and Jason Elam. If you're not a pastor, don't worry, there will be also more conferences available to everyone in 2021.  Keep up to date for future conferences and teachings by going here for more information: https://www.bk2sq1.com/ Sign up here for Ground Zero: Renew Pastoral Deconstruction ~ there are a few free seats available while supplies last. You can find all of Keith's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Keith-Giles/e/B0076E0UA8 Keith's blog on Patheos: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/keithgiles/ Heretic Happy Hour: https://heretichappyhour.com/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.