The Night I Stopped Believing in Substitutionary Blood Atonement
It’s theologically offensive in the modern era to think God required a bloody sacrifice of his Son in order to forgive humanity.
Entries by Martin Thielen
Where is the Joy?
We have a huge deficit of joy these days. We need to reclaim it.
Pandemic Pastors
One pastor told me, “No matter what I do about COVID protocols, I get attacked. I’m exhausted to the bone.”
What Matters More—Belief or Behavior?
It may startle you, but throughout the Bible, God seems surprisingly disinterested in doctrinal beliefs.
Leaving Church?
Legions of people are disgusted with the sorry state of institutional religion in twenty-first century America—for many good reasons.
Christmas at First Church
I’d like to share one of my favorite Christmas stories. It’s about a United Methodist Church in North Carolina who initiated a wintertime homeless ministry.
The Toxic Evangelical Variant
A significant segment of the evangelical world exhibits severe symptoms of destructive, life-diminishing religion. Given that troubling reality, it’s past time to challenge this toxic evangelical variant.
God Is No Longer a Working Number
For millions of people across the globe, God (as we have historically known God) is no longer a working number. Neither is traditional theology or the institutional church.
Talladega Nights, John Wayne, January 6, and Jesus
If Jesus doesn’t challenge my worldview, values, politics, and daily life, and if he doesn’t make me uncomfortable on a regular basis, I’m probably not taking him seriously.
The Self-Destructive American Church
Throughout most of the twentieth century, over 70 percent of Americans held membership in a local church or synagogue. By 2020 that number plummeted to 47 percent.