Posts
About once a month, you will find a new post in this section focusing on the intersection between faith and modern life. If you want email notifications about future posts, stories, articles and books, please go to the contact page and sign up.
Vampire Theology
/in Featured, Uncategorized/by Martin ThielenThe characters of Netflix’s “Midnight Mass” miniseries creatively represent at least four different types of religion that can be found in contemporary America.
The Night I Stopped Believing in Substitutionary Blood Atonement
/in Featured, Uncategorized/by Martin ThielenIt’s theologically offensive in the modern era to think God required a bloody sacrifice of his Son in order to forgive humanity.
Where is the Joy?
/in Featured, Uncategorized/by Martin ThielenWe have a huge deficit of joy these days. We need to reclaim it.
Pandemic Pastors
/in Featured, Uncategorized/by Martin ThielenOne 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?
/in Featured, Uncategorized/by Martin ThielenIt may startle you, but throughout the Bible, God seems surprisingly disinterested in doctrinal beliefs.
Leaving Church?
/in Featured, Uncategorized/by Martin ThielenLegions of people are disgusted with the sorry state of institutional religion in twenty-first century America—for many good reasons.
Christmas at First Church
/in Featured/by Martin ThielenI’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
/in Featured/by Martin ThielenA 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
/in Featured/by Martin ThielenFor 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
/in Featured/by Martin ThielenIf 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.