Nathan Daniel Blake🫀
@storyofndblake
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West Virginia writer, shaped by steel & coal, walking the path of The Appalachian Order -- comforting the troubled & troubling the comfortable.🫀
Wheeling, WV
Joined March 2012
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Pinned Tweet
What if we asked people if they were ready to live like Jesus instead of if they were ready to ask Jesus into their heart?
I have this real sense that our Western worldview prioritizes intellectual belief over sacrificial practice.
Orthopraxy > Orthodoxy
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What is a conspiracy theory you hold even though you're not a conspiracy theorist?
Here's mine.
The "school choice" movement is an intentional and cleverly spun move by the elite to defund equal public education for all & lower literacy levels of the poor and working classes.
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I grew up with guns.
I've owned guns my entire life.
This week, those guns are being locked away.
I've had enough.
We are called to a different way of life -- to be in this world but not of this world.
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Full on, 100%, no question ...
This is idolatry.
We've traded our Kingdom birthright for a bowl of empire soup.
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🧵This has been driving me crazy all morning. As someone who is dedicating his study and call to mission and missiology, the last thing we need is for it to be hijacked by people with an opinion not backed by data.
So here's 6 real reasons laid out by
@BarnaGroup
. (1/8)
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If we're wondering why Christianity is losing it's relevance, it's because we've lost our missiological witness.
In the last month, I've seen Christians with influence defend:
Slavery
Genocide
Nazism
Fascism
Marital Rape
We're so far off mission that we've become the enemy.
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On the record: My wife SHOULD and WOULD choose to not die in this scenario, and why would I be upset about that? I want her to come home ... but this is a ridiculous scenario.
Why not just say what you mean to say instead of inferring that it's kind of a sin not to fight back?
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@bebookled
"Is your husband allowed to touch it, but others aren't," is the Christian version of Sharia Law.
A decent man will know he doesn't have the right to touch something just because he can see it, even if he thinks it's attractive.
I'm a man. I don't need coddling to do right.
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Here are
@BarnaGroup
's top 6 reasons young people are leaving the church:
1. Overprotectiveness and Defensiveness
2. Shallow Faith Experiences
3. Antagonism Toward Science and Reason
4. Simplistic Views of Sexuality
5. Spiritual Exclusivity
6. Unfriendliness to Doubters
(2/8)
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Dear Christian, if the only reason you’re talking to someone is to make them a Christian, you’re starting a “project,” not building a relationship.
Nobody wants to feel like a project.
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@michaelharriot
It was the second church of that denomination in that city/town/etc. -- probably because of a split or along racial/socio-economic lines?
Wait, is that wrong?
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*speaking of one of the missions he works with in Africa*
Dad: They use a program called "Farming the Biblical Model"
Me: Cool! Do they leave the edges of the field for the widow, stranger, and poor? Do they let the field rest every seven years?
Dad: *kinda annoyed* They teach
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When I talk about church whose primary functions are to grow gardens for the poor, do yard work for widows & single mothers, that delivers meals to the elderly and gathers around tables instead of alters ...
I'm not rethinking the modern church. I'm reclaiming the ancient one.
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As a general rule, don't argue ancient Greek with a literal New Testament scholar by saying, "You're ignoring the Greek."
It's never going to end well. Not one single time.
Dr. Robinson is not to be trifled with.
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Ever notice the conservative Christian push against LGBTQ+ is focused disproportionately on gay men & trans women?
It has nothing to do with sex. It's rooted in their feelings toward females.
There's nothing worse than a man who presents feminine traits.
It erodes power.
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The worst part of the reformed theology is that you can so easily relegate large portions of humanity to the unelected and then dehumanize them with pejorative labels without recognizing them as being the same as you.
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🧵Today I learned that people who have guns get really upset when other people who have guns decide not to have guns anymore.
Most of them like to use Luke 22 as a proof text of Jesus’ approval of violent self-defense.
But that interpretation falls far short. (1/11)
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If our churches are serving outside of our doors simply to bring people inside of our doors, are we really serving?
It feels more like a marketing funnel to me, and that is not the mission.
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First of all, it’s not a Gospel at all, it’s an opinion.
Second of all, there’s two people from Appalachia you don’t come after, Dolly Parton and Fred Rogers.
We WILL fight you.
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Tell me you missed the entire message of the Gospel of Jesus without telling me you missed the entire message of the Gospel.
(via
@RevKimWChafee
)
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1. Churches Are Overprotective and Defensive
25% of 18-29 year olds cited the demonizing of "the world," ignoring real-world problems, & obsession with culture. (3/8)
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I randomly started placing my phone in the chest pocket of my flannels.
I confessed to my wife that I fear this is an irrevocable sign that I'm entering my "Appalachian Old Man" phase.
She put her hand on my shoulder, kissed my cheek, looked me in the eyes, and said, "It's
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Confession of an ex-evangelical:
I'm a full-fledged liberation theologist rooted in Christus Victor.
After 10 years of study & reflection, I don't know how you read scripture & come away with any conclusion other than God calls his people to alleviate systemic injustice.
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3. Antagonism toward science and reason.
35% said Christians are too confident they have an answer to everything. 29% they are out-of-step with scientific discovery. 25% said we are anti-science. (5/8)
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The entire point of Genesis 1 is that you are GOOD as created, not GOOD as utilized.
You ARE the magnum opus of a divine creator.
You ARE NOT the goods and services you produce.
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This seems increasingly popular. Is this just a part of late-stage evangelicalism? A necessary piece of dogma to prop up a Paulian exegesis of the Gospels?
All scripture must be filtered through Jesus.
This belief is quickly moving up my list of theological hills I'll die on.
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6. Church feels unfriendly to the doubter.
36% cite not feeling like they can ask their most pressing questions in church. 23% said they had significant intellectual doubts, and 18% said the church doesn't take emotional problems seriously enough. (8/8)
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Don't let them fool you with rhetoric.
Theologically, there is no such thing as a "Christian Country."
There are only countries co-opting christianity for their devices.
"My Kingdom is not of this world."
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I'll take hot takes that would make Paul roll over in his grave for $1,000,000, Alex.
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This man was Jesus to me growing up.
He is a mechanic. He could fix your car before he could talk through atonement Theology.
But when he looks at you, I swear you can see the pure, unending love of YHWH.
Growing up, he would cry with tenderness when he spoke about Jesus.
I
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4. Experiences with sexuality are often simplistic and judgmental.
A majority cited trying to wrestle with meaningful lives in terms of sex and sexuality.
Nearly 20% said they feel judged for their sexual mistakes. 40% said teachings on sexuality are out of date. (6/8)
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2. Experience of a "shallow" faith.
31% said church was boring. 25% said church wasn't relevant to real life, and 20% said God seemed to be missing from church. (4/8)
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5. They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Churches.
29% said church feels afraid of the beliefs of other faiths. Another 29% said they felt forced to choose between faith & friendships. 22% said that church felt like an exclusive spiritual country club. (7/8)
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@Franklin_Graham
@realDonaldTrump
The problem is that your tweet cut off at "There is only One who can save," and I honestly gave it a 50/50 toss-up on whether it was going to say God or Trump when I expanded it.
It seems you've sold your soul to empire, Mr. Graham. A sad legacy in the shadow of your father's.
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Important Context: I am still a Christian because my Dad has shown such a dedication to never stop growing. We disagree theologically on more than a few things, but he’s my first stop whenever I need counsel. He’s one of my spiritual heroes. Respectful disagreement is part of our
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Tonight I learned that the ancient Celtic church personified the Holy Spirit not as a dove but as a wild goose … and I will now be accepting donations for my next tattoo.
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I have an issue with the way we interpret the parable of the sower.
Everyone wants to be a seed-tosser and act like that's our only responsibility.
Who's in charge of cultivating better soil? That seems like worthwhile endeavor.
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I didn't leave mainstream evangelicalism because of its values.
I left mainstream evangelicalism because it didn't live up to its values when it mattered most.
There is so much to this post. I have felt the same way for years.
I grew up in white evangelicalism. They taught me that:
- we’re all equal in Christ
- anyone is welcome at church
- we should uplift the oppressed
- every religion deserves freedom
- the words of Jesus must be taken seriously
But when I planted a church centered on these
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I’m always surprised that the liberation of the oppressed is such a divisive topic among Christians.
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Okay, so if you talk about voluntarily putting your guns down in protest of gun violence ...
you REALLY make people mad.
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My salvation theology is firmly rooted in the Eastern idea of Theosis -- I don't see our salvation as a positive end to a divine legal dilemma but rather a healing of a spiritual malady.
Salvation isn't about merely getting to heaven, it's about reuniting our heart with God's.
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@_nomadic_soul
He would 100% not show up. He can't even put his name and face on Twitter.
Little men have little voices.
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Well, after 3.5 years, COVID finally caught up to me -- zero out of five stars.
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@RightWingWatch
The thing is that GOD doesn't want to be in charge of everything.
He LITERALLY turned down that very offer from the Satan in the desert and then reiterated that His Kingdom was not of this world -- to give to Caesar what was Caesar's and to YHWH what belonged to YHWH.
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@Pastor_Gabe
I’m not Catholic, but it takes almost no effort, research, or theological chops to understand they’re not worshipping Mary, GABE.
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The most common accusation leveled against more "progressive" Christians is we don't know or care about the Text.
But it seems that in these debates, it's normally the more "progressive" participant who has dug the deepest to really "yada`" the Text -- to intimately know it.
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@BenZeisloft
Zero percent scriptural.
Just say you're draping misogyny in religion, and let's move on.
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Here's my lead in the case against Christian Nationalism:
The Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, offering Him all the worldly kingdoms.
Jesus could have coerced humanity into right belief and living with ease.
Instead, He sent the Satan away.
It's a temptation we're still
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And Jesus said, love those that steal from you. If you love those who do not steal from you, what’s so special about that?
I tell you, if someone breaks into your house to steal bread, make him a pot of soup & pour him your finest drink. By doing so, you bring heaven to earth.
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The biggest red flag I see for the future of the American Church is how quickly we seem to WANT to defend ourselves with the swords that Jesus clearly told us to lay down.
This is not the Gospel, so we shouldn't be surprised when people aren't attracted to it.
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"If we don't do something about them, they'll soon overtake us."
This is the cry of nationalists.
This is the cry of pharaoh.
This is the cry of empire.
But it is the cry (za'aq) of the oppressed that makes its way to God's ear, and it is that suffering that brings judgement.
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@ChristnNitemare
The exalted and ironic twist of a Sunday School song by teenagers trying to transform it into play.
I'm pretty tough on church culture, but this looks like good fun to me.
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I’m not here to judge anyone.
If you want to own guns. Do so.
I’m still conflicted myself.
I will still be around guns because of family & friends. I’ll still shoot.
But don’t use Jesus to justify deadly force. The sandal doesn’t fit. (11/11)
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@LakotaMan1
First of all, Powwows seem AWESOME. Also, if you are a Trump supporter who loves to "rally" maybe you should put the stone down next to your IKEA glass house while the real tribes are talking.
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@NRA
I grew up in Appalachia. I own guns. Still, I can live with that if you want to make insensitive, ridiculously fanatical statements like this.
We've outlawed guns in the past that were created solely for shooting lots of people quickly, and everyone can still own guns.
Stop.
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Normalize having big, scary bouncers (let’s make them men in leadership) at the door of a church washing people’s feet and drying them with their shirt tales and ties.
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I don’t pray to Mary, but I also don’t worry about my prayer life impacting my masculine identity, sooo …
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@tomascol
I mean, you trim your beard and are wearing garments of mixed materials. I'm going to guess you go around your wife when she's "impure," but tell me more about how much you care about the old covenant that Christ came to fulfill.
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@MattThiessenNT
And yet they get so upset when I suggest their Theology interprets Jesus through Paul instead of Paul through Jesus.
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Let's get spicy, Christian Twitter:
What's your most controversial theological take?
I'll start.
Open Theism - Because God desires we freely choose to be in relationship with the Trinity, He elects to limit His knowledge of the future, semi-conditional upon human action.
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Just keeping score and making sure I understand ...
Man with multiple sexual assault allegations & bought a literal beauty pageant where he'd walk into dressing rooms unannounced = God's anointed leader
Trans woman performs worship music = grooming pervert
Seems off.
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@michaelharriot
I think we should all agree to rename those churches, "The Last Shall Be First Baptist."
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For those of you asking, here are my responses and beliefs on how we counter.
🧵So, how do we combat these top 6 reasons young people leave church? (1/7)
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Name a spell from Dungeons & Dragons (
@Wizards_DnD
) that would also be a believable name for an Evangelical church.
I'll start.
"AWAKEN"
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Any of you from my Twitter bubble also from culturally conservative areas but you're so used to letting opinions fly that you're in public or family function and forget yourself for a moment and say something bold and realize everyone is looking side-eyed at you?
No? Just me?
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People REALLY like guns.
Nobody would get this upset if I voluntarily decided to sell my car and stop driving.
Or to even stop carrying a knife.
There's something to that.
I think it has to do with the need to feel in control. I sympathize with that.
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Just a reminder for the CN folks out there:
Each time you read, "Jesus is Lord" in the Greek Testament, there's an implied, " ... and Caesar is not" attached since the statement is clever protest to the Roman idea that only the Caesar was worth of being called, "Κύριος."
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@nickykens
Sometimes I wonder if the problem is the church's inability or unwillingness to have open dialogue surrounding expectations and to talk about compatibility.
It's too shrouded in shadow. We need to drag it out, own the space.
We need to equip better communication and consent.
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When humility and gratitude toward Jesus are a threat to your manhood, don't examine your ideas about worship, examine your ideas about cultural masculinity and its subtle effects on your theology.
What I said about Bob Kauflin leading worship seemed to bother some people. Maybe a video will help. This is from
#ShepCon2024
. In my opinion, this has a distinct effeminate vibe.
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@wendelltalks
I love the Text, but NONE of these statements are true when real scholarship is applied.
And that's okay. It's still inspired and useful for all the things it says it's useful for.
But we don't do ourselves any favors when we say things that it takes 30 seconds to disprove.
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You know, if the Scripture is so CLEAR, it's truly amazing that we haven't been able to completely agree on it since EVER.
How dangerous it is to approach the Text without question or tension.
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In case this gets traction, I feel like I should tag in my wife,
@raptureofagirl
, to speak up for herself and to alert her that the conversation is happening at all.
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One of the most important things I've left behind in evangelicalism is the idea that scripture directs our actions here in this life to secure liberation in the afterlife.
I think scripture is almost entirely about bringing liberation from sin & oppression here and now.
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@TGC
This is dangerous language -- it is not a gesture of giving for a man to want to have sex with a woman and it is not inhospitable for a woman to deny a man (even within the boundaries of marriage).
I try to avoid strong language on social media, but this is abhorrent.
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I said what said. I’ll say it with my chest as long as there is breath in my lungs.
@kimwardphoto
If you preach with flags behind you, I’m going to assume you’re a puppet of those empire interests.
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Just a few hours later, a disciple cuts off a guard’s ear and Jesus immediately does two things.
1. He heals the guard. (Imagine being that guard … think he was a conflicted after?)
2. He tells his disciples “No more of this! Those who take up the sword will die by it.” (9/11)
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@elonmusk
So we are prioritizing the voices who have the money to pay, not the ideas that deserve to be read.
So much for changing the world.
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@barton92012
The school choice people spend a LOT of money writing articles and press releases trying to prove it is not.
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I think he’s talking about spiritual death here as well as the way violence begets violence.
Empire methods produce empire results, and no life can come from them. This is a narrative throughout both testaments. (10/11)
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@NathanielJolly
Creating a metaphor does not make the actuality moral or Godly.
Just because things exist doesn't mean they should.
Shalom is a process over time of restoration. That is the Kingdom of God.
I can't believe we're having this discussion in 2023.
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@TheoManBabies
Best Youth Pastor Voice …
You know what else women announced? The resurrection of Jesus.
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@megbasham
Why would some of us Christians push back against Christian Nationalism? Jesus rejected that exact temptation.
1. My Kingdom is not of this world.
2. Shalom is not coercive.
3. A power that wishes to shape a righteous people through human law is the worst tyrant of all.
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I have a complicated relationship with my home state of West Virginia.
This bill parades itself as a guard against human trafficking, but the focus is clearly on undocumented immigrants and to criminalize any aid they might receive, even from churches.
I'll go to jail.
The House has passed HB 5031 which would criminalize churches who offer help like rides or lodging to undocumented immigrants. So much for religious freedom.
It also puts a target on schools and first responders. Tell your senator to vote no on this massive government overreach.
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First of all, let me say openly that I don’t think gun ownership makes you any more or less holy. Like most things, I think gun ownership is nuanced to the person and the motives of their heart. (2/11)
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I feel like this is an important reminder for all sides of Twitter.
We don't all have to agree. We don't all have to come to the same conclusions.
But we can be respectful. We can have hard conversations and come away friends who just don't see eye-to-eye.
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The irony of the colonizing, empire narrative …
“We stopped human sacrifices by enslaving, indenturing, and oppressing the native population.”
“We’ll stop abortions but abandon that indignation as soon as they’re born.”
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My daughter had an art show today. She won second place. I wasn't there.
Am I a bad Dad? If I am, it's not because of this.
She said she didn't think it was important, so she didn't tell me or her mom. She just went with her friends.
Not sure I'm going to survive parenthood.
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Post a Wedding Photo and Keep It Going
This is me and my wife's favorite photo from our wedding album. She was so nervous and didn't know how to smile, so I did what I do.
She says it's the most accurate picture of our relationship.
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I had lunch with an EO priest friend last week, and we were talking about slow church growth.
While talking about most of his growth coming from already Christian converts, he said something interesting.
"With converts, my main concern is not faithfulness, it's fanaticism."
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The biggest shift in my faith over the years has been my views of soteriology (theology of salvation).
The orthodox theology of Theosis made my heart burst. I found it again in Anabaptist writing.
"I was saved. I am being saved. I will be saved."
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So, in the last couple of days, I've somehow managed to work my way into crazy, fundamentalist Twitter, and it is a miserable place.
I'd like to go back into my bubble, please.
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@JesterWootton
I might be in for one titled, "Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire: Our Parents Were Trying to Save Us, but from What?"
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