Christian Piatt's Blog, page 14
June 9, 2015
Why Tony Campolo “Came Out” for Marriage Equality
After decades of “bridge building” between the LGBTQ community and those who identify as Evangelicals in opposition to full LGBTQ inclusion, Tony Campolo spoke out in favor of both full inclusion of same-sex couples in the church, as well as for marriage equality. “It has taken countless hours of prayer, study, conversation and emotional turmoil” [Read More...]
Published on June 09, 2015 10:15
June 4, 2015
Following Jesus Isn’t About Belief. It’s About Walking.
For decades, if not centuries, people have been sold a false bill of goods when it comes to Christianity. If you’re like me you were told there was this guy named Jesus who was sent to earth by his dad (named God) to die for our sins. However, there was still a caveat if you [Read More...]
Published on June 04, 2015 15:42
June 3, 2015
Nine Investments We Need More Than Military Defense
Our national defense budget is $610 BILLION per year. In 2010-2011, at the height of our conflicts in the middle east, our defense spending was more than that of China, Russia, the UK, France, Japan, and the eight next highest-spending countries combined. Our annual defense budget triples that of China. So since we’re only seventeen short months away [Read More...]
Published on June 03, 2015 01:30
June 1, 2015
Meet Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner
It didn’t take long for Bruce Jenner to come out publicly with his gender transformation complete. Renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz photographed the public debut of Caitlyn Jenner, which is on the most recent cover of Vanity Fair Magazine. There is also an accompanying article and a brief video about the shoot and the transformation [Read More...]
Published on June 01, 2015 10:14
May 29, 2015
It’s Time for Moneyball Church
Religion is notoriously behind on nearly every societal curve there’s ever been. some say that’s a good thing, as it’s supposed to be counter-cultural. But there’s a difference between pandering to cultural trends and being tone-deaf or willfully ignorant. And as One of my old grade-school counselors once said: when you know better, do better. [Read More...]
Published on May 29, 2015 10:19
May 27, 2015
Worshipping the Chains that Enslave Us
My dog is weird. She’s great, actually, but she’s also weird. We can’t say the word “walk” or even talk about “going on a you-know-what” near her because she freaks out. When Amy gets her walking shoes out it’s a sign, too, that the best thing ever is on the horizon. But the thing that [Read More...]
Published on May 27, 2015 10:53
May 26, 2015
Why Comedian/Podcaster Marc Maron is a Priest and Prophet
You may not know Marc Maron, but you should. Originally known as a crass, nihilistic comedian, he’s found a remarkable second life for himself in podcasting. And before you stop reading right there, consider that Marc’s “WTF” podcast is the first-ever podcast to be catalogued by the Library of Congress. This modest show that he [Read More...]
Published on May 26, 2015 16:42
May 22, 2015
Anti-Gay Pastor’s Grindr Account Revealed
Doing emotional, social and spiritual damage in God’s name is a problem in and of itself. Actively attacking the LGBTQ community while you’re secretly a part of it is a whole new level of low. Pastor Matt Makela, who served at St. John’s Lutheran Church, was vocal and active in condemning gays, lesbians and transgenders, [Read More...]
Published on May 22, 2015 11:19
May 20, 2015
The Real Reason Christianity is Still in Decline
The most recent Pew forum study, which show that numbers of people identifying with any brand of Christianity is still in decline, should surprise no one. But as is the case any time such a study comes out, Christians are looking for reasons why. By now we know a lot of the basic reasons: people are [Read More...]
Published on May 20, 2015 10:19
May 13, 2015
Was Jesus Crazy (and Are We For Following Him)?
C.S. Lewis is known for many things, but one of his statements about Jesus in particular has stuck with me. He says that either Jesus was who he said he was, or he was a madman. But what if he was a little of both? And if so, what does that make us for following him? [Read More...]
Published on May 13, 2015 10:01