Christian Piatt's Blog, page 17
March 10, 2015
Jason Allen: Retract Your Criticism of Fred Craddock on the Day of His Funeral
One of the principal goals in My Jesus Project, a year-long effort to better understand what we mean when we talk about following Jesus, is to practice and embody right-heartedness, or what I call “orthopathy.” I believe that, though our beliefs (orthodoxy) and our actions (orthopraxy) are important, both are anemically informed and out of [Read More...]
March 7, 2015
I Think My Six-Year-Old Might Be Jesus
I’m not sure, but I think my daughter, Zoe, is Jesus. For a couple of reasons. But before I talk more about her, let’s talk about me. You know, since I’m not Jesus and I like talking about myself. I hate failing. Really hate it, even when it’s partly out of my control. Just a [Read More...]
March 3, 2015
Five Reasons Saying “The Bible Clearly States” is Dangerous (and Un-Christian)
Most of my life, I’ve heard people preface some sort of argument they want to support with the preface, “The Bible clearly states…” I’ve come to believe, however, that this is a phrase Christians should eliminate from their vocabulary, for a number of reasons: There’s no such thing as un-interpreted scripture – Legendary preacher and [Read More...]
March 2, 2015
Why I’m Fasting and Giving Away Half of My Stuff This Month
I felt like I was preparing to punish myself for the month of March, the focus of which is “Jesus the Ascetic” during My Jesus Project, my year-long effort to more deeply understand what we really mean when we talk about following Jesus. I’ve consulted with a dietician, talked with my mentor, Reba Riley (author [Read More...]
February 27, 2015
My Jesus Project for March: Jesus the Ascetic
I thought Jesus the Radical was hard. At least I didn’t fast from solid food and alcohol, give away half of my stuff or sit in the lotus position until my legs fell asleep. In March I’m working with mentor Reba Riley, author of “Post Traumatic Church Syndrome,” as she guides me through my month of learning some [Read More...]
February 26, 2015
Sara Miles CultureCast
Back in the saddle, getting back to a weekly schedule, many important questions are answered. For instance: Does Amy really eat human poop powder? Does repentance mean you have to feel like shit? What words with baggage can be reclaimed? Christian announces the CultureCast’s first live event at 6pm April 28th at Marmoset in Portland, [Read More...]
February 25, 2015
Repenting Doesn’t Mean Feeling Like Crap About Yourself
We’ve all heard the sidewalk preachers and TV Evangelists quoting the Gospels, telling us to “repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” It’s a claim that is generally intended to strike fear and trembling in the hearts of many. We’re supposed to straighten up, do right, and atone for all of our heinous, [Read More...]
February 23, 2015
What if Following Jesus isn’t Primarily about Beliefs or Actions?
The following is part of “My Jesus Project,” a year-long quest to better understand what it means to follow the life, teaching and example of Jesus in prayer, study and action. To read more, or to join the conversation, visit the website. I’m intrigued by the fact that, in spite of my explanation that this [Read More...]
February 20, 2015
What does it really mean to follow Jesus?
Four out of five Americans claim to be Christians. That’s more than a quarter billion people in the United states alone who claim, in one way or another, to follow Jesus. But what does that really mean? Is it more like a one-and-done deal, like lifetime membership in a club? Is it the default response [Read More...]
February 18, 2015
Broken Covenants, Killing Rock Stars and Cask-Strength Fears
Well kids, we’ve got good news and bad news… On a sad note, we bid a fond farewell to Andy Campbell on the good ol’ Homebrewed Christianity CultureCast, who is taking leave to focus on his family and his awesome new gig as a professor at George Fox. He has been a great partner and [Read More...]
