Category Archives: Church

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Episode 3 – 12 Fake Claims or Scams of Western Christianity / Part 1

What if we turned the concept of “fake news” on politics to examining fake claims about religion? What would we discover? 

We’d find the DNA of ancient Christianity (i.e., Jesus’ teaching and peace movement) has suffered grave mutations that the Western Reformation never completely corrected, and in some cases, made worse. How can we know this? Through careful historical, biblical, and linguistic study. And how can the Jesus of history be authentic and much of this religion called Christianity be a scam? By an historical sleight of hand.

In this episode, we discuss 12 major fake claims or scams that have been fostered by Western Christianity and unsuspecting adherents about popular views of the Bible, church, salvation, the cross, women, God’s character, the afterlife, the end times, sexuality, and war. By uncovering these fake claims, we reveal the non-religious, inclusive, egalitarian, and restorative love ethic of the first-century Jesus and his followers.

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Episode 2 – Contrasting the Original Jesus Movement with Christianity

Welcome to The Spiritual Brewpub Podcast, a safe haven for ex-evangelicals or anyone restless about their faith or religion in general. In Episode 2, the topic is: Contrasting the Original Jesus Movement with Christianity – or The Difference Between Jesus and Christianity. 

How it will help you: This episode will help you understand logical reasons you may have rejected evangelicalism, fundamentalism, church, and/or parts of the Bible, even though you still see the wisdom of Jesus. It will give you ideas on how to reconcile it all. Understand how the positive things you saw/see in Jesus got you into a religious system that turned out to be spiritually abusive. Then learn to differentiate the historical Jesus movement from the corruption found in modern religion and many churches so you can decide how to reconstruct or come to terms with your faith and experience. 

Bonus Blurb: Learn the pitfalls of religion by hearing the “10 Reasons Beer is Better than Religion.” 

Quote of the Week: The quote comes from Garry Wills, Author of “What Jesus Meant.” A critic of both evangelicalism and some liberal streams of religion, Garry helps us avoid religious traps and focus on what matters most. 

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What Was Right with Billy Graham But Wrong with His Children Preaching at His Memorial

At Billy Graham’s memorial service on March 2, 2018, in which 2,000 people attended, his children Franklin and Anne used the opportunity to preach to the crowd. “My father followed Jesus all the way to heaven,” Franklin said. “How about you? If this were your funeral, would you be in heaven?” [CNN]

Daughter Anne Graham Lotz speculated on a prophetic meaning behind her father’s death, saying she believed it was a “…shot across the bow from heaven. …I believe God is saying: ‘Wake up, church. Wake up, world. Wake up, Anne. Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming.’” [Charisma]

There is “no better place” to convert to Christ than this funeral, Franklin added. “The world with all of its political correctness would lead you to believe that many roads lead to God, but that’s just not true. Jesus is the only way.”

For me, the passing of Billy Graham on February 21 brought back many memories from my 25-year journey inside evangelicalism, including this kind of preaching. As a teenager, seven years before I formally “joined” the movement (in evangelical terms, when I “accepted Christ”), I saw Billy speak at a huge Jesus Festival in Dallas, Texas. Despite his typical-fundamentalism-of-the-day sermon, I found Billy to be very likeable. He had a magnetic personality and an authoritative, yet kind voice. The words he spoke that night in Dallas echoed in my life for years to come. In time, some of his other teachings also impacted me, particularly as his mindset became less fundamentalist.

Yet as the years rolled on and my own evangelical faith evolved (I ultimately left it behind), I came to realize something about this famous evangelist:

Billy Graham was an honorable man trapped in a dishonorable religion.

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Wild Goose Festival Paves a Better Way

Ever feel religious alienation? There’s a better way.

I’m honored to be invited to be a speaker at this year’s Wild Goose Festival – the intersection of spirituality, art, music, and social justice. The open-minded, celebratory atmosphere of speakers, storytellers, musicians, artists, and wayfarers who embody the grand themes of inclusive love, welcome honesty, social equality, and responsible theology is infectious. The craft beer tent doesn’t hurt either.

I’ll have a talk on “Jesus, Justice, and Spirituality Outside Organized Religion,” where I’ll share how traditional modern religion, historically speaking, barks up the wrong tree. And how God’s dream of love, equality, justice, and peace transcends all religions and works outside all religion.

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11 Historical Facts Evangelicals Don’t Want You to Know (or Don’t Know Themselves)

evangelical church

First, two caveats. One, evangelicals are not a monolithic block. It’s possible (but rare) that some will want you to know some of these things. Second, most devoted evangelicals and their leaders sincerely believe that the historical, biblical, and linguistic facts listed below are… well, false. Not “truth.” Not “biblical.” False teaching.

I know. When I was an evangelical, I felt the same way. The few that I did believe or suspect might be true (or conversely, those traditional evangelical views I thought might be false), I kept secret, for fear of being “unevangelical.” But the truth is, aside from a few shady types who know them to be true but want to hide them from their flock, most people are clueless at best, and sadly, brainwashed at worst about these facts.

A fair, objective examination of the Greek of the New Testament and the history of Christianity, especially the first few decades and centuries of the faith, reveal these historical facts:

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What’s Wrong With the Modern Church?

CraftBrewedJesus_CoverNew book taps the answer:

What if the modern American church has its Christian history wrong? According to ex-evangelical Michael Camp, most American believers fail Christian History 101. Drawing on his own historical research and missionary experience, he discovers most popular Christian views of the Bible, church, sin, salvation, judgment, the kingdom of God, the “end times,” and the afterlife—pretty much all religious sacred cows—don’t align with the beliefs of the original Jesus Movement. Some of them not even close.

Camp’s Craft Brewed Jesus paves a fascinating journey of a group of disillusioned evangelicals and Catholics. When they decide to meet regularly over craft beers to study the historic foundations of their faith, their findings both rock their world and resolve ancient mysteries.

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What New Spiritual Path Will You Take in 2016?

DOWNLOAD AN EXCERPT OF “CRAFT BREWED JESUS”

Download excerpt of book Craft Brewed Jesus

Will you stay the course or take a new road? Will you finally address those pesky questions you have for which you’ve only gotten pat answers? Is this the year to research those unexamined doctrines and doubts? If you have been skeptical about any of the following, the forthcoming book “Craft Brewed Jesus” (Spring 2016) may help: 

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3 Big Ideas of New Book “Craft Brewed Jesus”

3 Big Ideas of "Craft Brewed Jesus"

How History We Never Knew Taps a Spirituality We Really Need

My next book is in the hands of the publisher! Wipf and Stock Publishing in Eugene, Oregon is publishing it in April or May 2016. Besides the craft beer theme (just as small, independent craft breweries using historical recipes have rethought corporate-brewed beer, pub or cafe theologians outside the church are rethinking “corporate” religion), here are the book’s three big ideas:

1) The Modern American Church Has Failed Christian History 101 – With some notable exceptions, American Christianity does not understand the rich, fascinating, and complex-but-illuminating history of the early Jesus saga and how it later morphed into a warped man-made religion.

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3 Ways Atheists are Good for Christianity

3 Ways Atheists and Agnostics are Good for Christianity

To most people, the title of this blog seems contradictory. Aren’t atheists rebelling against God and leading people astray? Well, for the most part, no. One of our discoveries in our group’s research is that most atheists (or their cousins, agnostics) are good for people of faith because their honesty keeps us honest. They can help us learn to think for ourselves.  READ MORE >>

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4 Ways History Solves the Puzzle of Faith

History Solves the Puzzle of Faith

Have you ever puzzled over things you hear/observe at church or read in the Bible? Like how can an all loving God allow anyone to suffer in hell forever? Or, if people go to hell, why is the door to repentance and forgiveness closed? Or, why do religious people and systems often seem so unloving?

Fifteen years ago, I started to investigate the answers to these and other perplexing questions. READ MORE >>

The Six Stages of a Christian Faith Shift

Kathy Escobar

Kathy Escobar - Faith ShiftI owe the concept of “Faith Shift” to blogger and author, Kathy Escobar. I was amazed how she nailed the six stages of a spiritual evolution that I and many others have experienced. In this blog, she shares the concept in light of the recent Pew Study on declining church attendance and the rise of the “Nones” (no religious affiliation) and “Dones” (those who are done with church, but not necessarily their faith). Check out the six stages applied to Christianity and see if you can relate on a personal level.