Jesus is the Reason the Bible is Not Innerant
Growing up, I was always told that the Bible was the inerrant Word of God. What is meant by this is that it is without error or fault in all of its teaching (see The Chicago Statement on Biblical...
View ArticleProblematizing Biblical Inerrancy
It seems safe to say that most Christians — whether Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Anabaptist, or something else entirely — believe they are generally correct in their doctrinal views. Otherwise, why...
View Article5 Things We’ll Miss if We Take the Bible Too Literally
We all want certainty, especially when it comes to the Bible. I get that. It makes us feel better about ourselves. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It makes us feel like the big, bad monster...
View ArticleIntroducing Myself to the Patheos Community
Hey Patheos Community! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Matthew Distefano and for the past 4 years, I’ve been involved in this crazy thing called preaching the Gospel. Perhaps you’ve come...
View ArticleHeretic Happy Hour, Episode 6 Featuring Brad Jersak: Do We Worship Jesus or...
In this episode of the Heretic Happy Hour, hosts Matthew Distefano, Keith Giles, and Jamal Jivanjee discuss the Bible and what the “Word” of God truly is. We are also joined by Eastern Orthodox scholar...
View ArticleDistefano’s 35 Theses Nailed to the Patheos Wall
It’s been just over a week since the 500-year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, which means it’s likely we’ll continue to come across thinkers who are developing their own ideas as to how the...
View Article3 Lenses With Which to View the So-Called ‘Clear Biblical Truths’
If you’ve spent any time discussing theology with other Christians, you’ll likely hear about so-called biblical truths. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with using language such as this—that is,...
View ArticleLove and Justice: Two Sides of the Same Coin
“I believe that justice and mercy are simply one and the same thing; without justice to the full there can be no mercy, and without mercy to the full there can be no justice.” ~ George MacDonald Too...
View Article10 Things I’m Thankful for This Thanksgiving
This week, hundreds of millions of Americans [1] will celebrate Thanksgiving. I’ll be one of these (in Nashville with my brother and sister in-law—hooray!). But I’ll also be lamenting because, as my...
View ArticleHeretic Happy Hour, Episode 7: The Elephant in the Room
In this special episode, our hosts discuss how they deal with their own disagreements over theology and what it looks like to extend grace to one another. To listen, click here. To subscribe to the...
View ArticleHow I Repented From My LGBTQI+ Stance
Last month, many in the LGBTQI+ community, as well as those who identify as allies, celebrated Coming Out Day. As most of us are probably aware, coming out can be a momentous occasion, but it can also...
View ArticleHeretic Happy Hour: The Journey Thus Far
In case y’all didn’t know, I co-host a podcast called “Heretic Happy Hour” with fellow Quoir Publishing authors Jamal Jivanjee and Keith Giles. I must say, even though we are only 8 episodes in, this...
View ArticleChristians, We’re Focused on the Wrong Things
It’s nearly Christmas, which means it’s that time of year when certain Christians lose their ever-loving minds over which design Starbucks will choose for their coffee cups. In 2015, it happened to be...
View ArticleA Response to One of My Detractors (Re: ‘What My Universalism Is and Is Not’)
On October 1, 2016, I published an article entitled “What My Universalism Is and Is Not.” I did this as a way to explain, among other things, what I truly believe about the end, because it seems that...
View ArticleHell Believers, Please Consider the Following
On December 14, my family and I will be heading down to Orange County, California to, among other things, record a live episode of the Heretic Happy Hour (we are also going to Disneyland, but who is...
View ArticleA Review of Lily Burana’s “Grace for Amateurs: Field Notes on a Journey Back...
I’ll start by admitting that Lily Burana’s memoir, Grace for Amateurs, is not the type of book I regularly read. As a theology nerd, my nose is often in scholarly tomes that I have to read over and...
View ArticleLeaving Behind “Left Behind”
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump made the announcement that the United States was going to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Among other things this has done, the news has excited many...
View ArticleA New Year’s Prayer
For many, the new year is both a time of reflection as well as a time to ponder the future. Some make resolutions (yet fewer keep them), while others pass completely. I, on the other hand, would like...
View ArticleA Brief Introduction to the Satan
The satan literally means “the accuser.” Considering Jesus labelled the satan a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44), one could expand on this a bit and describe the satan as a slanderer....
View Article5 Things I Wish My Pastors Told Me
I spent roughly 25 years in the Evangelical church; 12 of them in some form of leadership. Needless to say, because of this upbringing, I knew my doctrines. And I knew them well. I knew what the...
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