Writings

Is it a cult? Check the ingredients

Religious cults were a big deal in the 1970s. I became intrigued by how these personality-led movements attracted such loyal followers. Some deprogramming efforts —initiated by concerned family or friends — …

Getting on the right trail

Anyone else tired of being told “what the Bible says” by those who ignore what Jesus said? It seems to be a daily experience. Sadly, the roots of misguided Christianity …

If by Christian…

For much of my life it was easy to answer in the affirmative when asked, “Are you a Christian?”  Now I pause a bit, unsure of how to give an …

Warning flags, parallels to not be missed

Why would professing followers of Jesus get and stay onboard with obvious acts of socially-produced evil? This important question has been rightly posed regarding German Christians amid the rise of …

Learning to debate like Jesus

One motivation for deeply exploring the idea of a “Jesus worldview” was the recognition that our typical arguments about theology and politics aren’t constructive. We tend to argue politics with …

Sacrifices on the altar of fear

Whether unintended or by design, shifting one’s priority from following Jesus to a conflicting ideology while attempting to retain the Christian trade name allows for doing — or at least …

GUEST POST: Immersed in Jesus

By Ruth Sprayberry DuCharme Recently, my husband, Cass, and I returned from a time of retreat and relaxation at the Garden of the Gods Resort in Colorado Springs. After picking …