followers of Jesus sick to their stomach. It’s why criticism by other Christians for standing up against unjust policies and practices by the ruling authorities should be entirely baffling for people who take God’s Word seriously.

civil disobedience.

This undercurrent of redemptive subversion is why the idea of unwavering obedience to the commands of a civil authority figure should raise tons of proverbial red flags for Christians. It’s why wholesale and uncritical support of enforcement – such as ICE – should make

that there is significant precedent for civil authorities to abuse their power for injustice, and more likely than not, governments and thrones are on a spectrum of how aligned they are with the ways of darkness. It should encourage Christians to know that others have paved the way for faithful

been ingrained often as the voice in the back of your head. It can take a long time to be able to trust that a new spiritual community won't do the same thing to you. Especially when things seem to be going well, it isn't uncommon to wonder when the other shoe is going to drop.

Anytime a church – or whatever such a community calls itself – exhibits these types of fear-based and fear-centered behavior coercion environments, it has strayed far from the way of Jesus.

Sadly, this fear can still remain even after leaving an unhealthy spiritual community because it has

a legitimate Christian calling that should be wholesale encouraged and shouted from the rooftops by every Christian. But I want to just point out that this fear that these Christians have experienced is a clear sign that they were in a high-control, authoritarian, and coercive spiritual community.

by leadership, or it could just be the nagging feeling that someone was going to "report you to the elders" or that leadership was keeping track of the things you posted on social media to possibly use against you someday.

I could talk about how justice and care for the oppressed and abused is

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avoiding being seen as anything other than that, we'd see men's ministry as it was meant to be.

They should ask if they are catering to one expression of masculinity at the expense of excluding a broad spectrum of what godly masculinity can look like. If men were simply encouraged and discipled into becoming more like Jesus rather than trying to fit into a masculinity box and

Men's ministries in churches should regularly ask themselves whether they are making men more like an idea of masculinity than like Jesus. They should ask if they are adequately challenging commonly held ideas of masculinity or if they are merely baptizing them with a men's breakfast.

If it is, it's a caricature of Jesus that fits the strong warrior ideal rather than the humble and meek servant. And the only way you can become more like Jesus is to be driven by your love of Jesus rather than any kind of fear, especially the fear of not fitting a gender mold.

and the like are tossed around as insults, and floral shirts have become the butt of jokes in these circles. The goal often is to be seen as heterosexual and "manly" as possible.

Very little is actually centered on becoming more like Jesus - which is also what women are called to be like as well.

and because of this, want to know what God has to say about our role in caring for the environment."

is a good thing, but aren’t sure of where to find support for that in Scripture or in the broader Christian tradition. These are folks who, whether or not they have jettisoned the identifier “Evangelical,” are still convinced that the Bible is the true ultimate authority of their faith and life,

I also provide some numbers to show that the poor would really be in worse shape if the church took over all care for addressing poverty in our country.

Food Stamps to simply survive while pursuing their calling to ministry.

Though I didn’t say it explicitly at the time I first wrote this, everything in it is pretty much my family’s experience in seminary and for years afterwards.