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The Hobby Lobby Decision Reveals “Progressive” Christians Can Be Just As Narrow Minded As Conservatives
By Steve on July 4, 2014
I’ve avoided discussing the Hobby Lobby controversy till now if for a couple different reasons. First, its a local American issue and half the Beyond the Pale readers are not from the U.S. But more importantly, because I could easily…
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Can You Be Gay & Christian?
By Steve on July 2, 2014
Same-sex relations and marriage is a divisive topic within the Body of Christ with passions running high on both sides. At Beyond the Pale I don’t steer clear of questions that are pressing in on the church so…
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Should The Church Be Trying To Win Millennials Back? (Or Following Their Lead)
By Steve on July 1, 2014
There is a classic The Simpsons episode where Homer, after a frustrating morning getting ready, skips church. Much to the chagrin of family and friends he has such a great day skipping church he decides to give…
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Your Teenager Not Listening To You? Try Telling Them You’re From The Future
By Steve on June 29, 2014
I have a 16 year old son. Like many teenagers, and you may relate to this, he has an innate reflex to reject any life lesson advice I might happen to bestow upon him. Fortunately,…
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The Real Reason Liberal Churches Are Losing Members? A Response To Michael Brown
By Steve on June 27, 2014
Michael Brown came out swinging, as he usually does, in a recent blog post explaining why liberal churches are losing members faster than conservative ones. He kicks off by exclaiming: Almost every day conservative Christians are told…
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God At The Movies: Grace, Law, and “A Few Good Men”
By Steve on June 25, 2014
Grace is a scary thing. Think about it… Grace can be absolutely terrifying to a Christian whose identity is built on achieving a certain standard. And as much as Christians like to talk about grace…
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The Evangelical American Sermon on the Mount
By Steve on June 18, 2014
As an American living overseas it’s often a challenge trying to figure out just where Christianity in the United States is headed. In Matthew Chapter 5 Jesus delivers his famous Sermon on the Mount which…
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A Farewell To Mars: Brian Zahnd Announces Christ’s Kingdom To American Christians (but are they willing to join it?)
By Steve on June 14, 2014
In his new book A Farewell to Mars author Brian Zahnd indirectly offers the reader a decision to make straight out of The Matrix; “Take the Red Pill and you wake up back in your…
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5 Theological Topics Making (Some) Christians Very Nervous
By Steve on June 11, 2014
It’s a general rule of thumb that in mixed company it’s best not to talk about religion or politics. On the religion side it’s also best to keep your theological discussions for Sunday mornings or…
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Identity Issues: Why the Quest To Earn God’s Love Is Turning the Church Into Harry Potter’s “Hogwarts”
By Steve on June 6, 2014
One of the great challenges facing the church today is the vast number of Christians who love Jesus…but aren’t so sure He loves them back. Yes, theologically and “biblicaly” most Christians understand God loves them;…