Comparing the R&D programs of humans (vaccines; drugs) and of COVID (variants) image from Pixabay, adapted . This is our third update on COVID (also see #28 and #36), pulled together right around the time that COVID rolled out its latest disguise: the omicron variant. Here, we look at some of the scientific advances, including the large number of diverse treatment strategies we now have, thanks to science and technology: vaccines containing a piece of mRNA for the spike protein (Moderna; Pfizer) vaccines containing a harmless adenovirus stuffed with RNA for the spike protein (AstraZeneca; Johnson&Johnson) vaccine containing the actual COVID spike protein itself (Noravax) vaccines made up of killed or inactivated COVID (Sinovac; Sinopharm) antibodies made against the spike protein (made in a Petri dish or by llamas!) drugs that block the enzyme COVID uses to reproduce itself (remdesivir; mulnupiravir; favipiravir) All of these came about so quickly … not because a global cabal created COVID to bring the world to its knees, all the while keeping the remedy in its back pocket until we were ready to pay a steep ransom for it … but because the science and research enterprise of the entire globe was for the first time ever all simultaneously focused squarely on one target and collaborating in relative openness. We brought together a diverse array of tools and technologies that we’d been working on for decades, and created something new. In this episode, we also look at COVID’s own research and development efforts. Through random mutations and natural selection, it’s not just creating more and more copies of itself, but better and faster versions of itself: the alpha variant, the beta variant, the delta variant, and then, just last week the omicron variant. We’re in a race against COVID. Will we win because of our own science and technology? Or will we lose because of our stupidity and selfishness (anti-vaxxers; anti-maskers; rich countries withholding the answers from poorer countries; science deniers; conspiracy theorists)? Finally, Boyd and I once again examine why this is even an “Evangelical problem”: “my body, my choice” “religious exemptions” “the vaccine contains a special ingredient made by the devil himself” As always, tell us what you think … To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page and the podcast archive

A new mutant of COVID-19 which is more transmissible than delta, and may evade our immune system Image from Pixabay . The W.H.O. tells us there’s a new COVID variant out there, one with numerous mutations on the spike protein which not only make it easier to spread, but it may also evade our diagnostic tools (the COVID tests we take to identify infection), our treatment tools (the vaccine), and even our own immune systems. Boyd and I had just three days earlier recorded a COVID update episode which discussed this as a hypothetical possibility, in the hopes of encouraging more people to get fully vaccinated before such a mutant could appear. My jaw dropped when I heard it this morning. We’ll release that pre-recorded episode at the normal time next week, but we thought we’d do a quick pre-update to give our listeners the heads-up. This is truly something that should be shared. As always, tell us what you think. Send in your comments/questions … we may be able to deal with them in the next two episodes focusing on COVID. To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page and the podcast archive

The first in a series of episode exploring the strained relationship between the church and science Isaac Newton’s monument in Westminster Abbey . The church has long had a reputation for being anti-science, even though it was people of faith who built the foundations of the scientific enterprise for millennia. Even in the story of Galileo being tried by the church over the relationship between the earth and sun, there were Christians and scientists on both sides of the debate. The same could be said about the response to Darwin’s new idea about evolution, in The Origin of Species. However, things changed dramatically when Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism arrived on the scene. That debate over Darwinian evolution was played out again on a global stage in “the Scopes Monkey Trial” in Tennessee in 1925: that incident may also have had Christians and scientists on both sides of the argument, but the loudest and most vocal among the Christians were mostly on only one side. This episode pits Luke’s science against Boyd’s ethics and philosophy on many points. But we also have theological training, and at one point, Luke starts feeling like he’s playing the role of a Bible-thumper (a rather uncomfortable feeling, I have to say). First, we talk about how Christianity compared to many other world religions when it comes to its attitude toward science/technology, and four reasons why many Christians can be hesitant or even hostile toward those human endeavors. Next, we look at whether it’s right to attribute disasters caused by human technology to Genesis chapter 3 and our sinful nature (as many Christians so quickly do), or chalk it up to Genesis chapter 1 and our pathetic inexperience at the job given to us by the Divine. We were left in charge of the planet: commanded to “… subdue the earth and have dominion over all creation …” (or “steward” the planet, for those who prefer that translation of Gen. 1). But we were absolutely unprepared for that grandiose responsibility. We have always been subject to the elements … always lived in fear of things that scurry around at night … were always vulnerable to disease, earthquakes, starvation … have long been mystified by the things that happen all around us, even on a daily basis. If we humans were going to even begin to be able to subdue, have dominion, or steward the planet, we needed to get started on a very steep learning curve. We had to learn more … everything, in fact … about the planet, its inhabitants, and how to apply that knowledge … aka, science and technology. So: science and technology are part of the Divine plan. And mistakes are part of the learning process. As always, tell us what you think … To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page and the podcast archive

Dr. Peter Enns gives us the first in this new “Origin and evolution of …” series of episodes. Image from PixaBay This week, we’re starting in a whole new direction.  Well, two different directions, actually. One theme that we’ll be pursuing we’ve entitled “The origin and evolution of …” series of episodes.  You’d probably expect that we’ll fill that blank with things that fall inside the scientific realm. Material things like: “The origin and evolution of life.”  Of humans.  Of the universe.  And you’d be right in that.  We will look at those things, and others. But we’ll also look at the origin and evolution of things that fall more within the theological realm.  The origin and evolution of the Bible.  Of our concept of the afterlife … of God!?  Or, at least, of our understanding of God.  These too have all been evolving over the past many centuries, and often in response to science. Today, we’re going to look at the origin and evolution of … the Jewish Bible.  Our “Old Testament”.  And we’re going to get none other than Dr. Pete Enns to tell us his understanding of that origin and evolution.  We’re guessing that many of our listeners will be hearing this perspective for the first time.  But hearing this, from a world-class expert, might help you over some serious speedbumps in your faith journey.  It certainly did that for me. We’ll hear that the Bible was not dropped out of heaven or whispered into the ears of individual authors (you probably knew that already … but did you have a coherent alternative explanation of where/how it did come?).  Instead, it was written, and re-written, and revised, and re-revised by teams of authors over the course of many, many centuries.  Yes: re-written and re-revised.  And not just by the individual authors, but by multiple teams of editors who worked on the texts centuries after the authors had died. Those later editorial teams took the liberty of not just changing words, but even deleting whole sections, and inserting entirely new ones.  Sometimes in response to things they’d learned from other cultures. A perfect example of this would be their understanding of the human soul and the afterlife, which we talked about previously in episodes #6, #7, and #8. Those editors could be just as divinely inspired in what they did, as the authors writing the first drafts of the text. And the life experiences which shaped those authors and editors  — as well as the cultural zeitgeists which informed their thinking — would also be part of that divine inspiration process. Learning about these things over the past 5 or 10 years has given me a new understanding of the Bible.  I no longer see it like the “User’s Manual” for a car, written by the Manufacturer [God] to the User [us] to help them [us] know how to use the Product [us].  Instead, I now see it more like a diary or a notebook, written by humans who captured their thoughts, experiences, the lessons they’d learned, and their personal growth on a subject that was incredibly important to them: God.  As always, tell us what you think … For more about Dr. Pete Enns, go to https://peteenns.com/ and Bible for Normal People Podcast To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page and the podcast archive

Dissection of a deconstruction journey and a search for truth and meaning. image by Hermann Traub from Pixabay Last week, Boyd and I introduced you to the Sunday Assembly. We talked to Colin and Matt, who each lead Sunday Assembly chapters in their respective local communities (Halifax, Canada and London, UK) (#55). We had also intended to include 5 or 10 minutes from a member of our own Facebook discussion group  — Ian Redfearn — who attends a Sunday Assembly chapter in his own community (Manchester UK), to get an insider’s perspective. However, once we got him talking, we learned so much more. In fact, we heard a compelling story — a lifelong spiritual journey — which ties together all five of our “Back to Church” episodes over the past couple months. This interview was entirely deserving of its own episode! We learned that Ian had been a devout Evangelical Christian for many decades, active in his home church, before too many doubts and questions led him to jettison that faith. The cognitive dissonance between what he was asked to believe and what he saw with his own eyes was too much. He was no longer able to compartmentalize his thinking and his life experience. This is exactly the trajectory that Brian McLaren and Phil Drysdale told us about in episodes #53 and #54. In this, I can relate completely with Ian; and I think so will many of our listeners. At this point in his story, Ian found himself in what Brian McLaren calls “stage-3.” But it doesn’t end here. Without his church family, Ian felt a deep need for a community … again echoing what everyone we talked to during the past five episodes all told us. The Sunday Assembly filled that need. And he’s not done moving: now he’s considering getting a graduate degree in Philosophy, Theology and Ethics. “Stage-4” … which is far better, IMO, than retreating to “Stage-1” as a militant anti-theist. A journey indeed! So why is his story worth listening to? Because our community has much to learn from him. He’s neither a pew-warmer nor a lazy quitter. He’s deeply thoughtful, and rejected a core element of his very being out of a sense of integrity and honesty. Anyone who has deconstructed their faith system knows how daunting that experience can be. And yet despite identifying now as an atheist, he still sees great value in that earlier part of his life, in the church and in Christian values. He and his new community simply seek to celebrate humanity, enjoy living, live better, help often, and wonder more. And as a retiree, one can only see his main reason to now pursue graduate studies as a commitment to continue seeking truth and meaning. We want to cheer him on. His discussion with us raised many important questions, and his example raises many others. We hope you’re as moved, challenged, and inspired by his story as we were. As always, tell us what you think … To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page and the podcast archive

The Sunday Assembly build a community and celebrate life by rejigging a traditional church service …… but leaving out all the “God-stuff”. Image by Hebi B. from Pixabay We’ve been hearing over the past few episodes how important community is in the faith journey … for devout believers returning to church (Ep. #51) … for those trying to now revitalize the church experience (Ep. #52)… and even for those trying to help those struggling through the journey of faith deconstruction (Ep. #53 and #54). Today, we’re going to talk to people who fully deconstructed their faith, and decided to leave church entirely behind, but felt they missed community so much, they would re-create the church experience entirely, replacing all the religious components with secular surrogates. The Sunday Assembly substitute most aspects of the church experience—worship songs and a sermon with inspirational but non-religious surrogates; prayer with meditation or a moment of reflection; communion with simply sharing a meal; infant baptisms/Christenings with baby namings; short-term missions with community clean-ups—all without any reference to God. And it started a wave that swept around the globe. The one group in London UK that started in January of 2013 has now grown to 45 chapters in 8 different countries around the globe (their growth trajectory hasn’t been as good as that sounds … we explore that within the episode). We talked to two key leaders in the movement: Colin Lee leads the one functioning chapter in Canada, and Matt Lockwood leads the one in London UK which started the ball rolling. We find out what drew them to the Sunday Assembly in the first place, why they invest so much time in leading their local chapters, what’s involved in pulling off their events, what the Assembly stands for (their mandate and charter). And we find out that they share so many things in common with traditional churches, including a vulnerability to COVID, a dependence on community … as well as a tendency toward denominationalism! You can find out more about the Sunday Assembly at www.sundayassembly.com As always, tell us what you think. To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page

Last week, we talked about believers starting out with a simple but passionate Christian belief (stage 1) which crumbles as doubts and questions erode the pillars of their faith (stage 3).  This is such an unsettling experience for anyone going through that, but Brian McLaren showed that it is still possible to find Faith after Doubt (stage 4).  But that transition can be a very long, and hard and lonely one, full of feelings of loss, confusion, disorientation, fear, rejection, anger … … not a happy place.  I’ve been there myself. And so has Phil Drysdale. We’ll hear his life story, which began in a very Evangelical setting, took him through Bible College and traveling world-wide to speak to large Evangelical audiences, before he found himself in a downward spiral of religious deconstruction. And also how he made his way through that and found a new passion in life: he started an on-line support network for others going through the same experience. A community (a word we’ve been hearing a lot about in the past several episodes). He’ll also tell us about research he’s done on the deconstruction experience, beginning with what a typical deconstructor looks like. You might be quite surprised about what he found. Contrary to what many might assume … that people left faith because they were hurt or because they weren’t really all that invested or involved … his statistics quash both assumptions. In fact, the numbers show that they tend to be “much more likely to read the Bible regularly … to pray regularly … to attend church frequently… to be involved as volunteers or even staff (including being a pastor) … to have a theological degree … than those who stayed in church.” He’s also researched some of the things that tend to derail people on their faith journey, and the things that help them through that rocky part of the path. In fact, his research shows that “one of the major ways you can mitigate how hard the deconstruction journey is, is to be surrounded by other people going on a similar journey.” Hence, his global, on-line Deconstruction Network. We also teased apart the various definitions of “deconstruction,” and how it really looks more like a process of “growing up,” something we talked about last week with Brian McLaren. As always, tell us what you think. You can learn more about Phil Drysdale and his Deconstruction Network at www.phildrysdale.com. To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page

Last week, we heard about people returning to church after COVID had kept the doors closed for over a year.  This week, we hear about people returning to faith after doubts and too many questions kept them locked out for much longer. In his latest book … Faith after doubt: why your beliefs stopped working and what to do about it … Brian McLaren describes to us a four-stage transition, beginning with the stage of simplicity, in which everything is black or white, good or bad, true or false, in or out.  Dualism. A worldview that’s easy to navigate.   Until one begins to read one too many books, or listen to one too many podcasts, and realizes that there are actually shades of grey. Doubts creep in, and questions multiply.  Maybe the world isn’t six thousand years old … maybe parts of the Bible do have some inconsistencies … maybe women can play some role in church function. This is the second stage: complexity.  A worldview that’s much harder to navigate, but still possible if you can maintain a degree of flexibility and open-mindedness. Until you’re trying to hold together so many incompatible statements, and things start slipping through your fingers.  There are just too many views on any given question.  One just doesn’t know what to believe anymore. This is the third stage: perplexity. But what comes next? Don’t immediately think it’s obviously stage four!  Some who find themselves overwhelmed at the bottom of stage three turn to an authority figure and say: “OK, there are just too many interpretations and viewpoints here … just tell me which one is true. What’s the Biblical view on this?”  Or they throw up their hands and give up entirely, saying “none of these things are true … it’s all simply garbage”; these give up their faith or even become militant atheists.  All three outcomes would be reverting back to stage one: the simpler worldview in which there’s one and only one right answer.  Others dive into fragmented and shape-shifting mysticism. Or cynicism. Or they move on to stage four: harmony and integration. Seeing things as a whole, and starting to see ourselves and others as connected. When I first encountered Brian’s idea, I thought stages one, two and three were simply what I had previously called deconstruction, and that stage four was reconstruction. But in hearing Brian explain where he got this new perspective … from scholars studying human development … I recognized that deconstruction doesn’t have to be seen as a downward journey of destruction, but instead is another word for growing up.  We all go through these four stages as we mature … as we learn about life … about politics … the world … sex … and the important things in life.  We start in the simple dualist world of childhood where there’s always one easy answer, then move on to the complex and perplexing worlds of adolescence and adulthood, and eventually mellow out into the more nuanced, big-picture worldview of the wise old sage. I now see that I didn’t deconstruct my faith. I grew up … into my faith. As always, tell us what you think. You can find more about Brian McLaren at https://brianmclaren.net To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page

Last week, we talked to people considering the possibility/opportunity of going back to church. We learned about the things they missed most about not being able to go for so long … whether that was over a year because COVID kept them locked out, or whether it was much longer than that because of a personal faith crisis. One thing that both groups agreed upon was that things would have to change: “doing church” would have to look very different moving forward. This week, we asked many of them exactly how they saw the church experience needing to change. Once again, we talked to non-pastors and to pastors. And once again, we perceived a common refrain: it would have to be less of a spectator event, and more of an involved discussion of difficult topics trending in culture today, and that technology (like Zoom) would be needed more and more to connect those people. So we asked ourselves: “who could we talk to about doing church differently … in a way that involves small groups, discussion of difficult and deeply personal topics, and the use of technology?” And one name came to mind: Bruxy Cavey. Bruxy is the senior pastor at the MeetingHouse, one of the largest churches in Canada. Their headquarters in Mississauga is connected to 19 satellite sites via live-streaming every Sunday, and to small groups all over the globe meeting throughout the week. We asked him about how they had already been doing things quite differently long before COVID — which had them fully prepared to continue when the pandemic shut most other churches down — and even how they might take lessons learned through the pandemic to do things yet differently again. And we learned about “barnacle Sundays” and Bruxy hearing voices in his head!? As always, tell us what you think. To help grow this podcast, please like, share and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page

COVID-19 is blamed for a lot of bad things, but there is one good thing it’s done for us: it forced us to stop everything and re-evaluate. Our healthcare system … government … business … schools … and even church.  Almost two years after slamming the church doors on us, we’ve had time to re-evaluate what we really miss … and perhaps also what we really don’t miss. Now churches are re-opening again, and some people are cheering and straining forward to get back to what we used to do. Some, not so much.  They got used to lazy Sundays … longer weekends … and enjoying church from the comfort of their sofa with a coffee in hand. All the benefits, without … Other people stopped going to church long before COVID, often because of a faith crisis, but kept it percolating in the back of their mind (“scratching the itch”). And now they find themselves ready to carefully begin re-exploring that part of their identity. Both groups are now coming at the same question … “why should I go back to church?” … but from very different angles. We talked to people.  All kinds of people. Regular, steadfast churchgoers, who you’d think would be relatively comfortable in their faith. Members of our private Facebook Discussion group, a majority of whom are seriously re-thinking many things about their spirituality. And pastors, who are seminary-trained and, frankly, have some “skin in the game.”  And we asked them all that same question: “Why go back to church?”  You might be surprised at how some of them answered. One word that came up in almost every response was “community,” or other words very much like it. Which prompted us to ask a follow-up question: “what is a church community?”  If people regularly gather at a coffee shop, or a pub, in each other’s living rooms, or through some kind of on-line group, and talk about theological/spiritual things, and care about each other, can that substitute for church? Again, you’d be surprised what some of them said.  Especially the pastors! As always, tell us what you think. To help grow this podcast, please share with a friend and post a rating/review at your favorite podcast catcher. Subscribe here to get updates each time a new episode is posted, and find us on Twitter or Facebook. Back to Recovering Evangelicals home-page