It's really hard when trusted people change dramatically. For the sake of our faith, often we don't really want to know why they changed. It might require us to change too.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/its-best-not-to-ask/

I've seen a lot of conservative Christians recently argue that gays cannot be saved, or cannot be Christian, specifically because of 1 Cor 6:9-10. What does that verse say, and is it relevant?

You can also listen to this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/can-homosexuals-be-christian/

A Jewish pastor read a sermon written by AI to his congregation, and they thought it was human-written. Can a robot or AI ever replace a human pastor? Perhaps that's the wrong question. Do most Christians today even understand what a pastor is supposed to be?

Read the article about that sermon here: https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/business-and-innovation/article-729

You can also read this episode here: https://crucibleofthought.com/the-chatgpt-ai-pastor-of-the-future/

"Which takes precedence - the Bible or Jesus?" On Twitter, this question has blown up into a rather ugly argument in the last couple days. 

I've watched the dispute, occasionally chipping in here and there myself, but mostly learning from the various viewpoints thrown into the fight. There's a lot to be learned from it. Here are some thoughts about the Bible, and how it relates to Jesus, and who or what we worship.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/is-the-bible-the-word-of-the-lord/

The point of the gospel is not to get the work done. The point is accurately represent the Father. Jesus' charge in Matt 28:19-20 wasn't colonial; it was to be ambassadors in the fullest sense of the word - to personally BE an extension of the Kingdom and to fully embody Jesus to those around us. That looks a lot different than many approaches to the gospel.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/the-gospel-according-to-jesus/

The origins of the Bible are fascinatingly complex, much more than I had understood as a younger believer. Why would God let it be so complex?

You can also listen to this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/did-the-bible-evolve/

Jonah was so opposed to the people of Nineveh that he couldn't abide God's forgiveness of them. There are parallels with evangelical Christians' insistence that God punish people in a fiery hell for all eternity. Is that insistence righteous?

You can also read this post at https://crucibleofthought.com/rejecting-a-jonah-spirit/

Treating fellow believers with contempt is a sure way to shut down any ability of the Holy Spirit to use each other to grow us up into one Body, one Bride of Christ.

You can also listen to this post at https://crucibleofthought.com/deadly-contempt/

The younger generation of Christians are looking a lot more like Caleb and Joshua than like Moses. They're willing to go at risk with the Lord into a dangerous but bountiful new land. And it's stirring up a lot of anger among the elders.

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/a-caleb-generation/

It's fascinating to look at the topic of "doubt" in Christian publications and web posts. In article after article, there are calls to recognize the incalculable cost of doubting, and the need for unquestioning belief at all costs.

But "doubt" and "unbelief" are most certainly not the same.

So here's my question: How often do we cling to something not because we believe it, but because we can't risk not believing it?

Two websites referenced in this episode:

https://christianity.org.uk/article/doubt

https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-cost-of-doubt-dr-bradford-reaves-sermon-on-doubt-250369

You can also read this episode at https://crucibleofthought.com/counting-the-cost-of-change/