Looking for the Real God

Christy explores the reasons we humans seem to be so quick to fall for false teaching, false prophets, and cults. This world is broken and we feel it. False teachers and cults often promise a short cut to fix the brokenness. They offer identity and purpose. They promise a sense of control. But all the offers and promises are based on lies and can't really satisfy.

Christy encourages her listeners to learn to slog on the muddy trail with Jesus, let Him help them, provide for them, encourage them, and teach them to see the beauty in the brokenness. 

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Christy talks her listeners through a list of things that make her ears perk up and her sixth cult-detecting-sense go off. She then expresses concern over the NAR and the Passion "translation" of the Bible and shares a new book she is reading called Counterfeit Kingdom. 

Sometimes God can use things because they have a shard of truth in them, but it doesn't mean that the whole organization, church, or program isn't still full of lies and should be avoided.

The best lies are almost true. Christy finishes with a list of questions for her listeners to ask to take stock of their own situation.

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In this brief episode, Christy introduces her book, Religious Rebels, and reads the introduction. She shares how the publishing process is going and how excited she is for her listeners to get the book in their hands.

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Christy contemplates the brokenness that brought many of us to the place of deconstructing our faith in the first place. Our world is filled with pain, sadness, heartache, loss, and more. How do we reconcile that reality with the belief in a good and loving God? 

What if the brokenness is actually evidence for God rather than evidence against his existence? Could the frustration we feel be because we were made for something more? Can we hold the tension of pain and hope? 

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As we reconstruct our faith, we need a foundation to build it upon. In our current Christian culture there are often two views of what to do with the Bible. one side thinks that any doubts or questions are wrong and the other side wants to reject the Bible completely. Christy thinks that we need to take the time to recognize the Bible as an ancient text written in a culture far different from ours by people with a different perspective for people with a different perspective. 

Many of the problems people have with the Bible disappear when we understand culture, context, language, and more. Yes, let's reject twisted scripture, false ideas, and religious traditions, but instead of rejecting the Bible as a mistake, maybe we can being to read it as it was meant to be read. It might take time and effort, but it will be worth it!

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Christy begins a series on reconstructing our faith by talking about the recent move of God at Asbury University along with the other Universities where the awakening has spread. Christy knows that we need to have a good reason before choosing to reconstruct our faith. It has to be a bigger and better reason than theology or religion. The reason Christy reconstructed her faith more than once over the years is that she met Someone, Some Thing that was Real and that she could not explain. Maybe this is true of you.

The current revivals or awakenings are important because our faith needs to be built on more than belief in an idea or concept. It needs to be built on a relationship with the very real Person of Jesus Christ.

Articles Mentioned:

Guidelines for Asbury Revival: https://www.asbury.edu/outpouring/

https://currentpub.com/2023/02/12/the-maga-evangelical-revivalists-are-silent-about-the-asbury-university-revival-why/

 

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Christy takes her listeners on her book writing journey of the past decade. How she started even thinking about it in the first place, the frustration and discouragement she felt along the way, that she finished her manuscript last Sunday night, and the fact that a hybrid publishing company wants to work with her! There is some up-front cost to hybrid publishing, but Christy is confident that God is going to provide. Her book, Religious Rebels, will hopefully be launching in June of 2023! If you want to partner with her in prayer or with a financial gift, please reach out at [email protected].

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As Christy finishes her series on church, she ponders her similaries to Jinger Duggar Vuolo. Christy was in the same cult as the Duggar family and got out 20+ years ago. As she has listened to interviews and read articles talking about Jinger's book she has noticed a theme from people responding. Many of them want Jinger to deconstruct even further.

The sides forming around deconstruction remind Christy of a study she is doing called "Jesus & Women." Diving into an understanding of the Middle Eastern perspective, Christy wonders if we aren't all just sitting on one of two sides like the Pharisees and Sadducees and missing the point of why Jesus came in the first place, who He was, and what He came to accomplish. Maybe it's time to get out of our narrow Western worldview and open our eyes to see the Real Middle Eastern Jesus.

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Continuing her series on church, Christy talks about knowing when to leave your church. She refers to her background as a youth pastor's wife and how the perspective from church staff to simple church member is so different. Christy give three valid reasons to leave a church and gets pretty passionate about the third reason. It is her hope that more people will stand up to the toxic cultures and leaders that have sadly become so prevalent. Maybe we can't get abusive leaders to go, but we can. 

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Christy digs into the heart of church. She begins at the beginning with the 1st century church. but instead of idolizing it with rosy colored glasses, Christy points out the familiar problems that we still face today. False teaching, legalism and religion, division, chaos, and sin. Broken people do broken things. And yet Christy still believes in the church and in the world-wide body of Jesus Christ. 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christylynnewood.substack.com