Brian, congratulations on your upcoming book. The reason I originally joined Substack was to build an audience for a book I might someday publish and this platform has enriched me in many, many ways. In an effort to reinforce a culture of writers supporting one another, I just preordered.
Oh, yeah. The other reason I preordered is that your book looks AWESOME!
Fear based spirituality has never really affected me, I always wondered if one could really have faith if they were filled with the fear of not having it? Is that really faith?
Faith is such a complicated subject and it is often introduced to people when they are children. You cannot really instill the nuance of faith and cosmology in a child, they simply don't have the language or life experience to grasp it completely. I think fear is a tool that can be rather easily used to drive people especially the young in the right direction. The ends justifies the means as the saying goes.
I was raised in the Church of England, Hell didn't feature much, except the occasional visiting old school vicar who would go all fire and brimstone. But for the most part, it wasn't a huge feature of the way faith was imparted.
Mostly we were encouraged to be kind, to share, to remember that Jesus died for our sins. It might just have been my church/schools (I went to faith schools too) as I know that other denominations are a bit more "Don't sin. Or else" than the one I was raised in, but I don't really remember much threat of Hell. More of the love Jesus, love your neighbour.
Interesting perspective. I’ve never been motivated in my Christian walk to avoid hell. I’m more posited to do the teachings of Jesus. Help the lowly, immigrant, orphans and widows. To love God. I was an evangelical for almost 50 years. I was always aggravated at the getting saved movement. Maybe I’m an anomaly????
Done. I love your content, I hope to love your book too.
Already pre ordered ❤️
Brian, congratulations on your upcoming book. The reason I originally joined Substack was to build an audience for a book I might someday publish and this platform has enriched me in many, many ways. In an effort to reinforce a culture of writers supporting one another, I just preordered.
Oh, yeah. The other reason I preordered is that your book looks AWESOME!
aw that means so much!!
canNOT wait 🧡
Preordered. I’ve been reading your Substack for a minute and am very excited now to read your book!
Can’t wait!! Have been eagerly awaiting since wild goose!!
I can’t wait to read it. Your Instagram is a favorite of mine - so grateful for you!
Very interested in this book. Also, read about Carlton Pearson. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/304/transcript it’s all interesting stuff.
Fear based spirituality has never really affected me, I always wondered if one could really have faith if they were filled with the fear of not having it? Is that really faith?
Faith is such a complicated subject and it is often introduced to people when they are children. You cannot really instill the nuance of faith and cosmology in a child, they simply don't have the language or life experience to grasp it completely. I think fear is a tool that can be rather easily used to drive people especially the young in the right direction. The ends justifies the means as the saying goes.
I was raised in the Church of England, Hell didn't feature much, except the occasional visiting old school vicar who would go all fire and brimstone. But for the most part, it wasn't a huge feature of the way faith was imparted.
Mostly we were encouraged to be kind, to share, to remember that Jesus died for our sins. It might just have been my church/schools (I went to faith schools too) as I know that other denominations are a bit more "Don't sin. Or else" than the one I was raised in, but I don't really remember much threat of Hell. More of the love Jesus, love your neighbour.
Interesting perspective. I’ve never been motivated in my Christian walk to avoid hell. I’m more posited to do the teachings of Jesus. Help the lowly, immigrant, orphans and widows. To love God. I was an evangelical for almost 50 years. I was always aggravated at the getting saved movement. Maybe I’m an anomaly????
I’m gay and still Christian in my faith practice.