7 Contagious Theological Viruses Influencing & Infecting The Church
{NOTE}
* Each of these "viruses" realte to, flow from, embolden, the others
* They have similarities but the distintcitions are critical
* Resistance or even denial is a typical 1st response
* Pray as you read
*Fear not
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7 Contagious Theological Viruses Influencing & Infecting The Church
{NOTE}
* Each of these "viruses" realte to, flow from, embolden, the others
* They have similarities but the distinctions are critical
* Resistance or even denial is a typical 1st response
* Pray as you read
*Fear not...
- Unexamined Worldview
- Unexplored Blindspots
- Unevaluated Eisegesis
- Unidentified Syncretism
- Unnoticed Consumeranity
- Unrecognized Politicism
- Unrepented Pharisaism
PONDER THIS ...
{Phil Miglioratti}
Why do we fear a theological mistake more than our sins of willful disobedience?
Could our confidence in the A-to-Z of our theological systems,lworship styles, weekly sermons, discipleship studies, and evangelistic strategies keep us from a humility that asks-seeks-knocks and listens to correction or course recalculations?
After decades and centuries of holding fast to our knowledge and explanations, might Jesus perceive us as "hypocrites and blind guides" ... as he did the religious authorities of his day for their hypocrisy and neglect of justice and love in favor of outward religious observance? For prioritizing external rituals over internal morality and of shutting the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces?
We See Through a Glass Darkly
ItSeemsToMe… the Apostle Paul has made it perfectly clear we should not consider our translations-interpretations-applications of Scripture to be perfectly clear.
We see thru a glass darkly.
Our vision is obscure. We have blindspots.
Our knowledge is partial.
Our theological statements are incomplete.
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT
We must handle our dogmas with humility. A different version or explanation may be a clearer, more accurate description.
We must become those "with ears to hear" ...we... "should listen and understand.” Revelation 13:9 NLT
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Why faith deconstruction feels like trauma—and what neuroscience says about it
"The Neuroscience of Changing Beliefs"
This Is Your Brain on Belief
Why faith deconstruction feels like trauma—and what neuroscience says about it
You’d think changing your beliefs would be mainly an intellectual exercise.
Like swapping out one idea for another.
But that’s not what it feels like, is it?
It feels emotional.
It feels physical.
Sometimes, it even feels traumatic.
And there’s a reason for that: your brain treats belief like identity.
Beliefs Aren’t Just Ideas—They’re “You”
A 2016 study out of USC's Brain and Creativity Institute used fMRI scans to show that when a person’s deeply held beliefs are challenged—especially religious or political ones—the brain activates the default mode network and the amygdala.
Translation?
The brain reacts the same way it would if you were under attack.
Why?
Because belief, especially belief formed early and reinforced in community, becomes part of your sense of self. When that belief is questioned, it’s not just the idea that feels threatened.
You feel threatened.
Why Deconstruction Feels Like Trauma
For people raised in high-control or fundamentalist faith systems, belief isn’t just intellectual—it’s tied to safety, belonging, and even survival.
When you begin to question it, your nervous system may interpret that as danger.
Your limbic system—the part of the brain that handles fear and emotion—can go into overdrive.
Panic. Guilt. Shame. Isolation.
Not because you’re weak.
But because you’re literally trying to untangle your identity from the thing that once kept you safe.
Religious trauma isn’t a metaphor. It has real neurological effects.
Neuroplasticity: The Hope Hiding in the Pain
Here’s the good news: you’re not broken.
Your brain is just doing what it was trained to do.
And it can learn something new.
Through a process called neuroplasticity, the brain can literally rewire itself.
It takes time. Repetition. And most of all—safety.
Practices like journaling, mindfulness, reading, therapy, and storytelling help form new neural pathways.
So does honest community.
So does letting go of the need to have it all figured out.
You’re not losing your mind.
You’re remapping it.
Why It Matters
If you’ve ever thought,
“Why does this feel so intense?”
“Why does questioning my faith feel like dying?”
You’re not crazy.
You’re not dramatic.
You’re human.
And your brain is doing the hard, holy work of becoming something new.
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Verse of the day
If I speak in the tongues of humans and of angels but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-2
Voice of the day
Beyond the realm of churches, religious blogs, and bible colleges, nobody really cares about theology. What does matter is the way you treat other people.
- Stephen Mattson, “When Christians Love Theology More Than People”
Prayer of the day
Teach us that no amount of knowledge or eloquence matters without love, and help us live a faith that is known not by words, but by the way we treat others with compassion and grace.