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
|
____________________________________________________________
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
BONUS Content >>>SCROLL for RELATED COMMENTARY by GUEST-POSTERS + FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS
#ReForm
Luther hammers his 95 theses to the door,” painting by Ferdinand Pauwels, 1872. (Source: WikiCommons)
I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning! (Luke 12:49 NLT)
History suggests that every five hundred years the church experiences a reformation. Roughly five centuries after the New Testament closed, people like Augustine, Patrick, and Benedict re-shaped the way many were living out the gospel. About five centuries later, the church split into an eastern and a western branch, again causing a re-formation of the way people thought about their faith. In the 16th century the church experienced yet another season of re-definition when Luther, Calvin, and others called the church back to her biblical foundations and re-shaped the way people thought and practiced Christian discipleship.
So, here we are in 2025, five hundred years after the Protestant Reformation, scratching our heads about the state of the church today. Many seem to think the way forward is revival. They want God to breathe new life into the old structures and patterns of thinking. Others are devoted to deconstruction. They believe the forms and functions of the church today are hopelessly irrelevant. “Tear it down,” they say. “Try something else.” We believe there is a better way: re-formation. We are convinced that the Lord of history desires to re-shape his church once again and, what’s more, we believe the work has already begun.
To re-form something means to re-shape it, using the existing parts but arranging them in a new way. The point is not to demolish it. Nor is the goal to reinvigorate the present structures and patterns of thinking so that we can do church like we’ve always done. No. The goal of re-formation is to dismantle and then rearrange the parts so that the new structure fulfills its original intentions.
Make no bones about it, re-formation is revolutionary. And yet, it conserves and highlights the church’s true identity and purpose. The process of re-formation may be painful, yet it is necessary if the church is going to be the body of Jesus in the world today. And if the Lord is the one who leads the way, we can be sure that the outcome will be good, fruitful, and beautiful.
Thesis 1. God is doing something new in the world today.
Thesis 2. More than the church needs revival, she needs re-formation.
Thesis 3. The church has forgotten what the gospel is all about.
Thesis 4. Because the church has forgotten the gospel, she no longer understands salvation.
Thesis 5. The local church is ground zero for God’s work in the world.
Thesis 6. The early church needs to be rediscovered so it can serve as a model for Christians in the 21st century.
Perhaps no period of history offers a more biblically robust example of what the church is meant to be than the first three centuries. Before the Christian faith was defined by buildings, worship styles, the sharp distinction between clergy and laity, or the exercise of political power in society, the body of Christ was a revolutionary movement in the world working for justice, compassion, and truth. In the fourth century, however, Emperor Constantine elevated the church in Roman society, leading eventually to a form of quasi-Christianity that politicized and militarized much of the church. Rediscovering the early church can help contemporary Christians find a new model for being the people of God in the world today.
Thesis 7. A re-formed church will be both different from and similar to the church of yesterday.
The body of Christ will be more defined by the shared life of the community of believers than by the building where they gather for worship. Churches will be known as a place where relationships are deep and authentic. They will demonstrate unity in a rich mosaic of diversity. Corporate worship will experience a renaissance of life-giving creativity as liturgies, music, sacraments, and the ministry of the Word reflect the new thing God is doing both in and through his church. Because change is difficult, many will need time and grace to adapt to the new situation. Some will resist. Where the old patterns are toxic and unyielding, separation may, unfortunately, be necessary.
Thesis 8. New categories and labels are needed to define disciples of Jesus today.
The old labels (e.g. Evangelical, Charismatic, Baptist, Methodist, etc.) are less and less helpful. Many of the battles that shaped the church of yesterday are no longer relevant and new ones are being fought. As Adam named the animals in Eden, we need to find new labels to describe the Christian landscape today. Although it is premature to know what these new labels will be, we can imagine a realignment of God’s people that will produce a rich and creative diversity that will better enable the world to understand those who are part of God’s authentic family and those who are not.
Thesis 9. A re-formed church will find Spirit-enabled creative ways to be present in the world without becoming worldly.
Christians must learn how to live in the tension of being fully engaged in the world while remaining distinct from it. They are called to be residents of the “City of Man” while maintaining their citizenship in the “City of God.” Christians must rediscover the subversive power of holiness and the missiological impact of loving their non-Christian neighbors. God’s people will discover their call is to be witnesses of the transforming power of God in an ever-increasing variety of places and contexts both in and through the church.
Thesis 9.5. Our focus is on our own Wesleyan family, yet we carry a burden for the universal church as well.
Jesus is Lord!
Chris Bounds is Professor of Theology at Asbury Theological Seminary.
Hubert Harriman is President Emeritus and Ambassador at Large of World Gospel Mission (WGM).
Stan Key is Former President of the Francis Asbury Society and Minister at Large with OneWay Ministries.
Dave Smith is Associate Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Read complete article here>>>
https://firebrandmag.com/articles/95-theses-the-needed-re-formation...
"As we bring our backgrounds and struggles to Scripture, so do our brothers and sisters on the other side of the globe. Varying contexts lead to differing questions, and the biblical answers found by believers in the Majority World shed fresh light on familiar passages. To better understand God’s Word, we need the diversity of God’s people around the world."
Dustin Messer
View this email in your browser
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.
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.
Share
Joe Boyd (The Deconstructed Pastor) is a reader-supported publication.