An Honest Conversation about Institutional Religion

An Honest Conversation about Institutional Religion

There is a time to plant. And there is a time to uproot. Most of us don't like the second part. Many people today are questioning the faith they inherited. They're examining long-held beliefs, leaving churches, and wondering if there's still a place for them in God's story. Some call it deconstruction. Others call it a crisis. But what if seasons of uprooting aren't always signs of failure? What if God has always worked through disruption? In Ephesians 3, Paul describes a mystery that shattered centuries of assumptions about who belonged to God's family. The walls came down. A new kind of community emerged. Maybe that's a word for our generation. Maybe the church is not disappearing. Join us as we explore why seasons of questioning can become seasons of deeper faith, why the church may be far more relational and expansive than we've imagined, and why the mystery Paul describes still has the power to reshape our lives today. A place for all who believe, doubt, and seek. Convoy of Hope - Venezuela relief: https://convoyofhope.org/ Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes%203%3A1-15&version=NIV Ephesians 3:1-15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%20%203%3A1-15&version=NIV

Blessed Are the Weak A Kingdom Manifesto for an Age of Power

Blessed Are the Weak? A Kingdom Manifesto for an Age of Power Matthew 5 We live in a culture obsessed with power. Be strong and successful. Defeat your opponents. Then Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount and says: "Blessed are the poor in spirit." "Blessed are those who mourn." "Blessed are the meek." What if the people Jesus calls blessed are the very people our culture overlooks? What if the Kingdom of God operates by an entirely different set of values than the kingdoms of this world? This week, we'll explore Jesus' Kingdom Manifesto and discover why humility, repentance, mercy, and peacemaking are not signs of weakness—they are signs of spiritual maturity. In a world captivated by power, Jesus invites us to a different way. A place for all who believe, doubt, and seek.

Why Does American Christianity Feel So Political?

In this episode, our guest, Ron Herms, looks at the issues facing American Christians in America. Why does so much of American Christianity seem disconnected from the teachings of Jesus? In this episode of the All Saints Podcast, I sit down with biblical scholar Ron Herms for a wide-ranging conversation about empire, power, Christian nationalism, apocalyptic literature, and the church's role in our cultural moment. Together we explore why books like Daniel and Revelation were written, what the Bible means by "empire," how apocalyptic literature functions as resistance literature, and why the early followers of Jesus understood faithfulness very differently than many modern expressions of Christianity. We also tackle some difficult and timely questions: • Why are Christians so fascinated with the end times? • How did Christian Zionism become so influential in American religious life? • What does the Bible actually say about power, leadership, and faithfulness? • How should followers of Jesus respond to nationalism, empire, and political polarization? • Is there another way beyond fear, violence, and culture wars? At the heart of this conversation is a simple but profound challenge: What if Jesus calls us not to dominate the world, but to faithfully bear witness within it? This is an honest, thoughtful, and deeply relevant conversation for anyone wrestling with faith, politics, power, and what it means to follow Jesus today. Have a question? More info? Check out: https://www.believedoubtseek.org/ronald-herms A place for all who believe, doubt, and seek.

The Problem isn’t Doubt. It’s Certainty.

Many people have walked away from faith not because they stopped caring about truth, but because they grew tired of certainty being used as a weapon. Too often, Christianity becomes about having the right answers, winning arguments, or correcting people who disagree. But Jesus seemed far more interested in honesty than performance. The religious leaders in John's Gospel were certain. Certain enough to condemn. Certain enough to throw stones. Yet Jesus turned the spotlight away from the accused and onto the accusers. What if the truth Jesus offers isn't a tool for judging others, but a mirror that reveals our own need for grace? The truth that sets us free is not an ideology, a political position, or a list of doctrines. It's a person. And that means faith isn't about pretending we have no doubts. It's about bringing our doubts, fears, questions, failures, and hopes into the presence of the One who can handle them.   Maybe freedom begins the moment we stop performing certainty and start practicing honesty. You don’t need to fake certainty to belong. Bring your questions. Bring your doubts. Being your true self to Jesus. Have you ever felt judged more for your questions than welcomed into a conversation about them?

Stop Asking Jesus to Pick Your Side

Everyone wanted Jesus to pick a side. The Pharisees wanted Him to oppose Rome. The Herodians wanted Him to support it. Instead, Jesus shattered their categories."Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." His kingdom wasn't built through political power, cultural dominance, or winning elections. It was revealed through self-giving love, enemy-love, sacrifice, and a cross. What if our deepest political problem isn't "them"—but the ways we've given our allegiance to Caesar instead of Christ? The politics of Jesus are far more disruptive than left or right. Mark 12:13-17