Christians are often broadly painted with the same brush by people as a large homogeneous group. When I was immersed in the.fundamentalist's worldview, the term Christians meant the people who believed as I did that the Bible is inerrant, penal substitution was the heart of the gospel, and all nonbelievers were going to suffer eternal …
Author: Tattooed Theologian
Seminary educated theologian on a spiritual journey seeking to live out the truth of Jesus' teachings, and be an agent of Shalom in our world. Thy kindom come, thy will be done in heaven and so on Earth...Peace be with you.
Let’s talk about Biblical marriage
Both houses of Congress recently passed the Respect for Marriage Act, with many Republicans joining with Democrats to pass the bill that will protect the right of same-sex couples to marry. Prior to it being voted on in the House of Representatives, conservative Republican congresswoman Vicky Hartzler gave an impassioned speech on the House floor …
For Mastriano theocracy is the point
I live in Lancaster County, PA, a bucolic area known for its landscapes dotted with farms, its large population of Anabaptists - the Amish, Mennonites, and Church of the Brethren - its welcome of refugees, and the small city of Lancaster at the heart of it all. For the aforementioned Anabaptist groups, their Christian faith …
Perverse obscenity
In recent weeks two men with obscene levels of wealth stroked their overly developed egos as they became the first private citizens to fund a trip to "space." It seemingly did not matter to Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos that what they were doing was an utterly pointless vanity project, or that NASA has been …
Complex PTSD, complex grief.
Grief is ubiquitous. It can be a unifying experience. At some point everyone who lives long enough will experience it. Grief is raw like a walking in a sleet storm in February without a hat or gloves. Grief is heavy. It is a rucksack that is filled to capacity with memories, that may include love, …
Lent in the time of Covid
Lent is here again, and Covid-19 remains the reality in our lives. Usually during Lent, we think about what we are giving up as our fast during this season leading to Easter, and often it is something like meat, wine, chocolate, or sex that people choose to eschew. Perhaps this year is different due to …
From repudiation to reconciliation
The voters in the United States have spoken and Donald Trump has mercifully been made a lame-duck president. He will go down in history as a complete failure as president, by virtue of only winning one term in office and being rightfully impeached during that term. By his own standard, he claimed that winning 306 …
The Earth needs a Sabbath
Biblical scripture speaks to the beauty of our home planet, the need to take care of it, and I believe command to reverence it as well. The Orthodox Church in America notes that reverence is hard to define, saying that it can be seen in attitudes of wonder, awe, submission or respect, along with veneration, …
This isn’t about me.
I have a favorite spot that I like to go to decompress here in Lancaster, PA where I live called The Fridge. It's a local craft beer and pizza restaurant that has long been my go to place to relax, enjoy some great food, and an amazing selection of craft beers. The staff know me …
What I hear…
Earlier this week, I had an interaction with a former seminary colleague and friend who had been posting some pro-Trump links on her social media page. I simply asked her point blank if she is now a Trump supporter to which she replied, "I now see the Republican platform as the lesser of two evils. …
The Tattooed Theologian 