Christianity
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Neoliberalism, Social Inequality, and Christianity of Liberation
Introduction Human history is founded on inequality. Religions and their gods were created, among other things, to sacralize social and metaphysical orders based on the qualitative distinction between superiority and inferiority of human beings, as in free and enslaved peoples, men and women, nobles and servants, civilized and barbarians, and so forth. The same happens to almost all types of knowledge and philosophies. In other words, human culture, when emerges, naturalizes or sacralizes human inequality. Rebellion against the naturalization of human inequality is the novelty that transcends, goes beyond the limits of social system and dominant reason, and announces the “good news” to slaves and all the human beings considered…
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Problematizing Whiteness in Religious Scholarship: A Call for Racial Justice
Introduction A recent Twitter thread asked users to “Watch Whiteness Work” by pointing out examples of White Privilege [1] across various contexts (Husky 2023). This raises important questions for religious scholarship regarding whether our academic disciplines may also perpetuate systems of inequality [2] we ostensibly critique. As Christian ethicists and theologians concerned with justice and righteousness, how might our scholarship be vulnerable to racial bias? The study of religion and theology within higher education is responsible for confronting internalized racism within its canon and methods. As womanist scholar Emilie Townes notes, appeals to the Bible and doctrine often supplied the ideological justifications for systems of slavery, segregation, and other evils propagated upon…
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Avatar Discipleship – Who am I engaging with the avatar or the person?
How do you disciple Christians in the metaverse? Is it possible to disciple a person represented by an avatar? Who are you discipling, the avatar or the invisible person it represents? Who are we really engaging with? These are questions often discussed in the church I work with in Virtual Reality (VR). These aren’t just questions that are relevant to VR. According to recent statistics in America[1] over 25 million attend church online. People use the description ‘in person’ for those who attend onsite church, but if we are ‘online’ are we not present ‘in person’ as well? If I attend church via Zoom or YouTube then the experience may…
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People-Centred Beliefs: Interviewing Individuals to Understand Religious Identities
Over the last few years, I have seen the difference it makes when individuals are provided opportunities to speak about their histories, traditions and practices and how it can change outsider perspectives on these aspects of humanity. During my Masters, I began studying aspects of individualized, syncretic beliefs through the vernacular religions of divination practitioners with backgrounds in Christianity, I found that my contributors had very personal connections to their practices and that they were keen to share their beliefs in the hopes that it would ease the tenuous relationship that many people perceive to be between organized religion and modern spirituality. To me, this understanding is the embodiment of…
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“Infesting the Herd”: The Arian Heresy in the Philippines
As a newbie worker in the church, there are some things that I have observed in the ministry. One of which is the cycle of wrong teachings that was already proven to be errant long ago. I often assume that the indolence to learn is the reason for ignorance about the dangerous doctrines that once infested the early congregations of saints. While I am blessed that a Trinitarian religious group once conquered my country, there is still a historical controversy that alarmingly grows at present. The music of the Philippines is one of the subjects I studied at graduate school level. I presented on the first chapter of D.R.M. Irving’s…
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What Leviticus can teach the Church about Autism
Inspired by Mike Bird’s recent article, and the podcast Autism and Theology. As someone living in a family full of neurodiversity and a daughter with a beautifully spicy brain, we are in the trenches, and so I felt compelled to write a response. Michael F. Bird, Autism and the Image of God. Today I am a heartbroken Dad. Yesterday, my daughter told me she doesn’t want to come to church anymore. I stood there in her room, vainly trying to convince her that coming to church is better than the Minecraft videos she was watching on YouTube. You see, my daughter lives with Autism and ADHD. She is what professionals…
