CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
CWR Video – Judging by Appearances – by Greg Albrecht
https://vimeo.com/77721611
Short video by Greg Albrecht on judging by appearances.
Who Gets In?
The book of Acts records God directing Philip to meet and embrace the Ethiopian eunuch - that event guides our thinking as we contrast religious elitism and exclusivism with the inclusive invitation and welcome God extends to everyone.
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
March 19, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done. Your religious background and credentials, or lack thereof, are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter if you have been a petty criminal, an atheist, a cult member, a mass murderer, or even a goody-two-shoes self-righteous-better-than-everybody-else-holy-Joe.
It doesn’t matter if you have been baptized, or if you have been immersed rather than sprinkled. If you have never had a drop of alcohol touch your lips, God still loves you, but he doesn’t love you ...
Are You ‘Saved’? (uh…) – Brad Jersak
A constellation of questions, common to some Christian traditions, increasingly makes me cringe.
Are you saved?
Is he/she saved?
When were you saved?
I know what is intended. They are identifying ‘saved’ with the moment I ‘invited Christ into my heart’ through the faith confession involved in ‘the Sinner’s Prayer.’ If that is how and when I was saved, I suppose you could say I was ‘saved’ when I was six-years-old. That’s when I personally and consciously responded to the grace of God.
So why does that give me the heebie-jeebies?
Was that when ...
The Gospel of the Kingdom – Greg Albrecht
When John the Baptist prepared the way for the first coming of Jesus, he proclaimed GOOD NEWS – the Glorious Promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here’s what Luke records John the Baptist saying, as he quoted from Isaiah 40:3-5, applying Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus’ ministry and specifically, the beginning of the Kingdom of God.
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain shall be made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, ...
The Cost of Following Jesus
Christ followers are willing to "throw off everything that hinders" them and place him first and foremost in their lives.
Help Us Help Others
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Plain Truth Ministries (PTM) is a community of Christ-followers, friends and partners who believe in the spiritual freedom found in “Christianity without the religion.” PTM ministers to and provides spiritual nourishment and resources for religious refugees around the world. PTM offers hope and encouragement to those who have been imprisoned and disenfranchised by toxic and legalistic religion.
Our financial supporters in the U.S. and Canada receive hardcopies of our monthly magazines and partner letters. In addition, ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
March 16, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“Beginning in the second grade, I lived in constant apprehension and fear of an impending doomsday. My family and I believed that “the end” could come at any time; we were convinced that we always lived in a window of a “few short years” from the events surrounding the second coming, I did not treasure the message of Revelation, I feared it. The specific “end times” interpretation I was taught exercised enormous power over me and many others. Decades later God’s grace completely changed my ...
Growing Old(er) Grace-fully
No matter how old you are, God is not yet finished with you! We'll concentrate on four keys to growing old grace-fully.
The Intersection of Hate and Love – by Greg Albrecht
Friend and Partner Letter from March 2017
To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unforgiveable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless. – G.K. Chesterton
The intersection of a vertical pole/stake and a horizontal crossbar on the Cross of Christ reveals its earthshaking, far-reaching significance. This intersection of two pieces of lumber reminds us of the cosmic collision at the crossroads of the vertical love of God and the horizontal hatred of our world.
The Prince ...
Take Away the Religious Rocks
Jesus meets us at our times of loss, grief and despair. This week we revisit the tomb of Lazarus, and we celebrate his resurrection. Our passage reminds us that Jesus invites us into the work of helping to remove the grave clothing of dead works that cling to so many, helping to take away the religious rocks that imprison those who are bound in religious tombs.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR105.mp3
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
March 14, 2023 - Quote for the Day:
“I believe that physical death is not the end of God’s pursuit of us, and I base that belief primarily on the full and complete (as I understand it) revelation of God within the pages of the Bible.”
Originally published in:
Christianity Without the Religion magazine, February 2022
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Lessons Learned
Greg shares five of the lessons he has learned, in his journey in and with Christ, and invites you to make your own list - and for that matter, think about the lessons we ask God, by his grace, to continue to teach us.
Q&R – Which Religion is Right? – by Greg Albrecht
Question:
How can we know which religion is right, and further—if Christianity is the only right “religion”—will only Christians go to heaven?
Response:
In our postmodern society, it seems that every belief system is afforded equal weight. Well-meaning wishful thinkers like to point out that world religions share many things in common—and if everyone would just focus on these commonalities, perhaps we could “all just get along.”
Yet even a brief survey of world religions reveals huge contrasts and contradictions. How can so many contradicting ...
Gnostic No More – Cherith Fee Nordling
"Gnostic No More" – Dr. Cherith Fee Nordling describes the ancient heresy of Gnosticism and how it's anti-material/anti-body teachings have infected and affected modern Christianity.
(Part 5 in a 6-part conversation with Dr. Bradley Jersak).
https://vimeo.com/784841166
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