CWR Blog
Christianity Without The Religion BLOG hosted by Brad Jersak.
Mindfulness
What About Me?
In an age of selfies and Instagrams, when the constant cry seems to be "look at me" and "what about me?" our suffering servant turns our focus to the needs of others.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR502.mp3
A Christlike God or no god at all? – Brad Jersak
From E. Stanley Jones (1933), "Christ and human suffering"
E. Stanley Jones (1933), "Christ and human suffering"
Brad -
Despite the fact that our Trinitarian confession frequently slips badly into Tritheism (worship of three gods), Christians follow Jesus Christ's claim that we worship the one God of Abraham. In these, we share significant common ground with Judaism and Islam. But when it comes to the Incarnation of God in the flesh of Christ, that seems completely forbidden for them, especially a God who suffers and dies in the flesh! Today, the deity ...
You Have Good Credit!
The credit granted by the bank of heaven is not based on our own credit record, but rather through righteousness that is given in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR501.mp3
In the Midst of Pain – by Bermie Dizon
We have all experienced pain or discrimination at some point in our lives, but there is one powerful story in the Bible where a woman endured both simultaneously. This took place during Jesus’ ministry while He was walking with His disciples.
When she heard about Jesus, the woman came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, believing, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately, her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she had been freed from her suffering. At once, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
August 17, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“Have you ever attended a funeral that included a viewing of the open casket? What is one of the most frequently heard comments after the viewing? ‘Didn’t he look good?’ I almost always silently scream, ‘No he didn’t. He is dead. Dead does not have anything to do with looking good.’ I suppose the comment is a compliment to the mortician and his staff for their talents in making the corpse look good. Yet that’s exactly what many religious authorities do, make spiritually dead bodies look good by the ...
Satisfaction When Others Get Their Comeuppance – by Greg Albrecht
Greg Albrecht
Eternal conscious torment in hell is an unbiblical, fabricated teaching of Christ-less religion designed to effectively keep its followers in line. “Believers” in such teaching perceive hell as having positive results because 1) the fear of being consigned to the fiery coals of hell keeps the followers of Christ-less religion in tow, as they “toe-the-line,” and 2) it gives those who are religiously devout “hope” that God will see to it those who do not seem to faithfully “toe-the-line” as they do will get what they deserve.
This ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
August 15, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“The word revelation is translated from the Greek word apokalupsis, which means ‘unveiling’ or ‘revealing.’ In English, apocalypse has come to mean disaster or appalling destruction. Yet the word originally referred to an unfolding or revealing of things that were not generally known. The purpose of the Book of Revelation is not to present a maze of puzzling passages for some clever interpreter to unveil – specific details about future world events that can be unraveled if some human prognosticator provides the key ...
God Gave Them Over…
The first chapter of Romans says that God “gives us over” to the consequences of wrath which we choose by virtue of our decisions, rather than the wrath he rains down because he is offended and enraged.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR500.mp3
CWR Video: If You Have a Bible – by Greg Albrecht
In this CWR Video, Greg explains the importance of spending time with Scripture and how different translations can lead to better understanding.
https://vimeo.com/1196077494
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Out-of-Control Grace
If anyone ever had the right to be a control freak with others, it was Jesus — but he turned down that job description.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR499.mp3
Tenets or Tenants – A Fortunate Slip – by Brad Jersak
Definitions:
TENET: a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true.
TENANT: one who rents or leases a dwelling (such as a house) from a landlord.
TENNANT: David Tennant - the actor who played the tenth Doctor in TV’s Dr. Who.
I feel a little embarrassed for people who accidentally swap words, knowing it is a projection of my personal slips of the tongue. One that I hear frequently is the use of tenant (renter) when someone actually means tenet (principle). As a low-level editor, I know how easily these mistakes occur, so I don’t ...
Faith or Denial?
Greg proposes 1) while denial and deception lie at the heart of Christ-less religion, faith in Jesus is not blind, and 2) Christ-centered faith always makes room for doubt, while the dogmas of Christ-less religion allow no place for questions.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR498.mp3
There is a Jael Inside Me – Ken Williams
Ken Williams
The Canaanite warlord, Sisera, panicked after Israel crushed the Canaanite army. Sisera raced to get to the border, barely ahead of the Israelite army. (Judges 4:14-16)
A Kenite woman named Jael invited Sisera to take refuge with her. He was fearful, bone-weary, and accepted because the Kenites were neutral in this war. Hospitality in this culture normally included the host’s commitment to protect guests. He gratefully accepted Jael’s drink and place to rest. Jael waited until he was sound asleep and then took a tent stake and hammered it through ...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
August 12, 2026 - Quote for the Day:
“The love of God wins and conquers on the cross of Christ. Jesus accepted all violence, hatred and recrimination and absorbed it all – he sucked it all up and forgave it. Like a fire that burns itself out, Jesus consumed all human hatred – all religious fanaticism, all pride and lust – and all devotion to gods other than the one true God and all allegiance to any teaching or beliefs other than Jesus. The act of accepting all violence, hatred and recrimination killed Jesus, humanly, but he rose triumphantly, winning ...
Our Passionate Lover
Pain is inevitable in our lives, but, as we see it modeled in the life of Jesus, the suffering of sacrificial love is optional.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR497.mp3
Friendship Under Pressure – Stuart Segall
We talk about friendship easily. We use the word often. We say someone is a friend because we enjoy their company, share a few laughs, or feel a sense of familiarity. But true friendship is not revealed in comfort. It is revealed in endurance. It shows itself when life becomes unbearable, when the air grows heavy, when the ground beneath someone’s feet turns to ashes. Most of us imagine we would stand by those we love in their darkest hour, yet very few have ever been tested in a way that proves it.
There is a kind of suffering that strips a person down to ...
The Apocalyptic Language of the Apocalypse – Greg Albrecht
Question:
Why does it seem the Bible says Satan the devil is set free after 1,000 years — it seems he is restrained for that period of time and then he is freed from his "prison" — why do that? And then the Bible seems to say that Satan is destroyed in the lake of fire. Is that possible?
Response:
Of course both of these questions arise from what we read in the book of Revelation. Suffice it to say, this book is the most misunderstood and most difficult of all biblical books for many students of the Bible to understand, as I explain in my book ...
What Doesn’t Kill You …
When viewed through a Christ-centered focus, the saying "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" - is not about revenge, but rather all about how God enables us not to simply become stronger, but to receive life of the age to come.
https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR496.mp3
Grace Versus Toxic Religion – Steve Orr
Matters of the Heart
Religion: The Latin root means, “A return to bondage.” In religare. “re” means again and “ligare” means to bind. (From “The Extortionist” introduction to “God Without Religion” by Andrew Farley.)
In the New Testament, religion is typically translated from the Greek word “threskeia,” which means “to show an external demonstration of worship”. It is only found four times in the New Testament: James 1:26:27, Colossians 2:18 & Acts 26:5. Regarding the translation of James 1, the word religion is more properly transl...
Reflections Along the Jesus Way
August 10, 2026- Quote for the Day:
“I will always remember having lunch with the late D. James Kennedy near his offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (I am writing the original draft of these words on the day he died, September 5, 2007). Dr. Kennedy was the founding pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale and the voice of Coral Ridge Ministries.
Jim related – over lunch… an old joke I had heard before but never tire of, nor it seems, did he. As we discussed legalisms that thrive within Christendom, he could hardly contain his delight ...
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