Becoming Christian

Exploring Religionless Faith
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  • CHRISTIANITY
Becoming Christian Podcast

What if Christian faith is less about having all the right answers and more about learning to live as human beings? What is God’s purpose for our lives is not to have it all together, but to lean into our finite, messy, lives? Join me as we explore the heart of the Christian life as we engage important questions about God, the bible, salvation, and what it means to follow Jesus. reformational.substack.com

  1. Being Human not Religious

    AUG 31

    Being Human not Religious

    In his letter dated July 18, 1944, Bonhoeffer writes: "It is not a religious act that makes someone Christian, but rather sharing in God's suffering in the worldly life." To make this point, Bonhoeffer recounts all the times Jesus welcomes people, eats with them, even heals them, without any confession of sin, or declaration of their sinfulness. Instead, the gospel overcomes the false binaries created by abstract form of religion, freeing us to become fully human in Christ. This episode explores what this all means. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    18 min

  2. AUG 27

    Living With God, Without God

    In a letter dated July 16, 1944, Bonhoeffer writes: "Before God, and with God, we live without God." What does it mean to live without God in a world come of age? This is the heart of Bonhoeffer's religionless faith—we must grow up and learn to live in a world come of age without the hypothesis of God.  Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    18 min
  3. What if Salvation is about this life?

    AUG 19

    What if Salvation is about this life?

    In a letter written to Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes, "The Christian hope of resurrection is different from the mythological in that it refers people to their life on earth in a wholly new way...Christians do not have an ultimate escape route out of their earthly tasks and difficulties into eternity." In other words, the gospel is not good news about life after we die, it is good news for out life in and for this world. How does this change what it means to live a Christian life? Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    17 min
  4. God of Unbelievers

    AUG 13

    God of Unbelievers

    In his letter to Bethge dated June 8, 1944, Bonhoeffer writes: “The fact that the world has come of age is no longer an occasion for polemics and apologetics…” The problem with both liberal theology and the conservative response, is the world remains unaddressed by the gospel. Yet, as Bonhoeffer discusses throughout these letters, Christ is at the center of human life. Religion, for Bonhoeffer, artificially separates the Christian community from the world, when the point of true discipleship is to follow Jesus where he leads—back into the world of our neighbor. This episode explores these ideas, suggesting Bonhoeffer provides a way forward for the Christian community at this historical moment. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    16 min
  5. Bonhoeffer Hates Apologetics

    AUG 9

    Bonhoeffer Hates Apologetics

    In a letter to Bethge dated June 8, 1944, Bonhoeffer writes, “I consider the attack by Christian apologetics on the world’s coming of age as, first of all, pointless, second, ignoble, and third, unchristian.” The problem with religion, for Bonhoeffer, is that it doesn’t all the world to be the world, it always tries to freeze the world at a particular historical moment, never affirming the development of human capabilities. The consequence is a false dichotomy between the world and Christ. This episode explores Bonhoeffer’s affirmation of the world, once again insisting that Christ is at the center of all things. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    19 min
  6. Bonhoeffer's Affirmation of Human Life

    AUG 6

    Bonhoeffer's Affirmation of Human Life

    In a letter written to his friend Eberhard Bethge on May 29, 1944, Bonhoeffer writes about the importance of a "multidimensional, polyphonic" life. He goes on to affirm that in Jesus Christ, God is at the center of human life. Too often, religion pushes God to the periphery as a stop gap, turning Christian faith into a solution to a problem. For Bonhoeffer, Christianity is not just the solution to a problem; it is the revelation of God's love for humanity and creation. He believed the future of Christianity is the polyphonic life that remembers God’s love for creation in Jesus Christ. Here we discover a way forward for the church in these polarized times—living as signs of God’s affirmation of human life that is meant to be for this world. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    22 min
  7. Bonhoeffer and the Future of Christian Faith

    JUL 20

    Bonhoeffer and the Future of Christian Faith

    Bonhoeffer writes a letter to his friend’s baby on the day of his baptism. The letter explores the future of Christian faith—how the church must change following the violence of war. He focuses on the language of faith—how do we talk about Christian faith using words and concepts that have been rendered meaningless? What happens when phrases, practices, and institutions, are co-opted by ideology? Bonhoeffer’s questions apply just as much to today as they did at the end of the war. How will we talk about Christian faith after the election of 2024 with the polarization, violence, and co-opting of religion? This episode explores all this and more. Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    20 min

  8. JUL 10

    Reading Bonhoeffer in 2024

    As he sat in prison, Bonhoeffer asked important questions about what the war and its aftermath would mean for Christianity. Belief in God had provided justification for World War I, and the result was catastrophic as Christians violently tore each other apart. Sitting in prison, Bonhoeffer had no such illusions about this war. Hitler had co-opted the institutional churches in Germany, but religion was not used as justification for war in the same way. The question for Bonhoeffer: How do we talk about God after the “death of God”? Get full access to The Reformational at reformational.substack.com/subscribe

    13 min
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About

What if Christian faith is less about having all the right answers and more about learning to live as human beings? What is God’s purpose for our lives is not to have it all together, but to lean into our finite, messy, lives? Join me as we explore the heart of the Christian life as we engage important questions about God, the bible, salvation, and what it means to follow Jesus. reformational.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Exploring Religionless Faith
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © The Reformational
  • Show Website
    Becoming Christian

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