Testing Faith and Tradition

Live from the Mecca of Mormonism SALT LAKE CITY, Utah This is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology. –

Show 37A And the Weiner is?
Taped August 25th 2020
Aired August 31st 2020

The scripture says, Test all things, hold fast to what is good, doesn’t it?

And then relative to what is Good, Paul said in Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

TRUE. HONEST. JUST. PURE. LOVELY. GOOD REPORT. VIRTUOUS. PRAISEWORTHY.

Think, ponder, consider these things.

A Journey for Truth and Love

I have long seen this ministry as an opportunity to step out on the edge and try and really live the faith openly and without any fear of error; to test everything honestly and see what holds water and what doesn’t. My hope is always a destination of truth and love, even though along the way mistakes are made.

In this dynamic workshop of the faith, we postulate, stipulate, reconstruct and deconstruct all sorts of things as a means to test all things, and to then hold fast to what is good. We have zero interest in traditions being upheld as a means to please other people, zero interest in popular opinion, zero interest in maintaining the status quo – unless the status quo ought to be maintained.

But just as important is the tenor and tone of our behavior as things unfold. What I mean by this is no matter WHAT is said or discovered or realized, if we cannot maintain LOVE along the way, we have accomplished absolutely nothing.

Analyzing Faithful Practices

Two weeks ago I threw out an idea that I felt was supported by scripture. I was an idea that, as Stephanie said, was going to ruffle some feathers. And the idea was that God specifically gave his only begotten Son a name (Yeshua) and most modern Christians, including myself, have called him by something that is not his name – Jesus.

So, here we have another “issue” or topic to be examined in the ministry, and we want to know the facts about it, and we throw our finding out there. The results have been predictable, but nonetheless, amazing. First to the illogical nature of the topic itself and then to the reaction of you with regard to it.

The illogical nature of the topic itself includes the fact that many believers insist that the Bible must be taken literally, especially when it comes to passages like Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 which say:

Acts 2:21/Romans 10:13 That whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

BUT . . . they don’t actually call on the name of the Lord, do they?

So, they are literalists with part of the passage, but not the whole – not really – not according to what God himself had an angel name His only Son. I mean they take Acts 4:12 super seriously, don’t they, which says plainly:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

But . . . they don’t use the name given him among men, do they?

Questioning Rationalizations

I can hear the lovers of the name Jebus making all of their rationalizations in their heads right now. That is what people do. But I don’t think sons and daughters rationalize.

Religious people, people who care for their traditions more than the truth rationalize EVERYTHING – makes me stark raving mad. Like when Pastors justify the use of the term tithing upon their congregates and tell them that they need to learn to rely on the Lord to provide but they don’t rely on the Lord to provide for them.

Or when people call Sunday the Sabbath day without a care in the world for the reality of Sabbath in scripture. Or when faith healers can’t explain why they are never able to heal amputees. Or when believers say that the Bible is the final authority but justify themselves in not doing what it says! Some have labeled this the Smorgasborg approach to the faith but I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t practice it!

And this is just the superficial stuff. What about the Calvinists who claim God knows everything, God is in control of everything, God is love, and God creates people specifically to suffer eternally and consciencly in the literal buring fires of hell.

Or the people who say Jesus paid for the

Understanding the Challenges of Religious Interpretation

sins of the world through his suffering but His Father is going to punish everyone in the world (AGAIN) for refusing to receive his conditional act of atonement? How about people saying that Jesus – from birth, in his little baby body, which was tempted, was God, but can’t explain why this same Jesus, didn’t have all the answers to things that his father had?

There are believers who think that they have the ability to say what was cultural in the Bible and what was not, what are Godly imperatives and the things he gives us all passes on . . . and the whole cluster is wrapped up in a cloak of religion every individual uses to protect their respective views. So that is just some of the illogical religiosities people us. But then we need to look at the reactions these same folks have when they are challenged with another view.

Responses to Alternative Perspectives

In the show called Goodbye, Jesus, the responses were not

TRUE. HONEST. JUST. PURE. LOVELY. GOOD REPORT. VIRTUOUS. PRAISEWORTHY.

But were presented as Justifications Counter-Attacks Mockery Errant Suppositions Religious positioning And appealing to authority by the cutting a pasting from outside sources to supports one pet view. All over the given name, the proven given name, of Yeshua the Christ.

The Tendency to Defend Personal Beliefs

Why? Because the natural tendency we all have in our FLESH is to both be right, AND TO do whatever is possible to defend our beliefs so as to MAINTAIN our beliefs – whatever they may be.

I get it – I want to be able to continue to call Yeshua Jesus for the following reasons:

1. I don’t want to sound like one of those people who use special terms to distinguish themselves in the faith.

2. Jesus is the name I have always used and I am completely used to it so to change it rocks my comfortability levels.

3. I know that when it comes to God its what I think of Yeshua in my heart over the name I use to describe him that matters; that there are people in this world who call him something different and its always about the Spirit not the Law when it comes to human beings.

4. I would never correct someone or attack someone for referring to our Lord by another name. That is not my job.

However . . . However . . .

I do want to personally live by important truths, as closely as possible, even if God will give me a pass. And because the angel did give him that name, and because there is no other name under heaven whereby men may be saved I will set aside my comforts, and fears, and use the truth in my own life whatever it may be WHILE treating others who chose differently with love and respect for their choice.

Balancing Truth and Respect in Faith

What I have been proposing over the years in subjective ChristianityA direct, personal relationship with God—free from institutional authority, guided by personal relationship, faith and agape love. is tough because it winds up being a double edged sword people just don’t readily understand. And that sword is this:

As a Christian teacher I will teach what I believe is right, what I believe the Bible is saying, and I will live by those teachings the best of my ability.

On the other hand:

As a Christian man I will let in love all other people to believe what they want, and while speaking truth never condemn them or part ways with them because their ways do not accord with mine.

The end result of all things will be meted out before God. But along they way I believe that this approach allows me to:

1. Teach what I see as truth WITHOUT compromise WHILE loving others with agape loveSelfless love marked by patience, mercy, and humility—central to living in spiritual liberty. along the way.

I am convinced that until all Christians learn and or embrace this approach the faith will be at war with each other, brothers and sisters against each other, and therefore the execution of the faith a fail.

So, to the comments on Goodbye, Jesus. This was a pretty straight-forward topic and one few could disagree with based on the historical facts. And yet still we had people come in unfairly, meanly, unkindly. In some ways, at least for me, it was another experiment, to see how people would respond to something unsettling but essentially supported.

If we can take something like the historical development of the name Jesus and fail in love, what does it say about how we will face other historically embraced traditions that are even more significant and apparently important –

Like on water baptism The ontology of God EschatologyStudy of “last things”—TGNN teaches all biblical eschatology was fulfilled in 70 A.D. More Miracles Soteriology Virgin birth The Law Ecclesiology and the like.

Paul clearly and plainly points out who the

Love in Faith

Wieners are in the faith – it's those, who amidst all other things – love, and he defines that love for us. It is imperative to speak the truths we uphold in life as believers but the speaking must be done with agape – no matter what and no matter whom with.

The Heart of the Matter

That is the Heart of the Matter. I need to grow in this – we do we all – if we are His.

Engage and Reflect

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