What do we do when life doesn’t go the way we thought? People of faith try our best to follow God’s will, but that’s not a guarantee life is going to go our way. Joseph shows us what faithfulness looks like when Plan A goes off the rails.
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Nobody loves change, but change doesn’t ask our permission to happen. So when change comes, how can we engage it faithfully? It all begins by being willing to leave what’s been and trust that God is leading us into the future. Do we have the courage to take that first, longest step?
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Social media promises to connect us, but we’ve seen throughout this series how technology can harm as easily as heal. How do we discern what wise use of these technologies look like? How can we be sure technology is serving our faith journey, and not the other way around?
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In the wake of #metoo, everyone is afraid of Cancel Culture. No one is immune, from celebrities to pastors. While some see this as justice, others see a dangerous mob, accountable to no one. How should people of faith engage cancel culture? What does redemption look like for those who have wronged others? How can we offer grace without compromising truth?
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What’s the harm in scrolling through social media, reading or watching whatever comes across our screens? We know in the abstract that tech companies use algorithms to determine what we see, but how often do we ask what those algorithms – and the companies who write them – want? How do these algorithms shape our spirituality? And how can we take responsibility for our feeds?
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It’s easy to vilify the latest technology, but how do we really know if the latest gadget, app or trend is holy or not? What could the Bible possibly have to say about technologies two millennia younger than its writings? How do we learn to think theologically about smartphones, laptops, social media and everything else?
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There’s no bigger box-office draw than a superhero movie. Why do we love these stories so much? What does that say about us? Is there a limit to the good superhero movies can do? And what does any of that have to do with our calling as a people of God?
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In a perfect world, our call to love God would never conflict with our call to love our neighbors. But our world is complex, and too often, we find ourselves torn between a desire to be holy and a desire to love. How do we untangle this tension that leaves us in knots? What do we do when these two forces collide?
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What does it mean to be ‘holy’? In the ancient world, that meant ‘set apart’ or ‘special’. God calls those who follow God to be a ‘holy people’. So how are we set apart? Much of the ancient imagery is wrapped up in blood sacrifice, demigods and… dietary restrictions? What does all that mean for us today? How can we be holy as God calls us to be?
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If someone dies without knowing Jesus, they go to Hell. Hell is a punishment for sin. Many churches describe Hell as “eternal conscious torment”. How is that just? How can eternal torment be a fair punishment for even a lifetime of sin? Could it be that we’ve gotten Hell wrong? Could there be hope even in the depths of Hell?
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