You can Bible thump, preach till your blue in the face, take on some of the most challenging theological debates out there, and it won’t mean a damn thing to a person who is struggling at that moment. The reason? Because it’s not soul-deep honesty, it's not empathy, and it's not connecting. People want to know why we believe, and we need to be sharing that. If someone came up to you right now, what would you say? Would you quote Scripture or hand out a brochure, or could you look at them and tell them a story of something God did for you that cannot be explained away? Would your love, joy, and thankfulness shine through every word? Would your heart match your smile? Would you shed tears in front of a stranger and bare your soul to show them what God has done for you? I will, and I have. I will open up and share the horrendous parts of my life with a voice full of hope and peace. I will smile with tears in my eyes as I recall past traumas, and I will show my humanity and God’s love in the same breath. I will hold them, comfort them, cry with them, and love them. I don’t care about their “sins” in that moment, because guess what, I too am a sinner, my calling at that moment is to be the person that God uses so they feel His hug. I needed love, I needed safety, I needed to see hope, before I could walk away from many bad choices over the years. We are the lamps unto this world; we shine for them. When you are lost and see that distant beacon of light in the distance, you breathe a sigh of relief. As you get closer, your world starts to light up, and you begin to see clearly the world you are in and the world you can choose to walk into. And in the darkness, that’s enough to draw someone home. Be that for the people around you. Yes, we are to call out sin and wrong, but there is a time and a place for that; there is a time and place for many ways to evangelize for God, and that should be determined by God, not you. But first, let's start with honesty with ourselves. Can you drop all pretenses and just be a real human being and talk with someone and just let God’s light shine through you without hitting them over the head with a Bible or condemning them in the first sentence? To make disciples, you first have to be one. The Bible never sugarcoated anything. It laid people’s lives bare for the whole world to see, their flaws, failures, doubts, and all. God didn’t hide their humanity; He used it. © Jane Isley

This dawned on me with all the alien talk going on and coming on the heels of my Aliens, Demons, & a Biblically Illiterate Church article from the other day. Our country and most of the world have jacked around with definitions for so long that people stopped asking for clarification on anything. And now we have a massive mess on our hands with people searching for answers about aliens and demons online, especially in religious circles. Definition Glitch The modern meaning of alien seems to be a large hang-up for people. In popular culture the word alien refers to beings from other planets or universes. Little grey guys, E.T. phone home, probes, bright lights, silver saucers, and abduction stories. That is a cultural thing, not a Bible thing. All that is shaped by myths, stories and media. So when I see church leaders say alien abductions aren’t in the Bible, or they say because the Bible never recorded an "alien" encounter that doesn't necessarily prove aliens don’t exist, I get annoyed at the blatant inability of reading skills and faith by that church leader. These answers are responding to a modern cultural construct of "aliens" while completely ignoring Scripture. They are not stepping back from the noise of the world or opening the Bible without a cultural lens. That is a genuinely concerning problem for the enormous number of people right now with serious questions. Speaking of what Scripture actually says about these beings, Old Testament Elohim and New Testament Demons goes deep on exactly that and is one of the most thorough pieces we have on the site. Scripture Vs Culture When religion enters this discussion the definition of "alien" often gets its own separate category, while the actual beings discussed numerous times throughout Scripture get completely ignored. Is it because people have been so desensitized by decades of entertainment that they cannot recognize what they are actually looking at? Probably part of it. Is this what satan wants? Absolutely. Is this because teaching Scripture became optional in too many churches? Yes. Is this because people want a fantasy world to escape this one? Yes. Is it because people want another reason to argue against God? Yes. Is it because church leaders are scared to admit they do not have all the answers? Yes. I could keep going. Figure Out Your Definitions First If possible figure out what it is you are actually trying to ask. I mean that sincerely and without the snark I have been bringing to this topic elsewhere, because it is vitally important to start asking the right questions now rather than later when it is too late. Much of the confusion I am seeing right now comes back to language. People are not asking for definitions. Some are too afraid to. And a lot of church leaders attempting to address this topic for their congregations are just as confused, and their answers are making things worse not better. It is actually this simple. If "alien" means the cultural construct, little grey men and flying saucers that has developed over decades of books, movies, and television shows, the Bible is not going to address that. If "alien" is understood as the demonic beings described in Scripture that we do not fully comprehend physically or scientifically, the conversation shifts correctly into theology and the Bible has quite a lot to say. Either way the core issue is the same. Before you can debate conclusions you have to agree on what the words actually mean. And before you dismiss what the Bible says or does not say about this topic you have to stop reading it through a Hollywood lens. Open the Bible, read what is actually there for yourself. When people finally ask are aliens demons, the entire conversation shifts back to Scripture where it belongs. What you need for understanding everything happening right now has been sitting in there this whole time. © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

People crave validation. They want to be loved, accepted, and affirmed. That’s natural. I get it. And much of the criticism (indeed hate) directed against Christians and churches these days is due to people not being sufficiently loved or (in their minds) accepted or affirmed. In previous articles, I’ve repudiated all churches and church leaders guilty of abuse, toxicity, or callousness. I stand by that. Nevertheless… When it comes to whether a church makes you feel good… Here’s a hard truth… It’s not the role of the church to affirm or validate you. The purpose of the church, at least according to Jesus, is to disciple you. Before we get into what Jesus said, let’s talk common sense here. Religion, by its nature, is…to some extent…exclusive and discriminatory. Now, don’t get all triggered or reactive or bent out of shape. Take a breath and let’s look at this logically. I’m not talking about discriminating against people based on color, race, nationality, or anything like that. To be clear, count me among those who support civil rights for all — including those who don’t subscribe to a religious faith. I repudiate all forms of hate and bigotry. I believe everyone should be treated with dignity and respect. Okay? That said, religion (by its nature) involves beliefs and behaviors. It involves people orienting their lives toward the divine. That means that, while some religions may be more inclusive than others, all religions believe their take on spirituality is superior to any other take that disagrees with or counters their take. This is the case with Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Sikhism, Jainism, New Age Spirituality, and so forth. No offense to those religious faiths not mentioned. All religions have a take or point of view, no matter how broad. When you approach a particular religion, your sense of reality or your take on spirituality might conflict with the majority of adherents of that particular religion. And guess what? That’s okay. If you don’t think it’s okay, then I want to very respectfully say… Get over yourself! It’s not the responsibility of other people or communities (religious or otherwise) to automatically validate your beliefs, choices, or even self-proclaimed identity. The world does NOT revolve around you! If you believe the world and everyone in it should revolve around you, that makes you every bit as problematic and perhaps dangerous as the most extreme religious fundamentalist. Let’s hope we’re clear on that. If not, go back and re-read this article up until this point until you are clear. Okay? Now…let’s get back to Jesus… Following Jesus’ resurrection and before His ascension, Jesus said these words to His disciples… And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18–20, KJV) According to the King James rendering of Jesus’ “Great Commission,” Jesus said His disciples are to teach “all nations” (that’s all people groups) about Himself (that’s evangelism), then (when they accept), baptize them, and then…teach those who have accepted Christ and been baptized to “observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” In other words, teach them what He (Jesus) taught the disciples. That’s discipleship. In fact, most contemporary English translations make this clear, quoting Jesus as saying to “make disciples” of all the nations (or people groups). The church doesn’t exist to automatically validate you and/or help you self-actualize (to use Maslow’s term). It exists to make disciples of Jesus. Does that mean you should be required to join a church and be “discipled”? Absolutely not! Like I’ve said numerous times…I believe in religious freedom. No one should be forced to join a church. And no government should impose religious orthodoxy on its citizens. But if you’re going to voluntarily unite with a Christian church, don’t complain when that church disagrees with you or encourages you to follow Jesus instead of your own heart or wishes. Such a church may make you uncomfortable, but it’s doing its job. © 2025 Brian Tubbs You can follow me on for more📖 First Published in Faith Renewed on Medium If this resonated, here are a few more pieces worth your time: Speaking the Whole Truth: When Churches Soften God's Word It Is Ok, Leaving the Church Does Not Mean Leaving God When Church Makes You Feel Stupid. That Is Church Hurt Thank you for reading! If this challenged the way you think about faith and discipleship, you may also want to pick up my latest book, Thou Shalt Not Kill: The Ancient Commandment We Dare Not Break, where I dig into similar hard truths in Scripture.

"One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, ‘When will the Kingdom of God come?’ Jesus replied, ‘The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.’”~ Luke 17:20–21 (NLT) Those of us raised in the church know, or rather, we’ve believed, that the ultimate hope of humanity is Heaven, and the ultimate fear is Hell. But what if this dichotomy is more of a disservice to us than any kind of motivational benefit? If you’ve gone through any level of disillusionment and restructuring of your theology or relationship with God, one of the biggest questions any intellectually honest and moral person inevitably has to ask is: “How could a just and loving God allow anyone to spend eternity in a place of infinite torment and punishment for finite trespasses?” This is a valid point. Trying to Bible-thump and scripture-quote your way out of it is only going to alienate the people you claim to want to save from this final destination. So what do you do? As with many things in my life, I’ve taken sort of a both/and approach to the dilemma, while also remaining humbly uncertain about unknowable unknowns like what awaits the human soul postmortem. I think it’s worth noting, however, that any sort of faith that is primarily motivated by what happens after death is subject to supreme subversion and hijacking, rather than making the focal point being one’s relationship with God, others, and themselves. If how we live takes a backseat to what we believe then all kinds of mishaps are to be expected as par for the course. Of course, belief should inform behavior, but if the belief is that all sins are forgiven by declaring Jesus as Lord and that this life is a cosmic crapshoot, every human soul is one-and-done, and there are only two options of experience after the body expires… I think we’ve seen plenty of examples of this not quite panning out as a perfect omnibenevolent being would sign off on. If the point of an incarnational human existence is less of any sort of an objective scruples quiz to be reviewed, infinitely graded, and infinitely improved upon, and strictly a one-time doctrinal purity/sincerity of belief geographical crapshoot with infinitely incomprehensible stakes in either bliss or suffering, people on the secular side of the fence are absolutely correct to claim that the deity you believe in could reasonably be concluded to be callous, cruel, and evidently has no qualms creating people expressly for the purpose of setting up them up to eventually damn them. “No Punishment, No Justice” Mindset It’s hard to effectively “love one’s neighbor as oneself” if the underlying idea is that unless one’s neighbor is in total theological and/or behavioral agreement, they’re doomed to experience an eternity of torture and flames once their physical body ceases to function. This perceptual trap intrinsically roots one’s love in a “holier-than-thou” position, which does not translate to feeling anything resembling the agape love purportedly held in such high esteem by religious folks. I understand the concept of the “necessity” of Hell, to some degree. It may seem just as morally abhorrent for someone like Jeffrey Dahmer (who purportedly accepted Jesus Christ before his murder) to not face more than an earthly prison sentence and be welcomed into the pearly gates. Frankly, at this point, I don’t know or care if he was. Not my call, fortunately. Admittedly, I still wouldn’t want the cloud next to his. One could, and probably still will, argue that love for one’s neighbor is the impetus of evangelical work. “We are spreading the Gospel to them because we love them and want to save them from their sins” etc. But this is still rooted in a “we’re right, they’re wrong” mindset, hinged on a belief that the designer and tireless maintainer of the universe either doesn’t care about a vast enormity of His children’s individuated consciousnesses being eternally sustained after physical death for the purpose of punishment for transgressions beyond their comprehension, or worse, actively wants that to happen. Father, forgive us, we know not what we do. The Underlying Cruelty of Evangelical Heaven One of the most striking things I’ve seen in my years around missionary family members and acquaintances is a profound revulsion at the ideas of annihilationism (which postulates that at the “Day of Judgment” non-believers would be simply erased from existence) or universalism (which suggests the crucifixion and resurrection set in motion a chain of events that would eventually redeem all of creation) as opposed to the concept of eternal conscious torment awaiting non-Christians either at the moment of death, or at the end of time. Either way, it’s a pretty telling worldview to see over half of humanity as damnable, irredeemable, and necessary to burn and torture infinitely. I don’t believe in that God; I don’t believe that was Jesus’ Father. “Yes, Jesus’ death absolves all my sins in perpetuity, and no matter what I do in life, I’ll be rewarded with bliss forever, while the happenstances of your birth and life justify a ceaseless postmortem brutality against your soul, regardless of your conduct or character. That’s just Divine Will.” This is monstrous theology. If you’d push your sibling into a furnace and be capable of turning around and enjoying bliss after, I wouldn’t want to be in that Heaven anyway. Overlooking the Gift of the Present Moment “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”~ Master Oogway in Kung-Fu Panda It’s cliché. It’s corny. But it’s still true. I know I’m guilty of ignoring blessings in favor of focusing on things I wish I had or activities I’d rather be doing. Thou shalt not covet. Whoops. That said, I know I’m also guilty of being hedonistic and prioritizing “enjoying now” over preparing for the future. We have to balance responsibility and recreation, trust and truth, embodiment and eternality. Do the laundry. Breathe in. Wash the dishes. Breathe out. Trust the process. Breathe in. Love your neighbor. Breathe out. “Be here now.”~ Ram Dass Final Thoughts I’ve made jokes onstage about varying Heavens of different religions and written ad nauseum philosophizing, trying to reconcile the cosmologies of which I’m aware — both for my own sanity, and for the hope of a future where religion isn’t such a tremendous source of division and we all recognize our connection to divinity. Christians who keep prepping for the rapture to leave everyone else in the ashes are doing themselves and their faith a disservice as much as they are everyone else. God is bigger than our boxes. The dissonance between how much people who call themselves “Christians” follow Paul in actuality, as opposed to Christ, is maddening. If you don’t think their ideals are opposed, consider the following verses“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.”~ Matthew 7:21 “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”~ Romans 10:9 Hardly seems like these two are in agreement. I would rather sit around a table with Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims who are sincere in their respective beliefs, but have done their inner work than a bunch of professing Christ-followers who don’t take issue with the current administration, or worse, actively support it and think it to be some sort of righteous crusade against “the evils of the left”. To be fair, I’d rather get pistol-whipped and taken behind the chemical sheds than sit around that second table. Oh well, here comes the holidays. If you found this thought-provoking, interesting, or entertaining, please feel free to follow The Dropout Professor elsewhere for additional content and musings, or buy me a coffee to support! :) Follow on Instagram Subscribe on YouTube © 2025 Alex AKA The Dropout Professor You may also enjoy reading these articles by our guest author today: Why Do Christians White-Knuckle This Life? The Struggles of a Heretical Mystical Christian My Trip to Hell Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

A Look at Dignity, Equality, and Redemption in a Roman World Built on Power This is Part 2 of a three-part series on the Sexual Revolution. For the first article, please see The Sexual Revolution Lies to Women. The 1960s promised a sexual revolution. And it delivered, just not the kind most people expected. The fallout is now impossible to ignore: rising loneliness, regret, anxiety, and abuse, especially for women. Even secular voices like Louise Perry are sounding the alarm, wondering aloud if we’ve dismantled something vital in our pursuit of freedom. But what if the sexual revolution we actually need… already happened? Not in the 20th century. Not in a courtroom or a university. But in dusty towns under Roman rule, led by a carpenter’s son who never married and spoke to women like no man ever had. Rome Was a Sexual Free-for-All: But Only for the Powerful To understand how revolutionary Jesus really was, we need to look at what he was confronting. The Greco-Roman world was permissive, but only for those at the top. In Rome, consent wasn’t the rule, power was. Men could sleep with their wives, mistresses, slaves, prostitutes, and even adolescent boys. So long as they didn’t violate another man’s wife or take a “passive” role, it was socially acceptable. This wasn’t fringe behavior, it was expected. Slaves had no sexual rights. Prostitution was institutionalized, and infanticide (especially of baby girls) was routine. Women’s worth? Conditional. A Roman woman’s job was to marry, bear sons, and stay silent. If she were raped, she could be punished. If she were unfaithful, she could be killed. Meanwhile, her husband could keep concubines without scandal. In this world, sex was power, and those with none paid the price. Jesus Didn’t Just Restrain Desire — He Rewired It Into this world stepped Jesus of Nazareth. He didn’t start a riot. He didn’t run for office. But the culture-shock he introduced was seismic. He taught that lust in the heart was on par with adultery in action. He said divorce was a moral failure, not a loophole. He taught that sex belonged within lifelong fidelity between one man and one woman — period. Even more radical? These rules applied to everyone. No exceptions for power. No special treatment for men. He held the rich and religious to the same standards as prostitutes and peasants. In short, Jesus didn’t shame desire, He redefined it. And He did it not to control people, but to honor them. Jesus & Women: Dignity in a World of Disposability Jesus not only taught a new sexual ethic, He lived it. In John 8, He defended a woman caught in adultery from public execution. Not by denying her sin, but by exposing her accusers’ hypocrisy. “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” They all walked away. Jesus said, “Go and sin no more.” It was grace without moral compromise — utterly unlike the cruelty of Rome. In John 4, he spoke to a Samaritan woman at a well, a woman with five past husbands and a live-in lover. He didn’t shame her. He offered her “living water.” And she became the first evangelist in her town. Time after time, Jesus treated “unworthy” women as worthy of conversation, conviction, and calling. It was revolutionary. Everyone Was Accountable. Everyone Was Honored. The most disruptive part of Jesus’s teaching wasn’t how hard it was. It was how fair it was. In a society where men got a pass, Jesus gave them a calling. He didn’t just tell women to be pure. He told men to stop objectifying them. His earliest followers carried this forward. Paul wrote that the body “is not your own” but “a temple of the Holy Spirit.” And in Corinth, a city full of brothels, He told Christian men not to unite Christ’s body with a prostitute. This wasn’t prudishness. It was purpose. It was protection. Jesus’s ethic wasn’t about repressing sexuality. It was about redeeming it. A Revolution That Starts in the Heart Jesus never stormed Rome. But his sexual ethic dismantled it from the inside out. It challenged the powerful. It protected the vulnerable. It required everyone (slave or senator) to treat sex not as conquest, but covenant. This was the true beginning of the first sexual revolution. But it didn’t stop with Him. The early church took Jesus’s vision and turned it into a community. That’s where we’ll go next. What do you think? Was Jesus a moral conservative, or a cultural revolutionary? If His ethics lifted the lowly and challenged the powerful, what would it do in today’s world? © 2025 Nathan Cole

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Eph 4:29 I refer to those outside of my faith as non-believers or unbelievers, because those terms reflect where they stand in relation to my own religious beliefs. Those two words are respectful and self-explanatory. I’m very intentional about avoiding derogatory or mocking language about anyone or any group; there simply is never any need for that. As Christians, we’re called to be Christ-like, not to resort to name-calling, mocking, or belittling others. So, before speaking about those who believe differently, I encourage you to consider whether your words reflect Christ’s heart. If you use the word “Christian” anywhere in conjunction with your name or introduction to another person. You are voluntarily signing up for higher expectations, whether you like it or not. Online and in my personal life, I hear all sorts of comments, snide remarks, and terminology that are fully meant to be insulting, both in tone and meaning. From Christians, no less. Honest Reflection Time Did that make you feel better? Did you feel a little bit more holier saying that derogatory word? Feel like you're doing God’s work, digging in those insults? Think I’m going to end there, because ya know what I’m getting at. You don’t have to condone the sin, but watch your words, because your sins are no better than anyone else's. Be the better person you are called to be. Be Christ-like. © 2026 Jane Isley

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…” ~ 1 Peter 5:8–9 (NLT). If you’re a wildlife enthusiast like me, you’ve probably spent hours watching National Geographic channel footage. A cheetah blazing after a gazelle. An elephant gently nudging its calf. It’s really just good TV. But lions…lions are something else. Of all the big cats, lions carry this weight, this authority. They’re not the fastest or even the most lethal one-on-one. And fun fact: they actually live on grasslands and savannahs, not jungles. The whole “king of the jungle” title is a bit of a branding win, if you think about it. But watch them hunt and you’ll get why the title stuck. They don’t just chase. They strategise. They stalk, they fan out and probe. And here’s the key thing: they don’t go after the strongest. They look for the one lagging behind. The young one or the injured one. The one that’s drifted just a little too far from the group. They find that crack in the armour and they go for it. If you’re alone, cut off, looking vulnerable and appetising? You’re done! The Amalekites Had the Same Playbook Back in Moses’ time, the Israelites were moving through the wilderness of Sin, fresh out of Egypt. Exhausted and disoriented and making their way through terrain that wasn’t kind to anyone. And their arch-enemies, the Amalekites, were watching. The Amalekites were desert nomads, direct descendants of Esau’s grandson. Their whole livelihood was raiding and plundering. And they had this specific, almost calculated behaviour: they didn’t attack the front of the Israelite group. They targeted the rear. The ones who were struggling to keep up. The tired ones. The ones already falling apart (Deuteronomy 25:17–19). Peak lion mentality. Now, why were the Israelites straggling in the first place? That part’s important. The Dangerous Spiral of Complaining At Rephidim, there was no water. And the Israelites, as they tended to do, lost it. They argued with Moses. They groaned. They said things like: “Is the Lord here with us or not?” These are the same people who had a pillar of fire leading them at night and a pillar of smoke guiding them by day. The presence of God was literally visible, right there, ahead of them the whole time! And yet here they were questioning whether God had shown up!! I mean… I get it, though. When you’re thirsty and exhausted and your feet hurt and you don’t know what’s coming next, the dramatic evidence of yesterday doesn’t feel like enough for today. That’s just human nature. We feel what we feel. But here’s the thing about complaining. It doesn’t just vent frustration. It droops your shoulders. It fills your head with weight. It turns your eyes inward and downward, away from what’s actually ahead of you. And when that happens, you slow down. And when you slow down, you straggle. And when you straggle… Well. You already know what the lions are doing. Prayer does something different. It doesn’t always fix the problem immediately, but it connects you. It keeps you sane. It gives you peace while you wait. The Israelites had access to that, had the very presence of God with them, and still didn’t lean into it. That’s the tragedy. COVID Taught Us This the Hard Way I’ve watched this play out in real life, not just in ancient Israel. During the COVID lockdowns, a lot of people I know lost their jobs, lost their routines, and churches closed their doors. And slowly, quietly, people started drifting. Just… slowly. They were stuck home, alone, scrolling through media, entertaining themselves binge-watching, going through self-help books, and without even realising it, they stopped staying connected to community, to God and to people who could see what was happening. They let their guard down. And by the time things normalised, some of them had just… settled into that drift. Temptation had walked in through a door they didn’t even know was open. Greed, isolation and the habits that crept in, none of it felt like a roaring lion at the time. It never does. That’s the whole point. What Do You Actually Do When a Lion Charges? Okay, so I got curious and asked Grok (in expert mode) what you’re actually supposed to do if you encounter a lion on foot. And the answer sounded like a Bible verse. This is what it said: “Do not run. Running makes the lion chase. Stand tall. Raise your arms. Shout loud and firm. Wave your arms to look bigger and more threatening. Throw rocks or sticks toward the lion. If it charges or grabs you, fight with everything you have. Aim for eyes, nose, and mouth. Keep fighting until it breaks off. Many lions give up when the target resists strongly.” Sound familiar? “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8–9) “Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand.” (Ephesians 6:13–14) “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Don’t run. Don’t hide. Don’t freeze. Resist. Make yourself known. Make it clear who you belong to. The enemy, like the lion, is looking for the path of least resistance. Give it none! Stay in the Group. Stay in the Light. Here’s what I keep coming back to. The lions don’t get the ones at the front. They get the ones who are just slightly out of reach of the group, slightly too far from the fire, slightly too worn down to keep up. Feeling alone and weary is normal. It happens to everyone. But when that weariness makes you slow down, when your eyes drift from God and land on your problems, that’s the moment to do the opposite of what feels natural. Don’t pull away. Find the people around you who are still walking strong. The ones whose eyes are still forward. Hold onto them. Ask for support. Let them be the group that keeps you from being picked off. We don’t want to show up as a blip on the radar while Satan is patrolling (Job 1:7). Stay connected. Stay covered. I often wonder: what if some of those Israelites straggling at the rear had stopped, gathered themselves, and stood firm? Would we have a record in Scripture of God performing a stunning rear-guard miracle for the ones who refused to give up? Maybe. We’ll never know. But maybe that’s exactly the point. Maybe it’s a warning written in their story so we don’t have to repeat it in ours. Stay alert. Stay connected. Don’t straggle. The lions are always watching! If this reflection encouraged you, you can support my writing or future reflections here. Your support simply helps me continue sharing thoughtful pieces like this. Thanks for reading! © 2026 Dr. Anudeep Manne. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Introduction Most religions teach that people should live good, moral lives. One of the biggest differences between them and Christianity is in how and why one becomes good. Another huge difference between other faiths and Christianity lies in who their leaders are and what became of them. In this article, we’ll look at what makes the Christian faith so unique and why it deserves a second look if you’ve previously rejected it. Background No other religious leader has ever said what Jesus Christ said, nor has any other religious leader ever done what Jesus Christ did. For example, in the Gospel of John, Jesus declared seven “I am” statements about Himself. These statements revealed His identity as equal to Yahweh, the eternal God (who declared to Moses in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM”), and clarified His mission to redeem mankind. 1. “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) Jesus says that people’s souls need nourishment, and He would provide it forever to those who believe in Him. 2. “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12) Jesus exposes sin, reveals truth, and guides people out of spiritual darkness into the light of holiness and salvation. 3. “I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:7) This statement means that Jesus is the only entrance into the Kingdom of God. 4. “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11) Jesus describes Himself as the protector, leader, and atoning sacrifice for the people who believe in and follow Him. 5. “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) This statement means that Jesus has the power over life and death. He gives eternal life and the assurance of resurrection to all who believe in Him. 6. “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) Jesus says He is the exclusive path to God, and salvation is found in Him only (and He has the credentials to back up His statement). He is the truth that reveals the way to be reconciled to God. 7. “I am the true vine.” (John 15:5) Jesus says that since He is the source of all spiritual growth and fruitfulness, believers must abide (remain) in Him to live productive, godly lives. In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis argued that the claims Jesus made about Himself leave no room for honoring Him merely as a good moral teacher. In essence, he was asking everyone the same question Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 6:15). A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. Human teachers and prophets don’t rise from the dead. The resurrection forces us to consider the implications of that fact on our lives. If Jesus is God, then His resurrection becomes His credentials, confirming His divine authority and claim on our lives. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (1 Corinthians 15:14, NIV) How and why does one become good? Christianity teaches that mankind is evil at heart because of sin. Sin has corrupted every human heart because every single person who has ever lived on earth has rebelled against God, the creator of the universe, and rejected His authority. The prophet Jeremiah hit the nail on the head when he spoke about the wicked heart of mankind. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV). The following Scriptures also emphasize the innate sinfulness of mankind. There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10, NIV).All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NIV). The Bible says that true goodness can’t be obtained by human effort, but only through the transformation that occurs when we accept God’s grace through Jesus Christ. This truth levels the playing field for everyone. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8–9, NIV). Because of Jesus’ resurrection, people who believe in and accept Him as Lord of their lives receive new hearts and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live righteously. This is what it means to be “born again." Contrasting the world’s religions Christianity is the only religion whose founder, Jesus Christ, came back to life after He was cruelly tortured, nailed to a Roman cross, and died after tremendous suffering. [1] His literal appearance was verified by His Apostles, and over 500 others (1 Corinthians 15:6). The empty tomb proves that He conquered sin and death and offers eternal life to all who believe in Him (Romans 10:9). No other religion offers a Savior who is goodness itself who loves His followers enough to die for their sins and impart His righteousness to them. Ancient extra-biblical texts, such as those of Josephus (a Jewish historian; see Antiquities of the Jews) and Tacitus (a Roman historian and politician; see the Annals and Histories), verify the historicity of the Gospel accounts of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Archaeological discoveries provide evidence of people and places in the New Testament, such as Pontius Pilate (the Pilate Stone), Caiaphas, the high priest (the Caiaphas Ossuary), and the Pools of Bethesda and Siloam. Other key evidence includes the Rylands Papyri (P52) (the earliest Gospel of John fragment) and a 1st-century fishing boat (the Jesus Boat), which confirm details of Jesus’ life and the Roman era. Confucianism is an ancient Chinese moral philosophy that emphasizes moral virtue and social harmony. It relies on the innate goodness of people and their efforts, and it doesn’t address humanity’s sin, nor does it offer salvation. [2] Buddhism teaches that goodness comes from following the Eightfold Path to overcome desire and ignorance, and guide followers toward right speech and right action. The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment in order to escape the endless cycle of karma and suffering. Buddhism sees goodness as a means of freeing the self and doesn’t see the need for a relationship with a personal God. To them, sin isn’t a transgression against a divine authority; instead, it causes negative karma. Hinduism is a pantheistic (many gods) religion that holds that goodness is a duty and that one’s actions affect karma, which follows a natural cause-and-effect pattern. They believe that doing good deeds will lead to a better reincarnation in the next life. Salvation is achieved by self-effort, resulting in liberation from the cycle of rebirth, rather than by obtaining the gift of grace from a loving Creator. In Islam, one is good only by obeying Allah’s commands as revealed in their holy book, the Qur’an. Proponents of this religion believe that on Judgment Day, their good deeds will be weighed against their bad deeds. Their salvation or punishment depends on whether their good deeds outweigh their evil deeds. This is works-based salvation, completely opposite to the Christian concept of grace by faith through Christ. Followers of Judaism are monotheists (believers in one God) who are still waiting for their Messiah to come. They don’t believe Jesus was the Son of God. They view Him as a rabbi who lived in the first century. Groups that deny the Trinity and the deity of Christ include the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. These religions started in the 1800s and departed significantly from Biblical Christianity. [3] They are distinct movements with different founders and doctrines. Due to their deviation from orthodox doctrines, they are labeled “cults” by mainstream Christianity and sociologists. Conclusion This article attempted to show good reasons and concrete evidence for why Christianity is the one true faith. When people say, “all roads lead to heaven,” they’re forgetting the huge differences between the world’s religions that result in mutually exclusive claims. Truth by nature is exclusive. Truth demonstrates the law of non-contradiction, a fundamental principle of logic stating that contradictory propositions cannot both be true in the same sense. Truth is established by its source, Jesus Christ, not by popularity or cultural acceptance. Only Christianity reveals the one true God, personified as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Other religions show humanity’s search for God. Christianity shows God’s search for humanity. Its unique claim is that Jesus conquered death. He invites all people to come to Him and find rest for their souls. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28, NIV) © Debra Hodges References: 1. The Women Find the Empty Tomb, TableTalk Magazine (2023) 2. Confucianism — What is it? — Compelling Truth. (n.d.). CompellingTruth.org. https://www.compellingtruth.org/Confucianism.html 3. The Cult of Personality | Tabletalk. (2025, July 11). Tabletalk. https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2005/10/cult-personality/

When most people think about planting seeds for nonbelievers, they imagine sharing the message of salvation, explaining the meaning of the cross, quoting Scripture, or inviting someone to church. These are good and beautiful things, and they absolutely matter. But they are not the only seeds God uses. Just as the natural world is filled with seeds of every shape, size, color, and function, the spiritual seeds that reach people are just as varied. And the fruit that is grown can also be different, remember that. So, my question to you is: Are you destroying the harvest before it ever has a chance to be planted? I ask this sincerely because throughout my life I’ve encountered churches, leaders, elders, and everyday Christians who shut down questions they personally don’t find relevant. More recently, it has been Christians in my comments section telling me that the things I write about are “stupid,” “irrelevant,” or “not important to our faith.” But if something is truly irrelevant, then why is it in the Bible at all? Do you really believe God wrote Scripture only for neurotypical thinkers? Do you imagine He didn’t know some of us would learn differently, process differently, or get curious about things others overlook? People ask about unicorns. They ask why Jesus’ tears were described as blood. They wonder about the Hebrew versus Greek meaning of “virgin.” They ask about Pangea, the Big Bang, or how there was light before the sun. These questions are not irrelevant, they are seeds! And often the very questions that can lead someone deeper into Scripture. Yet Christians shut them down, call them irrelevant, and shame people for there curiosity. I see this online everywhere I look, when that happens, it isn’t just the question that gets rejected, you just rejected the person who asked it. When Curiosity Gets Treated as a Threat There is an entire demographic of people the church is missing because of a narrow, traditional idea of what “planting a seed” looks like. Some people need the logic before faith makes sense. Some need to explore the strange corners of Scripture. Some need to ask the questions no one else thinks to ask. And when you dismiss those questions as irrelevant or stupid, you destroy the harvest before it ever begins. I can’t count how many times I’ve been told my questions were dumb, stupid, a waste of time, or irrelevant. I’m just one person, but I’m not the only one who is like this. There are millions like me, people who learn differently, think differently, and approach Scripture from angles that don’t fit any standard mold. Every time someone is shut down, a seed goes unplanted. And the horror is that many of those seeds could have grown into something beautiful if someone had simply taken the time to nurture them. This is why the church loses curious people. This is why so many walk away before they ever truly begin. They weren’t rejecting God, they were rejecting the feeling of being dismissed, belittled, or treated as though their questions made them a problem instead of a person. Why I Write the Way I Do I come down hard on this because I am that person. I needed to understand the things others brushed off. I dove into those hyper‑focused rabbit holes, and every single one drew me closer to God. I also happen to be stubborn enough to push past the comments, the dismissal, and the gas lighting. But not everyone is. Some people will walk away the moment their curiosity is treated as stupid. This is why I write the way I do. I write for the people who want to know these things. For the neurodivergent thinkers who see patterns others miss. For the curious minds who get excited about the “irrelevant” details. Because those details are seeds! Imagine letting your guard down and getting excited with someone about the strangest little detail in Scripture, and watching that excitement turn into faith. Every question is a seed. Every curiosity is a doorway. Every “irrelevant” detail is a chance to explore the Bible with joy. I’ve gone down some wild rabbit holes, and every single one has drawn me closer to God. We spend our lives masking and conforming to fit into your world. Maybe it’s time for you to step into ours, and learn to plant different kinds of seeds. I will leave you with this: “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God." Luke 8:11 There is not a single word in the Bible that is not a seed to be used. © 2026 Jane Isley. Want more content? Explore more articles in Exploring Scripture and Word Studies. Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.

Before you read the rest of this article, I want to make a disclaimer about my positions and myself. I did pray to the Holy Spirit to guide me in this article beforehand– to write through me in truth and through the lens of Jesus. I am a human, and I am not perfect. I acknowledge that my beliefs are not 100% correct and are often clouded by the world around me. The only perfect person is Jesus, and that is exactly why I follow Him. While political views change with trends and beliefs, Jesus never changes. So, as I write this article, keep in mind that I am not perfect– but Jesus is. If you want to know Him more, seek Him out – read the Bible. That is my best advice for those who want to know Him more. Start with the Word, and let Him guide you on. We live in a current communication and political climate (and honestly, we probably always have) where we can’t seem to coexist with one another. I see people, both Republicans and Democrats, not tolerating one another simply because they have different political beliefs. For example, I often see arguments where many Democratic people don’t want to interact with Republicans because they automatically assume they are racists or that they support Trump. And I often see many Republicans not wanting to interact with Democrats because they are too ‘woke’ or they assume that they are mentally unstable. And can I be so real for a moment? This is really weird. This is insane – for someone to assume all of these qualities about a person simply because they follow a political party. Personally, I am independent and probably will be for the rest of my life, because I just cannot stand this animosity between the two parties. I know many people who are completely okay with not interacting with their opposing political party. And I know many people who are okay, and actually happy to see a person of another political party suffering. For example, after Charlie Kirk died, I had a friend of mine tell me that she didn’t care because he was a Republican. I was baffled. I have many Republican family members, and for her to say that meant that she wouldn’t care if they died either. I called her out on the ridiculousness of her claim, and she simply replied that she came from a Democratic state – as if that justifies her words. What I’m trying to get at here is that people take their political party way too seriously. It is getting to the point where people won’t even listen to one another if others don’t share their same beliefs. This is extremely unethical and very dangerous for the future of our country. People are beginning to think in absolutes – that being a part of a political party automatically comes with a hardwired list of attributes and beliefs. This kind of thinking is black and white – it leaves no room for the understanding of situational factors and life experiences. It leaves no room for the celebration of different backgrounds and personalities. God gifted us each with different gifts and lives. “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us…” (Romans 12:6). This is something to be cherished, not censored. Because of this current political and communication climate, people are censoring themselves in fear of social disapproval and retaliation. Isn’t the United States built on the freedom of different liberties, such as speech, religion, and expression? It is a shame that people are forgetting this crucial part of our country. We all need to hold tight onto the habit of respectful dissent – as mentioned in my previous article about ethically communicating. Deep down, does your political party matter so much to you that you would ignore and avoid opposing beliefs? Let’s get one thing straight: no political party has the power to save you. Even if you do follow a party, there will still be war, crime, and injustice in the world. We live in a broken world. Therefore, no person has been saved or redeemed by any political party. Maybe you’ve felt a sense of justice, purpose, or belonging by identifying with a party, but something is missing. You know who can actually save you and bring joy into your life? Jesus can. Jesus teaches love, and what better way to spread love than to love your neighbor? “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these” (Mark 12:31). Jesus didn’t come to dominate the world and force people to follow Him. He came to save and recognize the hurting, the sick, the broken. Instead of idolizing something that will always change (because, face it, political parties and their ideologies are constantly changing and will continue to do so), follow the One who never changes. I’ve found that I am much more passionate about helping others and bringing light into the world now that I follow Jesus. When I was a part of a political party, my activism was superficial, and I felt as if I were performing just to impress others. I wanted them to see so badly that I was a good person, but it never really satisfied my soul. I felt pressured to post things that I didn’t fully understand, all for the sake of looking like a good person and, of course, gaining approval from my peers. But I actually feel passionate about helping others now, especially knowing that Jesus sees and loves me in all conditions, which is impossible to achieve from anything or anyone else. So, I urge you all to stop idolizing your political party. I’m not telling you to stop following one as a whole, but I am telling you to quit putting it on a pedestal. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican, Democrat, or anything else – stop idolizing the party. Get out of your own worldview and comfort zone and start learning about other beliefs and opinions. Challenge yourself to befriend those you don’t necessarily agree with. After all, differing religious and political beliefs didn’t stop Jesus from befriending and helping people. Jesus said to “love your neighbor,” so I will, no matter their personality or situational factors. I don’t have to support their beliefs, but I do have to love them regardless, as Jesus does. And I choose to do so. So, will you do the same? © 2026 Sienna Krieg. Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Culture & Faith. Visit Sienna's Blog Press Ctrl + P (Windows) or Cmd + P (Mac) to print this article or save it as a PDF.