May 22, 2026

Considering Change in Our Beliefs

There are ways in which it can be more difficult to adapt to change in our spiritual journey, to adapt to changes in our belief system, than it can be to change a job or move to a new home.  Or so it seems to me.  Often, though not always, we are excited about the prospect of a new job with new opportunities.  Likewise, unless we have been somehow forced from our home, the new home holds promise for us as well.  But to adjust our belief system in some way, to make a change in something we have been taught and always believed, that can be a major source of disruption in our lives. 

Part of the reason for this, I believe, is that our faith, our beliefs, our long-held practices, form a foundation in our lives.  We don’t want that foundation to be washed away like the sand in Jesus’ parable.  We want what we have known, what we have believed, to always remain as that foundation of rock for our lives.

But if we learn something, if we objectively examine things and this new insight does indeed answer questions and provides us with a truer path, shouldn’t we want to move in that new direction, even if it requires more searching on our part? 

Sometimes I think that we feel that if we do make changes, then somehow we are denying the past, or even negating the past.  But if we accept that we have always lived our lives with certain beliefs guiding our way, and we have made the best choices possible, given what we have known, then there should be no reason to feel badly about what we have believed and done.  We have been faithful to what we have known.

To change is not somehow to negate everything we have believed or done.  It is just to say that I have been faithful in the past, with the knowledge and understanding that I had, but now, now with new insight and knowledge, now I am prepared to make new choices.  And indeed, if we stick to the old way, rather than honoring the new knowledge that we have received, aren’t we doing an injustice to ourselves just in order to preserve what has been?

Our faith, our belief system, I think, should always be open to fresh knowledge and insights.  God hopes that we will always continue to grow, and through growth to flourish.  I know that for some people the Bible is set in stone, and that faith declarations are set in stone.  I actually grew up with that understanding, and that approach to my faith.  Now, after a number of decades of struggling with faith, of continued reading and rereading of the Bible, with the availability of insights from a wide range of people from varied perspectives, I am open to learning new things, seeing things in new ways, choosing to believe that change and growth are good.

May 16, 2026

Change is Difficult

If there is one thing that I have learned along the way, that is that change is difficult for most people.  We become comfortable with where we are, what we do, and who we are.  Whether it is our faded, slightly torn favorite chair that is so comfortable, but that our spouse or partner wants us to replace, but that we fight the change for more than the chair is worth, or it is the comfortable jeans we own, or the great tennis shoes that are actually falling apart, or it is something deeply significant like the beliefs that we have based our life on, change is difficult.

But it isn’t just change that is difficult.  It is even the consideration of change that is difficult.  To think about something, and to consider that we might need or want to change something, is so disruptive because it somehow calls into question who we have been or what we have believed.  It can be something as basic as living centuries ago and fearing the unknown sea and the idea of falling off the edge of the earth, or the consideration of the beliefs that we grew up with and the question of whether those beliefs still satisfy our search for truth.

When I left home to attend seminary, I had this general idea of learning all about the Bible, of studying church history, of learning to be a minister.  From the very first class that I attended, I realized that part of what seminary was about was to challenge all that I had learned previously, to consider that there were other perspectives from which to look at things, and to then reframe my outlook with a combination of long-held beliefs, new revelations, and an openness to seeing and exploring more in order to more fully understand the Bible, the church and my relationship with God.

In some ways, this was a disruptive process, disruptive to my belief system, and disruptive to my spirit.  But in other ways it was a freeing process, because I was being given permission, and the tools, to examine my faith more deeply than I ever had done.  While it was not always a comfortable process, it led me to be open to new ways of seeing, and it led me to a faith that, while I am still searching for some answers, allows me to feel fully grounded, having a foundation that I know will never crumble, even though at times I am still feeling quite challenged by new ideas that I encounter.

Change can certainly be disruptive, but it can also provide fresh life and vitality to us.  I will explore this more in my next blog.

May 8, 2026

Challenges to Our Faith

It has been a while since I have posted a blog.  In fact, it has been longer than I recalled until I looked at the last blog.  The Lenten season got increasingly busy, and the post-Easter time has remained so.  But it has also been, and continues to be, a challenging time for me both theologically and spiritually.

I have no doubt that Jesus died a cruel death at the hand of the Romans.  I also believe fully in the Resurrection of Jesus.  And I enjoy reading and reflecting upon the post-Resurrection stories in the Gospels.

My challenge comes with the traditional belief and proclamation that God required the death of Jesus as a sacrifice for the sins of people, so that we might be saved and go to heaven when the time comes.  I was taught this theology growing up, and certainly by people who genuinely believed it and thought that they were giving me good news in telling me this, but I long ago started questioning this teaching of the Church.

I do not believe that God, at least the God whom I know in my heart, would require such a thing.  So, this belief affects how I preach and lead worship.  I do proclaim the Resurrection in all of its mystery and power, but I do not speak about God requiring a sacrifice.  I purposely do not choose hymns that specifically reinforce such sacrificial theology, because for me it is totally wrong.  And while this has been a struggle for me for many years, it somehow came full force to me during this Lenten season.

I have been reading extensively, allowing the research and perspectives of others to inform me, while also continuing to search for answers in my heart.  I recognize that this theology of the spilled blood, and people being washed in the blood of the lamb, is ingrained for many people, and that it speaks to them.  I do not try at this point to challenge their beliefs, because I am not an ultimate authority in this area, but if someone asks me directly about my belief, I will use that opportunity to share more deeply with them.  But, as I said, I also do not preach and teach in ways that would reinforce a theology that I do not accept.

My searching will continue.  I thank you for sharing in this journey with me.  I will be posting again more regularly.