🎳Dan Kimball

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. - Ephesians 4:32

Uncommon Ground is the new home for conversations that matter! Have you listened to our first 2 episodes with Richard Dawkins & Rowan Williams and Alex O’Connor & Glen Scrivener? Subscribe on podcast or video now 👉 justinbrierley.com/uncommon-groun… PS I’m loving being back in the moderator seat! So many more great shows to come in this first season 😄

I totally respect and love Justin’s approach to learning and his new home for his ministry is here:

January 14 - Proverbs chapter 14. Reading a Proverb chapter every day this year so will go though Proverbs 12 times. Thank you to Phil Comer for the example who has practiced this for decades and is one of the most wonderful examples of a Christian I have ever known.

@panrak79 @Protestia Having non-denom stats in this mix would be helpful

@Protestia Mostly liberal denominations losing. Also nondenominational churches don’t have statistics. Which any more seem to be the majority of churches I see.

Source: Ryan Burge

2026: read Bible entirely through - listen to New Testament @dwellbible

Why Theology is urgently needed in a twisted-truth world - instagram.com/p/DSiHkOBlMDG/…

Read Dan Kimball’s latest article on why theology is more important than ever in a culture shaped by twisted truths. As VP of Church Mission & Strategy at Western Seminary and Co-Director of the ReGeneration Project, Dan challenges us to pursue theological clarity amid widespread confusion and compromise. Read the full article by clicking the link in our bio or visiting: transform.westernseminary.edu/resources/theo…

Sitting in Caffe Trieste in San Francisco wrapping up the “How (Not) to Be A Christian” book. Interesting cafe opened in 1956 where beat poet Jack Kerouac and that gang would hang out and Francis Ford Coppola wrote most of The Godfather screenplay sitting in here. —— the subtitle of this book ended up being “Why we need church in an anti-institutional, post-truth, exvangelical, spiritual-but-not-religious world”.

Wowee! I could talk Mary Shelley Frankenstein for a long time and the line of Universal Monster movies from the 1930’s and 40’s that came from that and evil vs good as portrayed back then compared to today. What a suprise seeing Mary Shelley name here as I look at my bookshelf next to me with Bram Stoker and Mary Shelly on it.

Nerdy post on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: (For years now, I’ve wanted to read it and I’m finally doing it.) In chapter 2, Victor describes that as a young man, he picked up the works of Cornelius Agrippa, which was a mix of Kabbalah, hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. His father blows it off as “sad trash.” Victor explains that had his father simply explained why Agrippa’s ideas had failed to stand up against modern evidence, he might have put it aside and gone back to his former studies. Instead, Victor writes, “But the cursory glance my father had taken of my volume by no means assured me that he was acquainted with its contents, and I continued to read with the greatest avidity.” This is what began the descent into his “tale of misery.” I’m struck by the similarity with deconstruction. Deconstruction stories often contain anecdotes about finding information that the church seems unaware of, is covering up, or is unable to refute. It doesn’t even have to be true. It’s presented as “new” information they don’t want you to know, and are afraid you will find out about. That is an intoxicating mix that can bypass critical thinking and send people down their own tale of misery. This is one of the reasons I show my kids deconstruction TikTok’s. We discuss, discern, and test. There’s no magic bullet, but teaching our kids to think critically and biblically is an important part of discipleship.

@alisa_childers Ephesians 4:14

Earlier, I was so distracted by the SNAP hashtag that I didn't even realize that James Forbes, the theologian Villodas is quoting here, is a radical progressive. I'll post quotes below but in summary, he argues for Liberation theology, LGBTQ+ affirmation, and at least implicitly affirms universalism. In Forbes' book "Whose Gospel?: A Concise Guide to Progressive Protestantism," he writes: "Jesus was progressive. He was open to having his understanding of truth and love broadened. In Luke 2:52, we read, 'And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.' Much later, we find Jesus’s own wellformulated religious viewpoint changed by a Syrophoenician woman who challenged Him after he first refused to help her daughter (Mark 7:24–30)." On sexuality (from Whose Gospel?): "Let us listen to the wisdom of the Spirit and of each other about God’s love for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. God, our heavenly Parent, Mother and Father of us all, wishes for all the beloved children of the family to enjoy the rights, privileges, responsibilities, and delights of mature sexual expression." On Social Justice (from an interview with Sojourners): "But you know it's got to deal with racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, militarism, crass materialism. It's got to deal with the way justice is related to the issues of peace and ecology." After inviting interfaith leaders to speak from his pulpit after 9/11, he said: "It does not matter which of the traditions you come from. In those traditions there is a spiritual reserve made especially for times like these... Jesus revealed the capacity to affirm your own tradition, and at the same time, to reach out to those of other traditions. Christians, we really need to wake up.

“Monkey-Christ” is how this art piece became known as and will be speaking tomorrow morning at @CorbanU Corban University chapel and sharing the very fascinating story behind it - showing why theology is all the more important today and tying it into Reformation Day. Love Corban University and the leadership and commitment to historical doctrines and the true Jesus.

@alisa_childers new book comes out next week for youth - theology matters especially teaching younger generations.

In hotel working on article “Why theology is more important than ever in a Twisted-Truth world” - will be posting on new @dankimball" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">substack.com/@dankimball I’ll be writing on and will be out in @WesternSeminary Transform Magazine. I use the story of the Jesus fresco in Spain that was repainted into a new Jesus.

@alisa_childers Just prayed for you…

I’ll be speaking to about 300 women today. Will you pray for wisdom, clarity, boldness, and biblical accuracy?

@alisa_childers Yes. Yes. Yes.

I'll add one more thing. Quit playing fast and loose with the Scriptures. This isn't Hogwarts.

Pastors, I beg you. Preach the Word of God boldly and with clarity. Quit pandering to culture. Be free of the fear of man. Be filled with the fear of God. Say what needs to be said. Get fired if you have to. People flocking to our churches don't need rock concerts, flashy video bumpers, spineless pep talks, stand-up comedy routines, or vague principles that they have no idea how to apply. They don't need information on how to live a good life. They need to be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and transformed into the image of Christ. They need strong Christian community to walk with them, disciple them, pray with them, laugh with them, cry with them, and support them. I'm not saying your videos, music, and overall production can't be or shouldn't be excellent. I'm saying that stuff doesn't actually matter that much in comparison to what these souls (and all of us!) actually NEED. I promise you. If one person leaves because of your boldness, ten more will fill their seat. God is bringing them to your doorstep. Oh, that every Christian pastor would understand the times and respond accordingly! 2 Corinthians 3:12: "Since we have such a hope, we are very bold."

After pondering many more subtitle words with the publisher we have tentatively landed on these for book title. Will be writing in August during sabbatical and finishing it up for a 2026 release. It is a very hardcore pro-local church book but addresses many of the understandable criticisms of “church” and Christianity that we have earned.