A different kind of doctrinal statement

UNDER “CONSTRUCTION”…ALWAYS WRESTLING WITH THIS STUFF. AreN’t you?

LAST UPDATED: March 9, 2025

“Concepts create idols; only wonder comprehends anything. People kill one another over idols. Wonder makes us fall to our knees.”

Saint Gregory Of Nyssa

“Doctrinal statements” should be personal, honest statements of exploration and wonder, not man-made lists from institutions that become more important than the Bible, faith, truth, and love. People shouldn’t be punished for thinking and challenging assumptions, especially if they’re wrestling with God.

A Preface

For most of my life, I’ve wrestled with rigid doctrinal statements—lists of propositions that once served as gatekeepers to “true” faith. Faith was about agreeing to a little more than a handful of predefined postulates (a lot more than “faith in Christ alone”) that propped up an entire system. When I planted a church seven years ago, I presented a statement that, though sincere, was constrained by expectations I wasn’t free to admit publicly. Today, I attempt to share where I stand authentically, acknowledging I still have a lot to learn, not as a test of admission, but as a personal map of a lifelong quest—a work in progress meant to invite others into a broader conversation about truth, love, and the divine narrative.

Definitions like “faith,” “sin,” and “biblical worldview” have fundamentally shifted from what the Bible actually was and still is: leaving empty edifices of theologies many are confused with and struggling to authentically live out. It’s not our fault: we’ve been experiencing generations of doctrinal entropy. Today, modern human knowledge, science, and archaeology have been blasting out hard biblical facts everywhere to help anyone actually and simply understand the Bible plainly. Once seen, it’s like scales came off, and it can’t be unseen. We live, perhaps, in a time of a Great Awakening…even if there will be birth pains.

What follows is not a suggestion of 100% papal accuracy. I’m just a recovering pastor trying to spark conversations and think some of this is “roughly right” – in the direction that modern theology and ecclesiastical practice need to move towards. In some sense, these feel like things we need to accept.

Our modern, globalized, and nihilistic world has turned into a breeding cage for Ego. We all – every tribe, ethnicity, language, religion, and nation – understand this, even if we can’t admit our part in it yet. My vision is for a future where our children no longer live in our shadows and we no longer need kings.

Discipleship: A Way of Life for the Subjective Conscious Holon

Discipleship is far more than agreeing to ideas, practicing a skill, evangelism, or adhering to a static set of rules—it’s a living, evolving journey of embodying a better narrative. Discipleship is about, in many ways, adopting a new way of life (i.e. worldview) and doing the work to conform to that instead of the typical mindsets out there.

Christian Discipleship then has some specifics and ways about it. Proper definitions are more about guiding the subjective chaos of the human experience than it is dictating black-and-white, reductionistic, and disingenuous mandates upon others when we don’t figure our crap out. Disciplines then become about the subjective conscious holon learning to live in a particular way of being, not doing. Of course, behavior, relationships, family, work, society, and a whole lot of things are a part of it because it’s from the internal frame of the subjective human being. It’s getting uncomfortably serious about Christianity being about a “personal relationship with Jesus.“

AA gets discipleship more with its sponsors, unity of collective conscience, and adoption of life-long, spiritual, and all-encompassing principles that allow a community of people to exist and all speak the same language.

Every one of us is a subjective conscious holon, an individual yet integral part of the divine tapestry. True discipleship calls us to walk in vulnerability and empathy, to confront our own brokenness, and to rise above the old narratives that no longer serve us. It is about living out love and truth in every encounter and decision, fostering a life that is marked by honest self-reflection and continuous growth. This way of life invites us to reexamine our beliefs, to shed the weight of outdated dogmas, and to engage deeply with the present reality—transforming our existence into a dynamic testament of faith that is as personal as it is interconnected with the larger divine story.

On Heresy: A Call to Honest Inquiry

There is a very real and obvious fact about “heresy”: It’s defined by the loudest majority. Heresy is that which willfully leads people away from Truth and Love. Jesus taught that God’s people kill their own prophets ( Thessalonians 2:15) and called them “heretics” too. When Christians attack, or even kill, in the name of doctrine and God, it is heresy. When we use God as a cover, a way to hide in a group and feel secure, it’s taking His name in vain. When we fail to love our neighbor, we fail to abide in Christ and to love God. When Christians reject reality and obscure the evident teachings of Scripture that directly contend with American Evangelicalism, it is heresy. For a Christian, to be unloving is the primal heresy.

We’ve flipped our understanding of the word “faith” and, as such, have gotten really confused about what heresy is. What has happened, instead, especially in the last few hundred years, is that the word “heresy” is used as propaganda and scares Christians away from topics and subjects that Christian leaders are uncomfortable with. This is happening. According to most Evangelical pastors, this page’s content is heresy and comes from a heretical, recovering pastor. I contend that the gospel that’s out there isn’t the true, biblical Gospel. Who is the heretic?

Heresy isn’t defined solely by doctrinal deviation—it’s the danger of clinging to beliefs so tightly that we shut down genuine love and inquiry, becoming egoic and stuck. This is how heresy becomes orthodoxy. When we hold any claim as absolute and beyond question, we risk silencing the vibrant, messy dialogue that true discipleship demands. We also neglect Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit would “guide [us] into all the truth” (John 16:13). Heresy, then, is less about error and more about the refusal to reexamine what we claim to hold certain. It’s a caution against turning personal, transformative insights into rigid dogma that stifles growth and connection.

(Read more of my thoughts on this at From Honesty to Heresy: Rethinking What We Hold Certain.)

Narrative Theology

I believe that our understanding of Scripture should be as dynamic and multifaceted as the human experience itself: in Truth and Spirit. That’s why, instead of Systematic Theology, I advocate for Narrative Theology—an approach that doesn’t reduce faith to static propositions and accurately frames it as an invitation for subjective individuals to wrestle with profound, deep human truths.

Systematic Theology vertically imposes a predefined worldview onto Scripture – Narrative Theology applies Truth horizontally and makes faith about living out a better narrative than the typical victim/master mentality out there.

The Present Individual:
Every one of us is a subjective holon—an individual part of a larger whole. We are both objective and subjective conscious beings in a big world. There is Truth, but ultimately, every individual is responsible for what they believe. Narrative Theology challenges us to decide for ourselves what to believe and how to live out those truths.

The Author’s Intent:
We explore Scripture by delving into the cultural, historical, and psychological context of its writers, seeking an authentic interpretation of the author’s intent free from imposed externalities and modern assumptions.

The Audience’s Context:
Recognizing that every listener or reader comes with their own history and perspective, we consider how Scripture was first experienced in the past. Then, we honestly evaluate our present shape and reception of these sacred ideas.

The Larger Narrative:
Every story in Scripture is interwoven with broader religious, social, political, and philosophical themes. Each event is a thread in the vast tapestry of human and divine interaction. Even Scripture has a history: a before and after. We do not ignore or reject these.

My Doctrinal Distinctions & Definitions

In building a doctrinal statement that works in real life, much like Euclid’s postulates underpinning geometry, these are core definitions that attempt (…and fall short of the glory of God) to capture both the timeless and the transient aspects of our human existence. They function not as vertical systems but rather as horizontal, where the subjective individual lives and engages with the current objective. Think of them as guides to navigate life instead of dictates to be subject to. The ability to dialogue matters more to doctrine than dogma.

These are offered as authentic offerings from where this recovering pastor is now – if anything, they may permit us to wonder and think about them. These provide more definitions and conceptual understandings for the subjective person to live authentically Here and Now – it moves horizontally. It comes from within a human and integrates that human into all of Reality (God, others, and Creation). This is the “Kingdom of God” Jesus came proclaiming and was available just as it is now (Luke 17:20-21). N.T. Wright, Dallas Willard, and Francis Schaeffer have done enough scholarly work to show how our modern experience misses this key biblical doctrine.

It isn’t a vertical system that cookie-cuts the horizontal experience from a misunderstanding of old ideas. There are some old things we need to cut off for the new to come.

• God:
  Note: My first youth ministry was a Baptist middle school group in Boise. I wrote a youth curriculum teaching them 4 different arguments for God’s existence. Currently, I’m transparent that, “on paper,” I do not know if there is a “God” as conceptualized by American Evangelicalism. However, I authentically have a personal relationship with God that’s …”ineffable” and has broken me in ways I very much needed.
  
  Let’s start with acknowledging that we’re talking about the ultimate mystery and object beyond our human perception.
  
  God is the mystery that precedes, permeates, and transcends all reality—a divine awareness that calls each of us to engage with the unfolding narrative of life. Whether we name this presence “God,” “the Universe,” an alien simulation, magic, a Fiat-Judge as a Father figure, or “the uncaused cause,” we need a psychological and experiential concept that invites us to be in a relationship with the ineffable.

• Narrative Theology (Embodied “Philosophy”): Faith isn’t about agreeing with or memorizing dogma—it’s about living a story in alignment with a different narrative that continuously unfolds, shaped by our experiences and encounters with the divine. It’s more than how we vote, and our voting can show what we have faith in. We, as humans, live in a narrative anyway. This approach aligns correctly with the historical, modern, and evolving direction of humanity standing before us.
• Historical Accuracy: If Scripture forms the foundation of our understanding, then an objective, thorough grasp of its context and content is paramount. Traditions that rewrite history while still using its source material are clearly illogical and dysfunctional. Orthodoxy that’s unable to account for the continued work of God in all of Creation or to accommodate ongoing understanding and learning is an institution, not discipleship.
• Scientific & Spiritual Integration: Science is not the enemy of faith; it is a method of uncovering essential truths about our world. Integrating rigorous inquiry with mystical experience enables a spirituality that’s both intellectually honest and experientially transformative—mirroring the call to “be holy as I am holy” through genuine sanctification and transformation.
• Sin: Sin dehumanizes and distorts our reality, leading us away from life and truth. It’s the mindset that perpetuates ego, death, and deception. It arises from our insecurities, egos, and disbelief in the state of Creation, including and preceding Genesis 2:25. Sin is that which “is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it” (Genesis 4:7).
• Faith: True faith is lived out in the moment and practically, not prepositionally—a commitment to embodying a better narrative rather than clinging to inaccurate or unhealthy frameworks. Faith is what we do when we struggle to live in Truth and Love, when we struggle to walk in the Light with other humans and admit it, or when we fall back into past ways of thinking getting in our way now and we keep going anyway. It’s planting a seed for generations to come. It’s believing that by doing good, we will, in time, bear a harvest. It’s trusting in your Here and Now. The Serenity Prayer captures the essence of faith.
• Love (Agape): Love is the ultimate command; it is the force that unifies all other principles. Agape Love is the unconditional desire for the well-being of others without expectation or attachment. It’s the essence of connection and relationship. All of Scripture, according to the Apostle Paul, falls under this one word. Loving others (and our enemies and ourselves) is inextricably linked to our love for God. Love is not a static emotion but a radical, active practice that transforms both the individual and the community.
• Ego-Death: The Ego is an image of ourselves that we protect: an idol. Following Christ means taking up our cross—dying to the self to truly live. Ego-death is the process of shedding the illusions and attachments that prevent us from embracing vulnerability, empathy, and the transformative power of truth in love.
• Nature of Christ: He was equally and fully both divine and human. However, I think the controversies from 1800 years ago and the implications of Jesus’ message are about to resurface…and good.
• Trinity: As a concept found in Scripture, I recognize it. Aside from that, we all acknowledge it’s a mystery. Stay tuned for more, and refer to the God and Nature of Christ definitions above.
• Soul: Our soul—our consciousness and awareness—is a deeply contested mystery. While I’m still exploring its eternal dimensions, I affirm that our inner life is intimately connected to something enduring, shaping our human trajectory and behavior.
• Afterlife: I’m still unsure “on paper” and might be for a long time, but I remain open to the mystery of an afterlife. I believe in “eternal life” right now and in being a part of something bigger than ourselves. This informs and restricts my following definitions.
• Heaven: Heaven isn’t a distant, future promise—it’s the unfolding reality of God’s presence here and now, available to all who choose to trust it and surrender their ego.
• Hell: Hell is the consequence of rejecting truth and succumbing to the ego—a state of human suffering and disconnection from what is real.
• Salvation: Salvation is liberation from our own destructive patterns and narratives—freedom, enlightenment, peace, and transformative love are in the here and now.
• Scripture: Sacred writings that capture the narrative and worldview of the disciples attempting to follow both.
• Word of God: The Word of God is the dynamic, living communication of God—it’s when Truth actively hits our hearts (and, in its fullest expression, is embodied in Jesus Christ). It is something that was at the beginning of Creation and speaks now. It’s embodied, effective, and deeply personal.
• Ineffability: For now, “ineffability” is not something that can be moved outside of the human psyche and enforced upon an object. This was a misconception and failing of the ancient Catholic Church we’re still dealing with. Ineffability is a neurological reality we experience, as in when you and I “know something more true and anything else” (this statement assumes a subjective scale of ineffability). This is why I can not be sure what God is or even if He is, while still having an ineffable relationship with Him.
• Holy Spirit: For now, Socrates spoke of having an inner voice he was always willing to listen to, even up to the moment of accepting his execution. This, in modern terms, is sometimes called our “conscience” (think Jiminy Cricket). Modern neuroscience, as well as spiritual transformation, is showing us that this innate ability to listen (and not just react) is, in fact, there but has been frustratingly out of reach for a statistical majority of humans (c.f. Romans 12:1-2). There’s a lot of evidence pointing to the right hemisphere and neurological integration being a key element for the Holy Spirit: its nature, influence, and fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
• Sanctification: Jungian Integration provides an accurate model for understanding the biblical concept of sanctification.

5 New Solos: A Reimagined Theological Compass

Drawing inspiration from classic formulations while acknowledging their limitations, here is my personal pivot on the solos—proposing a framework that’s both simple and honest. These are less about proposing new Solos than about suggesting issues with Martin Luther’s original – these are my logical and Scriptural challenges to his. To be frank, these need work, and I don’t know Latin.

Sola Agape: Love transcends boundaries. To love others, our enemies, and even ourselves is to participate in the very act of loving God. This is not a transactional equation but a radical, all-encompassing commitment to the transformative power of love. It is the only marker and fruit of loving God.

Sola Scriptura (as Narrative Theology):
Scripture is reimagined not as a static set of rules but as a human narrative that subjectively engages with the present. It demands historical accuracy, honest personal application, self-awareness, and a commitment to acceptance. Engaging with the written Word also means remaining open to and discipled with the ever-active, dynamic Word of God in our lives—liberating us from stagnating assumptions or insecurities.

Solo Veritas:
Truth is both subjective and objective—it is where our inner life meets external reality. Solo Veritas challenges us to be reliable, honest, and vulnerable; to practice self-discipline, empathy, and wisdom; and to let our understanding evolve as we continually refine our view of ourselves and the world.

Sola Christus:
Christ is our only model, moral teacher, and objective. His life calls us to humble submission—dying to our self-centeredness so that we may live fully in truth and love. In His example, we find the way to genuine discipleship, one that transforms us from the inside out. We chose to see the world as He does and engage with others in the same worldview.

Soli Deo Gloria:
Ultimately, all that we are and do is for the glory of God. This perspective recognizes God as the uncaused, sustaining presence beneath all existence and that we’re not It. It is a call to live with gratitude, detachment, and a deep acceptance of our fate—as we participate in the Kingdom of God here and now.

BONUS: An Eschatological Vision

The Coming of the Son of Man

I’ve wrestled with eschatologies in the past until I realized Revelation was about the events and times of the first-century church, not about our fixation on making it all about us. Yet, there is still a grand and global vision contained within Scripture. The idea below came out of my last year of searching. It’s becoming one of those things I can’t unsee now. Stay tuned for more.

The coming of the Son of Man is understood as the fulfillment of Christ’s vision for humanity—a process of inner and collective renewal rather than a single cataclysmic event. As the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:28, “When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him that put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” This passage teaches that even the Son will ultimately be united with the Father, pointing to a future when the full measure of Christ’s redemptive work is realized in every believer. In Ephesians 4:13, Paul exhorts believers to mature “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God,” indicating that the expansion of Christ’s kingdom occurs as hearts grow in love and truth—a gradual, transformative process that unfolds over time.

Scripture also reveals a striking narrative of restoration: from the confusion of languages at Babel to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to all languages and nations in Revelation, there is a clear thread of “unbabeling” that points to a world coming back into harmonious order. From before Ezekiel, God has promised He would write His law within us and on our hearts (Ezekiel 36:37), and Paul recognized it happening in his time – perhaps we should too. John the Apostle closed his Revelation with a vision of Heaven and Earth merging after Christ and the Church were finally united when Death and Sin were no more. This is the essence of what we pray for in “Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”

Just as Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15) and every person is created in His likeness, the promised renewal is for all of humanity. Jesus already tore down the dividing walls between Jews and Greeks, slave and free, and male and female 2000 years ago. Hebrews 12:1–3 encourages running our race with endurance by fixing our eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy set before Him. In this view, the “coming of the Son of Man” is not a distant, isolated event but an ongoing, transformative awakening—a call for every human (“son of man”) to forsake hatred and despair and to embrace a life of bold forgiveness, honest self-examination, and inspired unity, until ultimately “God may be all in all.”

This promise isn’t about physical annihilation but about the resurrection of dry bones on Earth, a realization of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 17:20–21 that “the kingdom of God is in your midst.” The Earth’s future is not of doom but one in which Heaven and Earth are finally unified. This time is coming, and I believe we’re on the cusp just before it.

A Living Will & Testament

This “Statement of Faith” is an ongoing experiment—a candid, evolving map of faith—and a testament to a lifelong journey marked by curiosity, doubt, discovery, failures, and the ongoing quest for truth. I invite everyone to explore these ideas further, dive into the deeper discussions on the blog, and join others in an evolving conversation about life, faith, and the divine narrative we are all part of.

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