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About Matthew J. Distefano
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source3 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source3 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source3 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source4 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source4 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source4 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source4 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source5 months ago Read more
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Blog postTo view this content, you must be a member of Matthew's Patreon - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source5 months ago Read more
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Contrary to what some may say, this book, rather than being the product of a demonic lie, is an open and honest set of answers to the questions wrestled with by countless Christians the world over. And while nothing in Heretic! is completely unique—that is, much of the theology contained herein goes as far back as Christianity itself—Distefano creatively puts his unique perspective and humor onto the pages with care. Refreshing and liberating, this is a must read for any who dare question their inherited doctrines.
While millions of believers around the world are finding their understanding of Christianity to be outdated and untenable, Matthew Distefano has managed to paint the Gospel in such a way that even an atheist could appreciate its beauty. Rather than a message of rapture, or rewards and reprisals, Distefano presents the good news of what God has done in history to stem the tide of our own violence and evil—inviting us into a whole new way of living and being in this world. By integrating René Girard’s “mimetic theory” and Ernest Becker’s “death anxiety,” Distefano is able to diagnose the root causes of human violence and then offer the life-giving solution in the person of Jesus. Both the struggling evangelical and unbeliever alike can take refuge here, finding in this Gospel the thing their soul—and the disintegrating world around them—is thirsting for.
The Bonfire Sessions: Winter is a thought-provoking booklet that discusses: what happens to friends and family when you deconstruct your faith, whether or not conversations such as these are actually important, the divisiveness of American politics, and how Michael is handling his cancer diagnosis.
With rawness and vulnerability, as well as a large dose of salty language, this set of conversations delivers quite a punch. Sometimes funny, sometimes profound, but always honest, the two hosts of The Bonfire Sessions podcast come together to deliver the fourth in a collection of four booklets that will be sure to challenge your heart, soul, and mind. So, pour your favorite drink and fill your long-stemmed pipe, and get ready for some high-quality fellowship.
The Bonfire Sessions: Spring is a thought-provoking booklet that discusses: deconstruction and how it impacted the authors' friendship, suffering and how it fits into the human narrative, doubt and how it is not the opposite of faith, evangelicalism and living an authentic life, and how Buddhism and Christianity can co-exist.
With rawness and vulnerability, as well as a large dose of salty language, this set of conversations delivers quite a punch. Sometimes funny, sometimes profound, but always honest, the two hosts of The Bonfire Sessions podcast come together to deliver the first in a collection of four booklets that will be sure to challenge your heart, soul, and mind. So, pour your favorite drink and fill your long-stemmed pipe, and get ready for some high-quality fellowship.
The Bonfire Sessions: Summer is a thought-provoking booklet that discusses: the tragic Camp Fire that burned down the town of Paradise and Mike's house along with it, how to live in the present moment, racism and white privilege in America, and how free will is often misunderstood in the West.
With rawness and vulnerability, as well as a large dose of salty language, this set of conversations delivers quite a punch. Sometimes funny, sometimes profound, but always honest, the two hosts of The Bonfire Sessions podcast come together to deliver the second in a collection of four booklets that will be sure to challenge your heart, soul, and mind. So, pour your favorite drink and fill your long-stemmed pipe, and get ready for some high-quality fellowship.
The Bonfire Sessions: Autumn is a thought-provoking booklet that discusses: the current climate crisis and racial tensions in the United States, how power can and often does corrupt those in leadership positions, why tragedy and loss are often a catalyst for appreciation, and why, in spite of all the suffering in the world, both authors have at least some hope for the future, even if it is just a fool's hope.
With rawness and vulnerability, as well as a large dose of salty language, this set of conversations delivers quite a punch. Sometimes funny, sometimes profound, but always honest, the two hosts of The Bonfire Sessions podcast come together to deliver the third in a collection of four booklets that will be sure to challenge your heart, soul, and mind. So, pour your favorite drink and fill your long-stemmed pipe, and get ready for some high-quality fellowship.
So, as Distefano advises, "take your time and enjoy these discussions." They are transparent and hopeful, refreshingly liberating, and are imbued with complete awe toward the goodness of the Creator and her creation.
"Correspondence between friends is always illuminating. Here, Distefano and Machuga tackle issues close to the heart: what it means to be human, why religion does not work, and why a careful ear for listening to each other is essential to both friendship and knowledge. This is a truly fascinating read of two younger adults navigating their way into post-modernity."
--Michael Hardin, Executive Director, Preaching Peace; author of The Jesus Driven Life
"This book is about the collapse of a Christian worldview, the one that says the thing Jesus saves from is an eternal hell of torment. The anxieties and contradictions of this kind of theology are too awful to sustain, and A Journey With Two Mystics lays them all out with autobiographical clarity in a gentle epistolary exchange between two friends."
--Anthony W. Bartlett, author of Virtually Christian andPascale's Wager
"Reading this book is like getting an accessible crash course in a range of interconnected ideas about the human predicament and the promise of salvation. But not the kind of course you'd get in a classroom. It's more like the voyeuristic pleasure of listening in on two friends, animated by philosophical and theological ideas, passionately sharing their thoughts by a bonfire. In fact, that's exactly how this book was born."
--Eric Reitan, Oklahoma State University
"In this book you are invited to listen in on a thrilling conversation between two pilgrims, one a follower of Rene Girard and the other a fan of Alan Watts. Perhaps you will overhear your own story. Perhaps you too will find your faith renewed."
--John E. Phelan, Jr., North Park Theological Seminary
"From Buddhism to Christianity to Rene Girard to Alan Watts to Gandalf--this book is full of profound wisdom. Distefano and Machuga are excellent guides to the truth found in these traditions."
--Adam Ericksen, Education Director, The Raven ReView; blogger, Teaching Nonviolent Atonement on Patheos
"Correspondence between friends is always illuminating. Here, Distefano and Machuga tackle issues close to the heart: what it means to be human, why religion does not work, and why a careful ear for listening to each other is essential to both friendship and knowledge. This is a truly fascinating read of two younger adults navigating their way into post-modernity."
--Michael Hardin, Executive Director, Preaching Peace, author of The Jesus Driven Life
Matthew J. Distefano is the author of All Set Free and From the Blood of Abel, and is a regular contributor for Unfundamentalist Christians on Patheos.
All Set Free sets out to answer some of the more difficult questions Christians today are faced with. It will challenge the Augustinian understanding of hell and the Calvinist understanding of the atonement; replacing them with a more Christ-centered understanding of both doctrines. This book will also use the work of René Girard in order to reshape how many understand "what it means to be human." Then and only then should we ask: "Who is God?"
Come explore what has become Matthew's theological pilgrimage to this point. Come discover the God of peace.
"All Set Free . . . is a challenging, provocative study which utilizes the mimetic theory of René Girard to reframe the perspective by which readers read the Bible."
--Michael Hardin, Executive Director of Preaching Peace, editor/author of eight books, including The Jesus Driven Life
"Distefano contributes an accessible yet accurate synthesis of how post-Evangelicals might integrate the discoveries of mimetic theory into an increasingly clear vision of the non-retributive God."
--Bradley Jersak, Author of A More Christlike God
"All Set Free . . . gives us a positive message of a nonviolent God whose deep attraction promises to make the rote prayer of 'your kingdom come...on earth' become thrilling human reality. A vital book for twenty-first-century Christianity."
--Anthony W. Bartlett, Author, Co-Founder and Contributing Theologian at Theology and Peace
"All Set Free is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature that challenges the inherited ideas of a violent God and a God for whom forgiveness and salvation depend on a propitiating death of Jesus."
--J. Denny Weaver, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Bluffton University
"In All Set Free, Distefano presents a way of reading the scriptures that will be new to many. And therein lies its value. We do not gain new insight by simply affirming what we already believe, we expand our thinking by exposing ourselves to ideas that might contradict our current beliefs. . . . A very timely book indeed."
--Andre Rabe, Founder of Always Loved Ministries and Author of Desire Found Me
Matthew J. Distefano is a regular contributor for The Raven Foundation. He is an outspoken advocate for global peace and non-violence. Matthew is married with one daughter and enjoys the great outdoors.