Podcasts by Deeply Spiritual but Rather Uncertain - with Skip Collins

Personal Being or Divine Presence from 2023-09-12T09:22:30

For all my life, I have understood God to be a personal being rather than some impersonal force. But in recent months the idea of God as a personal being has seemed a very limiting understanding...

How Did We Get It So Wrong? from 2023-07-10T10:36:56

The philosophy of the modern mega-church is flawed. Christian Nationalism is dangerous. Jesus shares a very different message in the Beatitudes. 

Website:  Listen

Seeing Salvation Through a Wider Lens from 2023-06-01T11:01:56

The words Salvation or Saved or Savior appears about 500 times in the Bible. For most of my life every time I read the word I assumed it was ultimately talking about going to heaven when you die...

Seeing Faith Through a Wider Lens from 2023-03-09T10:25:58

Sometimes we think of faith only in terms of what we believe about God. But what if faith is much bigger and broader and more transformative than that? And what if what we believe about God, car...

Agreement is NOT overrated from 2023-02-07T06:00

It's pretty easy to come up with a list of things we disagree on.  But what about a list of things that we agree on?  Are there things that Progressives, and Evangelicals, and Mainline Churches ...

Glenn Conradt’s Story from 2022-11-30T12:15:27

Is there anything more powerful in our world than story?  I don't think so.  And that is why I want to take some time to share stories of our LGBTQ+ siblings.  We start with a friend from South ...

Free to Love #6 - A Plea to the Church from 2022-11-14T13:07

In this episode, we plead to the church to rethink its view!  Something has to change!

Website:  www.skipcollins.com

Patreon:  Listen

Free to Love #5 - The Arch of Scripture Leans Toward Inclusion from 2022-09-28T10:42:55

So far we have spoken about what the Bible doesn't say.  In this episode, we are talking about what the Bible does say.  This is at the very heart of the argument of the full inclusion of the LG...

Free to Love #4 - Did Paul really mean what I think he means? from 2022-09-14T07:05:33

Today we look at the New Testament passages that seems to condemn same-sex relationships. Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy 1:10.  It's not as easy as you might think.  

 <...

Free to Love # 3 - Abuse, Abominations, and the Death Penalty from 2022-08-31T05:00

This week we unpack 3 Old Testament passages that have been used in the argument against LGBTQAI+ inclusion.  The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, and Leviticus 20:13....

Free to Love #2 - In the beginning God Created... a filter... from 2022-08-23T05:00

Finish this sentence. God created Adam and Eve not...  Yes, we've all heard the creation argument used against our LGBTQ friends.  But the truth is that it does not hold up at all in the questio...

Free to Love - my road to inclusion and affirmation from 2022-08-17T08:38:10

The Christian Church is facing a very serious crossroads around LGBTQIA+ inclusion.  Already major denominations are splitting over the issue.  When we say everybody is welcome, what do we reall...

Seeing God From Both Sides Now from 2022-07-05T07:36:08

In this episode we continue our Both Sides Now discussion and look at how we see/understand/relate to God.  

Facebook:  https://www.fa...

The Bible... from Both Sides Now from 2022-06-21T06:11:02

It seems that the way we view and understand the Bible can become a massive stumbling block as we deconstruct our faith.  Today we look at how we view Scripture through the different stages of o...

Both Sides Now from 2022-06-06T07:19:05

In this episode, we explore the liminal space of deconstruction - the stage in your spiritual journey when you question and doubt - the stage that makes you wonder if everything you ever believe...

Interview with Grace Family Church Week 3 - Suffering from 2022-03-31T06:24:51

In this last of 3 interviews, I did with Tom Basson of Grace Family Church we speak of the unanswerable question of suffering.

Grace Family Church Website - www.grace.o...

Interview with Grace Family Church - week 1 from 2022-03-15T06:00

I had the chance to sit down with Tom Basson on Zoom recently.  Tom is the Co-Senior Pastor at Grace Family Church in South Africa.  This was actually for their podcast and goes with a sermon se...

Compassion vs Holiness from 2022-03-04T08:19:22

All of my life I've been taught about holiness and purity.  Be Holy as God is Holy.  But what if compassion trumps holiness and purity?  In fact what if the politics of holiness is actually doin...

Let There Be Light from 2022-02-15T05:00

Several New Testament authors declare that Jesus is the light of the world.  But then Jesus says YOU are the light of the world?  It's interesting that he never said "You are the truth of the wo...

Deconstruction - good or bad? from 2022-02-02T05:00

Welcome to Season Five (I think)  In this episode I want to talk a bit about this idea of deconstruction.  Deconstruction is new language for something that goes all the way back to Jesus!  What...

Trust is Hard - Control is Easy from 2021-06-02T05:13:27

Trust is hard.  Control is easy.  That's all I have to say about that.  

Not really!  Check out the podcast.  

If you are able to support the podcast financially go to Listen

Forgiveness or Healing? from 2021-05-17T06:37:39

Are we more in need of forgiveness or healing?  The answer might surprise you! 

If you are able to support the podcast financially go to Listen

Why Did Jesus Die... Really? from 2021-03-30T23:47:57

For so many people deconstruction destroys Good Friday and Easter.  The reasons that are given as to why what happened, happened just don't ring true anymore.  It seems to me that the problem is...

Prayer and Deconstruction from 2021-03-15T08:42:07

Prayer is one of the most difficult things to manage during a time of deconstruction.  Should I do it?  Does it even "work"?  In this episode, I talk about my own journey with pray and why I qui...

The Slippery Slope Really Isn't as Bad as it Seems from 2021-03-01T06:03:05

Welcome to season 4!  It's been a great break and we've got some great things planned for this season starting now!  

Recently, a number of people have asked me how I got from where I was...

Advent - peace is hard to find from 2020-12-22T03:56:17

Isaiah calls Jesus the Prince of Peace.  So where is this peace?  It seems to me we are more divided than ever in 2020!  Where do we find this prince of peace?  

If you would like to cont...

Advent - Hope in Exile from 2020-12-07T05:06:48

Advent is about hope.  But how do we find hope when all seems hopeless?  In today's episode, we look at the prophets that spoke hope into a very hopeless situation when the people of Israel were...

Why I Don't Believe in the Traditional View of Hell from 2020-11-24T05:03:39

If anyone tries to tell you that the doctrine of Hell is very clear in Scripture, I'm sorry but they don't know what they are talking about!  And if they tell you that they believe what Christia...

A New Look at the Kingdom of God episode 3 from 2020-11-11T05:00

"The Kingdom of God is like..." is the way that Jesus often started his stories.  He was trying to paint a picture of what the Kingdom of God looks like.  In this episode, we are looking at the ...

A New Look at the Kingdom of God - part 2 from 2020-10-27T06:00

When Jesus wanted to explain to his disciples and the people around what the Kingdom of God was, he told stories.  He would say, "this was what the Kingdom of God is like... once upon a time"  W...

A New Look at the Kingdom of God - part 1 from 2020-10-13T07:00

All of my life I've been taught, and I've taught that the Kingdom of God is the place where God rules and reigns.  But what if that's not really right.  What if the Kingdom of God is about relat...

Reframing Romans part 2 from 2020-08-25T07:00:03

What if we are reading Romans all wrong?  What if it's not about how I get right with God so I can go to heaven when I die?  That's the discussion on this week's podcast. You might want to pull ...

Reframing Romans part1 from 2020-08-04T07:33:27

For many that are deconstructing their traditional faith to a more progressive outlook Romans is a problem.  What do you do with it?  Just ignore it and hopes it goes away?  This is the beginnin...

Creation, Evolution and the Expanding Universe from 2020-07-21T08:58:08

The question of the day... Do we interpret the Bible through science or science through the Bible?  Is Genesis 1 and 2 to be taken literally?  Does any of that have anything to do with my life h...

Has The Gospel Failed Us? from 2020-07-01T03:58:48

If you have been around Christianity for even a very short time you probably know what the Gospel is.  In Evangelicalism, it's Jesus taking our sin upon Himself on the cross and dying in our pla...

Spiritual Practices in Deconstruction from 2020-06-18T08:56:51

So often I hear people who are in the midst of deconstructing their faith talk about their struggle with spiritual practices.  The practices that used to make sense don't anymore.  The practices...

Hello, My name is Skip and I"m a Seven from 2020-06-03T06:38:56

I have been a fan of the Enneagram for 25 years!  It's been absolutely transformational in my life through times of crisis as well as the journey of deconstruction. So I decided to do an episode...

The Empire Strikes Back from 2020-05-18T05:45:44

2 Kings chapter 5 is a story of the prophet Elisha and a guy by the name of Naaman who is the Commander of the armies of Aram.  In it, we see a beautiful contrast of the Empire, with the Kingdom...

Is God Really in Control? from 2020-05-06T08:47:58

God is in control.  It's a phrase we hear over and over in Christian circles.  But what does it really mean?  Is God really in control?  If so, then you can see why some people think he/she is d...

The Sacrament of Disruption from 2020-04-22T03:27

Disruption is a regular activity of life.  Sometimes we volunteer for it - like when we have children or change jobs - sometimes it is thrust upon us without warning.  In the church, we have t...

Certainty, Control and the Canon from 2020-04-09T09:02:41

I've been thinking a lot about my own need for certainty.  These times are crazy and I really want to know when it will end.  I really want to know what the "new normal" is going to look like.  ...

Weaponizing the Bible Against the Corona Virus from 2020-04-01T06:52:09

For many years we have heard people weaponize the Bible against whatever would come against them.  We quote it at the enemy and if we do that we will be protected.  This wrong use of the Bible h...

Where Did the Bible Come From and Can We Trust It from 2020-03-16T06:00

There are lots of questions around the Canonization of Scripture and does that process make the Bible less trustworthy.  Who decided what books to include and what gave them the authority to mak...

Andiswa's Story from 2020-03-03T05:00

This is the story of a little girl who has challenged my thinking in a number of areas.  In this episode, I will share her tragic story and the lessons I learned in watching and loving her.  

Andiswa's Story pt 2 from 2020-03-03T04:00

What is there for a 66-year-old white man to learn from a little girl who was abandoned by her parents, contracted TB Meningitis, TB on the spine, and Hydrocephlis and then passed away at 15 mon...

Women in Church Leadership - An Interview with Dr Mickie O'Donnell from 2019-10-15T07:28:26

Since the beginning of the church, women have been told that they are not allowed to lead in church world.  That role has been given to the men - by God himself.  Personally, I believe our churc...

Gender Equality - Or Not... from 2019-10-08T06:00

Within Christianity, everybody pretty much agrees on the fact that both women and men are created in the image of God - but that's pretty much where the agreement ends.  What is the role of the ...

God our Father, God our Mother from 2019-10-01T06:00

How comfortable are you with referring to God as "she" or God as Mother?  Just because the Bible generally uses the pronoun "he", does that mean we should only think of God as male?  And the mor...

A Conversation with Brett "Fish" Anderson from 2019-09-17T06:00

Brett "Fish" Anderson is a unique human being.  A member of ImproGuise, the longest-running show in Capetown, and a voice calling the church and Christians to issues of justice especially in the...

A Follow-up to the Truth Episode from 2019-09-10T06:00

After last weeks episode on "Who's Truth is THE Truth" I felt like there were some things that were left unsaid.  And in this episode, we ask 2 questions.  Is it ok to believe anything under the...

Who's truth is THE truth? from 2019-09-03T06:00

Where do we find answers for the tough questions of ethics and morality in our world?  How do Christians decide where we stand on issues like the injustice or women in leadership or LGBTQI or th...

Mark Baber Interview from 2019-08-20T07:06:18

From a conservative Southern Baptist Pastor to a Progressive Evangelical Christian - That's my friend Mark Baber.  I had the great privilege of sitting down with Mark (on Skype) to talk about th...

God's Wrath - is it a thing? from 2019-08-06T06:00

Have you ever cringed when you read the line, "the wrath of God", in the Bible or heard a sermon on God's wrath?  Have you ever wondered if you would manage to escape God's wrath?  Yeah, me too....

Mark VanStraaten Interview - The Law of First Learning from 2019-07-23T04:55:10

I actually love change.  But I know many people struggle with change especially when it comes to Christian beliefs.  Today I sit down to talk with my friend and colleague Mark VanStraaten to tal...

Shift Happens from 2019-07-09T06:00

When you hear people say, "I just believe what Christians have always believed" you can pretty confidently (but nicely)  say "actually you don't".   The truth is that what we believe today is th...

Joshua Collins Interview from 2019-06-25T06:09:11

Recently I got to sit down with my oldest son, Josh and talk about his life and his spiritual journey growing up as a Missionary Kid in South Africa.  It's a conversation that we have had before...

Whatever Happened to Sin? from 2019-06-18T03:01:34

Season 2

Let's start Season 2 on a happy note. Let's talk about sin!   The word is used hundreds of times in the Bible.  But what is it really?  How do I know if I've done it?  Are there ...

The Big Five of the Bible - Mission Episode 14 from 2019-04-15T03:00

This week we wrap up our series on the Big Five themes of the Bible and we talk about Mission.  At the same time we wrap up Season 1.   I am going to regroup a bit, spend some time with my Houst...

The Big Five of the Bible - Redemption from 2019-04-01T04:47:55

At what point in my spiritual journey am I actually forgiven?  Are we born inherently evil - totally depraved?  Did God's wrath actually have to be appeased by killing his own son?  These are qu...

The Big Five of the Bible - Justice part 2 from 2019-03-18T03:55:51

In this episode, we continue our discussion of the theme of Justice in the bible.  We explore the Hebrew word for righteousness as well as the Greek word in the New Testament that is used for bo...

The Big Five of the Bible - Justice part 1 from 2019-03-11T04:11:10

Without a doubt, if you are talking about the major themes of the Bible you have to talk about justice.  It comes up over and over again in both the Old and New Testaments.  The word Misphat whi...

The Big Five of the Bible - Grace from 2019-03-04T06:53:31

If you had to pick the five major themes of the Bible, what would you say?  Of course, we know that the answer to that is very subjective.  There really isn't a right or wrong answer.  But I tho...

Is the Bible Inspired? Authoritative? Episode 9 from 2019-02-25T05:23:26

Following on from last weeks episode we look the question of Is the Bible inspired?  If it is, what the heck does that mean?  Do I actually have to do everything it says?

Further reading ...

Is The Bible Inerrant? - Episode 8 from 2019-02-18T06:19:07

Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible is without fault or error in its original teaching. It's what I believed and even preached for much of my life.  It has been at the bedrock of mod...

Glimpses of the true character of God in the Old Testament - Episode 7 from 2019-02-11T04:11:41

Hebrews 1:1 says,  God, who gave our forefathers many different glimpses of the truth in the words of the prophets, has now, at the end of the present age, given us the truth in the Son. (JB Phi...

Anger, Vengeance and Wrath, O My - Episode 6 from 2019-02-04T01:47:30

Have you ever been disturbed by the amount of violence that there is in the Bible?  Have you ever run across passages where God commands the genocide of entire nations, including innocent childr...

Is God Inclusive or Exclusive? Episode 5 from 2019-01-27T22:17:10

Is God/the Gospel/Christianity inclusive or exclusive?  Is Jesus the only way to God or are there other ways? 

I grew up in the era of the Jesus Movement in the '70s.  While "the world" w...

It All Starts With Jesus - Episode 4 from 2019-01-20T06:52:58

Who is God?  It's quite a profound question for sure.  The answer is as complex as the world around us and yet simple enough for a child to understand. 

Everybody knows that when you are ...

Who is God Really? - Episode 3 from 2019-01-13T21:47:48

When you read the Bible do you ever wonder who God is... really?  Does it ever seem like the Biblical descriptions of God contradict each other.  Is he a jealous vengeful violent God?  Or is he ...

Faith Doubt and Uncertainty - Episode 2 from 2019-01-13T21:29:17

In this episode I look at the subject of doubt – can a person who is not too sure about what they believe still have a deep spirituality? Can they have questions about who God is, or the Bible, ...

Episode #1 - Introduction from 2018-11-26T03:44:29

Thanks for stopping by my new podcast!  I am very excited to finally be publishing this.  In this Introduction I will introduce myself (for those that don't have a clue who I am) and share why y...