INTERVIEW: John Fugelsang Talks To Keith Giles

LISTEN: Sirius XM Radio Host John Fugelsang interviews Keith Giles about his new book "Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb".

Recorded live on Tuesday, Oct. 10th, 2017 on "Tell Me Everything".

Used by permission.

CHURCH OF THE HEART PODCAST: Giving It All Away

In this episode: Keith Giles of the Mission House Church in Santa Ana, California talks about being a part of a fellowship that has as its goal giving everything that the group takes in to help the poor in the community. Dan and Keith also discuss politics, millennials, Keith’s books and a few other things.

CLICK LINK HERE TO LISTEN>

VIDEO INTERVIEW: Prophecy Brothers Talk With Keith Giles About "Jesus Untangled"

One of the best conversations I've had about faith and politics is this one with the guys known as The Prophecy Brothers.

Check it out.

PODCAST INTERVIEW: Preston Sprinkle Talks To Keith Giles

Today in the basement Preston Sprinkle is talking to Keith Giles. Most recently, Keith is the author of Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.

The book dives into the relationship of Christianity and politics and even suggests that "the greatest threat to Christianity is American Christianity".

Keith is also a part of a house church that gives away 100% of all offerings to the poor in their community. 

You can follow Keith on twitter @keithgiles

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN>

FINAL: Podcast Dialog - "Does The Evangelical View of the Cross Lead To Violence?"

Awesome Part 3 of a conversation between Quoir authors Matthew Distefano, Keith Giles, and Jamal Jivanjee and about how Evangelical Christian views of the crucifixion relate to ideas about redemptive violence, and more.

In this Podcast we talk about:

• 2:30 – Are we making claims for the Bible that it doesn’t even make for itself?
• 9:55 – What is a “Flat Bible” perspective vs a “Jesus-Centric” perspective?
• 14:50 – Why Jesus is superior to the Old Testament
• 18:40 – Has the Bible hindered Christianity?
• 26:00 – Is it appropriate to “chuck the Scripture”?
• 30:25 – Why context matters
• 31:50 – Why the Holy Spirit and community are essential to understanding Scripture

AND MORE!

PART 1 HERE>

PART 2 HERE>

PART 2: PODCAST- Does The Evangelical View of the Cross Lead To Violence?

Part 2 of a conversation between Quoir authors Keith Giles, Jamal Jivanjee and Matthew Distefano about how Evangelical Christian views of the crucifixion relate to ideas about redemptive violence, and more.

LISTEN TO PART 1 HERE

NOTE: I personally do not believe that the Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory is what ultimately leads to violence. 

Case in point: The early Christians did not embrace this PSA theory until John Calvin introduced it in the 1500s, and yet they did engage in a lot of violence against others, and even one another.

However: The PSA view does impact the way we see God and it does often provide justification for our own violence because, if God is violent can't we be violent, too?

In this Podcast we talk about:

*Why did Jesus have to die on the cross?

*What is the mechanism that creates the necessity for Christ's death?

*What is Mimetic Theory and how does it relate to the crucifixion?

*If Jesus wasn't killed by His Father to satisfy His wrath and make it possible for us to be forgiven, then what was the cross all about?

*Why did Peter deny Jesus? Was this a special character flaw or are we all wired to go along with the crowd?

*Why is Jesus' invitation to "Follow Me" crucial to our ingrained tendency to imitate the desire of others?

*What does it mean to say that "No one has ever seen God at any time [except Jesus]?"

AND MORE!

LISTEN HERE:



LEARN MORE?

Suggested reading for further study:
*Reading the Bible with Rene Girard, edited by Michael Hardin
*I See Satan Fall Like Lightning by Rene Girard
*From The Blood of Abel by Matthew Distefano
*Raising Abel by James Alison
*Desire Found Me by Andre Rabe

For more on the "Flat Bible vs Jesus-Centric" discussion:
*Jesus Untangled:Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb by Keith Giles

Online Resources:
VIDEO: The Monster God Debate [Start with part 2 here]
VIDEO: The Beautiful Gospel by Brad Jersak

WEBSITES:
www.RavenFoundation.org
www.PreachingPeace.org

PODCAST: Libertarian Christian Podcast Interview Keith Giles

In this week’s episode of the Libertarian Christian Podcast, we are joined by author Keith Giles, whose new book Jesus Untangled is making waves with its thesis that the Church must separate itself from the state.

Doug and Nick discuss with Giles how he reached his conclusions and his insights on contemporary Christian political thought, as well as explore what he thinks of libertarianism and how his thesis lines up with LCI’s.

This was a fantastic interview, and if you’re looking for a clear, readable resource which plainly explains to the everyday Christian why the Church allying with the state is both unwise and unholy, then Giles’ Jesus Untangled is a great choice. Hopefully it will help many more Christians untangle from the web before the statist spider injects its venom and then charges them for the government-monopolized cure.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN>

Interview: TogetherLA Talks To Author About Political Compromise

[FROM THE ARTICLE]

As the Church has become increasingly entangled in the pursuit of politics, the Gospel has become tarnished and often abandoned as the primary focus of the Body of Christ. — From Jesus Untangled — Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb back cover

Jesus Untangled author Keith Giles recently shared with Together LA that unity in the Church in Los Angeles is more critical than even other big cities simply because of “the breadth of diversity and the collision of cultures that are represented.” He makes the case that his book is a “prophetic call for the Church to awaken from the ‘American Dream’ and to return to Her first love.”

Our interview (transcript below) with Giles drew some rather pointed answers from him about the state of affairs for Christians and their politics today.

Together LA: What parts of your book address unity?

Keith Giles: The entire theme of the book is about the dangers of putting politics at the center of our faith; whether as individuals or as the church. Unity itself isn’t the goal. It’s the byproduct of placing Jesus at the center and following Him. The book certainly does examine how divisive politics can be to the Body of Christ, so as we untangle our faith and crucify our politics, we begin to see our brothers and sisters as they truly are, without seeing them through a political filter.

One reason we need to untangle our faith from politics is that if we are more “American” than “Christian” then we’ve become compromised by our nationality. AS I point out in the book: You can’t convert a culture if that culture has already converted you. We need to abandon our politics and seek first the Kingdom of God.

Read the entire interview here>

PODCAST INTERVIEW: Zao Church Talks To Keith Giles about "Jesus Untangled"

Joe and I had the pleasure of interviewing church planter and author Keith Giles. He wrote a book called Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.

It was a great conversation and hopefully it will spark a paradigm shift when thinking about our place, as Jesus followers, in The Kingdom and politics.LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW HERE>

INTERVIEW: Veracity Hill Interview Keith Giles "Nationalism: Patriotism Gone Too Far?"

Watch and Listen to this great conversation between Veracity Hill host Kurt Jaros and author Keith Giles as they explore the topic of "Nationalism: Patriotism Gone Too Far?"

Go here to listen> 

LISTEN: Real Talk Radio Interview with Keith Giles "For God and Country?"

Listen to this wonderful live call-in show interview I did with the awesome guys at Real Talk Radio over the weekend about my book "Jesus Untangled:Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb".

If you haven't ordered the book yet, it's available now at Amazon on paperback and ebook.

ORDER HERE

Thanks for listening!

Peace,

-kg

LISTEN: Part 2 of the Unchurching Podcast Interview with Keith Giles about "Jesus Untangled"

So excited to share part 2 of my conversation with Richard Jacobson and Gunnar Falk about my new book.

Dare I say it, part 2 of this interview is way better than part 1.

LISTEN NOW

Did you miss Part 1?

LISTEN HERE

The book, "Jesus Untangled:Crucifying Our Politics To Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb" is available now at Amazon.

ORDER TODAY

NOT YOUR PASTOR'S PODCAST: Crucifying Politics with Author Keith Giles

HALFWAY THERE: Podcast Interview "Jesus Untangled" with Keith Giles

Separating Church from State with Jesus Untangled Author Keith Giles

How integrated should the Kingdom of God and the leaders of a nation be? The question may seem strange to Evangelical ears when the objective of some for multiple decades has been to pass laws and “influence” political leaders. But just because this has been the case does not mean it is what ought to be.

Eric Nevins, host of HALFWAY THERE podcast, interviews author Keith Giles about his faith journey and why he wrote the new book "Jesus Untangled"

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE

Purchase your copy of "Jesus Untangled" on Amazon today:

PAPERBACK

KINDLE

Thanks,
-kg

INTERVIEW: Derek Gilbert talks to Keith Giles about new book "Jesus Untangled"

WATCH: View From The Bunker host Derek Gilbert interviews author Keith Giles about his new book "Jesus Untangled: Crucifying Our Politics to Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb". 

INTERVIEW: Justo Gonzalez on Subversive Radio Podcast

Check Out Religion Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Subversive Radio on BlogTalkRadio

Join us as we speak with Justo Gonzalez, author of "Faith and Wealth" and "The Story of Christianity" about the early Christian church and what they can teach us about faith, worship, fellowship, service, and following Jesus.

PARADISE EARTH: WHAT IF THE MAYANS WERE RIGHT?

Anthony Mathenia has survived the apocalypse and he's written a book about the experience.

Perhaps I should say that Anthony has survived an apocalypse of faith as a former Jehova's Witness, and his new sci-fi book, Paradise Earth, is an allegorical re-imagining of his experiences as told through the eyes of someone who survives the apacalypse.

His book, an intriguing exploration of ruined society and enduring humanity, adds an interesting twist of faith on the subject.

In his own words, Anthony shares his inspiration for the book and what readers can expect to find between the pages of Paradise Earth.


What inspired you to write a post-apocalyptic story about faith?


I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and remained an active member until I was disfellowshipped for apostasy -- questioning their practices and doctrine. Because of my religious upbringing, faith has always been linked with the apocalypse. Like a lot of people, I believed my religion was absolute truth. And like a lot of people, I started asking difficult questions later in life that I was unable to get answers for. As part of this questioning process, I began to wonder what if everything a person hoped for was false, and if it was, what that would do to the individual. As I write in the novel, "The problem with expectations is that in the end we don’t always get what we hope for."


Also, the apocalyptic setting mirrors the themes. Paradise Earth is about personal death and rebirth. Just as the earth is "born again" through a cataclysm, so too the narrator is reborn through his own trial.



Was it painful to return emotionally to your experiences as a JW?


Definitely. Writing Paradise Earth was an act of personal catharsis. It was an attempt to encapsulate thirty years of life in a high control religion and put it into perspective. In many ways Day Zero is a distillation of Jehovah's Witness beliefs. It follows a lot of ugly tendencies to their logical conclusion. It's horrific at times. For example, it's one thing to believe that God is going to slaughter everyone on the planet, it's quite another to live through it. Within the story, the narrator begins to understand what is written in Amos, "Woe to those who are craving the day of Jehovah!"



How autobiographical is this book?


I think Paradise Earth: Day Zero is very true to the Jehovah's Witness mindset if not the exact experiences. Their homogeneity of beliefs it a matter of organization pride. One of the reasons I chose not to name the main character in this volume, was to allow him to exist as a proxy for any number of Witnesses, struggling with doubt and holding onto a fading hope for the future. I definitely see echoes of my own crisis of faith in him, but his experiences are unique.




Do you see this book more as an allegory of escape from cultic deception or as a metaphor for an individuals survival and escape from adversity in general?


Personally, I think it would be a mistake to characterize this as just a novel about getting out of a cult. As the first volume of a series, Day Zero contains an element of that, but it is simply the starting point of a much bigger journey.


In that way it mirrors what I found in my own life. At the same time I was put out of the Jehovah's Witness religion, I discovered that many others were also leaving other institutional churches. This movement among Christians was well documented in George Barna's book Revolution. However, I think it is bigger than that. I even see the rise in atheism among the young as a reflection of what is going on. We are going through a time period where people are willing to leave indoctrination and start asking questions. I'd like to hope that we all end up with some answers.


It will become more clear in the next two volumes, but ultimately Paradise Earth is a story about ditching all sorts of mental barriers to make a more pure connection with something bigger.



Was it challenging to sell a book about life as a JW after the end of the world?


Surprisingly, no. I shared the manuscript with Curiosity Quills Press and they were very enthusiastic about it. They recognized that it had much broader appeal, beyond former members of a niche religion. Once I was assured that they would give me the room to tell the the story I needed to tell, I was happy to sign with them.



What sort of responses have received from readers.


I knew that those with a Jehovah's Witness background would get this story. The welcome surprise is how this book has been embraced by those from other backgrounds. They have recognized that I'm actually telling a very human story. They have pointed out that even if the intricacies of the religion are unique, the actions and feelings and emotions of its adherents are very familiar. And even though this book has an undercurrent of spirituality, I have had great response from the non-religious. It is very accessible for thinking persons of all sorts. That is exciting!

How can people buy this book?

 

The book is available in print and various ebook formats from online booksellers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

 

What might readers expect in the next two volumes?
Paradise Earth was originally conceptualized as one novel, but early on I made the distinction to break it up into three parts. The entire work acts as contemporary retelling of Genesis creation narrative. Day Zero is prehistory, or "in the beginning" as in the Bible. The next volume is Week One, just after the apocalypse, and it will follow the congregation as the new world reveals itself. They certainly have their own idea about their paradise earth, but they may find that it doesn't perfectly match up to the reality of a destroyed world. That volume aligns with creation days one through six. The final volume, Forever After, acts as the day of rest. I won't spoil it, but I'm hopeful for a happy ending. In short the next two volumes will offer more grim horror, but not without some optimism. As in many of my novels, the light always overcomes the darkness.

 

**

About the Author
Anthony Math­e­nia is a nov­el­ist and free­lance writer. He is the author of Hap­pi­ness: How to Find It and Par­adise Earth: Day Zero. His travel writ­ings have appeared on vagobond.com and other places. His works deal with themes of the search of per­sonal iden­tity and the lib­er­a­tion of the human spirit from oppres­sive high con­trol groups. He grew up in a reli­gious cult and sin­cerely apol­o­gizes for wak­ing you up on Sat­ur­day morn­ings in order to recruit you.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Paradise Earth

When the ground quakes and blaz­ing balls of fire fall from the sky, a reli­gious sect inter­prets it as the ful­fill­ment of long-held prophe­cies fore­telling the end of the world. The mem­bers flee to their reli­gious sanc­tu­ary, believ­ing that this global cat­a­clysm is the por­tent of a new par­adise of eter­nal happiness.

Inside, one cold and starv­ing man strug­gles to hold onto his hope for the future. He’s sac­ri­ficed every­thing for his faith in the prophecy, includ­ing his fam­ily.

As the tor­tu­ous night drags on, he strug­gles to hold onto his hope for the future and grap­ples with a life­time of beliefs, and expectations.

If he sur­vives to see the par­adise earth, will it be worth it?

Par­adise Earth is a decon­struc­tion of faith at the end of the world and beyond. The first vol­ume of the tril­ogy, Day Zero, was pub­lished by Curios­ity Quills Press on Decem­ber 21, 2012. Week One and For­ever After will follow.