We Need To Talk About Deconstruction

Join us as we continue our conversation on trauma and mental health with our favorite mental health professional, Angie Ridings!

This season Matt Toney & Ashley Engle are back with some new voices to join in the conversation! This episode we're joined by Angie Ridings, a certified mental health professional who runs Tensegrity Counseling Associates here in Edmond, OK. Listen in as we talk about the questions you asked over the last 3 weeks dealing with the trauma of fear-based evangelism, the Patriarchy, and breaking out of the "schemas" you were handed. You can also check out the in-depth teaching on those topics at youtube.com/thewellchurchedmond

What does the flood narrative teach us about God? Does God love creation or is he angry and quick to destroy? And what does the flood say about the state of humanity? Are we precious image-bearers or subjects of wrath? While it is one of the more challenging stories in Genesis, the flood tells us the truth about God’s judgment and how the hope is always that it will result in salvation.

When Cain kills his brother he unleashes the power of hatred into the world. And while we may not relate to the impulse to murder, none of us are immune to following the way of Cain. Once we make someone an enemy we naturally fall into blame and eventually we begin to give ourselves over to hateful thoughts and hateful actions. But Jesus has come to set us free from the power of sin so it is no longer our master. As he does this he teaches us that yes, we are one another’s keeper, and when we remember this we stop seeing others as enemies.

The idea of sin has become highly individualized in the Western Church. Many believe that sin is all about the bad choices individuals make and the consequences that come as a result. But the truth about sin is that it is cosmic. Its effects can be seen in all of creation. God is the initiator of our salvation. Because of Jesus, we are free from the bonds of sin. In Jesus, humanity is restored.

We are made in the image of God, and Genesis tells us what that means: We are created to govern (like God) We are essentially communal (like God) We are foundationally good (like God) Jesus fixes what we break - by God becoming human. Join us in this deep dive on what it means to be created in the image of God.

Can the creation story in Genesis 1 be validated by modern science? How can light exist without the sun? Was the earth created in 7, 24-hour days? Is there a dome that separates the heavenly waters from the earthly waters? Asking these kinds of questions of Genesis 1- 2:3 demonstrates that modern readers are missing the point. The ancient writers of Genesis were not trying to communicate how, when, or where the creation of the world took place - but who did it and why.

Is Genesis 1-11 trying to tell us history, biology, or geography in the modern scientific sense? What does Genesis have to say about science? What does a faithful reading of Genesis look like? Join us as we kick off Season 3 answering your questions on how to read the book of Genesis truthfully.

Join The Well as they answer all your questions about those taboo topics in the church: Tattoos, Drinking, Swearing, and Sex!

Political tensions are higher than ever in our nation with the assumption that if “they” win then ultimate disaster will fall upon our democracy. The church has not been immune to this division resulting in many pastors and people leaving the church because of political stances. As followers of Jesus we have to ask: what is our responsibility when it comes to politics? How can we work for the flourishing of all people not matter who happens to win an election or hold worldly power?