When you read the Bible, usually the focus is on function over form. The “what” seems to matter more to God than the “how.” Why do Christians get so particular about how people are baptized then?

How the transgender movement helps us better understand the Bible’s teaching about spiritual growth.

It must have seemed odd. As crowds of people were responding to the preaching of John, they came forward to be baptized by him. But as one person came to do so, John tried to stop him. Is he beyond hope? Is he too sinful to be forgiven by God? Is his heart not in the right place?

Hopefully, you’re not reading this because you want to start a cult. But I think it’s important that we understand the ingredients of Christian cults so that we can recognize them when they come. Here’s how you might start a cult that taught that you have to be baptized to be saved.

I was asked to debate baptism with a Christian Reformed pastor. As we talked back and forth for more than two hours, it was clear how much we shared in common but also how Christians from our traditions can often misunderstand each other on this issue.

Like caffeine: it picks us up, so we don’t stop to think about its source. But hope isn’t neutral. There are many things we hope in that end in huge disappointment and even painful consequences. They leave people feeling hopeless. Or they’re afraid to hope for fear of being let down. Is cynicism the answer?

In the rush to gain an audience, churches can rebrand themselves in ways that “feel good but aren’t as good for you.” They can offer “fast-food Christianity” that is palatable but lacks much substance. And so many doctrines can be thrown away that churches cease to be churches entirely.

There’s a belief that New Testament prophecy may contain a kernel of truth even if there’s a husk of error. Something can get lost in the translation. There’s also an appeal to what I’ll call humble prophecy. Instead of saying, “Thus says the Lord,” people are encouraged to say things like “I feel God wants me to tell you this.” All of this seems well-intentioned. But is it biblical?

The message seems to be that adding God’s authority to your own words is so dangerous to the people of God that the prophet had to be permanently silenced. If you were going to claim to speak for God, the words that came out of your mouth had to be as true and reliable as God Himself.

Many people “love” their Roomba because it’s programmed to clean their floors for them, but we wouldn’t celebrate that kind of love. Someone with an unflinching dedication to a hopelessly malfunctioning and even defiant vacuum cleaner would stand out. Through the fall, we see a God who loves the unlovable. And we can know Him in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without it.