Hello my friends,

I hope you had a wonderful week! Even though Rebecca and I are over tired and still trying to find a stable life and work rhythm with two kids now, we are so enjoying watching them grow. It is true what they say that the days are long but the years go by so fast.

I have been thinking a lot about changing our minds and how we tend to feel about it, especially within Christian circles in America. So, today I want to think with you about why I think changing our minds is a good thing, how it's connected to how Jesus and Paul saw repentance, and why we need more of it today.

But before we get to that, here are some things that got me thinking this past week.

​-Changing Our Minds: Why we should admit when we're wrong by Ted Radio Hour. This podcast episode is directly related to my topic today and is such an insightful listen. It begins with a conservative Evangelical politician talking about how he changed his mind on climate change and ends with a Black civil rights leader talking about how she had her mind changed about Ku Klux Klan members back in the 60s. It is such a worthwhile listen.

​-The 14th Amendment by Throughline podcast. The folks at throughline are doing a series on the constitution. They look back at the history of how and why they were formed and then how it is being approached today. It is as fascinating as it is insightful. I think you will find it helpful.

​-The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica find it necessary to respond to the controversial remarks of Harrison Butker as commencement speaker.Nuns response to commencement speech. In light of recent events, I wanted to share this response from a group of nuns who are a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College where Butker gave his speech. With it being a Catholic institution, I was wanting to hear a Catholic response. Perhaps you did too.

​-IcuTalks Event: May 25th, 6pm, at Watershed, 2101 Shenandoah Ave, Charlotte, NC 28205 I have been invited to be the keynote speaker at the upcoming icuTalks event in Charlotte, NC! I'll be speaking on my personal journey at the intersection of mental health and spirituality. The event is free and will be posted on YouTube after the event. You can find more information through the link above.

Okay, now onto today's content.

Why Changing Your Mind Is Good News

I don’t know about you, but it feels like changing our mind is viewed negatively in our society today. No matter which side of the theological or political spectrum we fall on and especially in political and religious circles, changing our mind is seen as a weakness. It is seen as a lack of conviction or an unwillingness to take a stand. How many of us have lost friends or even entire communities like our church simply because we changed our minds on something?

This is something I experience often as a pastor and writer. Not knowing where I stand on an issue is often met with suspicion or even hostility. While changing my mind is often seen as a kind of betrayal. It has caused me to be very cautious about who I share my evolving perspectives with. I’m really thankful we can do that together here in this newsletter space.

I’ve been really wrestling with this dynamic of changing our minds a lot lately. You’ve probably heard me say already, but as a recovering Fundamentalist Christian, my goal isn’t to become just as “fundamental” in my opposition of fundamentalism. My goal really is to stay away from ridged fundamentalism itself in order to cultivate a deeper perspective on the complex issues that face our world today.

I often struggle doing this personally though. I’ll read something or hear something that someone says and immediately form a reactionary opinion. I’ll draw conclusions before I ever dig any deeper than my initial feelings. I then find that I am feeling towards another person the exact same way that makes me feel really hurt when someone feels that way about me. The way I feel when someone misunderstands my words or worse yet, my heart behind them. I don’t think anyone deserves being treated that way. Yet, even though I believe that, I still struggle not to do that myself towards others in my mind.

I want to “love my neighbor” in my mind too.

In the midst of this struggle, I’ve found that changing my mind, or at least the openness to having my mind changed, is anything but a weakness. In fact, I would call it holy, sacred, and even brave work. I would call it good news.

I believe it helps us to love others more deeply than before we had our minds changed about them. Even those whom we have a really hard time loving right now.

Let me explain why.

To me, it seems interesting that a people like us Christians, who hold up the moment of conversion as essential to beginning our walk with Jesus, would turn and see changing our minds as suspicious or weak.

Doesn’t conversion involve changing our minds? Doesn’t it take a deep intentionality to convert to something? Doesn’t that choice involve all of who we are, especially when it comes to following Jesus? It absolutely does. So why then would we see a continued openness to having our minds change as a bad thing? Do we stop growing and maturing after the moment of “conversion”?

Thinking on these things has caused me to revisit the concept of repentance. Now, depending on the circles you run in, the concept of repentance can be seen with deep negativity. In many ways, I have seen repentance far too narrowly defined in two particular ways.

First, repentance is often defined as only having to do with sin and nothing else. In this definition, the only reason someone would repent would be because they are first a “sinner.” If you aren’t a “sinner,” then you have no need for repentance in this way of thinking.

Secondly, and connected to the first definition, repentance is often used as a tool of shame. In this usage, repentance comes after the sinner experiences deep shame over their sin and turns away from it. Again, if you are not a sinner, in this usage, you have no need to feel any shame or need of repentance. Yet, if you are a sinner, this definition gives Christians the license to shame you until you “repent.’

As I continue to study repentance in scripture though, I feel these narrow and hurtful definitions deeply miss the mark.

Take the way Jesus uses the word in in Mark 1:15 as an example. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

What can we take away from this verse? What picture of repentance do we get from what Jesus says here?

Well, he first mentions that the time has come for the kingdom of God to come near. This is a great thing! It is good news! Then he says, “repent” and believe what? That good news! That the kingdom of God has come near!

In the verse right before this one, we learn that he is proclaiming this message all over Galilee right before he even called his first disciples.

Now do you notice what Jesus doesn’t mention? Sin. He doesn’t even say “what” to repent from. He simply says, “repent.”

A fuller picture is given once we look at the Greek word for repentance, which is the verb μετανοέω. It literally means “to change one’s mind or purpose.”

Jesus actually says two verbs here with the second one being, pisteuó, which we translate to “believe.” This Greek word literally means “to trust or entrust.”

So a good literal translation of these verbs might sound like, “change your mind, change your purpose, and trust this good news!” It sounds so much more like a positive invitation into something great rather than a shaming condemnation, doesn’t it?

Now, this is not to say that repentance has nothing to do with sin. Obviously it does. To say “yes” to something means saying “no” to something else. To change one’s mind or purpose so radically in order to fully trust in the good news would absolutely include turning away from things that are not the kingdom of God, which includes sin. Sin against ourselves, others, God, and creation.

Yet, I think we lose so much of the profound meaning of repentance when we make it only about sin and especially when we make it only about personal, individual sin. It takes away the invitation to be continually open to having our mind deepened and changed. It takes away the broader invitation to see how we can collectively work together to change our minds and corporately turn away from systemic and institutional sin that can harms the vulnerable among us so deeply.

Take what Paul says in Romans 12:2 as an example. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The Greek word he uses for the word we translate to “transformed” is the verb ”μεταμορφόω,” which is the exact same Greek root word as repentance. It’s the word we get “metamorphosis” from. Like the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. The Greek word we translate as “renewal” here literally means “change of heart and life.” So, to be transformed by the renewal of your mind is the ongoing act of “repentance.”

I find this idea so compelling that I could write on and on about it. But my point is that our negative view of repentance adds to this negative view of changing our minds. We see repentance as one single act we do ourselves rather than a positive, open way of being in the world that we can practice together. A way of being that helps us to “trust in the good news” and continue to be transformed.

When we define repentance so narrowly as only having to do with our individual sin in our world today, it can result in Christians telling everyone else they need to repent from their sin while refusing to change their own minds on anything, which we see far too much of today. Then, when everyone refuses to change their minds on anything, all that happens is gridlock and conflict.

Change and progress are essential to our lives, but they both require a people who are open and willing to allow their minds to deepen and grow in order to wisely face the challenges of our world together. I deeply believe we who follow Jesus could be that kind of people if we fully embrace the profound meaning of repentance and the good news that comes with it.

I want to leave you with a thought exercise. Remember the last time you changed your mind about something to what you now believe deeply today. Did you see that change as a threat or a gift? Do you feel like It was a shaming experience or an empowering one? Do you feel like it made you weaker or stronger as a person? Do you believe God was involved in that change? How do you think that experience then should help us understand the way Jesus connects repentance to the good news of God?

I believe how we answer these questions will not only help us to understand the ongoing life of our own minds as we walk with Jesus, but it will help us to approach our desire for others to change their minds in a whole new and life giving way.

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