After being involved in ministry for so many years, people have wondered why I left—what’s considered to be—“Christianity.” And well, here’s the first interview I did (after “coming out” on Youtube) for The Tony Seigh Show—answering questions that might be on a lot of people’s minds.
I hope you’ll be able to resonate with my journey.
It’s #throwbackthursday (or #flashbackfriday) time, depending which timezone you’re in! Anyway, I dug up this interview from the archives (2015) which was never uploaded to Youtube … until now.
For those of you who have questioned and challenged certain church traditions and dogma–or maybe even left religion altogether–what happened to your friends?
Are the friends who were there with you since the beginning of your “faith walk” still around?
You see, for many of us, we have lost some (or a lot of) our friends along this spiritual journey. In fact, it has even been quite painful (and lonely) at times.
Throughout the years, many people have asked me if I still believe in “hell”.
Does hell exist?
Is it eternal?
Temporary?
Or is hell simply a fear-based invention of the church used to control people using fear?
In this video, I discuss some of the most common ideas about this “hot topic.”
Enjoy!
RECOMMENDED BOOKS: So You Thought You Knew by Joshua Tongol Her Gates Will Never Be Shut by Brad Jersak Love Wins by Rob Bell Raising Hell by Julie Ferwerda Raizing Hell by Sharon Baker The Evangelical Universalist by Robin Parry (aka Gregory MacDonald)
If you’re a Christian, you’ve probably been asked this question a million times because it’s part of the everyday Christian lingo. In fact, for a lot of people, it seems like both “going to church” and “being a Christian” go hand-in-hand.
But I’ve also heard a lot of Christians say that “we are the church”?
So which is it?
Is “church” a place you go to?
Or is “church” … people?
Check out my latest video.
Isn’t it interesting that the place many religious folks call a “spiritual hospital” (church) for the “spiritually sick,” usually ends up being a place where everyone looks healthy? So instead of being a place where we can “be ourselves,” the church usually ends up being a place where we pretend everything is okay.
If you had a chance to watch my last video Why I’m No Longer a Christian, you’re most likely aware of the various (and strong) reactions people had to it.
Some of the common responses from viewers were that I “never had a genuine encounter with God” and was “never a genuine Christian [i.e., saved] in the first place.”
Well, here’s a look into more of my life as a born-again, spirit-filled Christian whose passion was to know Jesus, and to preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world.
The Secret to Awesomeness event the other day turned out … awesome! It was great to finally meet many of you face-to-face. I feel so honored knowing that some of you came all the way from the US, Singapore, Tagaytay, Quezon City, etc., just to attend the event. (Despite the thunderstorm, too!)
Seeing the tears, hearing the laughter, and having people openly share their their deepest struggles (for the first time) … wow … it was like heaven on earth to me.
Some of you approached me and said, “I’ve been waiting for this day.” You know what? Me too. I want all of you to know that you inspire me as well. As I mentioned in the talk, you are people of COURAGE. And hearing your stories motivates me to keep doing what I’m doing here in the Philippines.
I’m not sure when the next event will be, but one thing’s for sure. I will cherish this day. Thank you for supporting my wife and I all these years.
Much Love and Peace to you all.
Joshua Tongol
**If you have any pictures of the event, please upload and tag me on Facebook. I’d love to include them in the album.**
If you were to look at yourself in a mirror right now, what would you see?
Too fat.
Too skinny.
Ears are too big.
Or your eyes too small.
Little things you hate about yourself … or maybe you don’t like yourself all. I don’t know
Now if you were to look directly into your eyes in a mirror right now, what would you feel?
Pain?
Fear?
Guilt?
Shame?
Things you don’t like talking about yet they already have a name. It’s rising.
Now let me be straight up with you real quick. And I want you to be completely honest, too. You ready?
Do you love yourself?
I ain’t talking about bein’ all cocky and boastful about havin’ it made.
I’m talkin’ about feeling worthy enough and accepting yourself no matter how many mistakes you’ve made.
Vision.
Sure, there can be times in life when all the clicks and likes and views really seem to flatter.
But when you think about it, though, you can have all the health, wealth and success in the world-but if you don’t love yourself, then what else . . . really . matters?
Growing up I felt different … insecure … and ugly.
And no matter how well I dressed or cut my hair, I thought no girl would ever love me.
Been teased. Been bullied. And even called “freak.” I felt extremely self-conscious everyday of the week.
“What’s wrong with me?”
That was the question.
Blindness.
I couldn’t see the love. And for the longest time what I didn’t have … got in the way of me seeing all that I already was.
Flip it.
What about you?
Ever been
called stupid?
Wished you were never born?
Compared yourself to others?
Or had your heart ripped out and torn [a/part] …
A part of our lives is what we show the world.
‘Cause that’s what we do.
We keep the hurt inside.
Pretend every things OK
Then go away and hide. . (It’s dark in here!)
But trust me, that’s not where we wanna dwell.
So let me ask this question to all of us: Do we love ourselves?
Society tells us what to eat, what to drink, what to wear and what to drive … driving us crazy ’cause we just wanna feel alive.
We hear things like “you’re supposed to be this” and “you’re supposed to be that” … blah, blah, blah.
Then we end up even more broken, more empty, and with more stains … stuck in an endless cycle with no real substance ever gained. We’re lost!
Only wanting to find our way . You see, we don’t really wanna end our lives … reality is … we only wanna end our pain.
So how do we try fixing ourselves?
Money. Sex. Power.
Now are these things wrong, in and of themselves? No! But here’s the question of the hour: Why do you do what you do?
Think about it.
Are your pursuits stemming from self-love?
Or are they ways for you to try to attain love?
Big difference.
‘Cause if you ain’t lovin’ yourself first, the pursuit happiness … is nothin’ but a hindrance.
Go for it. The results are the same again and again. What it comes down to is: Do YOU treat YOURSELF as your own best friend?
Love.
You can’t give away what you don’t have, right? Listen.
Truth is, despite your mistakes, failures, and shortcomings … none of those things define you.
They never have, and they never will. So move on which your life and stop standing still . Keep going
The past is the past. Learn from your mistakes . Forgive and give yourself another chance .
You see, once you start loving yourself, life … suddenly starts loving you back.
I’m not saying it’s gonna be perfect, but you’ll stop noticing the lack. . Life’s flowing.
YOU . are a gift to the world.
And like with any gift, it’s what’s inside that ultimately matters.
Know … your … worth.
‘Cause if more people looked within, the world would stop perishing.
You don’t believe me? Then try loving yourself .
‘Cause loving yourself … changes … everything.
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