For what purpose did God create humanity? […] While loving, worshiping, and enjoying fellowship may stem from His act of creation, we could hypothesize that God intended for human beings to possess freedom – the liberty to live; and within that life, the freedom to choose, the autonomy to express their individuality, and the ability to act.
These thoughts, presented by Shawn McCraney in an article on The Great News Network (TGNN), reflect a non-traditional religious philosophy anchored in a direct relationship with God, freedom, and love. Leading TGNN, Shawn along with his daughter Delaney McCraney and other progressive thinkers, fosters a culture of acceptance, placing genuine faith above rigid institutional confines. This organization utilizes modern technology to disseminate evidence-based, subjectively taught insights globally, aspiring to liberate others from the constraints of human-imposed limitations and expectations.
For Shawn, this commitment is intimate, originating from an internal conflict he confronted during his adolescence and young adulthood. Raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), God has been pivotal in his life. This relationship is both complimented and contradicted by his upbringing in the Southern California punk culture, a movement Shawn views as fundamental to his core values of uninhibited self-expression.
As a member of a conservative group that resonates with the liberating ethos of punk, Shawn wrestles with profound existential queries and inner turmoil, now transforming that lived experience to benefit TGNN’s audience. The critical moment that directed Shawn towards subjective biblical learning resulted from a painful yet enlightening realization that, unlike many, he was not shown love. “I’ve always felt unique, even as a child. I recall others proclaiming love, yet I never genuinely felt it unconditionally,” he explains. “That was when I recognized the gap between people who claimed to know and ‘love God’ but struggled to offer me a fragment of that grace.”
Believing that he needed to earn love, Shawn began a quest for answers, recognizing that institutional regulations contradicted his foundational beliefs. In lieu of submitting, he established his insights from the Scriptures outside a strictly religious framework, swiftly finding others who resonated with his individual-centered philosophy. Observing Shawn alter the perspectives of people in his community prompted Delaney to organize his efforts into TGNN. Today, the organization provides educational podcasts, shows, and thoughtful articles distributed across seven channels, all designed to assist individuals in discovering their authentic selves.
Prior to founding TGNN, after a transformative roadside encounter, Shawn departed from Mormonism in 1997 to embrace Evangelical Christianity. During this era, with the support of Calvary Chapel founder Chuck Smith, Shawn dedicated countless hours to study, undertaking a mission to demonstrate through rational, exegetical, and contextual examination of Scripture that individuals’ relationship with God need not be constrained by institutional rules. Following that, he hosted a live television program addressing Mormons and Christians, where for seven years he engaged with audiences’ queries and concerns every week.
This journey opened his eyes to the reality that many religious attitudes lack a rational basis in biblical understanding, with Shawn attributing such trends to the prevalent inconsistencies in discourse. While the causes of these inconsistencies vary, Shawn posits that they arise from viewing the Bible as a ‘history of occurrences.’ “It recounts events collected by individuals who had faith in those events, recorded for believers,” he clarifies. “The real challenge is that many people perceive it as merely a book, and the dominating narrative is one of impending destruction. Once you correctly grasp the eschatology, you come to understand that we need not fear the end times.”
With all that Shawn and TGNN promote rooted in a biblical viewpoint, the goal is not to lead individuals away from faith but to challenge the established status quo of religious institutions. For him, embracing and understanding oneself is crucial for reclaiming spiritual autonomy. “That acceptance of ‘being you’ is incredibly liberating, and I wish I had come to that realization earlier. Sometimes, it’s challenging to discern who we are; at times, it can even be frightening,” he notes. “However, not knowing raises the risk of being swayed by particular figures and groups – individuals and organizations promising belonging but failing to deliver.”
Motivated by love and empowerment, Shawn is unafraid to proclaim his genuine beliefs to the world, aspiring for his unfiltered, authentic nature to help others connect with God. “I lack formal education and have navigated through various institutions with awkwardness. I face challenges, just like everyone else. However, I found God and experienced the power of unadulterated faith,” Shawn shares. “Our mission revolves solely around liberating others, no more, no less.”
In a society where the quest for a divine presence is obstructed by institutional confines and an overflow of information, a faith philosophy anchored solely in a personal relationship with Him provides a path for those alienated from organized groups to embrace the divine and rediscover a crucial part of themselves.
“As trite as it may seem, I truly believe that the key to many human conflicts can be found in love; but not just any love,” he states. “What we are all yearning for is agape love – its purest, most selfless, sacrificial essence. It’s the kind that utters ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I forgive you.’ It embodies mercy and patience, viewing endurance as a vital aspect of existence. When this love permeates society, remarkable transformations occur. Ultimately, we will believe what we choose to believe. At TGNN, we are committed to love, viewing it as the strongest catalyst for societal change.”
