Can we talk about Christian extremism for a second? How it’s unnecessarily perpetuating an “us vs. them” narrative. And seemingly, getting more and more ridiculous over the course of our existence and given Christian history. As most of you know Jerry Falwell Jr. took the stage on campus at Liberty University and called for students to arm themselves against “those Muslims” so that we can “end” them. He is echoing a rhetoric that’s seemingly all too familiar of previous leaders... Read more
I can’t remember the last time I went to Church (a Sunday service). I honestly don’t know many people (not just millennials) that have, Christian or not. But, I was asked a while back on a repost of an older post I wrote a few years back titled “Why I Don’t Go to Church,” to revisit this topic and talk about how my sensibilities have changed and since, reinterpreted these thoughts as to why I don’t go to Church still. So,... Read more
Here’s the question: Is it ethical for a pastor to receive a salary that is over $500,000.00? If this were a paper for a class, my thesis would say something along the lines of, “It’s unethical for a pastor to receive half a million dollar salary that is comprised of lower-income congregants tithes and not made readily available as public information.” – also this isn’t an academic paper so #grace. But, as our nation is changing economically the evangelical’s salary has moved to the forefront... Read more
I’ve written pretty honestly on similar topics before, what re-stirred my interest in this topic was a recent article in Christianity Today, highlighting a guy named Rich Wilkerson Jr. who recently landed his own reality TV show[1]. Having said that, this article isn’t about Rich specifically; it’s about the generalized celebrity pastor within our individualistic and shallow celebrity culture; to me it’s a fascinating oddity, in which I don’t think I’ll ever fully understand. But what I want to discuss... Read more
Trump is a symbolic representation of American buffoonery. He’s every hyperbolized reason, and then some, as to why people (both in and out of) the states are disgusted by our ironic “exceptionalism.” To me what’s most scary about Trump, is not the things or statements he makes, but the fact that people actually are buying into all that he’s saying. It’s disgustingly terrifying to say the least. I really don’t know if Trump has begun to buy into his own... Read more
Okay, so I’m restarting this whole “podcast” thing. I’m putting the word podcast in quotes because it’s not on iTunes as of yet. I’ll put it up sooner than later there, but I just want to see if these interviews will get traction and if they’ll be beneficial to y’all. Most of you know or are a tad familiar with my story of leaving the Church, and the traumatic repercussions of not just leaving, but enduring years of all that... Read more
Damn, so much is happening in my life right now; I shut down my site, and then brought it back here on Patheos, I’ve moved down to Philly staying (very temporarily) with the Claiborne’s, Katie Jo and Shane, and then my landlord broke into my apartment so I unfortunately had to leave… (For forever), to top it all off I totaled my car (well, someone else who ran a red light and straight into me totaled it, but whatever), and... Read more
It’s needs to be re-emphasized that none of this is to suggest race doesn’t matter, or that race is irrelevant to one’s identity. We must remember that, as Vox recently highlighted, “Race may have no biological or hereditary basis, but it’s a real aspect of US society and culture that can weigh on minority Americans everyday. Black people are, for example, more likely to be shot by police, more likely to be incarcerated, more likely to be victimized by the war... Read more
After Al Gore won the election in 2000, and then somehow lost, I disconnected for a bit from politics, I was too young for that. But, as of recently I’ve been re-engaging slowly, but steadily. And now, suddenly all at once I’m back into the game. Because, Bernie Sanders. He says what he wants, and has no regrets. And because of this he’s taking the Internet by storm. By now, you should’ve heard of him. He’s raised $15 million (one-third... Read more
But in my opinion, and experience so far, if someone is unwilling to read something outside of their comfort zone, in order to better understand and empathize with a friend or family member, then they are unable to engage in productive conversation. The number one problem I find in regards to continued racial segregation within our US Church, but of course not limited to, is a strong disconnect between those who benefit off of white privilege and their understanding in regards to the... Read more
Andy Gill
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