Correct, that title was mostly to get your attention. Yes, hate is a strong word and used too often for my liking and often simply because of political or cultural disagreements. And clearly, I’m not talking about all evangelicals. Okay? Can we just get all that out of the way and move on? Great. I do however think many white evangelicals/fundamentalists, especially that 81% who voted for Trump, deeply dislike (better?) America, as it is now, as to people in... Read more
Absolutely they should. I suspect some of you, to that answer, may be thinking or saying out loud right now: “Isn’t that obvious?” Well, one would think. However, if you, like I, grew up in the Christian fundamentalist/evangelical world of the 70s and 80s, then it wasn’t so obvious an answer to that question. Sadly, for the kids who grew up in those decades (and others—but I’m focusing on my own time-frame) they were told quite often they shouldn’t listen... Read more
I’m reluctant to comment on the recent Supreme Court ruling, wherein both Roe and Casey were overturned, meaning the Court deemed there was nothing in the Constitution granting a right to an abortion. We are now in a situation where abortion will be legal in some states but not others. I’m reluctant because I’m a man. I will never face what a woman has to face when it comes to pregnancy. Part of me thinks that every man, right now,... Read more
As I’ve stated before, I was raised up in Southern Baptist churches, the convention (SBC), educated at one of their seminaries and was lead pastor of one of their (autonomous) churches. Even though I’m no longer a part of that world/tradition, I still care about the SBC given my history. In fact, much of my time in that world was spent with some truly wonderful people. Even though my mind and heart could no longer inhabit that tradition, I still... Read more
On February 17, 2015, three teen-age girls made their way through Gatwick Airport in London where they eventually boarded a plane to Istanbul, Turkey. From there, the three made it to Syria where they eventually joined with ISIS. From what we know, these three were relatively gifted students and had decent lives and prospects for the future. They threw it all away though. How? These three teenagers were “groomed” and radicalized over the internet/social media/blogs to leave their families and... Read more
I came across the following social media meme, you know, those pithy comments or reflections strewn about the intellectual and morbidly average wasteland we call “social media,” which is, we should note, neither “social” nor “media.” It’s no more “social” than a pole on a street corner in a big city plastered with a ton of bills, posters, business cards, political slogans, or flyers for piano lessons is, “social.” It’s hardly “media” for the same reason. It’s an electronic public... Read more
Anyone aware of my personal story knows that before leaving the fundamentalist/evangelical world, I was a Southern Baptist, which is the denomination called the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). It was, and still is, the largest Protestant/evangelical denomination in America. It’s origins lie in the Civil War, as it took the side of the Confederacy and slavery, thus the “Southern” designation. I was raised up in these churches, although ones out in the Pacific Northwest and California. Since these western churches... Read more
At the top of her fame, Roseanne Barr once infamously remarked that she was America’s worst nightmare—she was, “…white trash with money.” I would suggest a similar description, in the arena of Christian faith, applies to Doug Wilson (see here and here): He’s an educated fundamentalist. He’s studied philosophy and is a big proponent of a classical education, but none of that seems to have had any effect upon him. All that education and deference to the classics amounted to... Read more
What do you do in a pandemic? You write a book. A compilation really. If there are any regular readers who might be interested in my own journey, then please consider grabbing a copy. Also, if you are contemplating leaving the fundamentalist/evangelical world or have left that world and are not sure where to go, this book is for you too For those who were once fundamentalists or evangelicals, but who’ve found a new home and peace, perhaps you know... Read more
If the Bible didn’t exist as we know it, would Jesus cease to exist? I think many Christians would answer, of course not. They may even note the fact there are extra-biblical sources indicating the existence of the historical Jesus. However, what if we were to ask this: Okay, so Jesus would still exist—but, could we know anything substantive about Jesus if the Bible did not exist? Here is where it seems to become a problem for many fundamentalists and... Read more
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