Charisma magazine, the major media outlet for Pentecostal Christians–“empowering believers for a life in the Spirit”–published an article calling for genocide. The article said: “Now the only question is how many more dead bodies will have to pile up at home and abroad before we crush the vicious seed of Ishmael in Jesus’ Name? …May we be willing to take the lesser pains now so our children won’t have to take greater pains later.” Titled “Why I Am Absolutely Islamaphobic” by Gary... Read more
Here’s an ongoing exchange with some of my Facebook friends. Frank Schaeffer The verdict is in A reader writes a note that represents hundreds of other similar notes: “Your new book ‘Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God’ is for every parent and grandparent with a child or grandchild who gave up on God. This is the only book I’ve read in the last 20 years that will give people a second chance with spirituality if they’ve been driven... Read more
Transparent is great! Jill Soloway, the show’s writer and director/creator is brilliant. If Amazon’s book-selling success scares some writers imagine what lovers of Netflix and HBO will do now that Amazon’s binge series, Jill Soloway’s Transparent , has turned out to be a work of genius? Transparent is the best thing on TV or in movie houses right now. Period. Maura (Jeffrey Tambor), has been living as a woman. But he/she hasn’t told her three grown children: Sarah (Amy Landecker), mom to two... Read more
My parents stayed married because my father tearfully apologized for hitting Mom and then worked to curb his violent dominant male temper. The redemptive message or fairytales in which Mom and Dad believed were their path to a life infused with hope and light. Their theological certainties, delusional or otherwise, motivated them to provide many people with meaningful real-life encounters with goodness and mercy. So who is actually delusional? Who is actually following Jesus: fundamentalist Christians rejecting gay men and... Read more
Will the Tea Party/Koch/Brothers/GOP defend us from Ebola or do we need government involved in healthcare after all? I mean it would be in we-hate-government-Texas that authorities couldn’t even figure out how to clean up the contaminated bed-sheets of a man with Ebola– wouldn’t it? Did Rick Perry see this coming when, the Texas Gov. lit up the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in March of 2014, with an impassioned anti-Democratic Party speech. “Washington [must] focus on the few things the... Read more
My kaleidoscopic beliefs are fickle and motivated by desire, wishful thinking, and wanting to fit in with my family and community and to make my marriage work. My dogmatic declarations of faith once provided status, ego-stroking power over others and a much better income than I’ve ever earned since fleeing the evangelical machine. Certainty made things simple, gave me an answer to every question and paid the bills. With the acceptance of paradox came a new and blessed uncertainty that... Read more
Christianity Today is scared of Tony, Peggy and Bart Campolo and wants to help evangelicals brainwash their children more effectively so they won’t turn out like Bart. The “method” is always the same. Bart isn’t a Christian anymore so we need to blame his parents (while pretending not to) and improve the way we indoctrinate our kids lest they turn out like Bart or worse yet, like Frank Schaeffer. To do that the first thing we have to do is lie... Read more
Why do you think so many atheists seem so evangelistic? They even sometimes speak of their moment of “de-conversion” as a flip-side to the so-called born again experience. If life teaches us anything it’s that certainty is overrated. The real life-lessons aren’t found in intellectual theories much less in theology, but in seeing life through the lens of those we love most. For instance, I actually experienced brief and perfect instants when death lost its sting. Being with my granddaughter Lucy... Read more
Last night I sang children’s songs with a group of children and adults with Intellectual disability with significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits. In other words: I was in a real church helping outcasts. Ironically this authentic vibrant refuge was across the street from the hate factory “church” Mars Hill Church, that until recently was led by Mark Driscoll.We were gathered at the Open Gathering Church. Some of us were in wheelchairs and electric carts. The service reminded me of... Read more
Hi All, Great things have been happening for my new book “Why I Am an Atheist Who Believes in God.” Barnes&Noble have placed a big order. The book will be promoted in the B&N stores from NOV 1. Please pop into one of the stores and do your Christmas shopping early and encourage me and the book store by buying copies for your gifts. If it sells B&N will keep stocking it. From Oct 1 to Dec 1 I’ll be working... Read more
Why I Still Talk to Jesus -- In Spite of Everything
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