12 reasons I still call myself an ‘evangelical’

Last updated on: April 13, 2014 at 8:27 pm By Fred Clark

After the FlusterCluck and the ClusterDuck, and after the latest Proud Ugly Sneerfest in which white evangelicals defined their faith by cancelling their sponsorship of 10,000 poor children, it's reasonable to ask why anyone would still want to be identified by that term "evangelical." That question is particularly pressing for someone like me. I'm pretty much constantly being told I'm not "allowed" to call myself that. So why keep fighting that? Here are 12 reasons why I still want to call myself an evangelical. Read more

Witch-hunts are dangerous; witches are not

Last updated on: April 11, 2014 at 5:24 pm By Fred Clark

In the trailer for the new cable TV show "Salem," one character says, "There is something worse than a witch hunt: A witch." This is one of the deadliest lies ever told. Witch hunts and witch hunters are a deadly menace responsible for the deaths of uncountable innocents and the ruin of whole communities. There is nothing worse than a witch hunt. Read more

Matthew 18 abuse needs to stop

Last updated on: April 10, 2014 at 6:55 pm By Fred Clark

Matthew 18 has become a refuge for scoundrels. Yes, Jesus taught us to forgive one another -- not seven times, or 70 times, but 70 times seven times. But that does not mean that if you steal from me 77 times you're entitled to recoil in holy offense when I call you a thief. That does not mean I can punch you in the face 489 times and then pretend I'm more righteous than you are because you demand that I stop. Read more

Drowning in echo amid the stained glass towers

Last updated on: April 9, 2014 at 4:05 pm By Fred Clark

Most Americans don't do things way before the deadline. Louisiana -- where church isn't boring. Flood stories and fairy stories. When are we gonna get a movie of "The Man Who Was Thursday"? A suggestion for "repeal and replace." Read more

Pay attention to how people describe the Bible

Last updated on: April 9, 2014 at 2:29 pm By Fred Clark

If you want to understand the ongoing "battle for the Bible," then you need to understand this: The words people use to describe the Bible are often the clearest indication of how those people think of themselves. Listen carefully to the adjectives they use and the attributes they ascribe to the Bible. These are often words that the speaker longs to be associated with. Read more

Smart people saying smart things

Last updated on: April 8, 2014 at 6:42 pm By Fred Clark

Brittney Cooper is not pleased with the call for her to simmer down and keep things polite and civil so that we can all just get along. Neither is Bruce Garrett and neither is Eric Waggoner. Robert Boston notes that, yes, they are coming for your birth control. Read more

Go and learn what this means: Lawful evil, chaotic good and B.A.D.D. theology

Last updated on: April 8, 2014 at 7:12 pm By Fred Clark

It says something about the sorry state of biblical understanding among biblical “inerrantists” that we were left to learn this from Gary Gygax rather than from Galatians, Isaiah, Amos or the Gospels. But once we learned it — once we came to see the possibility of it — then the whole ideology we’d been taught came into question. Read more

From their place on high to the dirty ground

Last updated on: April 8, 2014 at 2:49 pm By Fred Clark

Eric Reitan says reluctant bigotry doesn't exempt us from responsibility for our choices. The War on Lent. Crash blossoms and whales from space. A reminder that Big Brother was a young-Earth creationist. Charity, injustice and an Amazon gift registry. A song request for Toby Keith. Read more

What kind of story is this?

Last updated on: April 5, 2014 at 5:52 pm By Fred Clark

I've read quite a bit of speculation as to who it is who will ultimately "win" the Game of Thrones -- who will finally claim the Iron Throne. That prize has so far been won mainly by those who thought it was the Most Important Thing, which tends to be true of imperial thrones and the people who manage to sit on them. But it seems to me that Martin knows better. I don't think he believes that prize is the Most Important Thing and I don't think he's telling us the kind of story in which it represents the ultimate reward. Read more

I know what I want, I know what I need

Last updated on: April 4, 2014 at 5:59 pm By Fred Clark

"Equality, Innovation, Honesty and Advancement are all words we choose from a list." Rep. Randy Weber is working hard to put Texas' 14th Congressional District under water. The creepy, creepy men who run a Virginia Christian school. Bryan Fischer doesn't seem to have ever seen "Modern Family." An odd measure of progress. A reminder that progress is never "inevitable." A lovely example of what progress looks like. Read more