Why do we suffer? When we ask this question, there are so many additional questions behind it. What do we mean by suffering? Is there good suffering, or maybe a good way to suffer? German philosopher Nietzsche notes: “Man, the bravest animal and most prone to suffer, does not deny suffering as such: he wills it, he even seeks it out, provided he is shown a meaning for it, a purpose of suffering.” I have a weird interest in the... Read more
I grew up in a Fundamentalist church. By definition, this church was more conservative than most. It was also nondenominational – meaning that it was completely separate from a larger church hierarchy. Many of the Christian issues of the 90’s and 00’s were not a real problem. It was up to the pastor to preach and teach what he thought was right. Naturally, a single voice and opinion led to narrow views of the Christian faith. The idea of women... Read more
August 19th is World Humanitarian Day. On this day, we recognize the work so many have done to help those in need around the globe. The United States has a long history of humanitarianism. Americans help those in need, both the private and public sectors. While there are many reasons to help the less fortunate, this is a foundational Christian teaching. “This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also... Read more
Unless you live in the small state of Rhode Island, you’ve probably never heard of Victory Day. Victory Day, or “VJ Day” for short, is the commemoration of the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. I grew up in Rhode Island and still benefit from the state holiday. It’s always nice to have a day off to spend with family and stay out of the office. However, the holiday itself has been under fire almost since... Read more
Research has shown that Christians are leaving the church. Younger generations are less likely to attend church. They’re also less likely to think that church is an important part of their life. There are many reasons people say is the cause of this. Some blame modern technology and the ability to get content online and in your pocket. Fundamentalists will claim that these people aren’t true believers. Or maybe they couldn’t handle who God is and so they quit to... Read more
The Bible is the central text for Christianity throughout the world. The Protestant Bible contains 66 books while Catholic and Orthodox Bible’s include more. The Bible has been used for centuries to provide instruction for life and to uplift those in need. However, the Bible isn’t always used with good intentions. Fundamentalism hinges on a literal reading of the Bible. This includes the 6-day Creation story, God ordering the slaughter of innocent women, children, and animals during the Canaanite Conquest,... Read more
If you’re interested in Christian pop-culture, you’ve probably seen the Duggar family documentary Shiny Happy People. This documentary outlines the lives of the family from TLCs reality show 19 Kids and Counting. What appeared to be a strong family unit was exposed as a faltering IBLP and Quiverfull experience. Jim Bob Duggar followed the teaching of Bill Gothard, the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). These teachings included simple living, homeschooling, and rigid gender roles. They also discouraged any birth... Read more
American Christianity has a martyrdom complex. Much of the White Conservative Evangelical Church sees themselves as a persecuted group. If you grew up Evangelical in the 90’s, you probably remember the DC Talk song Jesus Freak. The band went on to produce a book, Jesus Freaks, about Christian martyrs throughout history. The feeling of being persecuted for their beliefs is not new. White American Christianity has been pushing back against the changing culture for decades. Christianity has been the majority religion in... Read more
It feels like church has changed so much after the COVID-19 pandemic. With most of the world on lockdown, many small churches scrambled to make the change to hosting services online. This often included spending thousands of dollars of video and audio equipment while requiring more volunteers to work the new tech. Much of 2020’s dialogue was about the necessity of in-person church. Denominations that place high priority on the Eucharist tended to be more hesitant to the change. Low... Read more
I haven’t ever been really patriotic. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 2000’s. I remember 9/11, the Iraq War, the 2008 housing crash, and the list goes on. I loved watching satirical pundits like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert point out the hypocrisy in America. It hasn’t gotten a lot better since. However, it wasn’t until 2015 when I started feeling uncomfortable with the patriotic wing of American Christianity. I found it strange that we could pledge allegiance... Read more
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