There are certain questions which inform my faith and shape my writing. Perhaps the most haunting question for me right now is, “What do the rampant abuses within Evangelicalism tell me about my own systems of belief?” The attempt to address this question has forced me to explore the gray areas, the often uncomfortable liminal space that occurs as I try to cross the divide between complicity and challenge, participation and protest. One area I have found these lines to... Read more
“Should I let my 12 year old watch this rated R movie?” “What are some Christian family-friendly songs appropriate for my elementary aged children?” “Can my 8 year old read Harry Potter?” (<== the answer to this is yes, OF COURSE) These are the sorts of questions which plague many Christian parents, and the root of these practical daily decisions is the desire to frame the way our children interacts with society at large. On the one hand, we want... Read more
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! – Matthew 23:23-24 One of the things that drove me away from the conservative, evangelical church was realizing they had taught me to hate and... Read more
When mainstream society uses the term “Fundamentalism,” they aren’t referring to a specific Protestant movement or a defined set of theological beliefs, instead they’re describing a stubborn attitude of strictness and close-mindedness that’s affiliated with hate, bigotry, fear, and ignorance. It’s a term meant to be demeaning and negative. Contrarily, the term “Progressive” is usually spun in a favorable light, and is associated with groundbreaking ideas, positive reform, and moving forward—not backwards. If we take these definitions and apply them... Read more
“Ayuda!” My feisty seventeen-month-old daughter has mastered the art of asking for help, in Spanish no less. When Sam turned one my husband and I enrolled her at Spanish immersion childcare center not far from our house. During the week her sponge-like brain is absorbing a language different from the one she hears at home. Effortless bilingualism, the school calls it. Language helps us make sense of ourselves and our world, and as a parent I take the responsibility of setting a strong communication... Read more
Content warning: discussion of child sexual abuse and incest. Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters. And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine,... Read more
If you’re a parent and you’re not following Cindy Brandt Unfundamentalist Parenting, you should. Cindy explains her motivation for the series in her first post: I am in desperate need of a robust discussion regarding how in the hell to talk to my kids about hell. In other, less eternally-damning words, how do those of us who have grown up evangelical and yet suffer some damaging effects of fundamentalist theology, do the delicate parenting dance of communicating the love of God... Read more
Two Asians and a white boy walk into a room, (diametric’ly opposed, foes). It was a Sunday, and we were at a school for a Quiz Bowl tournament. Where yes, if you walked in, you would be able to affirm the stereotypes you’ve been taught about race and education. So, we were in the minority as white people. And my 13 year old son, bless his little heart, was oblivious to it, as most 13 year old boys who are... Read more
Fundamentalism is many things to many different people. For some, it can be defined by the deep conviction that the Bible is entirely inspired, completely inerrant, and should always be translated literally. For others, fundamentalism is more of an idea, spirit, or particular way of doing things—strict, unwavering, and unforgiving. The term is used frequently in the media—Christian fundamentalists, Islamic fundamentalists, Religious fundamentalists—and is generally viewed in a negative way. Nobody proudly claims to be a fundamentalist, instead, it’s a... Read more
Do you know anyone with a background in Christian fundamentalism? If you do, then you know that a good portion of that world view is oriented around fear. Fear of hell, fear of punishment in the afterlife, fear that our children will be disobedient. Oops, did I say that out loud? The way I was raised in my own fundamentalist (or fundie) background, if my child was disobedient to me as a parent, they were in danger of never listening... Read more
Unfundamentalist Parenting
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In