Maybe the fact that their tweet with the "really big news" that Patheos would be hosting Mark Driscoll only got one retweet and four likes in more than 24 hours should have been the first clue for the blog site dedicated to "hosting the conversation on faith" that their readers are not excited to see … Continue reading Patheos is Giving a Platform to Disgraced Pastor Mark Driscoll. Push Back – Tweet #NoDriscoll at @Patheos
Not Your Mission Field: A New Title for the Blog
When I started this blog, I had yet to think of a proper title. I put "Christopher Stroop" in as a placeholder, and I've been mulling it over ever since. As of today, "Christopher Stroop" has been replaced with "Not Your Mission Field." I also registered http://www.NotYourMissionField.com, which directs to the homepage here. So, why … Continue reading Not Your Mission Field: A New Title for the Blog
“Do Aborted Babies Go to Hell?” The Horrifying Questions that Only Fundamentalists Have to Consider
Note: I use the term "babies" in the title of this post rather than the more accurate "fetuses" because this is how conservative Christians who believe that life begins at conception think of it. Readers of this blog should be well aware that I reject their framework and avoid using the term "unborn babies" myself. For … Continue reading “Do Aborted Babies Go to Hell?” The Horrifying Questions that Only Fundamentalists Have to Consider
Street Preaching and the Christian Right, Part 2: Inside the Mind of a Street Preacher
Before reading this post and its corollary Street Preaching and the Christian Right, Part 1: Suffer the Little Children (which is recommended reading for context before you proceed here), let me just note that these posts contain very disturbing material. Be prepared to confront misogyny, rape, assault, homophobia, transphobia, racism, Islamophobia, bigotry toward other confessions, … Continue reading Street Preaching and the Christian Right, Part 2: Inside the Mind of a Street Preacher
Street Preaching and the Christian Right, Part 1: Suffer the Little Children
Before I get into this post and its corollary, Street Preaching and the Christian Right, Part 2: Inside the Mind of a Street Preacher, let me just note that these posts contain very disturbing material. Be prepared to confront misogyny, rape, assault, homophobia, transphobia, racism, Islamophobia, bigotry toward other confessions, including Mormonism, Hinduism, and Catholicism, and … Continue reading Street Preaching and the Christian Right, Part 1: Suffer the Little Children
Educated Evangelicals, Academic Achievement, and Trumpism: On the Tensions in Valuing Education in an Anti-Intellectual Subculture
Authority First: The Enclave Strikes Back "I sat in the waiting room wasting my time, and waiting for Judgment Day. I praise liberty, the freedom to obey." - Green Day, "21st Century Breakdown," 21st Century Breakdown (2009) Fundamentalists force an inhumane choice on reflective, empathetic individuals who grow up in their enclave communities: assent that 2 + 2 … Continue reading Educated Evangelicals, Academic Achievement, and Trumpism: On the Tensions in Valuing Education in an Anti-Intellectual Subculture
#ChristianAltFacts, or, how the Christian Right Broke America
Christopher Douglas's article "The Religious Origins of Fake News and 'Alternative Facts,'" published yesterday on Religion Dispatches, is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why and how America's asymmetric polarization--polarization from the Right--has led to Trumpism. You cannot understand this apart from the theocratic element and the relationship between fundamentalist psychology and … Continue reading #ChristianAltFacts, or, how the Christian Right Broke America
#SpiritualAbuseIs – Join the Conversation on Spiritual Abuse
On February 12, I posted a thread about spiritual abuse on Twitter, not realizing it would stir powerful reactions of various kinds. One user (who quickly unfollowed me) tweeted at me "Enough already!" and "Get counseling." Both the presumption and the assumptions inherent in those tweets are not really worth unpacking here (but let me … Continue reading #SpiritualAbuseIs – Join the Conversation on Spiritual Abuse
Not Your Mission Field 