A Personal Update and Some Thoughts on Pluralism

Hi, all! I know it has been a very long time since I've created any new content for this site. I never intended to go into blogging hiatus for seven months, but in the meantime I've been promoting my coedited anthology, Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church. I was doing some public speaking … Continue reading A Personal Update and Some Thoughts on Pluralism

Epic Christian Fails: The Stepford Second Lady

In honor of Halloween, I've decided to make October's #EpicChristianFails entry more horror than humor. That being said, the occasion that inspired this month's blog post did elicit a dark chuckle and a smirk from me, while providing a heaping helping of disgust as well. It's definitely not a knee-slapper, but it does involve knees. … Continue reading Epic Christian Fails: The Stepford Second Lady

Epic Christian Fails: Pastor Robert Jeffress and the Greta Thunberg Contingency

Robert Jeffress, toxic Christian Zionist, pastor of the 13,000-strong megachurch First Baptist Dallas, and Trump toady extraordinaire, has a solid record when it comes to taking the Bible literally. The prominent Southern Baptist leader has never shied away from such straight-shooting statements as, "We know from the Bible that in fact, we do have a common … Continue reading Epic Christian Fails: Pastor Robert Jeffress and the Greta Thunberg Contingency

On the Conservative Movement and Evangelical Spin Doctoring: A Response to A. J. Nolte

The Big Picture: The Power of Denial in the Conservative Movement If there's one consistent thing that many #NeverTrump conservatives have tried to get the American public to believe, it's that the only problem in the conservative movement and the current iteration of the Republican Party is Donald J. Trump. If we could just get … Continue reading On the Conservative Movement and Evangelical Spin Doctoring: A Response to A. J. Nolte

Setting the Record Straight on #ExposeChristianSchools: Why the Media Must not Cede Coverage of Ex-Evangelicals to the Right

On January 18, I launched the hashtag #ExposeChristianSchools on Twitter as a response to Vice President Mike Pence and conservative commentators like David French lambasting liberals over legitimate criticism of Second Lady Karen Pence for choosing to teach art at Immanuel Christian School in Springfield, Virginia—a K-8 school that explicitly discriminates against members of the … Continue reading Setting the Record Straight on #ExposeChristianSchools: Why the Media Must not Cede Coverage of Ex-Evangelicals to the Right

What’s Wrong with Karen Pence Teaching at an Anti-LGBTQ Christian School? #ExposeChristianSchools Has Your Answer

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few days, by now you're aware that Second Lady Karen Pence has taken the highly unusual step of working while her husband occupies the office of vice president. One could arguably make the case that a Second Lady taking on a full-time job could be … Continue reading What’s Wrong with Karen Pence Teaching at an Anti-LGBTQ Christian School? #ExposeChristianSchools Has Your Answer

Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Professor of Psychology Joshua Grubbs (Featuring Advice for Exvies Seeking Therapists)

Joshua Grubbs, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and professor at Bowling Green State University, where he researches the psychology of behavioral addictions, psychology of religion and spirituality, and issues related to personality. He's also one of my favorite follows on #Exvangelical Twitter, and I'm almost surprised at myself that I haven't featured him in Ex-Evangelical … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Professor of Psychology Joshua Grubbs (Featuring Advice for Exvies Seeking Therapists)

Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Christian Abuse Survivor, College Student, and Future Journalist Elizabeth Hunter, Part I

Be warned that today's installment of Ex-Evangelical Conversations is a very disturbing read. Currently a senior at a Christian college, Elizabeth Hunter's path has been a harrowing one of survival involving parental negligence, re-homing, sexual abuse, gaslighting, manipulation, humiliation, and starvation, mostly from the adults in her environment who were supposed to be nurturing and … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Christian Abuse Survivor, College Student, and Future Journalist Elizabeth Hunter, Part I

Happy 4th? On the Complicated Problem of Patriotism in Conditions of Injustice

"We've got the American Jesus Bolstering national faith We've got the American Jesus Overwhelming millions every day." – Bad Religion, "American Jesus," Recipe for Hate (1993) Some Reflections for Independence Day, July 4, 2018 Yesterday, Mandy Nicole, founder and editor-in-chief of Fundamentally Free, a multi-author ex-evangelical blog, published a piece called "Evangelicalism Killed my Patriotism." She notes the presence … Continue reading Happy 4th? On the Complicated Problem of Patriotism in Conditions of Injustice