In my latest for Playboy, "On the Death of John Chau and the Madness of Missionaries," I wrote: That John Chau was a product of the radical apocalyptic evangelical milieu I grew up in, and driven by its approach to missions, thus seems undeniable. Why, then, is the commentary from the most prominent evangelical outlets relatively sparse? … Continue reading #EvangelicalIntoEnglish, Missionary Edition: Unpacking Ed Stetzer’s Spin on the Death of Radical Missionary John Chau
Escape from Jesus Land: On Recognizing Evangelical Abuse and Finding the Strength to Reject the Faith of Our Fathers
The View from Jesus Land, USA My great-grandpa was the only member of my mom's side of the family never to abandon the Democratic Party for the Republicans. He would not leave the political party of his father. Similarly, a friend of my family's who worked as a lawyer in a small Midwestern town for … Continue reading Escape from Jesus Land: On Recognizing Evangelical Abuse and Finding the Strength to Reject the Faith of Our Fathers
Journalists Should Stop Scratching their Heads about Evangelical Trumpism, Admit White Evangelicals are Illiberal Christians
A lot of ink has been spilled over the question of why it was white Evangelicals above all who propelled the vulgar and amoral Donald Trump to the presidency in 2016, and why, at 67% according to the Pew Research Center, these Evangelicals remain Trump’s most supportive demographic. Commentators are now expressing similar confusion over … Continue reading Journalists Should Stop Scratching their Heads about Evangelical Trumpism, Admit White Evangelicals are Illiberal Christians
Ex-Evangelical Means Much More than Dropping a Label: A Response to Josiah Hesse
This morning, journalist, novelist, and ex-Evangelical Josiah Hesse published an important article in The Guardian. The original (and, as of 5:06 p.m. Eastern, current) headline of the article is "'Exvangelicals': Why More Religious People are Rejecting the Evangelical Label." Hesse's article focuses primarily on a new wave of Christians dissociating themselves from the term "Evangelical" due to … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Means Much More than Dropping a Label: A Response to Josiah Hesse
Who’s Afraid of the Rapture? Some Thoughts on Conservative Christian Apocalypticism and its Consequences
Happy Rapture Day? It's that time again. That time of year when the fall semester gets into full swing, the leaves in the Midwest and New England begin to change color (or maybe not this year, thanks Obama climate change), and certain conservative Christians go into a frenzy about the rapture. You know, that glorious event … Continue reading Who’s Afraid of the Rapture? Some Thoughts on Conservative Christian Apocalypticism and its Consequences
Of Megachurches and their Mini-Mes, or, What’s the Deal with “Relevant” Christianity?
Before really getting into this post, I'd like to thank all of you readers for bearing with me with respect to the paucity of new content delivered over the last month, much of which I spent traveling: In Indiana (where I visited family); in the Pacific Northwest (where I stayed with Tori Glass's family, hiked … Continue reading Of Megachurches and their Mini-Mes, or, What’s the Deal with “Relevant” Christianity?
The Rundown on Jay Sekulow, Veteran Christian Right Lawyer Now on Trump’s Legal Team
The news recently broke that Jay Alan Sekulow, chief counsel for the far Right American Center for Law and Justice, is a member of Trump's legal team. This should give us pause for a number of reasons. The ACLJ is one of the most effective Christian Right legal advocacy organizations, and it plays an important … Continue reading The Rundown on Jay Sekulow, Veteran Christian Right Lawyer Now on Trump’s Legal Team
Stop #CruellaDevos: Once More on the Christian Right’s Education Agenda
Amid all the talk of highly unqualified Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos's defense of unconscionable $9.2 billion cuts to public education and proposed $4 billion investment in so-called "school choice" (moves that have earned DeVos the well-deserved epithet #CruellaDeVos on Twitter), it's worth remembering why the Christian Right supports "school choice" in the first place. … Continue reading Stop #CruellaDevos: Once More on the Christian Right’s Education Agenda
Not Your Mission Field 