Some Confessions of a Past Proselytizer I remember how stressful it was for me, as a child and young adult, to believe I "had to" attempt to convert others to Christianity--specifically the evangelical variety I grew up in, which those in my community took to be most authentic expression of the faith. As a result … Continue reading Empowerment against Evangelization: Countering Conversion Attempts by Asserting Moral Autonomy
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
Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Singer-Songwriter David Bazan
David Bazan is a man who needs little introduction in ex-Evangelical circles. In his career as frontman for indie group Pedro the Lion and as a solo artist, Bazan has consistently set strikingly intimate lyrics to haunting melodies, not eschewing doubt and darkness even when he was a Christian artist. Bazan's authenticity was and is … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Singer-Songwriter David Bazan
Transgender Employment Non-Discrimination and Contraception Access Rolled Back. The Trump Administration Keeps Giving us Reasons to #EmptyThePews
Yesterday, the news broke that Attorney General Jeff Sessions' (alternative) Justice Department was rescinding Obama era transgender employment non-discrimination protections. And today, in a move that is almost certainly illegal and will be challenged in court, Health and Human Services moved to essentially eliminate the ACA's contraception mandate, allowing educational institutions and even publicly traded … Continue reading Transgender Employment Non-Discrimination and Contraception Access Rolled Back. The Trump Administration Keeps Giving us Reasons to #EmptyThePews
Where Do Ex-Evangelicals Come From?
Where do ex-Evangelicals come from? Ahem! Well, erm, you see, children, when two people hate Jesus very, very much, Lilith's pet pterodactyl (his name is Cuthbert) gets a text message alerting him that it's time to take up his stick and bundle and pay another visit to Lucifer's eggplant patch... But seriously, folks. I am often asked, … Continue reading Where Do Ex-Evangelicals Come From?
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
#ChristianAltFacts Makes an Impact
On Friday morning, I coined the hashtag #ChristianAltFacts (Christian alternative facts) toward the end of a thread reflecting on Christopher Douglas's analysis of the religious origins of America's fake news problem (for more on which, click here): https://twitter.com/C_Stroop/status/835146008942247936 By late Friday evening, #ChristianAltFacts was trending to the point where Trumpist trolls, aka the deplorables, had … Continue reading #ChristianAltFacts Makes an Impact
Not Your Mission Field 