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
Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Tori Williams Douglass to White Christians on the Anniversary of Michael Brown’s Murder
I'm doing something a little different for this installment of Ex-Evangelical Conversations. Instead of relating an interview in Q&A format, after a brief introduction, I am going to repost, with permission, a piece from my friend Tori Williams Douglass's blog (the original, titled "The Day I Learned White Christians Hate Me," is here). Tori is … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Tori Williams Douglass to White Christians on the Anniversary of Michael Brown’s Murder
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
The Council for National Policy Wants Betsy DeVos to Christianize Public Schools – CNP “Education Reform Report”
The Washington Post has, thankfully, drawn attention to some very concerning plans on the part of the powerful, secretive conservative group the Council for National Policy to undermine the separation of church and state in America. Specifically, the CNP seems confident it can convince Betsy DeVos to move not only toward pushing for "school choice"--i.e., using … Continue reading The Council for National Policy Wants Betsy DeVos to Christianize Public Schools – CNP “Education Reform Report”
More Evangelical Purges Come to Light – Why are Some People Surprised?
No, seriously. The question in the title of this blog post is not rhetorical. I would really like to understand not only why outside observers of Evangelical subculture, such as Emma Green, seem surprised at the extent to which Evangelical institutions discipline their members to keep them on message, but also why some people who … Continue reading More Evangelical Purges Come to Light – Why are Some People Surprised?
Not Your Mission Field 