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: A Malefic Mix-Up
It's the end of the month, and you know what that means. It's time for this month's edition of #EpicChristianFails, in which Not Your Mission Field sifts through a month's worth of the always abundant examples of unintentionally amusing incompetence in Christian contexts and highlights one as the month's most "epic" Christian fail. In a first, … Continue reading Epic Christian Fails: A Malefic Mix-Up
Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Writer and Former Minister Verdell A. Wright
As a trained theologian with degrees from the Howard School of Divinity and Wesley Theological Seminary, Verdell A. Wright is an atheist who knows the Bible well. In fact, while he enjoyed pursuing his theological education, he often found churches somewhat intellectually stifling. As he once remarked, "Depending on what church you’re going to, a … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Writer and Former Minister Verdell A. Wright
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
Why I am Not an Atheist
Reasonabler than Thou? *September 27, 2019 update: I've become more comfortable with being described as an atheist, but the social criticism of the atheist community laid out below stands.* On a formal intellectual level, there are a number of reasons I refuse to embrace atheism. While I don't believe in a micromanaging deity, I find … Continue reading Why I am Not an Atheist
Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Cindy Wang Brandt
Today I'm proud to be publishing the following interview with Cindy Wang Brandt, an ex-Evangelical writer and advocate for social justice and healthy parenting for whom I have great respect. Cindy founded and moderates the large, active Facebook community Raising Children Unfundamentalist, where she is truly doing, dare I say it, the Lord's work by … Continue reading Ex-Evangelical Conversations: Cindy Wang Brandt
Ex-Evangelicals in 2017: A Not Your Mission Field Year in Review
2017 has been a devastating year for America, and a disheartening year for those of us who care about human rights and democracy, and who have been resisting the rise of American authoritarianism under our current, illegitimate, president. This group includes the ex-Evangelical community, many members of which have shown dedication to exposing the authoritarian, … Continue reading Ex-Evangelicals in 2017: A Not Your Mission Field Year in Review
A Few Words on #ChurchToo: Evangelical Abuse Scandals, Hashtag Campaigns, and Ex-Evangelicals in the Media
On November 21, Hannah Paasch launched a new hashtag campaign that she and Emily Joy had come up with together. #ChurchToo, as Hannah noted in the first tweet with the hashtag, is about a much needed "day of reckoning for the church." Evangelical Protestantism is, as a rule, intensely patriarchal, and the numerous Evangelical abuse … Continue reading A Few Words on #ChurchToo: Evangelical Abuse Scandals, Hashtag Campaigns, and Ex-Evangelicals in the Media
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