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
Reflections on Religion News Association’s 2019 Conference
On Wednesday, September 18, I flew to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend the annual conference of Religion News Association, an organization that has been around since 1949. https://twitter.com/C_Stroop/status/1174050109606129664?s=20 Some time back, ex-evangelical journalist Liam Adams invited me to be part of a panel on religion reporting and social media along with him, Aysha Khan, and Sophia … Continue reading Reflections on Religion News Association’s 2019 Conference
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
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
#HowToEvangelical is the Latest Ex-Evangelical Hashtag Craze
If you haven't yet taken notice of the new hashtag #HowToEvangelical on Twitter, head over there and have a look at how it's making waves. I hashtagged the phrase after Twitter user @petuniasfalling used it in a tweet that I found both poignant and funny. Before the day was out, the hashtag had trended steadily and … Continue reading #HowToEvangelical is the Latest Ex-Evangelical Hashtag Craze
The Last Temptation of American Journalism, or, Michael Gerson is Not a Hero
If there's one temptation America's major newspapers and magazines seem unable to resist, it's the temptation to normalize America's white Christian extremists--including traditionalist Catholics, yes, but especially Evangelicals. On the whole, this 81% Trump-voting population represents a clear and present danger to American democracy and the future of human rights, but time and again The … Continue reading The Last Temptation of American Journalism, or, Michael Gerson is Not a Hero
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
Not Your Mission Field 