About ten years ago, when the trickle of deconversions began to flow into a river, evangelicals began getting all heated up about what they called unequally yoked couples. The term means a mixed-faith marriage, particularly one in which one partner is evangelical and the other an atheist. Evangelicals began slavering Read more…
Evangelical men and women both have some serious limitations that make relationships difficult for them. But there’s one segment of evangelicals that sounds particularly upset at what’s going on in the evangelical dating world these days. Today, let’s look at the evangelical women who perform a magic trick that to Read more…
Many years ago, just before the whole David Koresh cult exploded into news in April 1993, I almost joined a cult in Waco just down the road from those guys. That entire period of my life feels almost like a fever dream. I was operating along mental lines then that Read more…
Last week, a remarkable story unfolded at the New York Times about the growing absence of women in evangelical churches. This in itself is not too surprising. Just a few months ago, we covered the beginning of that story. Women are, indeed, finding their freedom from that oppressive system in Read more…
In Christianese, fallen pastors are pastors who have lost their pastoring jobs after causing a scandal. But even good, rules-abiding pastors have a tough time finding employment after leaving pastoring behind. The ones trailing scandals behind in their wake have an even harder time. And in the twilight of evangelicals’ Read more…
Reformed theology is an add-on to evangelicalism that amps up its already existing dysfunctional authoritarianism and power disparities. The people who belong to Reformed groups think that their ideology is far superior to base-model evangelicalism—that it produces Christians whose Jesusing is both more fervent and more correct. But Reformed groups Read more…
Because this is a day ending in Y, evangelicals have recently sprouted a bunch more sex scandals. Yet again, these scandals involve the loudest-braying leaders of the tribe. And yet again, evangelicals were the ones to elevate these newest abusers to leadership and give them nearly unlimited power over those Read more…
Last week, a bunch of evangelical leaders agreed that what their religion needs is a bunch of revivals. Yes, revivals will totally and completely end evangelicals’ increasing right-wing extremism and entanglement with ultraconservative politics! They have no doubts about this startling assertion. This is far from the very first time Read more…
It’s a parable for the ages, really, what happened with Jimmy Carter. Once upon a time, what people knew about Jimmy Carter likely went along these lines: First, he was a one-term Democratic President of the United States, presiding over a time of great economic and political turmoil. Second, before Read more…
For one brief, shining moment, evangelicals and atheists went toe-to-toe in the form of debates. It lasted about ten years all told, this war of ideas. And then, abruptly, the entire squabble fizzled out and ended. Since then, evangelicals have sought out comparatively few debates with atheists. Today, let’s explore Read more…