I bet that nowadays, some people can’t even remember a time when evangelicals weren’t in decline. It’s been going on for a long, long time now. But when one evangelical leader predicted the looming decline of evangelicalism in 2009, the entire Christ-o-sphere erupted into anger and disbelief. They simply couldn’t Read more
In Christianese, there’s hardly a word that pulls more weight than witness. It acts as a verb, noun, and more in evangelicals’ jargon. But in recent years, they clearly care less and less about it or its importance. They only use it to justify their worst behavior. Today, let’s explore Read more
For many years, evangelicals waged a loud and obnoxious war on Halloween. It figured prominently in their culture wars during the Satanic Panic, but even years afterward they regurgitated the propaganda they’d absorbed during those critical years. Somewhere around 2018, though, I wonder if they got tired of fighting Halloween. Read more
In recent months, Donald Trump has been talking about bringing back the anti-Muslim immigration ban from his single term in office.
His white evangelical fanbase loves it. Almost ten years into their decline, they are more touchy than ever about losing credibility and cultural power.
Kate Cohen’s excellent essay about the importance of atheists being open about their atheism is exactly right. But maybe we need to extend that sentiment even further.
I’ve been in both situations: a onetime Pentecostal who saw Christianity as the default setting for humanity, and an outsider who was no longer part of the tribe. The difference is everything.
Not long ago, we talked about a bunch of stuff—like apologetics arguments—that Christians mistakenly think is evidence supporting their various claims. Now, I want to zero in on one particular flavor of apologetics: the kind we encounter in Creationism. Yes, this sad, weird ideology still exists. Its leaders still cheerfully Read more
Two recent stories about prayer come to us from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)—and both reveal evangelicals’ false narratives around it. Worse, one of those stories represents nothing less than naked opportunism at the expense of the growing number of people suffering through the new conflict/war between Israel and Hamas. Read more
We’ve been talking lately about how sales-minded Christians really need their targets to have the correct worldview. As I’ve mentioned, I grew up with the absolutely perfect one, at least from that point of view. It was a wonder I lasted till my teens before some evangelical somewhere got ahold Read more
Last week, I showed you the 4-14 Window. That phrase means that if Christians don’t successfully indoctrinate a child between the ages of 4 and 14, that child is very unlikely to convert to Christianity in adulthood. Evangelicals in particular have been panicking about this concept for decades now. So I Read more
Ken Ham says evangelicals have ‘lost Gen Z’ because he and his ilk can no longer indoctrinate children in public schools.
We explore his claims and figure out where the blame really rests.