Recently, Elon Musk challenged Vladimir Putin to single combat–with the winner taking Ukraine. It was a dumb joke, for all that Musk claimed to be “absolutely serious” about it. But it caught my attention because the person he challenged happens to be one of the biggest authoritarians on the planet. That kind of challenge means something to an authoritarian that a non-authoritarian doesn’t quite understand.
A few days ago, the world learned that Brian Houston–beleaguered founder of Hillsong Church, a global megachurch–violated his church’s code of conduct with “inappropriate behavior” directed at two women. He’s trying his best to spin-doctor what he did, but he’s just making his situation worse. In the process, he’s revealing just how extensive his enabler network is–and how far they’re willing to go to protect Hillsong itself.
Studies have repeatedly shown that when we have an emotional feeling about a claim, we tend to react to it way differently than if it’s neutral for us. In particular, if the claim challenges our worldview or makes us feel criticized or less-than, we tend to reject it out of hand no matter how much evidence it has to support itself. It’s really hard for us to engage with an idea that makes us feel that way, and even harder for us to change our mind about it.
What’s strange is that I don’t think I’ve ever seen any real advice about evangelizing atheists that might actually work to create a sales engagement.
I’m not even half surprised by any of these revelations. For years now, I’ve noted unsettling trends in this publication. Once again, then, we learn to our detriment that evangelicals cannot have authoritarianism and institutional sexism without it breeding scandals and abuse.
This apology and settlement represent some of the very most definitive actions the SBC has ever taken regarding any sexual abuse claim since journalists first exposed their mega-scandal, “Abuse of Faith,” three years ago. I don’t think the timing of this action is accidental. Today, let me show you why.
In the same way that religion hijacks the evolution of our minds, social media hijacks the evolution of group psychology.
Y’all, I got to feeling helpful. And I wondered what the Book of Revelation really says about solving conflicts. So today, we’re going to whisk through one of the weirdest books in the entire Bible to see what it REALLY tells evangelicals to do.
Well, it’s finally happened. I’ve finally found an evangelical who thinks that the Book of Revelation is supposed to be a Christian self-help guide to conflict resolution. I thought I’d seen it all with shoehorned misinterpretations, but apparently not! And his listicle displays the worst, most misinformed, most studiously gaslighting elements of evangelicalism as a whole.
The dynamics of sharing and sales couldn’t be more different. And y’all, it has always tickled me pink that evangelism-minded Christians fight as hard as they do against any insinuation that what they’re doing is selling, not sharing.