Analyzing Christianity
Gene Bailey: Testing an evangelical’s prophecies
We check out the prophecies of Gene Bailey, a buddy of Jim Bakker’s, and see how accurate Bailey managed to be.
Analyzing Christianity
The Pearson Manual: How it deconverted me, and why (+BONUS SCANS)
Everything changed the night I got my little Pentecostal hands on what we now know today as a Pearson Manual.
Analyzing Christianity
Cosmic Reversi: Inverted expectations and sudden reversals in Low Christian folklore
Christians love callings that represent a complete reversal of expectations. They enjoy stories about unexpected, inverted expectations. However, these stories must end the correct way.
Analyzing Christianity
Pastoral burnout on the rise (again)
There might not be a Big Quit as such, but what there is instead might be way worse. It’s not so much about empty pulpits, but more about ’empty preachers.’
Analyzing Christianity
Finding your calling when the caller doesn’t exist
In Christianese, a calling represents Jesus’ orders for what his followers are meant to be doing with their lives. But in reality, finding one’s calling works in a very prosaic–and earthly–way. Even then, it doesn’t work at all the way that Christians think it does.
Analyzing Christianity
“Everyone’s a slave to something” — except not really
When I was just a teenager, some evangelical set this over-simplistic equation in front of me: Pick your master, because you’ll always be a slave to something.
Analyzing Christianity
‘There is a payback coming’ as evangelicals dream of revenge and dominance
Let’s check out a recent gathering of authoritarian evangelicals. I’ll show you their plans–and the not-so-hidden desires of their hearts.
Analyzing Christianity
The Jesus Aura: Why this false belief persists
Many Christians have this idea that their faith imbues them with a sort of glowing-but-invisible aura that both attracts and repels non-Christians. It’s their Jesus Aura.
Analyzing Christianity
Pastor Tom Buck is very upset that his enemies exposed his abusive behavior
Tom Buck clearly hopes to escape the scrutiny that cost Paige Patterson his job—and not hinder his faction leader, Tom Ascol, from reaching the heights of SBC power.
Analyzing Christianity
By fire and the sword: Christians and coercion
Earlier today, I saw a story about religious coercion from Religion News that just sent chills through me. A pair of sheriff’s deputies baptized a Tennessee woman against her will. As she put it, the officer who pulled her over told her that she had to allow him to baptize Read more