Analyzing Christianity
Training Spiritual Warriors in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #102, Ch.6)
Today, Lord Snow Presides over the overwhelming arrogance of spiritual warfare–and its surprisingly earthly origins.
Analyzing Christianity
Jesus Told This Complementarian Dude To Marry Me
Hi and welcome back! Lately, we’ve been focusing on a doctrine in authoritarian Christianity called complementarianism. This doctrine informs much of right-wing Christians’ thought processes and behavior. Especially for complementarian men, their doctrine writes them an easy permission slip for so much of the awful stuff they want to do. Today, I Read more
Analyzing Christianity
Spiritual Warfare in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #101, Ch.6)
Chapter Six contains a pair of vignettes about demonic attacks on people–and how those attacks turn out if the target happens to be a TRUE CHRISTIAN™. This chapter also contains a very important primer on conducting spiritual warfare. If you unfortunately lack this absolutely essential skill, then hop aboard and strap in!
Analyzing Christianity
Respect: The Song And Dance That Makes Complementarians Content
Respect is such an important concept to understand when one discusses this ultra-authoritarian, misogynistic flavor of Christianity. Hop aboard! Today, we ride the Respect Train right past these control-freaky zealots.
Analyzing Christianity
Culture Warriors Love Stupid Demons Best in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #99; Ch.5)
Today, we examine the second meeting–and see some important truths about the culture warriors who love this book. We’ll see how they see themselves, and more importantly how they see their enemies–which includes not only demons but also you, me, and everybody else who rejects their simple message of control-lust, cruelty, division, and authoritarianism. Hop aboard for a demonic meeting, as filtered through a culture warrior’s lens!
Analyzing Christianity
The power struggles in TRUE CHRISTIAN™ churches (explain a lot)
If you ever found yourself teetering on the fence about this religion, then this post is for you—because that problem and Thom Rainer’s solutions to it are both dealbreakers
Analyzing Christianity
The Problems and Pitfalls of Church Revitalization
This type of business, church revitalization, might well be one of post-Christian America’s most lucrative cottage industries. Today, I’ll show you what revitalization is–and why it’ll fail just like everything else Christians do to try to regain their onetime cultural dominance.
Analyzing Christianity
A Muddling of Angels in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #98; Ch.5)
Here, we continue our examination of Frank Peretti’s somehow-bestselling fantasy novel This Present Darkness. In Chapter 5, we discover some startling facts about angels. Today, Lord Snow Presides over an ethnography that Christian culture warriors never forgot.
Analyzing Christianity
Thom Rainer: His new gig (won’t help his religion)
Thom Rainer just retired from LifeWay. Immediately afterward, he plunged full-time into his new old hustle. That hustle will benefit exactly one person: himself. I’ll show you what he’s up to and why it won’t help Christianity at all–and why he probably won’t care either way.
Analyzing Christianity
The Sad Decline of Ashton in ‘This Present Darkness’ (LSP #97)
We’ve talked about all kinds of stuff about the novel and its historical context. Today, we examine the book’s setting: the tiny town of Ashton. As with the book’s other elements, Peretti chose this one–and then set it in undeniable decline–for a reason. And we can tell what that reason was.