Recently, I mentioned a startling figure making the rounds in Christian-Land: this notion that 6000-10000 churches per year close in the United States. At the time, I couldn’t find the source for the figure. Today, though, I want to dive into it and see where it comes from, if I can, and figure out if it’s accurate. Then we’ll look at what it means.
Out of every accusation belligerent Christians fling at those who reject their sales pitches, the one about us being angry at God has to be one of the most baffling and irritating. But Christians make this accusation for some very important reasons. Today, I’ll show you what those reasons are–and what this accusation really means.
We’ve been talking lately about how Christians treat the people they’re trying to recruit. Sales-minded Christians often borrow strategies from the Bible, and this one is no exception: cold reading. I’ll show you what it is, why Christians like it, what they think is happening when they do it, and then—of Read more
We’ve been talking lately about the lamentably-common trope of Christians expressing great sadness over our non-belief. I’ve been noticing one outgrowth of that sentiment: the idea that ex-Christians would never have lost faith if we’d only encountered the best and most correct form of Christianity. And lucky for us, Magic Read more
Today, I’ll show you the shared features of these two popular testimony styles, and which testimony I think wins the fight for Christians’ attention and money–for now.
Christian cults sound so weird and alien to most people. But this one will probably sound even more sinister than the culty norm. It’s called Xenos Christian Fellowship, and it’s taken root in Ohio thanks to a philosophy that’s unique even by Christian-cult standards. Here are the details, just in time for Spooky Week.
WELL. The best-laid plans and all that! I found something to lead us up to J.D. Greear’s skidmark of a post from last week. Y’all need to see this first–if only to prepare yourselves. It seems that evangelical leaders have come up with yet another way to sabotage their young Read more
I ran across a list that was downright hilarious. In it, a relic from decades ago, Hal Lindsey, offers a listicle of reasons for churches to “teach Bible prophecy.” It made for an interesting example of a few different ideas we’ve been exploring lately. Today, we’ll run through his list–and see what it shows us about Christianity.
Harold Camping’s legacy has been obliterated. It might sound laughable–and it is, really, for a number of reasons we’ll dive into below. But it’s also a sign of the times. Rapture fantasies might just be going out of fashion, a little.
Way back when, when Yr. Loyal&Etc. was just a wee teenybopper Christian lass, I believed heart and soul in a concept that even today ensorcels Christians. That concept is Original Christianity. Let me walk you through the idea today, and show you how it completely fails even a cursory examination.