But what this study did do was to shine a line on two particular, self-servingly deluded claims made by the worst elements of Christianity: just how many members they have, and exactly how they view membership numbers. Here is how these two factors are working against Christianity in general when it comes to comprehending just how much trouble they’re in.
Janis Heaphy Dunham has written a book about her dive into the world of supernatural and paranormal pseudoscience after the tragic death of her beloved husband, Max. I grieve along with her–he sounds like an amazing man, and the world is the poorer for his absence. However, this book leaves me unconvinced that he’s the one who did all the stuff she writes about in her book.
Some computer error messages, like “imminent hard drive failure,” are really quick, simple to interpret, and definitive as to resolution. Life doesn’t often hand us something so easy! But with the 2014 Religious Landscape Study, life has done exactly that for Christians.
Some computer error messages, like “imminent hard drive failure,” are really quick, simple to interpret, and definitive as to resolution. Life doesn’t often hand us something so easy! But with the 2014 Religious Landscape Study, life has done exactly that for Christians.
Tony Waller’s story illustrates an overarching trend and a deeper problem in the religion: Christianity is failing its young people. To understand how someone like this could end up in a church ministry involving children, we have to dig deep into what evangelical churches think about youth ministry–and how someone unqualified could end up with a church’s most precious and finite treasure in his hands.
Tony Waller’s story illustrates an overarching trend and a deeper problem in the religion: Christianity is failing its young people. To understand how someone like this could end up in a church ministry involving children, we have to dig deep into what evangelical churches think about youth ministry–and how someone unqualified could end up with a church’s most precious and finite treasure in his hands.
Yet another wide-eyed, disingenuous Christian takes a shot at why people become atheists. The results are, well, sadly predictable. I’m just surprised he didn’t also make some guesses about the number of teeth and ribs atheists have.
There really are two types of Christian in this world, and one of them hates the other with every fiber of its hate- and rage-filled little body.
When you present people with anything statistic-related, and you reward that statistic based on its level, then yes, people are going to do anything they can to figure out what the statistic is and manipulate it.
Prosperity gospel preacher Creflo Dollar recently asked his followers to give him a USD$65 million dollar plane because that is what he thought he needed to spread the gospel (how did people manage before private planes?). In the wake of considerable pushback and criticism, he removed the grifting request, but he’s back and more belligerent than ever–and blaming Satan for all the backlash.
So basically it was just another day in Prosperity Gospel Land.