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
Speaking in Tongues on TikTok (LSP #207)
Hi and welcome back! I saw a story a while ago that has me kinda sighing and laughing at the same time. Pentecostals are still doing their thing, but they’ve had to branch out into social media — especially now that it’s harder for big huge rowdy get-togethers. Of note, Read more
Analyzing Christianity
Christianese 101: Translating Evangelists’ Success Stories
Hi and welcome back! Sometimes, it’s fun to reveal the real meaning of all the Christianese that evangelicals use. Because oh, they use a lot of it. And the more Christianese you see in use, the less the Christians involved have to say that’s real and true. So when I say that Read more
Analyzing Christianity
Bitter: How Evangelical Women Cope With Their Seething Anger
Hi and welcome back! Last week, we talked about anger. Then, a few days ago, we touched on how evangelicals treat women’s anger completely differently. Indeed, evangelicals have a whole word that pertains almost solely to the anger of women: bitter. Today, I’ll show you the tribe’s quirky definition of Read more
Analyzing Christianity
Matt Gaetz: The principles of power in broken systems
One thing I noticed quickly was that nobody on Capitol Hill really seemed all that surprised that his time in the sun finally got here. Nobody should be surprised at all about this whole thing. After all, Matt Gaetz is an evangelical in a deeply dysfunctional religio-political tribe. Thus, he speaks the language of power in broken systems. Today, let me decode that language to show you how absolutely unsurprising his behavior really is.
Analyzing Christianity
Christianese 101: ‘Biblical’
Hi and welcome back! Recently, we started talking about a new Christian book that promises to rescue America. Joe Battaglia’s Make America Good Again offers up what he calls “12.5 Biblical Principles to Unite Our Nation, Restore True Greatness, and Reshape Our Political Rhetoric.” As we discovered, however, it’s just the usual Read more
Analyzing Christianity
Russell Moore Tells Us How to Fool a Monster
Monsters dwell here. Thankfully, these monsters are very easy to fool. See, one of their leaders, Russell Moore, gave away the game recently. And now we can use his foolishly-spoken words to pass through this blighted land in safety. Come with me. I’ll show you how to fool a monster tonight.
Codex Disbelievium
The doctrinal yardstick illustrates a serious problem with Christianity (LSP #81)
It’s one of the biggest dealbreakers in Christianity.
Analyzing Christianity
You must be born again (and again, and again, and again…)
Most people have likely heard of the Bible verse advising that people must be born again in order to avoid the monstrous Hell that the Christian god created. To be sure, most Christians know about it. Fundagelicals take that idea more seriously than most other Christians do, though. I’ll show you what that phrase means to them, and why they tend to do it way more than just once.
Analyzing Christianity
Evangelicals’ Israel Obsession: An introduction to Christian Supersessionism
When it comes to fundagelical Christianity, few things make as little sense to outsiders to that culture as its collective near-obsession with all things Judaism. I’m going to start the party off by showing you the bizarre doctrinal belief of supersessionism, which explains why Christians have such a love-hate relationship with Judaism generally.