A recent story in Baptist Press (archive) caught my eye with a reference to a self-proclaimed nontheist. It seemed like such a strange way to refer to someone who holds no religious beliefs or affiliations. That observation led me through a rabbit hole of evangelical contempt for non-believers. When their religion’s Read more
Last time we met up, we talked about how evangelicals destroy their witness online. That means they act in ways that decimate their credibility as Christians. Now, evangelicals have engaged with the internet from the beginning almost, so you might well think that they’d be able to behave themselves better Read more
Not long ago, we talked about the evangelical concept of a witness. This Christianese term describes the sum total of their knowledge of Christianity, their wisdom in communicating it, their effectiveness as evangelists, and their overall credibility as people. Evangelicals have never been great at maintaining their witness. In the decades Read more
In Christianese, there’s hardly a word that pulls more weight than witness. It acts as a verb, noun, and more in evangelicals’ jargon. But in recent years, they clearly care less and less about it or its importance. They only use it to justify their worst behavior. Today, let’s explore Read more
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) just can’t get away from nonstop drama. This time, it involves fabricated credentials, a swift resignation, and an equally swift replacement appointment. At least it’s not another sex scandal! Situation report: The Executive Committee The SBC contains a dizzying array of Read more
Scholars have long known that conservative politics and media distort and mischaracterize reality. This distorted reality insulates right-wing media consumers from contradictions and challenges to their beliefs. As a means to power, conservative politicians see this as a feature, not a bug.
A pastor from North Carolina, along with his son, has been accused of manufacturing and selling marijuana, magic mushrooms, THC wax, and vape pens from Southside Baptist Church in Lexington, North Carolina. This story occurs very close to an opinion piece that Christianity Today recently ran that advised that church Read more
An article in Christianity Today lauds the supposed runaway success of ‘He Gets Us’ marketing campaign. We examine the article on its own merits, finding it completely lacking.
Rock of ages, cleft for me, still rolling, rock n rolling! It’s Ray Comfort vs the Rock: Who will win their second round?
He Gets Us is now a billion-dollar advertising campaign, funded and supported by hard-right evangelical culture warriors with strong ties to hate groups. But here they are, trying to make Jesus sound like the ultimate good guy.
What gives?