Especially when evangelicals like Matt Chandler get their grubby hands on real power, I really wish that they had some real accountability in their broken system. It’s hard even to imagine how this schmuck has a job still, after all the terrible things he’s done to his congregation. And yet Read more…
Last time we met up, I showed you the timeline of an evangelical pastor, Jack Hibbs, who jumped on the grift wagon in the mid-2010s. Once he realized where the real money and fame was in late-stage evangelicalism, he went all in. Lately, he’s been yammering (archive) about how the flocks Read more…
So far, Hillsong has lost 9 of its 16 American campuses. It’s a swift comeuppance for a church that seemed too big to fall. But Hillsong has shown, through these constant scandals, that their dazzling and trendy image is distinctly at odds with their lived reality.
Sarah Berger, the wife of Grace Chapel’s former high priest lead pastor, Steve Berger, grabbed the mic to rant at length about how her husband had been hard-done-by in the change in leadership. In her rant, though, Sarah Berger said something that really caught my eye. Today, let me show you how an authoritarian leader pulls rank to force compliance from followers.
For years now, Todd Elliott and his elders have been fighting over who holds ultimate control over the megachurch. Obviously, Elliott — as the sole megapastor by them — thought he should wear the crown. But his elders disagreed.
Hi and welcome back! We had to stop the presses today. My goodness, that Hillsong megachurch is just struggling hard these days, isn’t it? Yesterday, we learned about a third American church of theirs that’s been hit by scandal. Today, let’s review Hillsong’s recent past and newest scandal. And then, let’s wonder Read more…
Many Christians also think that the megachurch model is causing their scandals and overall decline. It isn’t, though. Today, let me show you how megachurches amplify existing dealbreaking flaws in authoritarian Christianity.
Hi and welcome back! It didn’t take long after Hillsong’s troubles became public for Christians to engage in one of their favorite pastimes: criticizing megachurches. Non-megachurch-attending Christians hate megachurches for all kinds of reasons. Today, I want to show you some of those reasons — and what the megachurch model Read more…
Hi and welcome back! I woke up super-late with a migraine and had to take medication for it, so no blitzed movie review today. But that’s fine, cuz we still have Lee Strobel’s dumb list to work our way through. In this installment, we cover observations 9-12. Here, we see exactly Read more…
Hi and welcome back! Recently, one of our dear friends, Kevin, presented us a list for consideration. Evangelical apologist Lee Strobel created this list back in the early 1990s for one of his books. He wanted to explain unchurched people to evangelicals. Since I deconverted right at that time, I found Read more…