Over the past couple weeks, a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) pastor named Chris Gore has been making the news—and not in a way his Dear Leaders would like. One of his former congregants, Brenda Blake Bicskey, exposed spiritual abuse committed by Gore and his lackeys. He did his best to Read more…
In Christianese, fallen pastors are pastors who have lost their pastoring jobs after causing a scandal. But even good, rules-abiding pastors have a tough time finding employment after leaving pastoring behind. The ones trailing scandals behind in their wake have an even harder time. And in the twilight of evangelicals’ Read more…
Reformed theology is an add-on to evangelicalism that amps up its already existing dysfunctional authoritarianism and power disparities. The people who belong to Reformed groups think that their ideology is far superior to base-model evangelicalism—that it produces Christians whose Jesusing is both more fervent and more correct. But Reformed groups Read more…
Because this is a day ending in Y, evangelicals have recently sprouted a bunch more sex scandals. Yet again, these scandals involve the loudest-braying leaders of the tribe. And yet again, evangelicals were the ones to elevate these newest abusers to leadership and give them nearly unlimited power over those Read more…
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…
Misplaced trust makes Christians say “Oh no, my pastor would never do that!” It grants pastors a shield they do not deserve.
While exploring my new hometown, I caught sight of a sign for a churchy-sounding financial-planning ministry. Its name was so vague that I had to get my phone out right then and there to figure out what it really was. And I soon did. They’re a financial ministry, you see, Read more…
There might not be a Big Quit as such, but what there is instead might be way worse. It’s not so much about empty pulpits, but more about ’empty preachers.’
Even in the best of times, pastors have a very difficult row to hoe. With every passing year, their job just seems to get harder, pay less, demand more of them, and feel more thankless. And yet there always seemed to be roughly one quintillion more aspiring pastors than there were churches needing the position filled. Well, now, amid the general Great Resignation/Big Quit trend, that last truth is changing at lightning speed.
The natural inclinations of awful people tend to be awful. And such people can make an innocent visit to a neighborhood church into a horror story those guests will remember for years.