Analyzing Christianity
The SBC released their 2023 numbers—and they’re a mixed bag
Because I’ve been following the SBC’s doings for years, I can spot places where things don’t line up at all. And this year, something is definitely not lining up.
Analyzing Christianity
‘Change from within’ is a cruel evangelical lie
Last time we met up, I showed you an evangelical woman who wasn’t sure anymore if she could create change in her religion from within. Her admission was a response to the terrible story told by a complementarian pastor, Josh Howerton. The whole situation is still blowing up across the Read more
From Patreon
Saving the SBC: Authoritarians vs Love
As we saw last time we met up, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is still in decline. As they ramp up to their big Annual Meeting this June, let’s check out hardliners’ suggestions about saving it! (SBC Lingo: A messenger is a participating member church’s representative, sent to the meeting. Read more
Analyzing Christianity
#SBC2024: Five candidates for SBC presidency enter the Thunderdome
Every year, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) holds elections for several important offices. Perhaps the highest-profile of these is that of the denomination’s president. As we close in on their 2024 Annual Meeting, five SBC leaders have tossed their hats into the Thunderdome to fight for that role. Five (or Read more
Analyzing Christianity
That ‘Bless Every Home’ evangelism app is still creepy
Back in the heady days of 2021, I wrote about an evangelism app (archive) called ‘Bless Every Home.’ It was creepy sounding even then. Well, it’s back in the news. And somehow, it sounds even worse now. (This post ran as a BONUS ROUND for the SBC abuse investigation post. Read more
Analyzing Christianity
‘Everyone needs Jesus’: When Southern Baptists misspell recruitment
In a recent Baptist Press opinion post (archive), a Southern Baptist asserts the absolute necessity of his tribe’s product—but he keeps misspelling the name of it as ‘Jesus’ and other similarly-beloved evangelical buzzwords. This post illustrates a singular truth about his end of Christianity: Southern Baptists wouldn’t be able to talk Read more
Analyzing Christianity
Southern Baptist Frank Page can’t escape his past
Frank Page has a decades-long and well-established history of not wanting to investigate sex abuse in Southern Baptist churches or holding sex abusers fully accountable for their crimes. Then he got himself embroiled in a scandal of his own.
But never fear: Almost immediately, Page got a pastoring job in an SBC church. But the story wasn’t over.
Analyzing Christianity
Southern Baptist leaders release new analysis of their decline
This analysis contains some information we don’t usually see out of the Southern Baptist Convention, including an egregious example of goalpost-shifting to avoid dealing with the metric most indicative of decline.
Analyzing Christianity
A Baptist prayer warrior wants more magical thinking
Prayer has always been the ultimate example of magical thinking. That means doing something that has no effect on a desired outcome, but the person doing it thinks it does anyway. And nobody knows that deep down quite like evangelicals do. As much as their Dear Leaders constantly push the Read more
Analyzing Christianity
An apologetics conference thrives in an age of growing evangelical desperation
My goodness, a mere two days after roasting apologetics as hucksterism intended for evangelicals alone, I learn about a huge apologetics conference that recently happened. As I read the descriptions, I broke out laughing over and over again. Oh my. This was something, all right. Let’s dive into this conference, see Read more