Reading Time: 2 minutes The long-term future of Christianity is looking pretty grim. At least that’s what the data from a recent Pew Research Center study is showing. According to their report, Christianity continues to shrink as a share of the US population as more people engage in religious switching. In this report, “switching” is defined as “a change […]
Becky Garrison
As a freelance writer with dual MDiv/MSW degree from Yale Divinity School and Columbia University, I focus on the rise of secular spirituality, religious satire, spiritual health & wellness, faith & politics, as well as historical, cultural, and religious travel.
When I'm not writing on my iPad/iPhone, I can be found cycling, hiking, camping, kayaking, fly-fishing, growing my own cannabis, cooking, traveling, or raising a glass of beer/wine/spirits/cider in celebration of the Pacific Northwest craft culture. More at www.beckygarrison.com.
Posted inSatire
Which Christian conference is right for you?
Reading Time: 3 minutes OnlySky · Which Christian conference is right for you? | Becky Garrison For those looking for faith-based fellowship, here’s a curated list of upcoming Christian conferences geared toward a wide range of believers. Happy Christian conference hunting! As reported by Charisma News, the leading news outlet for the TBN Tribe, the Reawaken America Tour (Fall 2022) […]
Posted inNonreligious News, Politics
Will King Charles defend atheists?
Reading Time: 2 minutes As Britain’s new monarch, King Charles III inherits the titles of Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith. These titles date back to the Reformation with the Pope bestowing the first title on Henry VII for the king’s rebuttal of Martin Luther’s teachings. Henry’s daughter, Elizabeth I, designated herself Supreme […]
Posted inReligious News
New allegations of abuse have emerged at New Life Christian Church
Reading Time: 2 minutes While abuse scandals involving evangelical megachurch leaders such as Matt Chandler may garner international headlines, other stories of pastoral abuses often get under reported. Take the case of John B. Lowe, II, the pastor of New Life Christian Church (Warsaw, IN). He resigned during a church service on May 22, 2022, where he confessed his […]
Posted inSatire
Dave Ramsey’s New Ten Commandments
Reading Time: 2 minutes With the release of new documents detailing how multiple employees at Ramsey Solutions were fired for certain sexual activities, Dave Ramsey, one of America’s best-known evangelical financial advice gurus just came out with his list of Ten Commandments. These newfangled commandments illuminate how Ramsey manages to sell his gospel of “financial peace” by offering “Biblically […]
Posted inLGBTQ News
The ELCA revises its social statement on LGBT members
Reading Time: < 1 minute In August, the ELCA Chuchwide Assembly revised their social statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust. The social statement was first adopted by the ELCA in 2009. It allowed Lutherans to hold differing views about same-sex relationships, as well as permitted bishops to ordain LGBT clergy members. At this year’s assembly, the group authorized a narrow […]
Posted inReligious News
Megachurch pastor Matt Chandler steps down in latest blow to the Southern Baptist Convention
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Village Church pastor and Acts 29 president Matt Chandler stepped down from preaching and teaching because of an inappropriate online relationship with a woman. In an online statement, the Village Church announced that Chandler’s conduct did not meet the church’s expectations: “While the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and […]
Posted inCulture
Tracing the sacred origins of wine
Reading Time: 3 minutes OnlySky · Tracing the sacred origins of wine | Becky Garrison While many in the Western world might associate the sacred origins of wine with Christian and Jewish rituals, the actual history of wine and biodynamic wine in particular can be traced to Persia. Here, a Persian folktale illuminates wine’s mythical origins: When a lady […]
Posted inHealth
‘It turned our world on its head’—Navigating COVID-19 trauma
Reading Time: 4 minutes OnlySky · ‘It turned our world on its head’—Navigating COVID-19 trauma Make no mistake, a pandemic is traumatic. Alyssa Siegel, a licensed mental health therapist practicing in Portland, Oregon, notes that COVID-19 “turned our world on its head dramatically and seemingly overnight.” We have all suffered varying degrees of disruption, isolation, anxiety, illness, and loss—not […]
Posted inReproductive rights
‘Nobody should go through what I went through’—the traumatic pregnancy
Reading Time: 6 minutes CN: Sexual assault Christian crisis pregnancy centers claim to be of service to women in need. Do they serve the actual needs of women, or simply advance a particular religious agenda? I spoke to Rebecca Trotter, a self-described “mom, writer, thinker, talker, teacher, and Christian” whose personal experience when faced with a traumatic pregnancy sheds […]