Reading Time: 10 minutes Today, I’ll introduce you to Natasha Crain and show you how she went from a rank-and-file pew-warmer to what sure looks like one of the foremost Christian experts in her field. It doesn’t sound like it was even all that hard to do!
Biblical Literalism
Posted inReligion
Why So Many Christians Act Mystified About Their Religion’s False Claims
Reading Time: 8 minutes In the settling dust of apostasy, a few common Christian responses swam into focus. One of the most-common of the ones I saw involved Christians spluttering in confusion over the idea of their religion’s various claims being tested and found wanting. Like they just had no idea how that could happen! Today, I’ll show you what those Christians don’t know–and likely don’t want to know–about simply identifying their very own claims so they can begin the process of supporting them.
Posted inReligion
More (Terrible) Reasons to Believe in Christianity’s God
Reading Time: 8 minutes Truly, there is nothing new under the sun! Recently, I showed you Billy Graham’s big reason to believe. And today, I’ll show you some of the other reasons I found–and why they each fail.
Posted inReligion
Stuff Authoritarians Like: Historicity
Reading Time: 6 minutes Did you ever notice that the most intrusive and control-hungry Christians also tend to claim that Christianity boasts a historically-accurate Bible? There’s a reason for that. I’ll show you why, today.
Posted inReligion
Historicity: Testing the Claims of Christianity
Reading Time: 8 minutes We’ll lay out a basic definition of claims and defenses of claims. And we’ll start looking at one major claim within the religion: that it is based on real history. We’ll see how persuasive this claim really is–and see if the evidence stacks up behind it. And then we’ll examine some big problems with the idea of historicity as a claim for the religion’s truthfulness.
Posted inReligion
Andy Stanley Has Found Five Reasons Why Nobody Leaves the Church
Reading Time: 11 minutes Andy Stanley illustrates some potent takeaways in his essay. Today, let’s walk together through “Five reasons people leave the church.” I’ll show you why his list is complete horse-hockey, and then we’ll look at why it matters.
Posted inReligion
The Day My Prayers Changed
Reading Time: 13 minutes One day I realized that my prayers had changed without my even noticing. But they had. When I noticed that change, that moment became a turning point in my own faith journey.
Posted inReligion
In Christianity, Every Day is Opposite Day.
Reading Time: 8 minutes I’ll show you why Christians are fond of the Argument from Embarrassment, and why that misplaced fondness matters to the rest of us.
Posted inReligion
A Christianity Without Coercion Isn’t Much of a Christianity At All.
Reading Time: 7 minutes What would happen if Christians suddenly understood that the entire mythology of their religion is just that–a series of myths and metaphors?
Posted inLGBTQ, Religion
People to Be “Loved” and the Failure of Literalism.
Reading Time: 9 minutes Preston Sprinkle brings a full set of assumptions to the party and refuses to let go of them, and ultimately those assumptions bury any good intentions he might have had. Today we’ll talk about those assumptions and why they’re wrong.