Reading Time: 4 minutes One of the most peculiar if on-brand developments in American Christianity is the rise of the prosperity gospel movement. The champions of the prosperity gospel believe that god will reward with health and money anyone who donates to the champions of the prosperity gospel. I re-phrased this for cynical purposes, but not by much. John […]
Christianity
Posted inReligion
Downsides to the hope offered by Christianity: it makes God a jerk + infantilizes Christians
Reading Time: 4 minutes When tragedy hits, we can imagine that God has a plan. But why can’t God accomplish that plan without the collateral damage? And why do adults seek out the chance to be childlike and dependent?
Posted inReligion
Downsides to the hope offered by Christianity: anxiety
Reading Time: 4 minutes Christianity promises hope. But when prayers aren’t answered and salvation is uncertain, the Christian wonders what they’re doing wrong. Christian assurance of an eternity with God may turn into anxiety.
Posted inReligion
‘He Gets Us’ can’t possibly clean up Christians’ tainted brand
Reading Time: 11 minutes Recent stories indicate that the evangelical-backed He Gets Us campaign is still going strong. But the evangelicals responding to it have missed an important point that destroys whatever goodwill they might be fostering through their endless billboards and carefully-placed ads: their god does not have a brand, but his followers certainly do—and this tragically misguided […]
Posted inReligion
Downsides to the hope offered by Christianity: complacency and magical thinking
Reading Time: 3 minutes Christian hope has downsides. It can encourage complacency, where Christians are unmotivated to improve a poor status quo, and magical thinking, where they drop their guard to televangelists, politicians, and other snake-oil salesmen.
Posted inReligion
Downsides to the hope offered by Christianity: not seeing reality clearly
Reading Time: 3 minutes In what situation is it a good thing to NOT see reality clearly? Because that’s the promise of Christianity.
Posted inReligion
Rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic: Southern Baptists still arguing over women pastors
Reading Time: 10 minutes To outsiders, this newest strategy might not make a whole lot of sense. But to Southern Baptist leaders, it’s the hands-down most important question of their day.
Posted inReligion
Downsides to the hope offered by Christianity: believing because it’s consoling
Reading Time: 3 minutes The evidence for Christianity may be lacking, but it sometimes does deliver on one promise, the promise of hope. But look closer, and you’ll see that Christian hope has downsides.
Posted inReligion
Christians changing the definition of “miracle”
Reading Time: 5 minutes Here’s another example of a Christian apologist troubled by a misbehaving word. You’ll be impressed with how he sidesteps this problem: just change the definition to a more pleasing one. This time, the problem word is “miracle.”
Posted inSexuality
On bikinis and hijab
Reading Time: 5 minutes For Americans, as in most of the West, the meaning of the Arabic word “hijab” is as opaque as the term “bikinis” is clear. But the ancient misogynistic traditions that spawned both are still very much alive in the United States as elsewhere where Christianity still reigns. The recent movement to ban abortion in the […]