Reading Time: 3 minutes Social media has a paradoxical effect. We are connected to more people than ever, but the thin, virtual nature of those connections makes us feel more isolated. Psychiatrist Gauri Khurana says this disconnect is responsible for an uptick in narcissism. While Dr. Khurana observes how the term “narcissist” is commonly misused, she notes that the […]
narcissism
Posted inCulture
How to affirm healthy narcissism
Reading Time: 3 minutes OnlySky · How to affirm healthy narcissism | Becky Garrison Whenever I bring up the term “narcissism” when satirizing self-appointed spiritual gurus I tend to get some pushback regarding the overuse of this word in our current cultural zeitgeist. True, the word “narcissism” does get tossed around in conversations about health & wellness similar to […]
Posted inReligion
How to stop enabling a spiritual narcissist
Reading Time: 4 minutes OnlySky · How to stop enabling a spiritual narcissist | Becky Garrison When I read stories such as the blinged-out Brooklyn bishop robbed at gunpoint of more than $1 million worth of jewelry, new allegations of Ted Haggard behaving inappropriately with young men, or the ongoing scandals facing holy hipsters such as Hillsong Church, I […]
Posted inLeaving Religion
Why the nonreligious need to disengage from the latest spiritual buzz
Reading Time: 4 minutes The Christian media empire, the institutional church, and faith-based progressive political organizations continue to promote false spiritual buzzworthy slogans such as “if you build a better church they will come,” “we’re on the cusp of a new kind of Christianity,” or “if you follow my way of being, you will receive spiritual enlightenment, sacred sexual […]
Posted inLeaving Religion
There’s nothing sexy about deconstruction
Reading Time: 8 minutes A pastor recently said people are leaving their faith because it’s sexy. But if approval had really been our goal, we’d have stayed.
Posted inCulture
Evangelical reform: Who’s gonna force accountability on pastors?
Reading Time: 6 minutes Whenever things go hideously wrong in any evangelical group, evangelicals tend to think that The Big Problem Here was a lack of accountability. Had proper accountability existed in their group, nothing bad would have happened because nothing bad could have happened without someone noticing it and addressing it. Scandals, in particular, happen because whoever caused that scandal drifted away from their accountabilibuddies.
Posted inCulture
Intentional Ministries: When Congregations Are Pastors’ Worst Problem
Reading Time: 8 minutes 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.
Posted inReligion
Megapastor Todd Elliott and the Church Mutiny
Reading Time: 6 minutes For years now, Todd Elliott and his elders have been fighting over who holds ultimate control over the megachurch. Obviously, Elliott — as the sole megapastor by them — thought he should wear the crown. But his elders disagreed.
Posted inReligion
Kent Hovind: Arrested on Domestic Violence Charges
Reading Time: 10 minutes Hi and welcome back! The other day, we took an introductory look at a relic of Creationism’s heyday: Kent Hovind, who styles himself ‘Dr. Dino.’ Hovind got arrested right at the end of July on domestic violence charges against his newly-estranged third wife. He also didn’t respond well to her decision to end their relationship. […]
Posted inPolitics
You don’t belong on that cross
Reading Time: 7 minutes The American Church has been feeling the loss of their cultural relevance, and they’re not taking it very well. It offends them deeply. The last thing they needed was to lose the social privilege they’ve enjoyed for so many generations they have become convinced it’s just the way things are supposed to be. As they […]