Religion – Postchristianity

Do Christians Care About Truth? It’s Time for Some Accountability

When I was in the church I joined several “Accountability Groups”; groups of men who shared their struggles with the common temptations that face young Christian men.

I remember many nights standing in the garden after worship services, confessing, encouraging, and sending each other off emboldened to do better in the coming week. It was clear to me: Accountability was a deep part of Evangelical culture; when we weren’t afraid of confronting each other on sin, we all did better.

The Two Christians

As the years passed I studied the word and I applied the morality that I derived from scripture this way: That we should love sacrificially, we should take care of the poor above all, we should uphold non-violence, scorn power and riches… tenets I thought were reasonable interpretations of the bible.

But many of my brothers took their faiths a different direction: Their own rights/freedoms are the priority, we should laud the rich, romanticize those with guns, insist on political power… and I found that this competing version of Christianity was, in fact, not derived from scripture, but rather a different source:

FOX News.

God is Weak: If The Abortion Saga has Revealed One Thing…

Why would anyone want to be a part of an institution that can only unify behind controlling women?

I left the faith not because I wanted to go rape, murder, or have premarital sex and smoke the occasional organic matter. I didn’t do it so I could have an abortion. I didn’t leave the church because of its unholy matrimony with the Republican party which is a morally bankrupt and corrupt institution (although this one is true).

I left the faith because God is weak.

When I fell for Jesus, when I committed my life to it, I believed in a powerful God, one who could create galaxies and tapestries of life with a wave of his hand. I would rather believe in no god than a weak one; nothing proved how weak God is as much as what happened last week.

Why I am Leaving the US

A lot is pulling me toward England, even more pushing me away from America.

When I was young I remember watching episodes of “20/20”, journalists were exposing stories of toys that were choking kids. After one kid died and the 20/20 show aired, the toymaker recalled all of their products and released a new one safer for babies.

I recall having the feeling that adults would change their practices and lose a ton of money, all to save the life of one child; it was too costly for a company to appear ok with even one child dying.

Multiculturalism and Sexual Assault Decimated My Conservative, Southern Christianity

My upbringing was idyllic, insular, homogenous, evangelical, Southern, and Christian.

School and church were the same place 6 days a week, 99.9% white, upper middle class, and the messaging was clear and consistent: Follow the script; We are disgusting, sinful, nothing; The ONLY good in us is because of God, and without Jesus we are horrible and condemned to hell. A real wham to the ole self esteem that one.

I babysat and wrote letters to raise support and pay my way on white savior mission trips. I had a purity ring and virginity pledge, I protested out on the street for the pro-life movement and cheerfully participated in fundraisers for the cause. I honestly enjoyed it all.

Being told to “Go Back to Where You Came From” is more than just racism

Somewhere in the early 90s, a preteen version of me sits with my big brother at a pizza restaurant in our hometown of Fremont, California. The place is empty, and as we enjoy a slice, a man in his 20s or 30s approaches our table and asks for change.

Young and meek, I looked to my brother, hoping he would take the lead.

“No, we don’t have any,” my brother replied. Intimidated by the situation, I didn’t look up.

As the man stalked out of the restaurant, he yelled, “Why don’t you go back to your own country!”

What if the Notre Dame Fire Could Help Millions of Needy People?

Thinking about donating to the restoration of the Notre Dame? Don’t.

My feed has been blowing up with pictures of my friends at the Cathedral Notre Dame. I join yall and the world community in expressing resounding unanimous grief at that wonderful church burning on Monday Apr 15, 2019.