FollowIf there’s an upside to my growing up in a cult-ey environment, it’s that I was extremely turned off to organized religion through the 80’s, 90’s and part of the 00’s and missed out on the boom of fundamentalism/evangelicalism that occurred during that period. As a result, I often find myself scratching my head and wondering “What […]
Tag Archives: abuse
Trigger Warning
I’ll start this out with a somewhat controversial statement: I am not a fan of the trigger warning. Actually, I guess it’s more accurate to say I’m conflicted about the trigger warning. I understand that hearing certain things can be very hard for someone who’s suffered trauma[1]been there, done that. At the same time, I […]
Living In The Past
In his novel Requiem For A Nun, William Faulkner wrote “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” While Faulkner had his faults (like alcoholism and womanizing), the man could turn a phrase. This quote might have been born out of Faulkner’s essential southern-ness, but it applies to not-so-southern people, too. Especially in when you’re talking about abuse. I […]
I Hate That F**cking List
So, Listly’s “Christian Blogs You Should Be Reading” 2014 edition is out and, happily, the top 25 reads like a who’s who of progressive/emergent Christian bloggers. Rachel Held Evans is holding down the top spot, followed by Benjamin Corey’s Formerly Fundie, Nadia Bolz-Weber, Jamie, The Very Worst Missionary and, this one makes me particularly happy, […]
My Story Pt II
On Monday, I began telling you about my charismatic/evangelical upbringing. Part I of this story painted a fairly rosy picture of my early years, concluding it by telling you that rosy childhood ended in 1971 when my father met and became friends with Leon Williford. So, let’s pick up the story there. Leon Williford was a […]
My Story Pt. I
Several times since I started this blog, I’ve referenced some things in my childhood that were…, not good. Generally, they revolve around my family’s membership in a charismatic house church/cult. While I’ve alluded to this period of my life, I’ve never told you the whole story. That changes now. It’s not going to be easy […]
A Very Low Bar
So, Pope Francis has spoken and, once again, progressive Christians have swooned over how forward thinking he is. An article from LiberalAmerica on his latest interview gushes “…this new Pope reveals refreshingly candid, humble, and open-minded views on many subjects.” Everything Francis has said falls into the moderate category at best, so why are we […]
Is Everyone Really Welcome?
Veteran’s Day
As usual on Veterans Day, businesses are offering free stuff to veterans. That’s nice and all, but where are they the other 364 days of the year? In this country, as you read this, as much as 14% of the homeless population has served in the military. Of those homeless veterans, 41% are in unsheltered locations. […]