Going AWOL from the Culture Wars and Loving Humanity
Growing up Fundagelical in the Southern Baptist Church, there was one verse of the Bible that was used repeatedly to control the behavior of all of us unruly teenagers. That verse was 1 Thessalonians 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil." This verse was used to curtail every form of behavior that the little old … Continue reading The Appearance of Evil
Years ago, as a young youth pastor, I was invited to be the guest speaker for a week-long spiritual emphasis week at a school for missionary kids. The school was located in Guatemala City Guatemala. I spent several weeks preparing stories and illustrations that I thought would be appropriate to American kids living in a … Continue reading I got busted by a missionary for swearing.
I'm surfing the web every day following links to Fundagelical websites, and I admit, some of them are just weird. Today's website missed a golden opportunity. It's from Word of God International Ministries. They have put together an exhaustive list of sins. You can check to see if whatever you're doing is on the list. … Continue reading Missed It By That Much.
Back when I was working as a youth pastor at my Fundagelical Church, a special music group was invited for a Sunday evening service. I was expecting a group of twenty-somethings playing contemporary Christian music. That's not what we got. What we got was the Libby Family Band. They were a group of six: three … Continue reading Inspired Unicorns of the Bible
OK, I thought when I came across a website claiming that Satan was going to use a great "Global Brain" to take over the world and he would use demon possessed robots to help him that I had come upon a one-off website in the fringe of right-wing lunacy. I was wrong. Apparently, there are … Continue reading Demon Possessed Robots Part 2
Christchurch, New Zealand is in mourning today. A man went on a shooting spree that killed 49 Muslims and injured at least 48 more. The man before going on this terrorist attack against the Muslim community posted a 74-page manifesto or white supremacy and anti-Muslim hate. Unbelievably, he wore a camera and live streamed 17 … Continue reading Sending More Than Thoughts and Prayers
Sometimes, even I am amazed at how far down the religious right rabbit hole goes. I admit that I stop at some strange and bewildering websites created by wacky Fundagelicals, but Rick Wiles founder of TruNews has managed to dig the hole even deeper. Rick Wiles loves him some conspiracy theories. He's big on the … Continue reading Demon Possessed Robots- – – Oh My!
"Save the Children" is a frequent Fundagelical battle cry. Anita Bryant used it in her anti-gay campaign in the '70s and recently, it was resurrected as a battle cry against transgender bathroom use. The argument went something like this: some pervert can just put on a dress and walk into the woman's restroom while your … Continue reading Save the Children.
At my private, church-run, Christian school, we often played a game called "sword drill." It involved trying to find verses in the Bible as quickly as possible. The name for the game came from Hebrews 2:12 "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of … Continue reading If you ever participated in a “Sword Drill” you might be a Fundagelical.
I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, and altar calls ended every sermon. As the choir decked out in their robes sang "Just as I Am" the preacher would ask if anyone wanted to come forward and receive Jesus. If there was anyone, they would be encircled by the churches elders or deacons who … Continue reading Fundagelicals love them some altar calls