Is it any wonder so many Evangelicals are downright discouraged and depressed? Being told over and over that one is a worthless piece of shit and that one’s life is n-o-t-h-i-n-g without Jesus is sure to ruin any thoughts of self-esteem. Pastors frequently remind congregants that the Bible commands them to deny self, to take up their crosses and follow Jesus. It is this notion of denying self that lies at the root of so much of the damage done by Evangelical preachers. Self is viewed as something that must be crucified, put to death.
Bruce Gerencser
This is almost identical to what I’ve said for years, and dubbed “death-wish theology.” You can try to ignore the degradation at the bottom of Christian thought, or gloss it over with prattling about how “Jesus loves you” — but you simply cannot escape the degradation of Original Sin. And if you don’t believe in Original Sin, then Christianity has nothing on offer but the companionship of people who all believe they’re no damn good.
What sane person wants to belong to a club with membership requirements like that?
Every social and family pathology that has a name is most acute where the churches are strongest; this is not a weird happenstance, but a direct consequence of the systematic degradation of Christian thought.
