Civil Commotion

Again, I ask myself how a decent moral person can remain part of a church that is so utterly bankrupt morally? Similarly, why do politicians continue to fawn and give deference to high clerics who have been part of a world wide criminal conspiracy? Is it really that frightening to let go of brainwashing that one received as a child? And as with the author of the column, why are journalist so afraid to take on such an evil empire?

Michael Hamar

Most of us, and in overwhelming numbers, are reared to some vague idea that the clergy are somehow better people, more honorable people, more trustworthy people than the common lot of mankind. The recognition that they are, in fact, amongst the most poorly educated and corrupt class of men in society is a difficult paradigm shift.

But that paradigm shift is underway and, because the Internet leaves most of us no way to hide from reality, it is happening rapidly. Good. I can’t help feeling bad for those poor trusting fools who invested their life and confidence in their church and at the last got kicked in the groin by the very predators who exploited them, but I am happy when I learn that a church has locked its doors once for all.

In Lieu Of Sermon, Paul Washer Glares At Congregation For 43 Straight Minutes

Bostonia Baptist Church scheduled missionary and preacher Paul Washer to guest speak on Sunday, but the church of 500 may have gotten more than they bargained for. In lieu of one of his renowned expository sermons, Washer elected to glare angrily at the congregation for a full 43 minutes before closing in prayer, sources confirmed Thursday.

Never forget: Y’all are no damn good.

A new piece at The Washington Post shows that Trump’s support amongst evangelicals declines with weekly church attendance — but still tops their support for any other candidate.

Expect such as Albert Mohler and Russell Moore to claim that this proves that the evangelicals supporting Trump aren’t r-e-e-e-a-l evangelicals, but don’t believe that. It is evangelicals who are sustaining Trump’s bid for the presidency, and it is the same crowd whose electoral support or disapproval Mohler et. al. have bartered for decades. They’ve slipped-the-leash this election cycle, is all.

These Bible thumping liars help no one. Guilt, shame, and fear only lead to more of the same. The solution is to get away from those whose goal in life is to destroy human nature and self-worth.

Bruce Gerencser

Just so; after all, the doctrine of Original Sin is nothing but a condemnation of human nature itself. This is why I reject the idea that Christianity’s teachings are good but the church is in the custody of Pharisees — get rid of the Driscolls, Caners, Tchividjians, on and on, and everything will be just fine.

No, it won’t. The sickness in Christianity is ontological, it inheres in what Christianity is — and that sickness gets harder and harder to suppress and hide as an ever-evolving world leaves it behind.

I discovered Gerencser’s blog just a couple of weeks ago, by the way, via a Twitter link, and am often startled by how closely the conclusions of a former pastor track my own conclusions formed by living in an intensely Southern Baptist environment. Y’all would do well to add his RSS-feed to your regular reading list.