Fundamentalists Need To Be Loved

To make a long story really really short, I just found a file full of papers, emails, and discussion board posts I’d participated in around ten years ago (as a new youth/music leader’s wife and a mom of one, with baby #2 on the way).  Reading them was truly shocking.  I could hardly stand the [...]

The Truth That Frees Us (John 8:31-31) and Why that is NOT Synonymous with a Daily Quiet Time

“Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”  John 8:31-32
This verse is usually used to remind all “us good Christian folk” to engage in a daily Bible reading time.  [...]

On The Biblical Case for Spanking Our Kids (or, uh, Maybe Not)

Since I have written a book on someone else’s blog, I thought I should probably move it over here to mine.  For some reason, this woman’s posts really grabbed me.  Those of you who’ve known me for some years will recognize her posts, because they sound almost word-for-word like the ones I used to write.  [...]

Standing in His Grace

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
…You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”     –Galatians 5:1,4
Surely, I can’t be the only one.  Tell us all when [...]

On Trying to Explain a Living Thing

I can tell that, to some people, I’m terribly offensive now. I didn’t used to be that way (at least I don’t think). I was in the same trenches they were in. We were on the same side. When my paradigm came crashing in, I suppose it’s fair to say that [...]

The “Official” Tithe: Nyeh.

After faithfully tithing our money to whatever church we were attending, we’ve stopped. 
We were big tithers.  Tithing a tenth of our income to our local church was on the same page as commandments like, “Do not commit adultery.”  We have always tithed.  And we never complained about it, either.

We still practice the fine art of giving away more [...]

The Art of Un-Warfare: Learning to Talk to Those With Whom We Theologically Disagree

I am a part of an email group made up of mothers of many young children and have been for many years. It’s a Christian group and, for the most part, fairly conservative–at least, the vocal ones are. Since I have five young children, a resource like this group can be nice, even though five [...]

Coming out of Fundamentalism (A Reader Writes)

I enjoy getting emails from readers sharing their thoughts on coming out of legalism and/or fundamentalism, most of which I tend to keep private (and most of which take me at least a week or more to reply to, depending on how busy I am).  This letter was really good, and the writer, who blogs regularly at Living [...]

Formula Over Relationship: RED FLAG #1

After the “unsafeness” of the whacko church of my young-adult-met-Jesus days (that is, my Bible College, where I learned so much and yet also learned that the leader was getting cozy with some of the female staff, but with a doctrine of authority similar to the Shepherding Movement’s, we were taught it was more important to the Lord that we not [...]

Easter Sunday: Shoot, Even the BAD Christians Go to Church!

I guess that means we’re worse than bad?  But it was still really nice staying home.  We sang some songs, in a casual way, talked a little bit, in a casual way, and ate a lot of candy eggs, in a casual way.  (It’s hard not to be casual when you have a two year old [...]