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The Evangelical Who Shall Not Be Named Still Doesn’t Get Why I Write the Way I Do

hand shrug

Yesterday, The Evangelical Who Shall Not be Named fired up his DOS 286 computer/dial-up modem and wrote yet another post besmirching my character. Here’s what TEWSNBN had to say in response to the post Danger! Children Learning Santa Isn’t Real Might Lead Them to Think Jesus Isn’t Either:

“Why not allow children to enjoy the Christmas season, including believing the Santa myth? No child has ever been harmed by believing in Santa, a claim that cannot be made for the Jesus myth. Bachman’s anti-Santa column is a reminder of the fact that Christian Fundamentalists take the FUN out of everything.”

Why? because lying is a sin and lying to children destroys trust in their parents. Liars do not go to heaven and why would any parent lie to their children? That act is NOT protecting them from anything.

But the quoted advice is par for the course from BG. He is not content with making decisions to sin for himself, he has to encourage other people to sin. This is why Christians are not to listen to such people. They have nothing better to offer anyone.

Our pet peeve with this guy is that all of his readers already know he is an ex-Christian, ex-pastor, preached in IBF churches, and suffers from multiple diseases.

Yet for some reason, he has to mention these facts in almost every post. He is a class A narcissist who thinks no one remembers his situation. His content is boring, repetitive, and useless.

I find it interesting that TEWSNBN objects to me saying that it is okay to “lie” to children, yet he repeatedly lies about me on his blog. TEWSNBN is a hypocrite, demanding people live according to a moral and ethical standard he, himself, does not live. And according to TEWSNBN, liars go to Hell when they die. Ponder that thought for a moment. All of us lie at one time or another. I told a lie yesterday. TEWSNBN lies every time he writes about me. Thus, both of us are going to burn in Hell forever. According to TEWSNBN, parents who tell their children that Santa is real — a harmless lie if there ever was one — are headed for Hell.

I also find it interesting that TEWSNBN thinks that I encourage people to “sin.” First, that’s silly. I reject the Christian concept of “sin” out of hand. Second, I don’t encourage people to live any particular way. Do I have a personal moral standard by which I live my life? Sure. Do I think societies have a responsibility to enact laws and regulations to govern human behavior for their betterment, safety, happiness, and peace? Yep. That said, I don’t tell people how to live their lives. I spent much of my adult life telling everyone who would listen that God, through his inspired, inerrant, infallible Word, demanded they live a certain way; that the Bible was God’s divine blueprint for human behavior (just ignore the parts about slavery, rape, incest, genocide). Now that I am an atheist and a humanist, I have an aversion to telling anyone how they should live. I just don’t do it. If TEWSNBN wants to live according to the teachings of the Bible, who am I to object? People are free to choose their own moral and ethical paths.

Let me conclude this post by addressing TEWSNBN ‘s two pet peeves about me.

Pet peeve number one:

Our pet peeve with this guy is that all of his readers already know he is an ex-Christian, ex-pastor, preached in IBF churches, and suffers from multiple diseases. Yet for some reason, he has to mention these facts in almost every post. He is a class A narcissist who thinks no one remembers his situation.

I have explained to TEWSNBN several times why I mention these things: A substantial number of readers every day are FIRST TIME READERS. Annually? Over 200,000 people view this site for the first time. I want these readers to KNOW who I am. I make no apology for doing so. Outside of TEWSNBN, not one reader in fourteen years has objected to me mentioning my backstory. This site is, after all, a PERSONAL blog.

And, in passing, let me correct TEWSNBN once again over his incorrect use of the IBF acronym. It’s IFB — Independent Fundamentalist (Fundamental) Baptist — not IBF. The IBF is the International Boxing Federation or the Institute of Banking and Finance, not a religious sect (though boxing and money play a prominent part in IFB practice). 🙂

Pet peeve number two:

His content is boring, repetitive, and useless.

Regular readers should be laughing by now. I know I am. 🙂 TEWSNBN thinks my writing is boring, repetitive, and useless, yet he reads every post I write. The cure for TEWSNBN’s mental hemorrhoids is simple: STOP READING. TEWSNBN willingly and voluntarily comes to this site. Believe me, I would block him if I could, but I can’t. Bob, on the other hand, can no longer access this site. I blocked him yesterday once I figured out he was using a static IP address. Elliot? He has tried to access this site 424 times since July 9, 2021. Talk about an exercise in futility — much like TEWSNBN’s continued reading of my writing.

Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.

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17 Comments

  1. Avatar
    Benny S

    TEWSNBN: “Yet for some reason, he has to mention these facts in almost every post. He is a class A narcissist who thinks no one remembers his situation.”

    Me: TEWSNBN, to be fair, shouldn’t you then apply the same logic to the key message of every gospel?

  2. Avatar
    BJW

    The fact that he keeps reading what you write tells me he might be unconsciously questioning his own beliefs, so he has to rail against yours. If he was thinking clearly he’d shrug and go his way and not bother you anymore. But no, he is obviously under some sort of compulsion to go on and on.

  3. Avatar
    Bruce Gerencser

    And of course, TEWSNBN immediately responds, justifying his slander are un-Christian behavior:

    https://theologyarchaeology.wordpress.com/2021/09/11/the-last-word/

    Evidently, he doesn’t ask Jesus for wisdom before he types.

    He says people can read my WHY? page to learn about my story, so there’s no need for me to mention my backstory. However, the Why? page is only accessed roughly 3,500 times a year. Besides, it is my blog, I’m going to write as I please.

    Well, enough. Rage away, TEWSNBN. We “see” you.

    • Avatar
      BJW

      I told him “I have a better idea, why don’t you just leave Bruce alone?” But I imagine my comment will get deleted as soon as his checks his blog.

      • Avatar
        Bruce Gerencser

        He typically deletes comments from people he disagrees with. Or, no one ever comments on his blog. 😂

        I promised not to respond to him, but, damn, he keeps pissing in my corn flakes. I’m tired of his attacks on my character; the lies and misstatements. It’s just not in me to let such things pass without saying something. Frankly, if he was saying these things to my face he would likely need to get his nose repaired. 😂 Disagree with what I’ve written? Fine, but stop with the damn personal attacks.

      • Avatar
        Bruce Gerencser

        He replied to your comment:

        “He puts his thoughts into the public sphere, his content is fair game, just like mine is.”

        If he had only written:

        “Why? because lying is a sin and lying to children destroys trust in their parents. Liars do not go to heaven and why would any parent lie to their children? That act is NOT protecting them from anything.”

        I would agree with him.

        But, then he wrote:

        “But the quoted advice is par for the course from BG. He is not content with making decisions to sin for himself, he has to encourage other people to sin. This is why Christians are not to listen to such people. They have nothing better to offer anyone.

        Our pet peeve with this guy is that all of his readers already know he is an ex-Christian, ex-pastor, preached in IBF churches, and suffers from multiple diseases.

        Yet for some reason, he has to mention these facts in almost every post. He is a class A narcissist who thinks no one remembers his situation. His content is boring, repetitive, and useless.”

        He seems unable to differentiate between genuine commentary and critique and slander and personal attack. My objection is to the latter. He is a hyper-Fundamentalist and that likely plays a part too.

  4. Avatar
    Infidel753

    Considering how many evangelicals write to you having read only one post, and make a bunch of assumptions which make it clear they haven’t bothered to find out much about you, they can hardly blame you for mentioning basic facts in each post. If anything, it’s a time-saver.

    • Avatar
      Bruce Gerencser

      Infidel 753, you raise a good point, one I haven’t thought about before. His objection is such a trivial point, upset over a couple of sentences I use when necessary to introduce myself to new readers. I just read over my last twenty-five posts. I couldn’t find one instance where mentioning aspects of my backstory was gratuitous. In fact, not doing so would have made some posts incoherent. He might have a point if my focus was on theology/history/science. However, the focus of this blog is my story. A good storyteller wants his readers to know who he is.

      I gave a talk to an Evangelical Mennonite group on Thursday. At the start of my talk, I gave them a quick summary of life. Why? I wanted everyone to know who I was. I also did this to make a personal connection with them. 43 years of marriage, 6 children, 13 grandchildren — all things Mennonites value. During my talk, I used religious language that would be familiar to them. I wanted this group to know I had a good understanding of their theology. I could have just delivered a dry, sterile lecture on why I’m an atheist. However, I knew it was important to connect with them on a personal level first. People tend to be more attentive and receptive if they feel a personal connection with you.

  5. Avatar
    ObstacleChick

    Methinks that TEWSNBN has an obsession with the Man, the Myth, the Legend Bruce Gerencser. It must be those rainbow 🌈 suspenders that turn him on……

  6. Avatar
    Davie from Glasgow

    People like this slug tend to continue with persecutory bullying behaviour because it annoys/upsets the target and gets a response. The trouble is that (and I think I’m like Bruce in this respect) it’s just too hard not to respond to! Otherwise he probably would get bored and eventually wander off to find someone/somewhere else to troll in the end if everyone completely ignored him. Before doing that he would probably dial the nastiness up to eleven in a desperate bid to get the reaction he craves though. Ignoring that would be more than tough.

  7. Avatar
    GeoffT

    His style of writing whereby he writes in the first person plural is one I find nauseating and exceedingly pompous. Reasonable people do not write in this way.

  8. Avatar
    Ann Lo

    He accuses Bruce of being a Class A narcissist. This is projection par excellence. Remember, with a narcissist, every accusation is a confession. TEWSNBN meets the criteria for malignant narcissism which isn’t a diagnosis, it’s an observation of his behavior over time. It’s very common for someone like this to say, “I’m not a narcissist, you are!” Not surprised it happened here. By the way I like the rainbow suspenders too. 🙂

  9. Avatar
    Barbara Jackson

    Your blog is your story. He has no right to intervene. Also it helps people like me with other disabilities because then I no longer feel like “I am the only one suffering”

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