“Dr.” David Tee continues to express butthurt outrage over virtually everything I write. Tee, whose real name is David Thiessen, is an Evangelical preacher who lives in the Philippines or South Korea. Yesterday, Tee sent me an email about my post titled Why Do So Many Evangelicals Abuse Their Children? Carolyn, my editor, replied to his email.
Tee: You [Bruce Gerencser] quit Christ and the church. Learn to mind your own business.
Carolyn: You barged in on Bruce’s blog uninvited. Take your own advice and learn to mind your own business.
Tee: Hiding behind a woman’s skirt now? You made your contact form open to everyone. I would have had more respect for you if you weren’t a quitter, coward, and liar. Learn to mind your business and leave the people you quit on alone. You raised your kids your way, let Christians raise their kids their way. You are not in charge of how kids should be raised.
Carolyn: You seem to think that people are forced to read Bruce’s blog. Bruce does “leave people . . . alone.” His remarks are only for those who read the blog. And they don’t even have to believe him or follow his advice. But they choose to read his writing.
Bruce will have a hard time “hiding behind [my] skirt.” I don’t generally wear skirts or dresses. I am his editor and I try to help him keep up with his emails, which are many. If you want to consider that hiding behind my skirt, so be it. That’s your perception. And I don’t think Bruce cares very much what your perception might be.
I wonder why you keep letting Bruce live rent-free inside your head. If you dislike his blog so much, one would think you would be better off moving on.
Tee did not respond to Carolyn’s last email to him. Instead, he took his outrage to his blog. Titled, Mind Your Own Business, Tee stated [all grammar in the original]:
This is getting far more difficult to do these days. far too many people post their personal business on the internet basically every minute of the day. It can be very difficult to not comment when people put personal stuff in the public sphere.
….
Atheists have this same problem and while we are not going to quote from his rant, BG has stepped over the line and stuck his nose in where it does not belong. The link is in his initials.
It is the same old story with atheists. They apply their subjective thinking to any aspect of life and think they know better than anyone else, including God. Of course, they distort the issues, especially when it comes to corporal punishment.
There is nothing wrong with spanking a child or even using a switch. As long as the punishment fits the crime and does not cross the boundary between discipline and a beating.
Atheists rarely see the difference and have interfered in parental rights far too often. They think their way is the only way usurping God’s authority in this matter.
Unfortunately, the secular authorities usually agree with those atheists who are up in arms against proper discipline and the world is a worse place than it should have been.
On the other hand, many believers misunderstand God’s word and go too far in their application of biblical teaching when it comes to discipline.
The go-to verse for using spanking, a switch, a belt, or a rod does not say that those forms of punishment are to be used. The verse simply says that those who fail to discipline or use discipline will spoil their child.
We have no problem with Christians using spanking, a rod or a switch, etc., when they discipline but we do have a problem when they go beyond God’s instructions on how to discipline.
The application of punishment needs to be fair, just and does not provoke children to wrath. it is also to lead the child or offender to repentance. It is not supposed to harden their hearts to the point they cannot be redeemed.
Jesus used corporal punishment against the money changers. His discipline fit the crime those men were committing. They didn’t do it again that we know of.
Discipling children is one area many people have a hard time keeping their noses out of. They think their ways of discipline is [sic] better than someone else’s and they let them know about it.
….
The atheists’ subjective opinion does not matter nor is it better than God’s way. The concept of abuse is also subjective and in both topics, the atheist is not right nor has a monopoly on how those issues should be addressed or labeled.
The atheist is the one who is deceived and blind, not the Christian. it is up to the Christian to set the example and show the unbeliever how discipline should be done. If the atheist disagrees, too bad.
They are free to discipline their children as they see fit but they have no right to tell the believer how it should be done. Nor do they have the right to stick their nose in where it does not belong and remove the child from a believer’s home.
They would not like that done to them thus they should not do it to people they hate or disagree with. Sticking one’s nose in where it does not belong only causes more trouble and makes everything worse, not better.
Following God’s way correctly will make things better, not worse. God knows what is best not the deceived atheist. This is just one area where people should mind their own business.
Those without sin can cast stones but those who are with sin, whether they admit there is such a thing or not, should not interfere. Their ways are not better than God’s and they do not know more than God.
Come to find out, Tee actually sent two more emails to Carolyn:
Your words mean nothing and you certainly do not understand the real world. You do not even know what ‘hiding behind someone’s skirt’ really means
if you dislike me so much, why do I keep getting pingbacks from BG’s website? I think you have everything backward as I stop thinking about BG when I stop using his words as an example.
Since BG quit Christ and the Church, he should find a different topic to write about. He doesn’t know what he is talking about.
and
Uhm, BG, you are using copyrighted photos without permission. You owe me $1000 for the copyright violation. That fee will cover all the photos you have used or will use in the future. I will expect an electronic money transfer shortly
These two emails were innocently missed by Carolyn, but Tee thinks there’s some sort of conspiracy going on:
Caught you in another lie. I checked my records and I did respond to her last email. Why don’t you tell the complete truth for a change instead of manipulating the situation to fit your desired results.
Oh, and you owe me $1000 for unauthorized use of my copyrighted photos. Your use does not fall under the fair use exemptions.
*sigh*
In the past, Tee has defended Christians who abuse their spouses and sexually molest children. He is a staunch defender of miscreants such as Ravi Zacharias and Bill Cosby. He shows little to no interest in caring for or supporting victims. Why is that? And now he supports abusing children.
What are we to make of the fake “Dr.” Tee? In 2012, a woman left a comment on a post about Tee that said:
Other posts about “Dr.” David Tee
Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Domestic Violence Is Not Grounds for Divorce
David Tee Defends Christian Rapists and Sexual Predators
My Final Response to “Dr.” David Tee
Evangelical Zealot “Dr.” David Tee is Infatuated with Bruce Gerencser
The Evangelical Who Shall Not be Named Thinks He Treats Me Just Like Jesus Would
The Evangelical Who Shall Not Be Named Still Doesn’t Get Why I Write the Way I Do
Christians Say the Darnedest Things: The Bible Records the “Exact” Words of Jesus
David Tee Says I’m a Quitter and Have Nothing to Offer People
David Tee Says I Am Envious and Jealous of Evangelical Churches
Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Secular Scientists are Con Men
NO COMMENT: When Science and the Bible Conflict, Bible Right, Science Wrong
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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Oh, I so badly want to put in here the link to the GIF of the Germans where one guy asks another, “Are we the baddies?”. But I do not know if that is allowed. So I will just reference the meme verbally.
Oh David. You miserable piece of shit. How would you like it if you were slapped, spanked, switched or subjected to some other form of physical violence when you make a mistake?
It’s everyone’s business when children are being harmed. And doing it in the name of your gawd makes it twice as bad.
What a dipshit.
It seems to be mainly authoritarians who think they can “own” children, and to therefore do anything they want to them.
What we need is a worldwide ban on corporal punishment, so that there’s no place for self-righteous child-beaters to hide.
Fuck Dr T. He doesn’t say anything that is worth reading.
I think Dr. T is just jealous of how knowledgeable, articulate, and devastating Bruce is—–quite consistently—–in making his written points about how wicked, crazy, delusional, and desolate the ever-shrinking little world of Christian Fundamentalism and Conservative Evangelicalism is in the United States. I am a Christian (United Methodist Church), and Bruce is a humanist/atheist/agnostic.
Bruce and I would probably disagree on a number of theological points. However, when it comes to the “isms” known as Christian Fundamentalism and Conservative Evangelicalism (which were founded as a uniquely American belief movement only 100 years ago), Bruce is often quite right in his evaluations of these movements—-particularly with regard to their unusual and delusional American fundie subcultures and how they are dying out—-as well as many of the things they believe, such as Biblical inerrancy. Speaking from a Mainline Christian perspective, Christian Fundamentalism and Conservative Evangelicalism in the United States are in desperate need of one thing. They need to die out completely as the “isms” that they are today. Only when these two “isms” are completely and totally dead—-and their human subculture ceases to exist—-will the United States of America be safe for the loving, kind, reasoning, and nonabusive churches Jesus wants in this time and place in human history. God only knows—-what the world needs now is love, sweet love, and that really is the only thing there is just too little of in this world today.
Christian Fundamentalism and Conservative Evangelicalism in the United States have—–in our time—–become what I would call Hate Incorporated, I sometimes wonder whether there is a single person or thing in this country these people do not hate—–then slap the approval of Jesus on their hate. Their overpowering love for former president Donald J. Trump (a Son of Satan if there ever was one) is just one of many proofs that hate of their neighbors is now their primary business in this life. And like all haters, If you or anyone else criticizes the many hateful things they spew, they resort to the old standby of the Ku Klux Klan, Skinheads, and the two-bit punk who just killed the lady at the cash register in the local convenience store: “You’re the one that’s the real hater—–not me.” That one is right up there with the retort of nearly every person in any given American prison cell: “What? Me? I shouldn’t be here. I’m innocent.”
Frankly, if the Jesus of 32 A.D. were walking around to the various churches in the United States today, including mine, I suspect he would not be 100 percent happy with any of them, what they believe, and what they do—-or do not do. However, I strongly suspect that he would give the Christian Fundamentalist and Conservative Evangelical churches the same treatment he gave the money changers in Herod’s great white temple in Jerusalem. The first crack of his whip would be on their backs for Biblical inerrancy and the outright lie that they do not “interpret the Bible when they read it.” The second crack would come for depending way, way, way too much on the Old Testament—–and failing to use known extra-Biblical information, data, and the brains he gave them to better understand the Biblical texts. The theological professors at Oxford University, Duke University, Vanderbilt University, and other such places of higher learning have an understanding of the Bible that is light years ahead of anything those “illiterate, one-book-in the wagon goobers” who pushed west across the Appalachian Mountains in 1802. Most of the Christian Fundamentalists and Conservative Evangelicals today have little better real understanding of the Bible than their goober ancestors did by fireplace light in their early 19th century log houses in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
That is all I have to say—-except. Dr. Tee was trained as an American archaeologist, just like I was. I have known American archaeologists (men and women) most of my life. One of the major things many of them share in common is that they are poorly funded assholes who treat their fellow archaeologists and other people like the same pieces of rank shit that they are personally. Been there. Seen that. That is really all you need to know.
He’s upset that you’re using his picture without permission. Apparently your usage of the pic does not fall under fair use (I would have thought it does fall under fair use, but I’m no legal eagle).
I saw that. The person who took the photo is the copyright owner, or the website it appeared on is. That said, I will “fix” this problem tomorrow. Tee might want to brush up on “derivative use.” He ain’t going to like my “fix.” 😂😂
That’s what I thought – it’s like sharing a picture from BBC News! I wonder if David knows that under fair use law, entire chunks of books can be reproduced for free, to use to critique and debate with? I could do that with his books, if I were inclined. I’m not inclined btw!
Tee: Hiding behind a woman’s skirt now?
Zoe: Everything you need to know about him is in this sentence. Patriarchal misogynistic bullshitter.
So it’s OK for Dr. T to put his thoughts online but not OK for Bruce or others who have different ideas to put theirs online.
I like what Dover1952 said. Bravo. I may not agree with you on everything from a theological sense, but I agree with a lot of what you said. I wish more Christians would speak out against your fundamentalist Christian brethren….
TEWSNBN’s hypocrisy is often on show and here’s another occasion where it’s revealed to the world. You are right – he wants to have his say then criticises anyone else as being wrong/selfish for having their say.
I wonder if TEWMNBN has kids? If so, it’s highly likely he beat them, and if he does and if he did, then this post introduced cognitive dissonance for him. I agree with Dover1952 that TEWMNBN is probably jealous of Bruce. His own blog has only a handful of followers while Bruce reaches people all over the world every time he posts. Too bad TEWMNBN doesn’t cultivate clearer thinking and a more pleasant personality, because then he would have a much healthier way of getting the attention he craves..
TEWMNBN lives a secretive life outside of the United States. He’s married, but I don’t know if he has children. I have my suspicions about the man, but without clear evidence I wouldn’t want to air them. Read into that what you will.
One thing I’ve noticed about Dr T: he hasn’t replied directly to one single thing I’ve said to him. I suspect he doesn’t believe in women having opinions. My opinion is that if more women had been talking and running things, the world would be a better, more balanced place.
Yeah, he doesn’t seem to respond to anyone but me. I feel “special.” 🙂
Bruce, you are special, albeit not for the reasons Dr T gives. <3
Of course he doesn’t. His Bible tells him that a woman is only worth half as many shekels as a man, and that women are not to speak in church, but should instead ask their husbands if they wish to understand anything. Despite his internet-age mouthpiece, he still seems to have a Bronze Age worldview.
Pretty good comments on here tonight ! I left one of my own, for Tee Hee. Whom I did is quite attention- starved and willing to do all anything to be acknowledged in one way or another. Korean parents can be quite harsh, and brutal with children,by the way. Recently, some youthful authors have written some great books about domestic abuse in pastor families, and just on the subject of abuse,period. Time to give Tee some Tee Time. I’ll send some titles tomorrow.
My response to Tee’s email:
Dear “Dr.” David Tee/David Thiessen/TheologyArcheology,
Carolyn missed your email responses — an innocent mistake that you
turned into some sort of conspiracy against you. I receive a lot of
emails, comments, and social media messages every day. Things get missed
sometimes.
I “fixed” your photo. 🙂
Derivative use, David, derivative use.
Blog away, dude. As long as your verbally masturbate about me on your
blog, you will receive pingbacks from this site. That’s the way it
works. You are the one who reads my writing and responds, not the other
way around. Almost all of my posts referencing you have been in response
to something you wrote on your blog about me. As long as you ejaculate
in my direction (it’s a metaphor, David) I will respond.
Bruce Gerencser
To which he immediately replied:
BG
You were the one caught in a lie and violating copyright laws. I did not concoct a conspiracy just addressed the issues you distorted and lied about. Read your own post as you accused me of not answering your assistant when you ‘simply overlooked the responses’
The person at fault is you. I have done nothing bad to you and only address your content. Why you feel that you have to attack me personally is a mystery.
I feel sorry for you and would like to see you act differently towards Christians who have done you no harm or do not know that you exist. Your attitude is uncalled for and certainly keeps you looking bad especially when you attack people for no real reason.
You are a bit thin-skinned and should learn to toughen up. If y9uou felt betrayed by Christians that is on you as no one knows what you really want. If they try, you attack them, call them all sorts of names and abuse them through your writing.
You are proving to everyone that you are no better than those you hate or dislike. You are only encouraging those like you to hate more and that is not right.
There is also no reason to lash out at anyone. Nor is there any reason to abuse Christians just because they approach you in their way. They are not going to approach you in a secular way and support your decisions because that would be wrong and sin.
Feel free to post these words and distort them if you must but you gain nothing by doing so.
Oh and by the way, the hate-filled attitude of your assistant does not help either. atheists are supposed to be the champions of reason and logic yet they are never that way when addressing those who disagree with them.
I still feel sad that you are very sick and hope some progress can be made. If not I am sorry you will die in the spiritual state you are in. Since you were a Christian you should be more understanding of them and not so abusive or angry.
I feel sad that you were once a dedicated Christian who made a bad decision one day.
DavidT
Bruce, don’t you love how he wants you and your editor to be kind and not say anything to upset him…and yet he continually spreads criticism and judgment and is smug and nasty. He doesn’t seem to realize that what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. HE wants to be able to opine and say ANY FUCKING THING HE WANTS, but you, your editor, and your evil, godless commenters are supposed to shut the FUCK UP.
FUCK NO, Dr T.
YOU’RE thin-skinned? Seriously?? This man has absolutely NO self-awareness or capacity for self-reflection. He probably leads a sad little life, because a person like that would most certainly drive away any potential friends. That’s why he has so much time to badger you.
Thanks, Amy. In my early days of blogging I could be thin-skinned. However, 14 years of interacting with the David Tees of the world have thickened my skin. Tee thinks if I respond to him that I’m being sensitive/thin-skinned. Nope. I’m just defending myself from attacks by one of the most hateful, vile Christians I have ever met. His attacks not only reflect poorly on him, they also are a permanent shit stain on the white undies of Evangelical Christianity. If Tee is an example of a “good” Christian, why would anyone ever want to be one? I know I don’t.
For bypassing the simple courtesy of “Please take down my photo” and instead demanding $1000, I hope that DDT loses a hundred times that amount. evil grin
Not all heroes wear capes, some wear skirts, (even if they don’t generally wear them). Three cheers for Carolyn!
She is definitely my hero too. 😂😃
Yay Carolyn!