The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser

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  • Joel Says No One Can Convince Me That Christianity is True Because I’m Set in My Beliefs

    bruce hands over ears

    Joel recently commented on the post, The “We Are Just Going to Have to Agree to Disagree” Cop-Out. My response is below.

    I don’t believe that it’s because people are admitting defeat when they don’t take the time to counter every single thing you believe and say on here.

    Joel doesn’t think that when Evangelicals say “we are just going to have to agree to disagree” that they are admitting defeat; that I can’t expect Evangelicals to counter every single thing I believe or write. I don’t think I have ever demanded believers challenge every belief or post of mine. However, those who can and do should expect me to respond to their pronouncements. Those who know me know me know I rarely leave comments from apologists and zealots unchallenged. People come to this site for different reasons. Evangelicals looking for debate/argument/response will likely get a one from me. Their problem, of course, is that they always get more than they bargained for, mainly because they either don’t know who I am or they marginalize or ignore my ministerial experience. Thus when they pompously roll out this or that argument, they are surprised when I push back; surprised I know the Bible inside and out, often better than they do. Backed into a corner, apologists often surrender, saying, “we are just going to have to agree to disagree.”

    I think alot of it has to do with the fact that you seem very set in your beliefs and that even if someone were to point out reasons for believing otherwise (huff, puff, run-on sentence!) in a thousand ways, it would still somehow not be enough. 

    I am an agnostic atheist. I am open to evidence for the Christian God. I am not set in my ways at all. So far, Evangelicals have repeatedly used lame, worn-out arguments for God, Christianity, and the Bible in their attempts to evangelize me. Or “Philbros” will show up with their fancy philosophical arguments, none of which lead from A GOD to THE GOD — the God of the Protestant Christian Bible.

    No, the problem is that I am not “ignorant of their devices.” Evangelicals seem to forget that I was one of them for fifty years; that I was a pastor for twenty-five years. I’m not Joe Blow American who has never read the Bible through one time. I spent the prime of my life reading and studying the Bible, preaching 4,000 sermons. The issue, then, is that I likely know more about the Bible than they do; that I am well versed in EVERY argument used by Evangelicals to proselytize people.

    God knows exactly what I need to believe in him, yet all he seems to send me are Evangelicals who think C.S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, Gary Habermas, and countless other authors who keep regurgitating the same, old apologetical arguments are giants in the faith. Sigh. (Please read Why I Use the Word “Sigh.”)

    What I’m saying here, is that it looks like your will is set in one direction, and people honestly don’t have the free time or energy to begin at the very beginning, from start to finish, to go through everything point by point.

    Then don’t bother to comment on this site. Don’t start what you can’t finish, my Mom told me a time or two. Granted, I don’t like to give in, but I’m an honorable man, willing to admit my misunderstanding or defeat. I can’t remember the last time I had a debate/discussion/argument with an Evangelical that has led to a satisfactory conclusion. Usually Evangelicals cower under my overwhelming charm, sexual attraction, and knowledge of all things Evangelicals (and I haven’t found conservative Catholics, Muslims, and Mormons to be much better).

    Have I ever thrown in the towel? Sure. A writer must know “when to hold ’em (cards) and when to fold ’em.” Years ago, as my long- time readers will remember, I would argue and debate until blood was drawn. I finally realized that I needed to live for another day; hoping that I will have another opportunity to engage a believer sometime in the future.

    I have dealt with many brutish, nasty commenters over the years; almost always Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church members and pastors. These folks will not stop until they cause psychological harm. Unable to make cogent arguments for their beliefs, these so-called Christians turn to personal attacks and violence. Typically, I try to end such discussions before they reach this point.

    As far as Philbros are concerned, I typically give them a short leash. I have noticed that Philbros don’t like talking about the Bible, so I try to get them to discuss the Bible as soon as I can. Often, they will cut and run when I force them to defend the Bible. If they refuse to move on from philosophical arguments, I typically draw the discussions to an end. No one that I know of has ever been brought to faith in Christ by philosophical arguments. Doesn’t the Bible say in Colossians 2:8, “Watch out that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental principles of the world, and not according to Christ?” Evidently, Philbros have never read this verse.

    Joel has forgotten what the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15

    but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you.

    Besides, alot of people aren’t into the whole debating thing to death in order to ” be right”, so they just decide to tip their hat politely, and give you your space.  Hence, the ” we’ll just have to agree to disagree” and move on. 

    bruce the atheist

    Wait a minute. Who is it that comments on my site? Evangelicals. Am I forcing them to comment? Of course not. No, the issue here is that Evangelicals are used to being the king of the hill. They are used to dominating theological arguments. However, since the Internet came into being, their arguments are openly challenged and repudiated. Not used to ass-whippings, Evangelical apologists tend to get angry, claim I’m being mean to them, or they run off to social media or their blogs to whine about that evil atheist Bruce Gerencser.

    Isn’t that what you say you want? To just be left alone to do your own thing without people arguing with you? 

    Yet, they don’t leave me alone, Joel. Thousands of comments, emails, and social media messages later, I can tell you that scores of Evangelicals have no intention of leaving me alone or agreeing to disagree.

    if I write something, I hope people will read it. And if they read it, I hope they will comment. And . . . if they comment, they should expect people to respond to them. That’s how blogs work.

    It’s not admitting defeat at all. People have reasons for believing that go much deeper than emotional experience.

    Keep telling yourself that, Joel. You sound a lot like Donald Trump, who still refuses to admit he lost the 2020 election. Rare is the Evangelical who will actually engage my writing or read any of the books I suggest to them. You see, they aren’t interested in discussion or debate. Filled with the Holy Ghost, Evangelicals stop by this site to rebuke, condemn, and evangelize. When I won’t let Evangelicals have their way with me, they typically run to the house of faith, lose their tempers, or serve up the “agree to disagree” excuse.

    Personal experiences are not evidence for anything, Joel. Surely, you know this. I have no way of knowing whether someone’s personal experience is true. I live in a world where evidence and facts matter. I want to believe as many true things as possible. When a believer shares his testimony with me, it will not do what he thinks it will. How could I possibly know if he is telling the truth? Anyone who has ever attended an Evangelical testimony meeting knows that lying/exaggeration is expected. I’ve heard countless testimonies over the years, including more than few that were exaggerations or bald-faced lies.

    “There are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamt of in one’s imagination.”

    Says who? Gawd, I sure hope some of my dreams never come true. I could end up divorced and in prison. 🙂 As far as Heaven is concerned, such a place does not exist. I have seen no compelling evidence for the existence of Heaven (or Hell). My days on this earth are short. I am confident that nothing awaits me after death. Evangelicals talk a great line, but when it comes to the afterlife, I have found their arguments or proof texts sorely lacking. I am content to live in the here and now, knowing that I will one day soon be no more. That’s life. I can’t imagine what Evangelicals could say that would ever convince me to return to the “one true faith.” By all means try, but it’s been years since I have heard a new argument for core Evangelical beliefs and practices. Instead, all I get is warmed-over arguments and proof texts. I enjoy the back and forth with Evangelicals, but they are delusional if they think I will ever return to the fold. Been there, done that . . . I want a refund.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Questions: Bruce, How Do You Afford to Feed All Those Cats?

    bethany feeding cats

    Joel asked:

    How do you afford to feed all those cats? Does the SPCA help out?

    First, we do not receive help feeding the cats from anyone, including the Humane Society. There are several non-kill cat shelters in our area, but they are over-capacity. So, for the past twenty years, we have fed every stray/feral cat that has frequented our backyard. We have also fed wandering indoor cats, raccoons, possums, skunks, deer, squirrels, and a plethora of birds, including hawks and woodpeckers.

    Second, we feel we have a moral duty to care for the “least of these.” We also have four inside cats that were once stay/feral cats. We have cared for countless animals — domesticated and wild — over the years. This year (so far), only one cat, Fluffy — a longhaired black cat –has had kittens. Two of her young’uns died not long after birth. Currently, we have a six-week-old black kitten hanging out with the big cats. The kitten should be weaned in about two weeks, though I noticed he/she was eating dry food today.

    Third, the Bible says that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We spent fifty years of our lives giving thousands of dollars to “God.” We learned that he had a poor rate of return. Many of us have discretionary income. We choose to spend this money in a variety of ways. I am not inclined to question how people spend their money. Each to their own, right? I remember when we bought our first new car. We have largely driven older cars, and in our early years, we drove automobiles best described as clunkers and rust buckets. I did all our repair work, which gave me plenty to do over the years. Now that I am a broken-down crippled man, I am forced to pay for mechanical services. I miss the days of leaning over the front of a car, working on it as my pants slide down, revealing the Grand Canyon. The good old days, I suppose.

    We have purchased four new cars over the past twenty years. Our latest vehicle is a 2020 Ford Edge, with 120,000 miles. We don’t plan to buy another new car, hoping this car will be our last one before we die. Of course that could quickly change if I get a hankering for another car, even though I can no longer drive. I drove for the last time in 2020. My nerve pain and reaction times are such that I am no longer a safe to driver.

    Bruce, you pivoted from cats to cars. What gives? Hang on, I’m planning to land this plane soon. 🙂 After we bought our first new car, I mentioned it on this site. Several readers decided to lecture me about the cost effectiveness of buying a new car; that we were being wasteful with our money. This angered me, but I said little. I learned long ago that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. For my partner and I, having driven cars that embarrassed our kids when we picked them up for school, we were thrilled to own a car that wasn’t always a threat to break down or have a flat tire. Simply put, we bought new cars because we wanted to. Isn’t that the reason any of us do the things we do?

    We feed and care for cats because it is important for us to do so. If we don’t care for these abandoned animals, who will? It’s a matter of morality, for us. How could we in good conscience leave a cat (or cats) begging at our back door for food and water? We cannot and will not turn them away. In caring for cats and wildlife, we are teaching our grandchildren to be kind to animals, even spiders, snakes, and ants. Two weeks ago, I awoke to Bethany wanting to tell me what she proudly did a few moments before. Somehow, a snake slithered into our utility room. Instead of hollering DAD! Bethany picked the snake up and put it outside. Way to go girl, though I would like to have seen it to make sure it wasn’t poisonous.

    Yes, it requires a financial commitment from us to care for our backyard friends, but we are more than willing to pay for their feeding and care. It feels good to look out the back door as see “our” cats; happy and thriving, despite the assholes who left them to their own devices. If we had homeless humans camping in our yard, we would care for them too. You see, we may be godless, degenerate sinners, but we love and care for both animals and humans. No need for God. All one needs is kindness and compassion.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Questions: Bruce, It Seems Like You Never Really Left Jesus

    bruce gerencser and jesus

    Joel asked:

    Why have you stayed on the topic of God/Jesus for so long? It seems like you’ve never really fully left Jesus. At least, thats what it seems like.

    This seems more like an accusation than it does a question, but I will assume good faith, and answer accordingly.

    I have spent my entire life talking and writing about God, Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity. In 2007, I started blogging, and the following year I deconverted, walking away from Evangelical Christianity after fifty years.

    Joel seems to think I should have stopped talking about Jesus after I left Christianity; that since I am no longer a Christian, I have nothing meaningful to say about the faith once delivered to the saints. Let’s suppose I spent my life as a career military officer. General Bruce, I like the ring of that. After a long career in the Army, I retired. Would anyone expect me not to talk about the military or my service any more? Would I be expected to “move on”? Of course not.

    So it is with me. Christianity made a deep, lasting impression on me, especially Evangelicalism and the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) church movement. It is what I know. I can’t excise the first fifty years of my life. Sorry, but that’s not how life works.

    What I have to share is a lived life, and I suspect that’s what upsets Evangelicals so much. I lived, practiced and believed the teachings of the Bible — fallibly, yet sincerely. There was nothing in my life that suggested I was anything but a committed follower of Jesus. Yet, I did insult to the spirit of grace and trampled under my feet the blood of the covenant. I spit in the face of Jesus, rejecting his atoning work on the cross.

    It is this rejection of faith many Evangelicals can’t or won’t understand. How dare I reject he who has made such differences in their lives. How dare I reject that which they devote their lives to. How dare I live without being constrained by the teachings of the Bible. And it is my defiance that pisses off so many Evangelicals, so much so that they turn to violence and character assassination. Just today, a local Evangelical man named Daniel Gray wrote a letter to the editor of the Defiance Crescent-News, saying that I never was a pastor; that he can’t find anyone who says I was a pastor anywhere. (I pastored three local churches in Montpelier, Fayette, and West Unity, respectively.) This, of course, is an unadulterated lie. This same man said several years ago that that I was being investigated by the State of Ohio for performing “illegal” weddings. This, too, was an ugly lie.

    Rare is the Evangelical that can accept me on my own terms. Because they can’t make my story fit in their peculiar religious box, they reject what I say out of hand. Yet, millions of readers over the past twenty years have thought differently. They value my writing, though in dark, depressed moments I wonder why. They find encouragement and help from my words, even though they don’t always agree with me. More than a few people thank me for being instrumental in their deconversions.

    first atheist church

    And this upsets many Evangelicals. Not only did I deconvert, I am leading other people down a path that leads to Hell. Why can’t I just mind my own business, and move on? Of course, lost on these folks is the fact that they, themselves, do not mind their own business. They routinely evangelize and proselytize, whether non-Christians want to hear it or not. Believing they have a mandate from God, Evangelicals fan out across the Internet, putting a word in for Jesus (or Trump) everywhere they go.

    And that’s fine. You know, that First Amendment thing. Evangelicals are free to witness and preach, both privately and publicly. Why should it not be the same for non-Christians, especially atheists?

    Joel has been reading my blog for some time, yet he fails to understand why I do what I do. That’s not my fault. My motivations are clear to anyone who is paying attention.

    Evangelicalism is not neutral. As one of the largest sects in the United States , Evangelicalism has a lot of influence on our culture. None of us can escape this influence. Our current president, arguably the worst ever, was put into office by Evangelical voters. Evangelicals now hold some of the highest, most important political offices in the land. And what are they doing with this power? They are using it to take back America for God. They are using it to enshrine Christianity as the state’s official religion. Worse, they are the people primarily behind Project 2025.

    And dare we ignore who has been behind the raging culture wars for the past forty-plus years? Evangelical Christians. As as father of six children and grandfather to sixteen grandchildren, do I not have a vested interest in their future, especially when I see the United States running headlong into fascism, Christian Nationalism, and an Evangelical form of theocracy? Silence is not an option for me, nor is it for many of the people who read this blog.

    So, to Joel’s false claim that I have never left Jesus, with a British accent I say, poppycock. There can be no question, except for the deliberately blind, that I am no longer a Christian; that the reason I continue to share my story and critique Evangelical Christianity is because it is a threat to social progress and the future of the United States.

    I intend to “stay on the topic of God/Jesus” for as long as Evangelicals drag the dead carcass of Jesus into the public square, touting him as some sort of panacea for the ills of society. I intend to stay the course as long as Evangelicals publicly promote irrational beliefs, especially when demanding everyone believe as they do under threat of eternal fire and brimstone.

    When the Joels of the world retire to their houses of worship to incessantly talk about God/Jesus/Bible/Sin/Salvation, I will shutter this blog. Until then, I intend to speak my mind, as is the right of every American—though fascist Donald Trump, with Evangelical approval, is trying to limit the free speech of those who disagree with him.

    This is a battle of worldviews; a battle for the soul of our country. As long as Evangelicals demand Christianity be the state’s religion and the Bible the law of the land, they should expect pushback from me.

    Unless Joel and his merry band of Evangelicals intends to cede the battlefield, I intend to stand my ground—even when I can no longer physically stand.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Question and Answer Time with Bruce, the Atheist

    It’s been awhile since I’ve solicited questions from readers. Here’s your opportunity to ask me anything, and I mean anything. Whether you are a Christian, Muslim, young earth creationist, atheist, agnostic, anti-theist, humanist, Evangelical, Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB), Catholic, Orthodox, Charismatic, Mormon, mainline Christian, pagan, complementarian, trad wife, chronic pain sufferer, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Progressive, socialist, communist, MAGA, Christian Nationalist, White Nationalist, or a Bud Light drinker, this is your opportunity to ask me a question. Whatever labels you wear, ask away.

    No question is out of bounds. I am even waiving the comment rules for this exercise. I plan to also clear the moderation/banned list so these miscreants, I mean fellow biped, have an opportunity to ask questions too. This is a limited time offer.

    If you have sent me a question in the past that I have not answered, please submit it again. I’ll do my best to answer it.

    Please leave your questions in the comment section below, email me your question, or leave it in a voice mail or text at 567-210-1145.

    I look forward to receiving your thoughtful comments and answering them.

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    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Does “Baby Christian” Trump Respect God and Pastors?

    baby christian trump

    Warning! This post contains content offensive to easily butt-hurt Evangelical Christians. You have been warned.🤣

    For the record, the animals in my graphic above are “Lemmings.” 🙂 A throwback tip of the hat to the 1991 Lemmings DOS/Windows computer game. 🤣

    According Landon Schott, pastor of Mercy Culture in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. President Donald “Jesus” Trump is a baby Christian who respects God and pastors. And when he uses the word “God,” he is referring to the Evangelical God of the Bible.

    Video Link

    In what way is Donald Trump a “baby” Christian? He’s attended Norman Vincent Peale’s church as a young man, and in recent years he has professed a squishy, ignorant, Two-Corinthians faith in the Evangelical Jesus. What IS absent is any outward evidence that he is “a new creation in Christ.” A baby Christian, then, is a person whose life shows that “old things are passed away, and all things become new.” There was a time Evangelicals believed in the importance of church attendance, tithing, prayer, tithing, Bible reading, tithing, and fasting for congregants. Has Trump done any of these things outside of a red-meat-for-Evangelicals photo op? The answer is “No” for those of you desperately seeking for evidence to justify Trump’s decidedly non-Christian beliefs and behavior. Shit, he can’t even follow the two great commands of “loving God” and “loving your fellow man.”

    All of us have a front row seat for the Trump Catastrophe — brought to you by politically drunk Evangelicals everywhere. It is alarming how few Evangelicals are willing to speak a word against Trump, a fellow believer. Judge not, right? (Please read Does the Bible Really Say “Thou Shalt Not Judge?”) No one is exempt from judgment (or personal accountability). Why are so many Evangelicals unwilling to give a true, honest accounting of the past decade of Trump’s life? Why have they largely ignored Trump’s prominence in the Epstein Files. Even when he turned himself into “Meme Jesus” or showed himself with “Sexy Gay Jesus,” there was not even a whimper from most of the Evangelicals who voted for Trump three #$W%&^ times. (Translation available for Evangelicals who don’t know Brucean Greek. Text me and I’ll send you the proper translation.) 🤣

    Now, let me demolish Schott’s delusional notion that Donald Trump is a “baby Christian” who “respects” God and pastors.

    First, Donald Trump respects no one, including himself.

    We have overwhelming evidence that says Donald Trump respects two things: power and money (and dick size). I have a draft post in my file about how Trump measures success; how everything in his life can be reduced to a small mushroom dick man craving to be known as “Donnie Big Dick.” I have yet to see Trump respect someone who different from him or who has less than he does. While Trump shows blushing rosy-cheeked respect for autocrats, dictators, thieves, and murderers, it is only because he lusts after their power and wealth. Trump is an American president who actually wants to be king; an iron-fisted ruler over all — not only in this country, but the world. Evangelicals in the 1960s were outraged when the Beatles declared they were “bigger than Jesus.” Oh the anti-Beatles/anti-rock and roll sermons I heard from Evangelical preachers as a child. Yet, Donald Trump recently proclaimed that he is, at least, as big as Jesus or even a modern “Savior” himself. I wonder how many Evangelical preachers condemned Trump from the pulpit last Sunday as their forebears did the Beatles sixty years ago? Not many. Disagree? Cough up the video/printed evidence that shows preachers skinning Trump alive before God and man for his blasphemous mockery of your Master, Savior, Lord, King, and sexy boyfriend Jesus H. Christ. I’ll be waiting . . .

    Second, does anyone really believe he is a Christian?

    Does anyone really believe that Trump is a Christian? Not even Trump believes he is a Christian, yet millions of Evangelicals are hellbent on saying he is! Why is that? To suggest otherwise requires Evangelicals to admit they were wrong — not one time, not two times, not even three times, since many Evangelicals would, if they could, vote for Trump today. No, they have been captured by the MAGA cult, and the only way out for them is to be deprogrammed and, in time, confess they were wrong.

    There was a time in Evangelicalism, when you at least had to attend church on Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas to be considered a Christian. Today, Trump never attends church, yet he is considered a Christian. How can these things be? It is quite the thing to watch the Evangelicalism of my youth voluntarily flush itself down the gold right-wing toilet. Politics were rarely mentioned. Today, Evangelicalism might as well be an official arm of the Republican/Libertarian Party. Right-wing politics became fuel for the latest culture war. Evangelicals came to believe that saving souls and personal piety was not enough. Their new goal is to take back the United States for God and institute a Biblical version of Sharia law.

    Third, respect is shown by behavior.

    What in Trump’s behavior remotely suggests he respects God? I am not talking about the shameless superficial plays of Trump to fawning Evangelicals who surround him in the oval office to feel up his crotch, offer Evan-fellatio, or attend worship services (rallies) when he is in attendance. Trump, even in his demented Grandpa state, still knows how to work a crowd.

    Trump has spent the past ten years showing Evangelicals that he is a pathological liar, a racist, a bigot, an ableist, and a “grab them by the pussy” misogynist. There’s nothing more for them to know about his character, morals, and ethics. He is absent all three, as anyone who is paying attention can see (and hear).

    Fourth, Trump is a user, and pastors are useful fools.

    Evangelicals make a mockery of their faith when they continue to fawn over and worship Donald Trump. “Oh, it’s not that bad,” Evangelicals say. Really? Have you watched Trump’s rallies and press conferences? Have you seen his speeches at Evangelical conferences? Have you watched his Christian cabinet members slavishly, lavishly, and disgustingly fawn over him? If these very things happened under Obama or Biden, why there would be Evangelicals rioting in the street; and might I say, rightly so.

    What happens when a person stops being useful? The moment Trump sees no benefit (money/power/worship) he will attack, ridicule, and abandon them quicker than he did Melania so he could have sex with Stormy Daniels.

    Alex Ashley in Rolling Stone recently wrote an excellent article titled, “Trump’s Long, Strange Relationship with Faith.”

    Here’s the money quote:

    What the FULL record reveals is that Trump has never encountered religion as a source of authority over him. He encountered it first as a tool for success, then as a constituency to be managed, and finally as a competing claim to the kind of absolute authority he believes he holds.

    Finally, it is evident that many Evangelicals have forsaken their theological and moral foundation for the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table or a bowl of pottage after selling their souls to the vicar of Lucifer on earth. Preachers such as James Dobson, Richard Jeffress, and Franklin Graham, among others, have become bootlickers, defenders of virtually everything the “baby Christian” Trump writes, says, posts, and does. The lack of criticism from Evangelical big shots after Trump’s blasphemous memes and violent tweets is deafening and nauseating. My God, most of the atheists I know have better morals and ethics than these modern day Elmer Gantrys. These hirelings only care about having the preeminence, which gives them close access to the god of this world’s political power. Evangelicals learned that they could gain wins in the culture war by controlling the three branches of power. New mantra: “Why Pray When You Can Vote?” or “Why Refrain from Fornication When You Control Legislation?”

    Is Evangelicalism even salvageable? It’s doubtful. Now that larger churches and megachurches dominate the Evangelical church scene, they have become denominations unto themselves. They have amassed tremendous political and social power, and control. Even in rural areas such as where I live, large Evangelical churches are everywhere, and megachurches are but 30 minutes to an hour away — which Evangelicals will gladly drive if they can have metaphorical sex with their musclebound boyfriend named Jesus.

    Rome is burning, but far too many Evangelicals in the safe confines of their religious temples are obsessed with making sweet, sweet love to Jesus. And just think, American taxpayers subsidize their lovemaking, all the while these fine Christians burn 250 years of national secular progress to the ground.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • How Should Thinking People Treat Hardcore Trump Supporters?

    no king but trump

    In 2015, Donald Trump came down a golden escalator to announce his first presidential campaign, which he handily won. Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid, spending the next four years planning revenge on all those deemed his “enemies.” Re-elected in 2024, Trump wasted no time in exacting revenge, pillaging the Federal treasury, waging war, killing protesters, deporting U.S. citizens, breaking contracts/treaties, and turning the United States into a laughingstock of the world. Trump is determined to cause chaos and destroy any semblance of the American dream. All he cares about is building his big, beautiful ballroom and, much like a male dog, leaving his mark on everything he touches. Instead of being a caretaker or a temporary resident, Trump thinks the government is his personal fiefdom, which he rules over like a crazy man.

    Who do we blame for the mess that has engulfed our country? Trump? Sure, but he wouldn’t be president unless Americans voted for him. It is our Republican/MAGA/Independent friends and neighbors who have given Trump two terms in office. These same voters gave Republicans complete control of all three branches of government. They are directly to blame for the mess we are in, though Democrats have plenty of shit on their shoes too. Hillary? Biden? Kamala? Is this the best Democrats had to offer? It’s no wonder Democrats lost two of the last three presidential elections. That said, Evangelical Christians are primarily to blame for giving us Donald Trump (as are lazy-ass people who don’t bother to vote). And these same Evangelicals continue to support Republican/MAGA candidates down ballot, ensuring Republican control of the federal government and many state governments. If Democrats don’t get their shit together or Evangelicals finally find moral courage, we are in for more of the same.

    How should we respond to our MAGA family, friends, and neighbors, many of whom are kind, thoughtful people. Why is there such a disconnect between their moral/ethical beliefs and how they vote? Are they as racist and bigoted as the people they elect? On Sundays, they worship the “Prince of Peace,” and the rest of the week they bend their knees to the most un-Christian president in U.S. history. Why is there so much cognitive dissonance among the MAGA faithful? Can they not see beyond the current culture war?

    How do you respond to your MAGA family, friends, and neighbors? Please share your experiences in the comment section.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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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    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.

  • Just Remember, Killing Children is a “Cost of Doing Business” For the United States

    trump on collateral damage

    According to our warmonger-in-chief, President Donald Trump, the goal of aggressive U.S. military actions in Iran, the Middle East, Venezuela, and countless other “secret” wars waged by American soldiers, planes, bombs, and cyberhacks across the globe, is to bring peace throughout the world. This fantasy has long been believed by those in power, so Trump comes by this delusion naturally. The fact remains that war cannot bring peace. This is akin to saying that a husband beats his wife to improve their marriage. Most of us know that domestic violence NEVER makes a marriage better. So it is with war being the precursor to peace. At best, war brings the cessation of hostilities, until such times as a previous enemy does something that runs afoul of the American myth and we attack them again. The United States has been meddling in Iran for my entire life. There never has been “peace” between the two countries, and anyone who thinks the present war will somehow be different is delusional.

    The United States has always used military violence to advance its political, social, economic, and religious agenda. We are a bloody nation; a bloody people; our history is filled with the slaughter of innocents, from indigenous people to Iranian school children. Whatever moral high ground the United States may have had after World War Two is long gone, covered by the blood of millions of innocents murdered in immoral, unconstitutional wars. And what do we do? Increase the military’s budget to over $1 trillion a year, with “what good are bombs if you can’t use them” Trump demanding 50% more for the military budget. Where will this money come from? Record budget deficits and draconian cuts to domestic programs that primarily help working class and poor people.

    Trump, Hegseth, and other men of “peace,” say that “collateral damage” is the cost other countries must pay if they want a free world — whatever the hell that means. Innocents always bear the brunt of military aggression, as is the case in Iran. Early on, collateral damage meant killing more than a hundred school children, and then, with a whopper of a lie, trying to blame the Iranians for killing their own young ones. There may have been a time when U.S. presidents could pull the wool over the eyes of American people but those days are gone. Thanks to the Internet, smartphones, social media, and other tools, it is almost impossible for the United States to cover up its international crimes as they help to advance imperialism and protect capitalism. A wide variety of people from across the globe read this site. Perhaps some of my non-American readers will share how the U.S. is viewed by them and their fellow citizens. From what I have heard from several European readers, whatever goodwill the world wars gave us, we have lost it and are now viewed as a predatory state. And maybe we have always been a predatory state, but our predations are so out in the open now that many of us in this country are ashamed to be Americans.

    We are world power in decline, headed for the boneyard of human history. World powers come and go: Greece, Rome, Great Britain, Spain, France, Denmark, and the USSR, to name a few, have come and gone. And the United States will one day be added to this list: yet another nation whose hubris and willingness to use horrific violence to advance its agenda brought it to its knees. And when this happens, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. We still have the power to change but it is unlikely we will do so. We have convinced ourselves that the “American Way of Life” must be protected at all costs, even if it means slaughtering innocent people.Capitalism, military might, and economic power must be maintained and advanced at all costs. Sorry if that cost is killing your children on their way to school or destroying your power plants, water supplies, and other infrastructure. That’s just the way it is. USA! USA! USA! We’re #1! We’re #1! We’re #1! And so the American delusion goes.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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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  • Letter to the Editor: Evangelical Silence on Trump is Deafening

    Published in the Crescent-News on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

    Dear Editor,

    I keep hoping to read in the Crescent-News a plethora of letters from Evangelicals condemning Donald Trump’s use of Christianity to advance his unholy, violent agenda. Alas, there are no letters to be found. Even publishing a meme showing Trump as Jesus was not enough to dislodge them from the president’s hip. Both Paula White and Pete Hegseth favorably compared Trump’s self-inflicted troubles to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

    Why the silence from Evangelicals? They are directly responsible for putting Trump in the White House. Three times in the past ten years, almost 80 percent of voting White Evangelicals voted for Donald Trump. By the the 2024 election, every American knew who and what Donald Trump really was. Everyone knew Trump was a violent narcissist who couldn’t tell the truth if his life depended on it, yet devout people of faith voted for him anyway.

    Spare me the explanations about not voting for a “pastor in chief.” I was an Evangelical for 50 years. I listened to preachers excoriate President Bill Clinton over a stained blue dress. Despicable? You bet. And at the time, I eviscerated Clinton from the pulpit, as I would have Trump today if I were still a pastor. If Evangelical pastors can’t see Trump in the same light they viewed Clinton, they have lost their moral authority. They have sold their souls for a bowl of soup.

    Worse, an increasing number of Evangelicals have adopted theocratic beliefs, asserting that the separation of church and state is a myth. Both Russ Vought and Hegseth are card carrying theocrats who believe the Evangelical God has called them to re-establish the United States as a Christian nation. Their nefarious dogma will lead to violence and death on our streets, as is currently happening in Iran and the greater Middle East.

    The Pope recently condemned Trump’s offensive war against Iran. More than a few Evangelical talking heads told the Pope to “shut up and mind your own business.” J.D. Vance — allegedly a Catholic — lectured the Pope on “just war theory.” What is going on in Iran is anything but “just.” The United States is waging an immoral war against [the newspaper’s editor removed “the people of” from my letter] the people of Iran. And Cuba is next, if Trump gets his way.

    Several letter writers have suggested than I am morally lacking. Maybe, but I’m moral enough to know it’s evil to wage offensive wars and murder innocent people.

    Bruce Gerencser

    Ney, Ohio

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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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  • Beware of the Mouse

    mouse

    I lived on U.S. 30 east of Lima, Ohio in the late 1960s. Dad had hornswoggled someone into renting him a home with an option to buy after twelve months. For one year, the Gerencsers lived in a new tri-level home, complete with a brand-new Pontiac Bonneville convertible in the garage. Almost sixty years later, the house is showing its age, and seems small compared to what I envisioned as a child.

    Lots happened my fourth/fifth-grade year [we moved to Farmer halfway through my fifth grade year]:

    • My younger brother fell off his bike and knocked out his two front teeth.
    • My younger brother also closed his eyes when trying to catch a baseball, catching the ball with his nose. The fracture required surgery to repair.
    • My father embezzled $10,000 from the insurance company he worked for at the time.
    • Dad was investigated by the ATF for illegally selling firearms at gun shows.
    • Dad started having an affair with an unknown woman.
    • Mom tried to kill herself by driving the Bonneville into a truck.
    • Mom tried to kill herself by overdosing on prescription drugs.
    • Mom tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists. I came home from school and found her lying in a pool of blood.
    • I tripped over a kindergartner on the playground, driving a rock into my knee. This required five stitches to repair.

    That’s enough living for a ten-year-old boy. Not that anyone asked. I don’t ever remember a time when my parents asked my opinion about anything. Dad would come home and saying we were moving — end of discussion. As most kids from dysfunctional homes do, I learned to adapt. Sadly, growing up this way has made it hard for me to feel like I belonged. Every year or two, we moved to a new community. I hoped we would finally find a place to call home. That never happened The longest we lived in one community was two and a half years.

    Dad was rarely home, and Mom subscribed to “out of sight, out of mind” parenting. Out of sight meant “go outside and play. I’ll call you (holler) when it is time to eat.” I spent most daylight hours outside, as long as it was warm enough to do so. You know, more than 25 degrees. 🙂

    I was a country kid. I enjoyed wandering nearby fields and stands of trees. I had a love for wildlife, including hunting and fishing. One day, as I walked into the garage, I caught sight of a mouse scurrying out of the corner of the garage. I decided to “catch” the mouse. I spent ten minutes or so chasing the mouse around the garage. Eventually, I cornered him and bent over to pick him up. Just as my fingers touched the soft fur of the young mouse, he lunged forward and bit me. I howled, and off he ran, safe from that redheaded boy. I wouldn’t have hurt the mouse, but he didn’t know that. The mouse did what animals do when threatened: he fought back.

    This is a lesson I have never forgotten. I have passed it on to our six children and sixteen grandchildren. What was that lesson, you ask? “Don’t try to catch a mouse”? No, the important lesson to learn was this: When you corner an animal and give them no way out, they will defend themselves. Every year, scores of Americans die from being gored, trampled, or bitten by cornered animals. Is the animal to blame? Of course not. Animals do what animals do, and humans are no different.

    Currently, President Donald Trump is trying to bully various nation-states into submission. He uses tariffs, the Justice Department, Homeland Security, and military intervention to back people and nations into a corner, thinking they will give him what he wants — money and power. What this stupid man refuses to understand is that actions have consequences. So Trump continues to push people and nations until they snap, biting him on the hand. What did he expect would happen? I fear that he will one day push and push and push, to the point where an alleged “enemy” fears the loss of power and control or the loss of economic well-being. And when this happens, Trump shouldn’t be surprised if the proverbial mouse bites him on the hand. All of us are dangerous when we lose all hope. Push Iran into a corner, what do you think they will do? Say uncle? I doubt it.

    We live in dangerous times. It remains to be seen if we will survive the actions of the lunatic currently inhabiting the White House.

    Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 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.

    Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

    You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.