Since 2007, I have done a lot of writing. Millions of words in various formats. One well-received format is my short stories. I am in the process of writing new short stories, rewriting past stories, and putting them in a book format. I hope to have this project done by mid-summer. Readers should expect more short stories than normal as Carolyn and I work to bring this work to fruition. Once all the stories are collated, I will need a handful of readers who have professional writing, editing, or proofreading skills to read my manuscript, checking for grammar and spelling errors. If you are interested in helping with this project, please let me know. Carolyn will be the gatekeeper, or maybe the pitbull at the end of the lane. š Regardless, she knows my writing style inside and out, so she will have the final say on edits. When Carolyn offered to do my editing years ago, I promised her a book. Well, here we are. š
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.
Dr. Carmen Celestini, a full-time lecturer at the University of Waterloo, in the department of Religious Studies and the Arts First program, and a Post Doctoral Fellow with the School of Religion at Queenās University. Her research focuses on the overlapping belief systems of Christian Nationalism, conspiracy theories, and extremism, as well as the impact of these beliefs/ideologies on politics in North America.
Stephanie Kemmerer, a freelance writer who specializes in conspiracy theory culture and extremism. She is a former conspiracy theorist and current advocate for recovery. Stephanie is a co-host for the podcast, āTrue Crimespiracy.ā Her writings have appeared on AIPT Comics, Skeptical Inquirer, and Free Inquiry.
Nick Carmody,JD, MS Psych, a therapist with an amazing back story. Nick has a private practice and also works with low-income children who have experienced trauma. In 2010, Nick experienced two life-changing Traumatic Brain Injuries; along with other intense personal experiences, this led him along an unconventional path to a career helping people who have similar lived experiences. He writes extensively on Twitter.
Luciano Gonzalez-Vega, a non-binary author, and public speaker who writes and talks about various issues related to history, humanism, and conflict. They are Puerto Rican, were raised in Honduras, Colombia, and Panama during times of civil unrest and strife, and have a masterās degree in Peace & Conflict Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. They are also an experienced humanist activist who has spoken at humanist conferences nationwide and appeared on television to discuss issues related to humanism in the United States. Find their writing at OnlySky and the Humanist.
Bruce Gerencser, who 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. You can read Bruceās writing at The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser.
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.
Dr. Carmen Celestini, a full-time lecturer at the University of Waterloo, in the department of Religious Studies and the Arts First program, and a Post Doctoral Fellow with the School of Religion at Queenās University. Her research focuses on the overlapping belief systems of Christian Nationalism, conspiracy theories, and extremism, as well as the impact of these beliefs/ideologies on politics in North America.
Stephanie Kemmerer, a freelance writer who specializes in conspiracy theory culture and extremism. She is a former conspiracy theorist and current advocate for recovery. Stephanie is a co-host for the podcast, āTrue Crimespiracy.ā Her writings have appeared on AIPT Comics, Skeptical Inquirer, and Free Inquiry.
Nick Carmody,JD, MS Psych, a therapist with an amazing back story. Nick has a private practice and also works with low-income children who have experienced trauma. In 2010, Nick experienced two life-changing Traumatic Brain Injuries; along with other intense personal experiences, this led him along an unconventional path to a career helping people who have similar lived experiences. He writes extensively on Twitter.
Luciano Gonzalez-Vega, a non-binary author, and public speaker who writes and talks about various issues related to history, humanism, and conflict. They are Puerto Rican, were raised in Honduras, Colombia, and Panama during times of civil unrest and strife, and have a masterās degree in Peace & Conflict Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. They are also an experienced humanist activist who has spoken at humanist conferences nationwide and appeared on television to discuss issues related to humanism in the United States. Find their writing at OnlySky and the Humanist.
Bruce Gerencser, who 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. You can read Bruceās writing at The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser.
This conference is open to the public. The conference is free, but you will need to register (name and email address) to attend, I hope some of you will be “sitting” in the audience as I give my speech, saying “amen” at the appropriate time. š
I am currently writing a multi-part series titled Why I Became a Calvinist. I have noticed readers have questions about Calvinism. I plan to answer those questions upon the completion of the series. Please leave your questions on this post or the relevant post in the series. I will get to them sometime next week.
Thank you!
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.
I get a lot of emails and social media messages from both strangers and regular readers of this blog. I genuinely want to respond to every email and message I receive. I try to answer blog/social media comments when I can, but I cannot keep up with the volume of comments I receive. I do read every one of them, but I am no longer able to answer every one of them.
As regular readers know, I have serious health problems: gastroparesis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, and degenerative spine disease. Every day is a struggle for me. There is no such thing as a good day. Those days are gone (and wishing them for me is not helpful). I have embraced my present reality, my new normal. All I ask is that people understand where I am in life — and most people do.
I warn email senders on my contact page that it may take me a month or more to answer their emails. Currently, I am six weeks behind, working on emails from the end of August. Yet, I will have people send me multiple emails wondering when I am going to respond to them. They mean well, but their impatience is not helpful, and some days it is downright annoying, much like a toddler nagging you for a cookie.
Part of the problem is me. I over-promise and under-deliver. People want me to write on this or that subject, write about this or that criminal preacher, review their book, read their blog, listen to their podcast, etc. I tend to say I will try to do so, or even promise that I will. When I don’t follow through, people get upset with me. So, I apologize for giving you and others false hopes. Going forward, I will not do so. Starting today, I am clearing my “promise” list. I will do what I can, but I can no longer commit to covering certain subjects/people or doing things beyond my work for this site. I may in time get to things previously promised, but you shouldn’t expect me to do so. By all means, keep making suggestions, but I may not be able to meet your expectation.
My health continues to decline, ever so slowly. I am having increasing neurological problems with my hands (especially my dominant left hand). I fear I may someday have to stop typing. Not today, but typing has become difficult, at times painful. It’s just one more fucking thing for me to deal with. š
I do want people to continue emailing me. I do want people to continue commenting on this blog and on my social media posts. I am just asking for your understanding if I don’t promptly respond to you. Please don’t take it personally. On my part, I will do better, not promising things I cannot deliver.
Thank you for your understanding.
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.
Earlier this week, I was delighted to do a live interview with Jonathan Pearce, A Tippling Philosopher. We had a wide-ranging two-hour discussion. If you were unable to watch it live, please watch our discussion on YouTube.
Let me know what you think. If you are so inclined, please click LIKE on YouTube and leave a comment. Your support is greatly appreciated.
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.
Yesterday, I worked through a backlog of sixty-three emails. As far as I know, at 11:57 pm on August 4, 2022, I have no outstanding emails to respond to. If you are awaiting some sort of response from me, please resend your email and I will promptly respond.
Thanks!
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.
Today, I noticed a new search engine in this site’s server logs, neeva.com. Curious to see what a search on my name would return, I typed Bruce Gerencser in a search window and hit enter. Most of the links returned can be found on major search engines. However, what I found interesting was two questions about me that were answered by neeva.com, I assume by artificial intelligence (AI).
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.
Our vacation came to an abrupt end on Monday. We are back home, sweltering with the rest of you.
As some of you know, I have gastroparesisāan incurable stomach disease (constant nausea, frequent bouts of vomiting, severe bowel problems). I also have fibromyalgia and live with unrelenting pain in my spine and neck from arthritis, degenerative disease, and numerous herniated discs. I knew taking a trip anywhere was going to be a challenge, but I took the āfuck it, you only live onceā approach. Polly doubted I was up to the trip, but she knows not to push back when Iām hellbent on doing what I want. Little did she know how bad it would be.
While it was pain and nausea that brought me home, I must confess I had, for a variety reasons, a mental meltdown.
I have OCPD (obsessive compulsive personality disorder). I like and need order. Iāve always been this way. Living with me can be a challenge, but Polly and I have found a way to make peace with each otherās shortcomings and phobias. We will soon be married for forty-four years, so I guess weāve figured a few things out. šā¤ļø
In our forty-four years of marriage, we have stayed in the homes of people not family five times. Thatās it. I have a hard time staying or sleeping in any home but my own. We rented a VRBO property for our vacation. I thought, āBruce, you can do this.ā Boy, was I wrong. The place was not clean. I got a total of three hours sleep over two days. The house had a chemical smell from the improper cleaning of the floors. The floors had a film on them, so much so that walking on them left footprints. These things, among others, pushed me over the edge mentally (and Iāve been on the edge for awhile).
One of the reasons we vacationed in southeast Ohio was so we could retrace the sixteen years we lived there in the 80s and 90s. I pastored two churches, one in Buckeye Lake, another in Somerset. I grossly underestimated how doing so would psychologically affect me. I couldnāt help but think about the sacrifices I made serving a lie; how my commitment to the ministry harmed Polly and our children; how I sacrificed our economic well-being, believing God would provide; how I worked myself to death in Godās vineyard, causing me physical and emotional harm; how Polly never had an opportunity to be anyone other than the Preacherās wife; how my children became extensions of my work and ambition.
If this is TMI for you, I understand. Iām human, and right now Iām broken. Iām grateful that I scheduled a therapy session before I left. I need it ā badly. Donāt let anyone tell you certain expressions of religious faith canāt cause harm. They can, and for me anyway, I will spend my remaining days trying to come to terms with my Fundamentalist past and the harm it caused, hoping to somehow make an uneasy peace with the past.
Polly and I and Bethany are taking a vacation, starting tomorrow through next Sunday. We will be spending time in central and southeast Ohio. I won’t be posting any new articles during this time, though I will post a few Christians Say the Darnedest Things, Black Collar Crime articles.
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.
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