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Tag: Evangelicalism

Why Are So Many Evangelical Preachers Obsessed with Sex, Gender, and Genitalia?

christians attack lgbt people

Why are so many Evangelical preachers obsessed with sex, gender, and genitalia? Every day, I peruse blog posts by preachers preoccupied with who fucks whom, when, where, and how. These preachers prattle incessantly about what people do in the privacy of their bedrooms. While these so-called men of God would say that “sin is sin,” based on what they dwell on in their sermons and blog posts, it’s evident that they consider sexual sins more serious than others. Never mind the fact that most sexual “sins” are between consenting adults; “sins” that hurt no one.

These keepers of everyone’s chastity but their own are especially focused on what LGBTQ people do sexually. Worse, they have gone after transgender people with hatred and vengeance. What have LGBTQ people done to these preachers of God’s sex code? Nothing. Their mere existence is enough to stir Evangelical preachers into fits of rage.

One Evangelical preacher, Dr. David Tee (whose real name is Derrick Thomas Theissen), recently wrote:

By now, everyone has heard of the UK Supreme Court’s decision. It is good news for real women who have suffered more than enough these past few years with fake women invading their spaces.

….

Of course, no Christian needed a Court’s decision on the issue. The Bible has been declaring the separation of the two genders for thousands of years, and Judaism did it long before that. The Supreme Court is merely saying what all Christians already knew, and what unbelievers have been hiding from.

What we hope will happen is that all fake women will be denied access to these spaces, and real women can feel safer. While this ruling only applies to the UK, we hope to see similar rulings take place around the globe.

The madness must stop as trans- women are not real women and suffer from mental and spiritual problems that deceive them into thinking they are something they are not. The objection that this decision may cause more fake women to kill themselves is erroneous.

The source of the problem with fake men and women is their blind acceptance of the feelings that they were born in the wrong body. They hold tightly to those feelings as if they were a lifeline. This is deception at work.

Until the fake men and women see this, they will always be confused and have problems. The feelings are not real, but a trap from evil to destroy them. They have to see that those feelings are false and take the right steps to get help.

Encouraging their ‘transition’ is not the answer and does not protect the lives of these fake people. In fact, it puts them more in harm’s way as the majority of society finds their delusions disgusting and wrong.

It is even more wrong to allow them to enter women’s spaces and activities and claim they are real women. As the Bible and science have pointed out continuously, no one can change their gender, and participating in this folly only makes fools out of the fake people and their supporters.

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God does not change just because the NT came into existence. God made two distinct genders at creation, which do not change at any time. Science cannot overcome what God did at creation.

If you want to protect fake men and women, then get them the help they need instead of parading them around in public where they will be rejected, ridiculed, and worse. Trying to make them a part of normal society is not the right thing to do.

The trans ideology is perversion at its finest, desecrating what God called good. Let’s hope that more courts see the light and make the same correct decision as the UK Supreme Court did.

It is time to protect our children, sisters, brothers, cousins, and everyone who is falling to this sinful thinking that does more harm than good. Get them the help they need before it is too late.

Thiessen would have his handful of readers believe that transgender people are a threat to the human race. Previously, he has called for transgender people to be arrested and put in internment camps — thus protecting the public from these “evil” people.

Rarely does a week go by without Thiessen writing a post condemning transgender people. He is obsessed with these folks, even though they haven’t done anything to him. Most transgender people just want to be left alone. They want to have the same equal protection under the law as the rest of us.

While Thiessen is free to twist the Bible to fit his perverse hatred of people who violate his Puritan code of human sexuality, it doesn’t follow that the United States government should give his beliefs the force of law. We live in a secular state, not a theocracy. Until the David Thiessens of the world clearly show that transgender people harm others, their protestations carry no weight.

I find it interesting that Thiessen and his merry band of genital inspectors show little to no interest in a real threat to people, especially children. Transgender people rarely make the news for committing sex crimes, yet rarely does a day go by when one or more preachers are arrested, indicted, or convicted for sexual abuse, rape, and other sex crimes. Thiessen, in particular, ignores these stories, and even goes so far as to defend these Jesus-loving perverts. What are we to make of his behavior?

The message to Evangelical preachers is this: Mind your own fucking business. Clean up your own backyard first. Do something about predatory preachers and clerics who take sexual advantage of vulnerable people. Focus your attention on church members, and not on people who don’t attend your churches — people whose beliefs and practices are different from yours.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Fear the Boob

ban boobs

Axios reports:

Lamar CISD, a school district about 30 minutes from Houston, Texas last fall removed a section about Virginia from its online learning platform used by 3rd-5th graders.

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The reason: The bare breast on Virginia’s flag, a picture of which was included in the lesson, violated the district’s recently adopted ban on any “visual depictions or illustrations of frontal nudity” in elementary school library material.

Here’s the picture in question:

virginia breast

Who is driving the objection to this benign picture of the Virginia state flag? I have no doubt that Evangelical Christians are behind the outrage. Evangelicals are ALWAYS behind culture war battles. Do they really believe anyone — including children — will be harmed by this picture? Keep in mind, Texas is the same state that wants to legalize high school students carrying handguns. Let’s see, which is likely to cause more harm — boob or gun? If you have to think about this question, you are an idiot. Guns can and do cause harm. I don’t know of anyone who has been harmed by the passive portrayal of a boob in a school lesson for third to fifth graders.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Texas Republicans Pushing Legislation That Permits High School Students to Carry Handguns

jesus gun control

Reform Austin reports:

Texas legislators are currently reviewing a series of firearm-related bills that, if passed, would mark a historic and controversial shift in U.S. gun policy. Among them are House Bill 2470 and House Bill 4201, which together would make Texas the first state in the nation to legally allow teenagers to carry handguns on school campuses.

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“Instead of taking action against gun violence by strengthening our weak laws, our lawmakers are convinced that more guns in our communities is the answer,” said Molly Bursey, a volunteer with the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Putting more guns into dangerous hands, and in more sensitive places, will only lead to more violence, more fear, and more loss,” as reported by Moms Demand Action.

HB 2470 proposes lowering the minimum age to possess and obtain a license to carry a handgun from 21 to 18, while HB 4201 would permit license holders to carry concealed firearms in locations currently designated as sensitive, such as schools, hospitals, airports, bars, and government buildings.

These proposals have drawn sharp criticism from gun safety advocates and student-led organizations who argue that such measures would worsen the state’s already significant gun violence problem. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, more than 4,300 people die by guns in Texas each year, and gun-related injuries total nearly 8,000 annually.

Hayden Presley, a student leader with the University of Texas at Austin’s Students Demand Action chapter, also spoke out. “It’s absolutely crazy that our lawmakers would think that putting more guns into the hands of young people—people younger than me—would make us safer. We know it won’t, and we demand better ‘solutions’ than that.”

In 2024 alone, Texas saw at least 17 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, highlighting concerns about the potential consequences of introducing more firearms into educational settings.

In addition to HB 2470 and HB 4201, lawmakers are considering several other bills that critics say would further loosen gun restrictions across the state. These include:

HB 259, which would remove the prohibition on short-barreled rifles and shotguns;

HB 1128, which would allow election judges and early voting clerks to carry concealed handguns at polling places;

HB 1794, which would allow any licensed individual to carry concealed firearms at polling locations;

HB 2771, which would narrow the list of felonies that disqualify individuals from firearm ownership;

HB 3053, which would prohibit localities from organizing gun buyback programs;

HB 3428, which would limit which restaurants and bars can prohibit firearms;

HB 3924, which would allow school marshals to openly carry handguns on campuses

Just what Texas needs: high school students carrying handguns to school. What possibly could go wrong, right?

I know several Texans. Decent, thoughtful, caring people who, I know, without asking them, oppose allowing high school students to carry handguns to school. Why don’t I need to ask them? Unlike their Republican legislators, these Texans know that mixing handguns with immature brains is a recipe for disaster. They know more guns don’t make them safer and only lead to more violence, injury, and death.

For the life of me, I don’t understand how anyone could think that allowing teens with underdeveloped brains to carry firearms while attending classes is a good idea.

What do you think, readers? Should we arm high school students?

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Black Collar Crime: Southern Baptist Pastor Shane Wiggins Accused of Raping a Child

pastor Shane Wiggins

The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.

Shane Wiggins, pastor of Baldwin Baptist Mission Church in Baldwin, Louisiana, stands accused of child rape and molestation.

The Baptist Press reports:

Shane Wiggins, pastor of Baldwin Baptist Mission Church, Baldwin, Louisiana, was arrested April 9 on charges of rape and molestation.

Wiggins has been with the Baldwin congregation, a mission of Little Pass Baptist Church in Charenton, La., since March 2015.

According to the police department of Morgan City, La., Wiggins was arrested in Paris, Texas, and faces extradition.

The Morgan City Police Department (MCPD) reported via Facebook April 9 that Wiggins has been under investigation since December of last year when a mother filed a complaint accusing Wiggins of inappropriate behavior with her child. Recently, unable to contact Wiggins at his residence or by phone, MCPD detectives suspected he had left the state. Police did not report why they believed Wiggins was in Paris, Texas, but that was where they focused their search in collaboration with the Lamar County Sheriff’s and Paris Police departments. Wiggins was arrested while driving in Paris and is now detained in the Lamar County Jail in Paris.

In an email to the Baptist Message, Chris Holloway, senior pastor of Little Pass Baptist Church, said that Wiggins had abandoned the Baldwin congregation at least as early as the first Sunday in February.

Holloway also serves as the associational mission strategist for the Gulf Coast Baptist Association that includes both congregations.

Wiggins is being held in the Lamar County Jail in Texas while awaiting extradition to Morgan City.

Hollaway said Wiggins had previously served as pastor of the Baldwin Baptist Mission Church prior to 2011 and had returned in 2015 to again lead the small congregation (which averages 10 in worship services according to the Louisiana Baptist database).

“Shane left town around the first of February,” Holloway wrote. “My last conversation with him was on Jan. 28, 2025.”

Holloway also noted that Wiggins had been replaced as pastor on Feb. 12 by Warren Guidry, the associate pastor of Little Pass Baptist Church, and the Baldwin congregation merged with First Baptist Church of Franklin, La., on April 13.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Youth Pastor Benjamin Guerra Charged with Child Rape

busted

The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.

Benjamin Guerra, a youth pastor at an unnamed Evangelical church in Outlook, Washington, stands accused of raping a minor church member.

Fox-26 reports:

Prosecutors charged an Outlook youth pastor with raping a teenage girl he knew.

In addition to five charges each of second-degree rape and third-degree child molestation, Benjamin Felix Guerra, 32, was also charged with three counts of third-degree child rape and a single count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, according to a six-page charging document filed in Yakima County Superior Court Monday.

Guerra, who is out of custody after posting $10,000 bail, is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges April 24.

A woman called the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office in late March saying that Guerra had inappropriately touched her 15-year-old daughter, who was part of a youth group Guerra was leading, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by a sheriff’s detective.

The Yakima Herald-Republic typically does not identify sexual assault victims without their consent.

Sheriff’s spokesman Casey Schilperoort said the report did not identify the church where Guerra served.

In an interview at the county’s Children Advocacy Center, the girl described several incidents where Guerra raped and molested her on multiple occasions, the affidavit said. While at a fast-food restaurant with Guerra and members of the youth group, Guerra, she said, wrote a note on his cellphone asking her to prepare for sex with him and telling her to be quiet about what they were doing.

Guerra was arrested at his home in the 2800 block of Gurley Road April 9 and booked into the Yakima County jail.

While a pretrial evaluation recommended releasing Guerra on court supervision, Judge Jeffery Swan ordered Guerra held in lieu of $10,000 bail and, if he posted bail, to maintain weekly phone contact with court staff and report in person twice a week, as well as receive text messages reminding him of further court dates.

Swan also barred Guerra from having any contact with the victim.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Leo Parker Arrested for Sexual Misconduct with a Child

emerge church palatka

Leo Parker, pastor of The Emerge Church in Palatka, Florida, stands accused of sexual misconduct with a child.

First Coast News reports:

A Palatka pastor has been arrested for having a “sexual relationship” with a child “between 12 and 18” years old, according to the Palatka Police Department.

Leo Alfonzo Parker, 42, was arrested Wednesday, PPD said. He was identified as a pastor at an East Palatka church. Neighbors tell First Coast News he works at Emerge Church — his picture is also on their social media.

Both sides of the street where Parker lives were cut off by police tape Wednesday night. Neighbors who were in the area said they were shocked and that Parker was well-liked.

It wasn’t until police taped off her street that she realized that pastor was her neighbor, Leo Alfonzo Parker.

“It’s kind of scary because I have two kids. Very scary actually,” Hansford said. “It’s pretty scary that, and there’s a school right across the street as well so that’s also really scary.” 

Police say they responded to a call last Thursday where someone reported an “inappropriate relationship between a minor child and an adult male” who was later identified as Parker; they then discovered he was involved in a relationship for an “extended period of time.”

A warrant for Parker’s arrest on charges of sexual battery with a minor was issued Wednesday. He surrendered to detectives.

He is being held on bond for $100,000 at Putnam County Jail.

Police say the investigation is active. Parents are asked to contact the Palatka Police Department if they think there could have been inappropriate contact between Parker and their child.

The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Worship Pastor William Johnson Pleads Guilty to Hiding Camera in Church Bathroom

william johnson

The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.

William Johnson, worship pastor of 2|42 Community Church in Brighton, Michigan, recently pleaded guilty to one count of child sexually abusive activity, seven counts of using a computer to commit a crime, four counts of surveilling an unclothed person, two counts of possessing child sexually abusive material and one count of tampering with evidence.

ABC-17 reports:

A former pastor at a Livingston County church has pleaded guilty to 15 charges after he admitted to placing a hidden camera in a unisex bathroom at the church. 

William Johnson, 38, pleaded guilty on April 14 to one count of child sexually abusive activity, seven counts of using a computer to commit a crime, four counts of surveilling an unclothed person, two counts of possessing child sexually abusive material and one count of tampering with evidence.

In September 2024, leaders from the 2|42 Community Church in Brighton alerted the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office after church staff found a video recording device in a church bathroom. Johnson, who was the church’s worship pastor director, admitted to church leaders in September 2024 that he placed the camera in the bathroom intending to record people without their knowledge. He was fired from his position with the church.

Johnson, who worked with the church for five years, was later arrested by the sheriff’s office at his home in Howell. 

When he was interviewed by detectives, Johnson admitted to hiding a camera in a church bathroom periodically for the last two years and targeting specific people who were known to use that bathroom. Deputies say the bathroom was used by church staff and volunteers and was not typically accessible to the public.

Johnson will be sentenced on May 22.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

When Evangelicals Claim “The Bible Says,” This is What They Mean

bible has all the answers

One of the most common statements made by Evangelicals is this: The Bible Says . . . Evangelicals believe the Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God, meant to be read and interpreted literally. It means what it says and says what it means. If these claims are true, why do Evangelicals have such varied beliefs, even on the basics such as salvation, baptism, membership, and communion? How do we determine which sect is right? If the destiny of our eternal soul rests on us believing the right things, shouldn’t Christians speak with one mind on the core doctrines of Christianity?

The confusion of beliefs is a sign that Christianity is a human construct. The Bible doesn’t say anything. It is a book of words that must be read, interpreted, and explained. When I say, “The Bible Says . . .” it should be understood that I’m speaking from my past theological training, experiences, and interpretations. In other words, the Bible says what Bruce says it does. This is true for EVERY Christian. If there’s one thing I have learned about the Bible, it is this: It can be used to prove almost anything. Put a Calvinist, Arminian, Campbellite, Independent Baptist, Apostolic, Charismatic, Pentecostal, and Episcopalian in a room and ask them fifty theological questions. What will you get? Countless interpretations and explanations, each believing they are right. They all can’t be right, so how do we determine which sect/church preaches the True Christianity?

Sadly, many Evangelicals believe that their understanding of the Bible = God says. How can they possibly know this? They will authoritatively claim that the words of the Bible are God’s words, and when they speak the words of the Good Book, they are speaking God’s words. That’s why I have had countless Christians tell me when I object to something they said, “God said it, I didn’t.” Oh, the arrogance behind such a claim. I know of no way that someone can infallibly know that what they are reading or saying is the words of God. Humans wrote the Bible, and for 2,000 years now, Christians have been interpreting and reinterpreting the Bible. Every generation of believers shapes, molds, and interprets the Bible based on their personal opinions, beliefs, and worldviews. Even with intractable sects such as the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church movement, beliefs and practices change over time. How they define “old-fashioned” is very different today from what it was sixty years ago. As an IFB teen in the 1960s and 1970s, my pastors declared that “Godly” men didn’t have facial hair or long hair. Today, it is common to see IFB men with beards and long hair. The same goes for dress standards. Women wearing pants was verboten years ago. Today, it is not uncommon to see Baptist women wearing slacks.

Change is inevitable, even among groups who think that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. A few years back, my partner’s IFB uncle, Jim Dennis, died after pastoring the Newark Baptist Temple for fifty years. Polly’s parents attended the church for decades. Polly’s mom told me that she was proud of the fact that Jim believed the same things he did when he died as he did when he was a young preacher. In her mind, Jim was a pillar of sound doctrine and practice; a man who was steadfast in his beliefs and behavior. This, of course. was patently untrue. I can point to numerous beliefs and practices that Jim changed his mind about over the years.

I would argue that changing our beliefs is essential to personal growth. If my life story is anything, it is a testimony to the power and importance of change. As a Christian, my beliefs changed a lot. When I came to a new or different understanding of the Bible, I was unafraid to share it. This, of course, led to me being called a liberal or an apostate. All I knew to do was to honestly align my life with my changed beliefs. And I don’t live differently today. How about you? Have your beliefs and practices changed over the years? Do you have Christian friends who pride themselves on not changing their beliefs? Please share your experiences in the comment section.

Let me conclude this post with a short video by Dr. Dan McClellan on the subject, “No, the Bible Doesn’t Say So.”

Video Link

Dan has a new book coming out, The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) about Scripture’s Most Controversial Subjects. Dan does an awesome job tackling many of the claims Evangelicals make about the Bible.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Is God the Author of Confusion?

man wearing blue dress
Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:3-4)

These verses clearly teach that God expects his body (the church) to dwell together in peace and unity. If there is confusion (disorder, instability), God is not its author. In other words, if you see disorder in a church, its members are to blame, not God.

According to the Bible, the Holy Spirit lives inside every believer. He is their teacher and guide. Further, the Bible says that followers of Jesus have the mind of Christ. If these verses are true, what are we to make of all the confusion, disorder, conflict, and instability we see in churches? Sure, I know more than a few Christians who are good examples of what it means to be a follower of Christ. But, I also know more than a few Christians who are nasty, mean, hateful sons of bitches. I’ve watched church business meetings turn into shouting matches, and countless people leave churches in a huff, all because they couldn’t get their way or their preacher believed something they felt was wrong.

As an Evangelical pastor, did I experience peace and contentment? Did the churches I pastored have long periods when peace, harmony, and joy were experienced by most congregants? Sure. On balance, I thoroughly enjoyed being a pastor. Church services were enriching and fulfilling. That said, there were times when the ministry was burdensome due to church turmoil and conflict. Most of the disharmony was needless, the result of selfish people wanting their way. On occasion, meaningful disagreements cropped up, but typically the church conflict I experienced was, to put it bluntly, stupid; little more than childish disagreements over minor points of doctrine or decisions I made.

The last church I pastored was a small Southern Baptist congregation in Clare, Michigan. When I candidated, I warned the church that I had no stomach for church conflict. I had reached a point in my ministry where I just wanted to preach and teach the Bible and help people in need. Six months in, conflict arose. Ugly stuff, to say the least, yet the church was shocked when I resigned. Did I not warn them that I had no interest in dealing with the petty bullshit that plagues most churches.

I don’t expect churches to be perfect. However, I do expect them to practice what they preach. According to one source, there are over 40,000 Christian denominations — each with their own beliefs. How does this square with the Bible claim that there is “One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism?” Simple, Bruce, my church/denomination is right. We represent True Christianity! All those other churches/denominations are false. This, of course, is just another version of No True Scotsman. Besides, if you pay attention to True Christian churches, you will see lots of internecine conflict.

If confusion, disunity, and disagreement are common among followers of Jesus, what should unbelievers think about Christianity? Is Christianity some sort of grand ideal, or is it transformational? It seems, at least to me, that the former is true. And if faith in Christ doesn’t transform lives, what good is it? Is the goal passing a test on doctrinal beliefs and praying the right prayer, or is the objective to love God and love your fellow man? James himself said, Faith without works is dead. Jesus said in Matthew 25 that true belief will be judged by how they treat the least of these in our society.

I am convinced that the central claims of Christianity are false. Since it is unlikely that anything will be forthcoming that will change my mind, I doubt I will ever become a Christian again. That ship has sailed. Currently, I have a low opinion of Christianity — especially Evangelicals. If Christians truly practiced what they preached, I might, at the very least, admire the religion. But as long as tens of millions of American Evangelicals continue to support Donald Trump and his draconian policies that harm undocumented workers, working-class people, and the poor, I see nothing to admire. As long as I hear Christians demean and degrade the “least of these” and support genocide, racism, xenophobia, and bigotry, I want nothing to do with their religion.

All of us should practice what we preach. I admit that all of us fall short and should do better. What bothers me about many Evangelicals is that they see their hatred, genocide, racism, xenophobia, and bigotry as a badge of honor. Consider that people such as Dr. David Tee, Revival Fires, John, and a cast of hundreds think they are good Christians, even though they behave in ways contrary to the teachings of the Bible.

Are you an unbeliever? Does Christian behavior affect how you view Christianity? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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.

Dr. David Tee Spins Another Yarn

david thiessen
David Tee/Derrick Thomas Thiessen is the tall man in the back

Recently, Dr. David Tee, whose real name is Derrick Thomas Thiessen, said the following in a post titled, We have Time Today. All grammar, punctuation, and nonsense in the original. My response follows.

Thiessen writes:

We quoted someone in our previous post and it got us thinking about an issue he and another person get so upset about. For some inane reason, our two antagonists have a problem with being called by initials.

The “someone” in this post is my British friend, Ben Berwick. The “another person” is Bruce Gerencser. You, of course, would never know this by reading Thiessen’s post. Evidently, readability and comprehension don’t matter to Thiessen.

I think I can speak for both of us when I say we don’t get “upset” by Derrick Thomas Thiessen’s refusal to use our proper names. It’s annoying and disrespectful, but “upsetting? Not a chance.

The reason why is only known to them and we wonder about it because starting from our freshmen year of college and going past our graduation day, our friends used our first initial to address us. We didn’t take offense at it and demanded they use our full name.

Thiessen spins a whopper when he says he doesn’t know why we don’t appreciate his use of initials in place of our given names. I have explained this to Thiessen several times, as has Ben. Besides, just because he doesn’t mind people calling him by initials, doesn’t mean we have to accept him doing the same with our names. Thiessen knows we want to be addressed by our proper names. He also knows we want him to provide proper attribution when he uses our writing. We can’t make him do either of these things, but his refusal to do so sure says a lot about him and how he treats other people.

In fact, we liked it. The initial was convenient, easy to say and as far as we know, we were the only ones addressed by that initial. Our two antagonists seem to take great offense at being called BG and MM of course, we could have used BB for the latter but we don’t think he would like to be named after children’s ammunition.

I don’t take great offense at Theissen calling me BG. I do, however, think he is being childish and petty. There’s no reason I can think of for not calling me by my proper name — especially after I asked him to do so.

Maybe their anger comes from the fact that it us who reduced their names to initials? We do not know but they seem to disagree with anything we say just because we say it. But why get upset over using a person’s initials?

This is done all the time and as far as we know very few people ever get upset about it. Some people also shorten Jesus Christ to JC and we have not decided if that is insulting or not. Maybe if the initials were used in a derogatory manner it would be considered wrong and insulting but that is another topic for another day.

No, it is NOT done all the time. Show me one website or blog that reduces the names of people mentioned to acronyms. By not using proper names when mentioning people on his blog, he leaves his readers perplexed and uninformed. Who is BG? Who is MM? Thiessen does not explain who these people are. And since he refuses to give proper attribution when he uses our writing, this means the ten people who read his blog can’t check his writing. It is proper and professional to provide attribution for every quotation. There’s no possible justification Thiessen can give for not using our proper names or providing attribution.

Or they may be upset because they suffer from extreme TDS and we do not attack or put down Mr. Trump. Who knows or who cares. Our intent was not to be mean, derogatory, or insulting and it is intent that matters not how people perceive something.

What is TDS? Tiny Dick Syndrome? Typical Derrick Shit? Here’s a good example of what happens when you use acronyms instead of proper names (or nouns?). If you care about readers understanding your writing, there is a proper way to use acronyms. For example, before using the IFB acronym for the first time, I write Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB). That way readers know what I mean when I say IFB. The same goes for the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) or the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC). The goal is to provide understanding so there’s no miscommunication on my part.

Thiessen wrongly thinks that “intent” is all that matters. He must have missed the lesson in Bible college that talked about the importance of perception. If Thiessen doesn’t want to be perceived as an asshole, then he should behave appropriately. I deeply care about how people perceive my writing or me as a person. I don’t want to leave readers in the position of having to figure out my intent.

Everything I have written in this post is already known to Thiessen. If he wants to be considered an Asshole for Jesus, it is on him, not me. I will continue to use Thiessen’s real name and provide proper attribution when I respond to one of the endless posts he writes about me or my favorite Meerkat.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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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