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The Dark Side: How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth
Most Evangelical Christians earnestly strive to worship the God of Love and Truth. But a belief that the Bible is literally perfect puts them in the odd position of defending falsehood, bigotry and even violence. What do Evangelicals teach? How are these teachings distorted? How do they contradict humanity's shared moral core, including the highest values of Christianity itself? Psychologist Valerie Tarico is an ex-fundamentalist and a graduate of Wheaton College, bastion of Evangelical education. As a young adult, secure in the confidence that "all truth is God's truth," Dr. Tarico committed to follow her questions wherever they might lead. Ultimately they led her out of Evangelicalism. Tarico's book, The Dark Side, examines the moral and rational contradictions that caused her to abandon those beliefs that once structured her life. In their place it offers perspectives that are compatible with love, logic, and the quest for truth.
284 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2006
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About the author
Valerie Tarico
6 books19 followersPsychologist. Author of Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light. and Deas and Other Imaginings. Founder of WisdomCommons.org. Youtube: AwayPoint
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 7, 2012
I read this book with a little trepidation. The sub-title itself seemed a bit angry, How Evangelical Teachings Corrupt Love and Truth. Regardless, I was raised in a fundamentalist (Southern Baptist) Evangelical community. In this community there were abuses, there were distortions of truth, there were manipulative people who caused nothing but pain in my life. So I was looking for a book by someone who might have gone through some of the same things I had experienced. Well, a friend told me about this book and so I purchased it, and have now finally read it.
Let me begin by saying that I no longer call myself an Evangelical. I haven't called myself an evangelical for about ten years now. It simply has too many negative connotations. Besides, I am not an Evangelical, not any longer. However, I am a Christian, and believe there is a difference between one who is "Christian" and one who is "Evangelical Christian." This book does NOT draw that distinction though. This book simply peels back the cover of fundamentalist evangelical thinking and exposes the real issues, troubles, and contradictions behind their behavior and thinking. I say that to say this: Not all Christians believe what Valerie Tarico exposes in this book. What I mean is, not all Christians act/believe like the evangelical "Christians" who are detailed in this book. But I have been exposed to those who do, and it is a very painful experience, and has been a painful process shedding that past history.
Okay, enough of the preliminary, let's get to the heart of this book. First, Valerie Tarico basically takes her previous experiences in fundamentalist evangelical circles and tees them up like a baseball and whacks them with an intellectual bat. Most of the time she hits a homerun, but occasionally she hits a fan. I agreed with much of what she declares in this text. There were occasions though where she held a strict "either/or" conclusion within the framework of her complaints/assessments and I thought these particular assessments were unwarranted. An example of such was when she lamented over the fact that Christianity was rooted in violence on the basis of what she (and evangelicals) label as blood atonement. She dismissed, too quickly I might add, the entire structure of the Christian faith simply on the basis of the death of Jesus; that he HAD to die for our sins. My first criticism of this aspect of her work is that she should have never dismissed Christianity (or evangelicals) so quickly on merely that one point. Second, she never attacked the jargon, or lingo that is too often used by evangelicals to describe said act (the death of Christ). I agree that evangelicals emphasize this death, and the beatings that accompanied it at the expense of the resurrection. But Valerie Tarico never approached her problem with this issue by discussing why or how evangelical rhetoric is used here.
This work also had a vindictive or angry tone about it. As if she was on a tirade to bring down the institution, bring down evangelicalism. While I agree that fundamentalism is fundamentally filled with anger and hatred, reform is still possible. Not with her though. Elimination is what is needed, at least that's the tone I got out of her when I read this book. What's the difference between an ex-evangelical being angry at an evangelical, and an evangelical being angry at everyone else? There is no difference.
Even so, for the most part, Tarico hit the nail on the head in most of her assessments. I would recommend this book, but with a warning that the solution is not an all or nothing solution, there is a middle ground. There are Christians out there who are attempting to love their neighbor, and build up rather than tear down. These types of Christians really do exist. Read this work with that in mind and you'll go much further in understanding genuine Christianity.
Let me begin by saying that I no longer call myself an Evangelical. I haven't called myself an evangelical for about ten years now. It simply has too many negative connotations. Besides, I am not an Evangelical, not any longer. However, I am a Christian, and believe there is a difference between one who is "Christian" and one who is "Evangelical Christian." This book does NOT draw that distinction though. This book simply peels back the cover of fundamentalist evangelical thinking and exposes the real issues, troubles, and contradictions behind their behavior and thinking. I say that to say this: Not all Christians believe what Valerie Tarico exposes in this book. What I mean is, not all Christians act/believe like the evangelical "Christians" who are detailed in this book. But I have been exposed to those who do, and it is a very painful experience, and has been a painful process shedding that past history.
Okay, enough of the preliminary, let's get to the heart of this book. First, Valerie Tarico basically takes her previous experiences in fundamentalist evangelical circles and tees them up like a baseball and whacks them with an intellectual bat. Most of the time she hits a homerun, but occasionally she hits a fan. I agreed with much of what she declares in this text. There were occasions though where she held a strict "either/or" conclusion within the framework of her complaints/assessments and I thought these particular assessments were unwarranted. An example of such was when she lamented over the fact that Christianity was rooted in violence on the basis of what she (and evangelicals) label as blood atonement. She dismissed, too quickly I might add, the entire structure of the Christian faith simply on the basis of the death of Jesus; that he HAD to die for our sins. My first criticism of this aspect of her work is that she should have never dismissed Christianity (or evangelicals) so quickly on merely that one point. Second, she never attacked the jargon, or lingo that is too often used by evangelicals to describe said act (the death of Christ). I agree that evangelicals emphasize this death, and the beatings that accompanied it at the expense of the resurrection. But Valerie Tarico never approached her problem with this issue by discussing why or how evangelical rhetoric is used here.
This work also had a vindictive or angry tone about it. As if she was on a tirade to bring down the institution, bring down evangelicalism. While I agree that fundamentalism is fundamentally filled with anger and hatred, reform is still possible. Not with her though. Elimination is what is needed, at least that's the tone I got out of her when I read this book. What's the difference between an ex-evangelical being angry at an evangelical, and an evangelical being angry at everyone else? There is no difference.
Even so, for the most part, Tarico hit the nail on the head in most of her assessments. I would recommend this book, but with a warning that the solution is not an all or nothing solution, there is a middle ground. There are Christians out there who are attempting to love their neighbor, and build up rather than tear down. These types of Christians really do exist. Read this work with that in mind and you'll go much further in understanding genuine Christianity.
August 16, 2010
This book provides a well researched and accessible argument against the Evangelical (and Christian) movement that has been rapidly sweeping the nation. With wonderful analogies and personal anecdotes, this ex-Evangelist makes a coherent and critical argument against dogmatic religion and, in particular, the lack of morality (and sense) in Christian teachings. This topic continues to be one of intense controversy, but it is something that desperately needs to be discussed. The presence of religion in politics is unnervingly common in today’s society and the Evangelical movement is becoming the fuel for Christian rule. Are the teachings of the Bible and of Christianity really what we want guiding today’s society? Tarico makes a strong and supported argument against such a theocracy. Furthermore, she examines the micro level effects of this dogma and concludes that it is contradictory; genocidal at its worst, discriminatory and illogical at its best. This is a fantastic read for anyone with the ambition and strength necessary to dive head-first into the ongoing religious battles.
July 20, 2012
this book was really incredible. When I read the author's story, I felt like I was reading my own. Every single point she articulated was something that I have thought myself at one time or another. It was a tremendously affirming book for me, it's great to think that someone else sees what I do about evangelical Christianity. the points she makes are dead on accurate,and the book is very powerful. If only I can get my fundamentalist friends to read this! But there's probably no chance.
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December 14, 2013
Good critique of evangelical/fundamentalist Christianity. Book did not end on a very strong note in my opinion though.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews