Status Updates From The Exvangelicals: Loving, ...

The section I’m listening to now is about the evangelical practice of spanking children. How insane it is to hear this cultural practice described. Parents carrying around implements with which to beat their children. Lengths of wood etched with Bible verses. Telling themselves it’s not the same as hitting because it’s done deliberately. It’s creepy af.

I like the book more when it’s the author’s personal story instead of a survey of why other people are leaving evangelical Christianity and how hypocritical/immoral its leadership is. All the shitty stuff about evangelism, I already know about. How it messed YOU up specifically, that’s more interesting.

I didn’t know my current physical read (DO YOU STILL TALK TO GRANDMA? by Brit Barron) would be so much about the same topic as this book. It’s a bit confusing. I keep thinking, “Wait, haven’t you already said this?” I also keep forgetting the author of THIS book is not a former megachurch pastor.

Now a lot about how evangelical education tries to stifle scientific knowledge in order to prevent those being brought up in that culture from finding out it’s all fake. While I’m sympathetic to the outraged point of view, it still feels like the book doesn’t have anything unique to contribute to this discussion. Maybe I’m just not the right audience for this? It feels like remedial level atheism to me.