Keri Ladouceur no longer calls herself an Evangelical Christian.
Like many younger members of this sprawling American religious tradition, she’s left what she says has become a movement mostly defined by aggressive white conservatism and Christian nationalism, the prerogatives of male privilege, and a near obsession with regulating human sexuality.
Really interesting story. As someone raised in evangelical churches, I have Always wondered why modern evangelical Christians can’t see the hypocrisy of their position.
why? because power and influence.
All religions are a business that sell fear to their victims. One of the greatest fears of an individual is disappointing other people - we are social animals after all. So how great a fear it must be to face being shunned by your fellow church members if you dare to speak up against the business.
Some disclosure - raised as a catholic. Walked away from it all in my 20s after one too many sermons talking about how much money the church had been making. That, and as a middle school child having to suffer attending the funeral of a paedophile teacher at my catholic school. The piece of shit had a reputation but the church protected him.
Out of all that I try (and constantly fail) to live by one phrase of Jesus: Love one another as I have loved you. Hell you can even drop the “…as I have loved you.” You don’t even need to believe in God to live by those words.
It’s a start.
I think it’s a really subversive text,” she says. “But I think the biggest thing is, time and time again Jesus made space for outcasts.
indeed, and after giving grace Jesus suggests “sin no more”
And who Jesus came to welcome, every time it flipped religious ideals on their heads – even his own.
“even his own”… who knows what this is referring to?
