Sometimes I wish I still had my head buried deep in the sand but in the last decade I’ve been awakened by you and other people about the realities of the systemic evil and oppressiveness of “Christian Nationalism” and rampant abuses of Patriarchy among some Christian denominations. As I’ve begun to speak out about the direction our country is heading toward I might as well be pissing in the wind. I’m a recently retired pastor of 40 years who has always taught a grace based Gospel of mercy and compassion because of being saved out of a self destructive lifestyle of alcoholism and other addictions when I was 24 years old. I never bought into the moral majority of the 80’s, Bill Gothard or Pat Robinson. In 2015 I started preaching against any political ideology that supersedes our allegiance to Jesus Christ as Idolatry of the worst kind. People are being sucked into dualistic all or nothing thinking that blinds them either into the left or the right with nothing in between. Thank you Kristen for continuing to sound the alarm of what’s happening. Keep on Keeping on.
I’ve been listening to Sons of Patriarchy since the day it came out, waiting week by week as the stories continue. It makes me heartsick and I’m trying to disentangle so much from my background and current context (IFB, but the more “grace-centered, we’re not as legalistic, we just figured it all out and want our freedom” type). And then this week some of my students at my small Christian school (at our church) were jokingly doing the “Elon salute” to me in class. And when you call it out, you are gaslit and told it “wasn’t that and you’re being drawn in by woke liberals.” I’m about done with it but don’t know what to do. I teach here. I’m one of the pastor’s wives. My husband is a wonderful, supportive partner to me. But I’m stuck in this context, feel so alone in pushing back on the Christian nationalism stuff, and it’s killing me. 😞
Thank you for continuing to highlight this and for plugging Sons of Patriarchy! I live in Moscow, ID (CREC-Land) and it is absolutely wild to watch the "Christians" around me and where they are putting their faith and support. I feel like I'm living an episode of Twilight Zone.
I'm in Moscow, too. I feel like the Blob is slowly creeping along and absorbing space and getting bigger every week. I'll keep lobbing ice cubes at it, but we resisters, Christian and not, are not giving up easily.
As a vet I’m legitimately worried for minority military personnel. By the time I left in 2019 it was pretty well integrated despite Trumps first term, and it has made huge strides since. Expect major conflict amongst the higher officer ranks regarding enforcement of Hegseth’s policy and command decisions.
As a woman who grew up with the influences of Piper, MacArthur, Phillips, et al, I can testify that the abuse is often subtle, insidious, and manipulative. Wilson is an active influence in the lives of my ex-in-laws. My exhusband has been so broken by the religious trauma. This system is abusive to men, especially those who struggle to fit the mold being presented to them.
For anyone wanting even more background on Doug Wilson, check out season 2 of the Extremely American podcast. It's hosted by two producers from Boise State Public Radio and takes a deep dive into Christian Nationalism and Doug Wilson's church in Moscow. The summary is "The movement aims to end American democracy as we know it and install theocracy, taking rights away from the vast majority of Americans in the process. This season follows the movement through the story of an influential far-right church, its attempt to take over a small town, and a dark underbelly of abuse."
I am extremely confused & dumbfounded. Not sure what all these Trump 2.0 years will bring but my heart breaks as much of the agenda has been set by “Christians”. I no longer want to be labeled Christian - I am a Jesus Sermon on the Mount follower.
It's interesting that when I was working overseas, we didn't want the label of "Christian" because it brought up all sorts of baggage and misunderstandings. We just said we were "followers of Jesus" when asked. This usually brought up some discussions about what that meant. But it also held me accountable to live out how Jesus talked and modeled.
I am at the point where I want to withdrawal and say “have at it.” People exactly like these, saying and doing horrible things exactly like these, caused the backlash that resulted in three decades of liberal domination of US government. People voting for this think they will benefit, they will be the ones with power, but when they realize that nobody but the rich (corrupt, white, male) elite actually benefit, the cycle usually swings back toward the center again. I say usually because all of the guard rails, the internal resistance, the checks and balances…are gone.
Honestly, if I didn’t have kids, I’d probably just drop out.
I don’t think either of my daughters will have children. I not only don’t blame them; I approve. If I were of the age today where people think of starting families, I don’t think I could in good conscience bring children into a society like this one.
Kristen, I am so thankful for your voice of reason and truthfulness over these years. The confirmation of Hegseth is appalling and frightening in so many ways. Thank you for being the alarmist we must listen to in order to survive over these next years. I appreciate your work and your writings!!!
Hegseth is so compromised he will be an easy target for blackmail by nations that don't have our best interests in mind (pardon my understated phrasing here). It's utterly confounding that Congress would endanger national security just to please the First Felon.
We broke away from the "male headship" theology many years ago. I'm so glad we made that break because it seems it has become even more extreme since we left. I have total respect for the women who have risked so much to speak the truth about this cancer on Christ's church.
Yes! Thank you, thank you for continuing to share your expertise so we can learn and do better. I mentioned your comment about Pete Hegseth being a poster boy for Jesus + John Wayne Christianity in my newsletter today — so happy to go back and link to this new piece.
In the early 2000s I was part of an online band fan club and there was another member who was a devotee of Doug Wilson. The things he and his wife would say about gender roles and religion were terrifying to me then, and the way that Doug Wilson would write was already so cruel. I have followed Wilson's churches abuses over the years. It is terrifying to see him continue to have power in this way.
20 years ago, I was reading everything about homeschooling, and since I didn't know anything about the evangelical world I often wound up reading their stuff too. ( I wound up using Susan Wise Bauer's materials, highly recommended.) I read Doug Wilson's book about education, and he was clearly a fringe lunatic that nobody should pay attention to. I'm taken aback and appalled by how much popularity and power he has gained since then. I just finished Disobedient Women, which is also great on this topic.
Sometimes I wish I still had my head buried deep in the sand but in the last decade I’ve been awakened by you and other people about the realities of the systemic evil and oppressiveness of “Christian Nationalism” and rampant abuses of Patriarchy among some Christian denominations. As I’ve begun to speak out about the direction our country is heading toward I might as well be pissing in the wind. I’m a recently retired pastor of 40 years who has always taught a grace based Gospel of mercy and compassion because of being saved out of a self destructive lifestyle of alcoholism and other addictions when I was 24 years old. I never bought into the moral majority of the 80’s, Bill Gothard or Pat Robinson. In 2015 I started preaching against any political ideology that supersedes our allegiance to Jesus Christ as Idolatry of the worst kind. People are being sucked into dualistic all or nothing thinking that blinds them either into the left or the right with nothing in between. Thank you Kristen for continuing to sound the alarm of what’s happening. Keep on Keeping on.
I’ve been listening to Sons of Patriarchy since the day it came out, waiting week by week as the stories continue. It makes me heartsick and I’m trying to disentangle so much from my background and current context (IFB, but the more “grace-centered, we’re not as legalistic, we just figured it all out and want our freedom” type). And then this week some of my students at my small Christian school (at our church) were jokingly doing the “Elon salute” to me in class. And when you call it out, you are gaslit and told it “wasn’t that and you’re being drawn in by woke liberals.” I’m about done with it but don’t know what to do. I teach here. I’m one of the pastor’s wives. My husband is a wonderful, supportive partner to me. But I’m stuck in this context, feel so alone in pushing back on the Christian nationalism stuff, and it’s killing me. 😞
I’m so sorry this is happening to you. And to all of us now.
I am sorry you are in the heat of this heartache and abuse. Standing with you and praying for God’s strength and mercy to hold and guide you.
I'm so sorry this is what you're now faced with. This made me very sad to read Megan. I will keep you in my thoughts.
Thank you for continuing to highlight this and for plugging Sons of Patriarchy! I live in Moscow, ID (CREC-Land) and it is absolutely wild to watch the "Christians" around me and where they are putting their faith and support. I feel like I'm living an episode of Twilight Zone.
I'm in Moscow, too. I feel like the Blob is slowly creeping along and absorbing space and getting bigger every week. I'll keep lobbing ice cubes at it, but we resisters, Christian and not, are not giving up easily.
As a vet I’m legitimately worried for minority military personnel. By the time I left in 2019 it was pretty well integrated despite Trumps first term, and it has made huge strides since. Expect major conflict amongst the higher officer ranks regarding enforcement of Hegseth’s policy and command decisions.
As a woman who grew up with the influences of Piper, MacArthur, Phillips, et al, I can testify that the abuse is often subtle, insidious, and manipulative. Wilson is an active influence in the lives of my ex-in-laws. My exhusband has been so broken by the religious trauma. This system is abusive to men, especially those who struggle to fit the mold being presented to them.
For anyone wanting even more background on Doug Wilson, check out season 2 of the Extremely American podcast. It's hosted by two producers from Boise State Public Radio and takes a deep dive into Christian Nationalism and Doug Wilson's church in Moscow. The summary is "The movement aims to end American democracy as we know it and install theocracy, taking rights away from the vast majority of Americans in the process. This season follows the movement through the story of an influential far-right church, its attempt to take over a small town, and a dark underbelly of abuse."
Yes!
It is called theonomy and it has no basis in scripture.
One of the most revealing and scary things about this post: The vice-president broke the tie to confirm Hegseth.
This scares the wee outta me! Of course, any decision made by this POTUS does that.
(retired Air Force)
Those of us who have been called “alarmist” have just been reporting exactly what we’ve been seeing and hearing.
Agreed. There's a time for alarms to go off, whether in the morning or if the house is on fire!
I am extremely confused & dumbfounded. Not sure what all these Trump 2.0 years will bring but my heart breaks as much of the agenda has been set by “Christians”. I no longer want to be labeled Christian - I am a Jesus Sermon on the Mount follower.
It's interesting that when I was working overseas, we didn't want the label of "Christian" because it brought up all sorts of baggage and misunderstandings. We just said we were "followers of Jesus" when asked. This usually brought up some discussions about what that meant. But it also held me accountable to live out how Jesus talked and modeled.
I am at the point where I want to withdrawal and say “have at it.” People exactly like these, saying and doing horrible things exactly like these, caused the backlash that resulted in three decades of liberal domination of US government. People voting for this think they will benefit, they will be the ones with power, but when they realize that nobody but the rich (corrupt, white, male) elite actually benefit, the cycle usually swings back toward the center again. I say usually because all of the guard rails, the internal resistance, the checks and balances…are gone.
Honestly, if I didn’t have kids, I’d probably just drop out.
I worry so much for our kids. I’m sick over it.
I don’t think either of my daughters will have children. I not only don’t blame them; I approve. If I were of the age today where people think of starting families, I don’t think I could in good conscience bring children into a society like this one.
Same
Kristen, I am so thankful for your voice of reason and truthfulness over these years. The confirmation of Hegseth is appalling and frightening in so many ways. Thank you for being the alarmist we must listen to in order to survive over these next years. I appreciate your work and your writings!!!
Same goes for me and I can't express enough how grateful I am for you doing the hard work.
Hegseth is so compromised he will be an easy target for blackmail by nations that don't have our best interests in mind (pardon my understated phrasing here). It's utterly confounding that Congress would endanger national security just to please the First Felon.
We broke away from the "male headship" theology many years ago. I'm so glad we made that break because it seems it has become even more extreme since we left. I have total respect for the women who have risked so much to speak the truth about this cancer on Christ's church.
Yes! Thank you, thank you for continuing to share your expertise so we can learn and do better. I mentioned your comment about Pete Hegseth being a poster boy for Jesus + John Wayne Christianity in my newsletter today — so happy to go back and link to this new piece.
Sons of Patriarchy has been my favorite podcast find of the last several months. So enlightening.
It’s so richly textured.
In the early 2000s I was part of an online band fan club and there was another member who was a devotee of Doug Wilson. The things he and his wife would say about gender roles and religion were terrifying to me then, and the way that Doug Wilson would write was already so cruel. I have followed Wilson's churches abuses over the years. It is terrifying to see him continue to have power in this way.
20 years ago, I was reading everything about homeschooling, and since I didn't know anything about the evangelical world I often wound up reading their stuff too. ( I wound up using Susan Wise Bauer's materials, highly recommended.) I read Doug Wilson's book about education, and he was clearly a fringe lunatic that nobody should pay attention to. I'm taken aback and appalled by how much popularity and power he has gained since then. I just finished Disobedient Women, which is also great on this topic.
I should note that Susan Wise Bauer is also featured in the Sons of Patriarchy podcast!