(Originally published in 2010 as a guest post on “The Cult Next Door.“) Legalism. It’s one of those nasty words that everybody points to as an example of religion gone wrong. Everybody knows that you shouldn’t be a legalist. Everybody
Tag: False Teaching
Is Christmas Biblical? A Few More Comments
It’s now officially the time of year — i.e., Christmas — when people find my website by searching for such unlikely things as “Is Christmas Pagan?” and “The True Meaning of Christmas Trees” and “Tacky Nativity Scenes” and, of course, “Angels
The Truth about “Effeminate Worship”
Several popular (though controversial) preachers have taken up a refrain of social commentary I’ve heard a few too many times. They denounce what they see as a trend of “Effeminate Worship.” (Here’s a typical message. Here’s another and another.) Apparently,
The Myth of the Weaker Vessel
In response to a popular pastor’s perplexing pronouncement that “God has given Christianity a masculine feel,” Rachel Held Evans asked Christian men to write a blog post “that celebrates the importance of women in the Church.” Here’s mine. Lately, both
Ashamed of the Gospel?
A Case Study of Teen Mania and Works-Based Doctrine
By Eric Pazdziora Note: This post was written in 2011. Since then, in what one Christian magazine fairly described as “a stunning fall,” Teen Mania Ministries has closed its doors permanently, following a precipitous loss of support amidst allegations of abuse and financial
Read More Ashamed of the Gospel?
A Case Study of Teen Mania and Works-Based Doctrine
What It’s All About
This weekend, an anonymous commenter left this message on my most recent post on Quivering Daughters, a piece debunking legalistic teachings about clothing, entitled Garments of Salvation. Needless to say, I was completely floored and left pretty close to tears.
Garments of Salvation
Another in my series for Quivering Daughters “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
The Bondage of Betrothal
Another in my series for Quivering Daughters. One of the fundamental teachings of the Biblical Patriarchy and Quiverfull movements is the doctrine of “biblical courtship,” or “betrothal.” (My brother suggested the word “casuistries” instead of “teachings,” which is perfect except
Antidotes to Spiritual Abuse
Newly updated and expanded for Quivering Daughters. First published here September 26, 2009. Guilt, shame, and condemnation. Unspoken rules you have to live up to. Authoritarian leaders you can’t ever question. An exclusive “us-vs.-them” mentality. Subtle or not-so-subtle pressure to fit