Recommended Articles

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Last updated 10/25/2024

10 Things I Did As a Christian That Now I Realize Is Not Normal | Ava | Common Christian practices that many realize are not so normal once they deconstruct | NS1 (paywall)

A Parenting Tip about Children Learning about Religion | Journey Free | Short piece of advice for allowing children to learn different views from your own | NS1

The Abuser God Is the Ultimate Wolf in Sheep's Clothing | Natalie Hoffman | A consideration of the ways the stereotypical view of God many people have is closer to the profile of an abusive spouse than a loving God | NS1

All Commentaries are Not Created Equal | Michael Heiser | Three-part series offering examples of why some Bible commentaries are better than others; Part 3 includes a few commentaries he recommended | NS2

As a Young Pastor, I Was Forbidden to Share the Truth about the Christian Faith | Sheng-Ta Tsai | Thoughts on the disconnect between what pastors are taught in seminary and what they're expected to preach to their congregations | NS1 (paywall)

Ask Brian McLaren...(Response) | Rachel Held Evans and Brian McLaren | Thoughts from a popular writer on whether or not deconstruction leads to atheism, how to talk about religion with your kids post-deconstruction, and how to handle push back from people who don't approve of your new beliefs | NS2

Billy Graham was a truly nasty man | Jonathan Poletti | A reexamination of the prominent evangelical leader's many problematic beliefs | NS1 (paywall)

The Church Needs To Face the Uncomfortable Truth about Waiting for the Wedding Night | Sheila Gregoire | Honest observations on the physical harm of saving sex for marriage from a conservative Christian perspective | NS1

The Complicated Journey from Holy Studies to Hospitality | Rich Manning | A challenge to all Christians to make church culture more like bar culture | NS1

"Death to the Patriarchy?": A Response to Kevin DeYoung's Defense of Male Leadership | Terran Williams | A thorough critique of common complementarian views as presented by popular author and pastor Kevin DeYoung. | NS2

Discussing the Bible: Seven Rules of Engagement | Rachel Held Evans | Good rules to remember when talking about the Bible with anyone | NS1

Does the Bible Tell Us What to Do, or Does it Tell Us What Others Did? | Pete Enns | A brief explanation of the life-changing paradigm shift from viewing the Bible as prescriptive to understanding it as descriptive literature | NS1

Does John MacArthur Think Husbands Are Their Wives' Saviors? | Sheila Gregoire | Why the belief that men are saviors to their wives is really toxic and incorrect theology | NS1

Does Our Theology Let Girls Say No to Boys? | Sheila Gregoire | Exposing the controlling message hidden in most marriage books for Christian women that conditions young girls to be both the victim of and scapegoat for sexual abuse | NS1

The Eugenics Roots of Evangelical Family Values | Audrey Clare Farley | An uncomfortable display of the hidden connections between evangelicalism and the desire to purify bloodlines. | NS1

Evangelical Wreckage: What I Wish I'd Said | Diana Butler Bass | An honest response to the question "Is there anything good about evangelical religion?" | NS1

Evangelicalism: a dishonest and soulless campaign | Franz Von Zahn | A challenge to make your Christianity less about forcing your beliefs on people and more about living out a message worth believing | NS1 (paywall)

Evangelicals Do 'Counseling' with a Gay Secret | Jonathan Poletti | A brief exposé on the forgotten father of the biblical counseling movement who created his theories of counseling to cover his guilt from homosexuality | NS1 (paywall) 

Exegesis: Simple Definition, Examples, and Mistakes To Avoid | Joshua Schachterle | A basic introduction to some key terms and ideas in biblical interpretation | NS2

Focus on the Family's Scary Stance about Men Jailed for Domestic Violence | Sheila Gregoire | A good introduction to the manifold problems with the popular evangelical group Focus on the Family (links at the bottom of the article to other posts from Bare Marriage about the dangers of FotF's Love and Respect teachings) | NS1

How the 93% Myth Affects Women's Ministries | Sheila Gregoire | A scathing critique of a surprisingly common made-up statistic many pastors repeat about the importance of reaching men over women | NS1

How to Use Strong's Concordance and What to Use Instead | Mark Ward | An explanation of why Strong's is probably not the best tool for your Bible study | NS2

I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: The Making of a Spiritual Anarchist, Part 10 | Barnabas Smith | The story of a man's journey from focusing on believing all the right things to living out love for his community | NS1

I Don't Even Know What To Say | Sheila Gregoire | Questions every church should ask about their pastors in the wake of Josh Howerton's comments about women on their wedding night | NS1

I Don't Know How To Explain This.... | Sheila Gregoire | Thoughts on the importance of saying what we actually mean instead of common aphorisms and platitudes | NS1

I Learned the "Good News" about Rape at a Christian Camp | Hope Bernard | A reflection on the harmful message of purity culture to those who have experienced sexual abuse | NS1 (paywall) | CW for discussion of sexual abuse

"If Love Can Look Like Genocide, Then Love Can Look Like Anything: An Excerpt from Inspired" | Rachel Held Evans | A meditation on God's love in light of the Bible's violent passages | NS1

Is it Disrespectful to Call Another Person Lost? | Dan Foster | Musings on how the Bible doesn't speak of "The Lost" the same way many Christians do | NS1 (paywall)

Is It Wrong To Be Attracted to the Person You're Going To Marry? | Sheila Gregoire | A response to purity-culture proponents on the dangers of removing physical attraction from romantic relationships | NS1

It's Not All Sin: The Problem with Over-Spiritualizing Our Problems | Sheila Gregoire | Why blaming every negative thing in life on sin is a harmful practice | NS1

Just How Christ-like is "Christian" Shunning | Natalie Edmonson | An explanation of how what many Christians consider to be biblical discipline or separation is actually a psychologically harmful form of shunning | NS1

Let's Talk Manifestation Theology False Marriage Teaching | Sheila Gregoire | Thoughts on why the popular Christian marriage book advice of honoring a husband into greatness may be counter-productive and an excuse to avoid difficult conversations | NS1

The "love languages" are a hoax by a Southern Baptist pastor | Jonathan Poletti | A brief critique of Gary Chapman's work | NS1 (paywall)

Maturing the Church's Culture of Male Sexuality | Zachary Wagner | Observations on how purity culture has reversed the teachings of Jesus, protecting and aggravating the addictions of men while blaming women | NS1

My Scripture. Mine. | Diana Butler Bass | Thoughts on the danger of pulling verses out of context to justify your own biases and prejudices | NS1

Now We Call It White Christian Nationalism. It Used to Just Be Called the KKK | Jemar Tisby | A comparison of "how connected the beliefs of white Christian nationalists today are with the Ku Klux Klan of 100 years ago" | NS1

On Limits, Blessing, and Authentic Human Happiness (by Micha Boyett) | Odds & Enns | Reflections on the difference between luck and blessing and the usefulness of both terms | NS1

Praising Perverted Purity | Hope Bernard | "Which is worse: your body leading your Christian brothers into the sin of lust, or the humiliation of realizing that your body never will? In purity culture, everyone loses." | NS1

The "Purity" Hoax | Jonathan Poletti | Observations on the life of Elisabeth Elliot and the harms of the evangelical purity culture she furthered | NS1 (paywall)

The secret sex life of Billy Graham | Jonathan Poletti | An evaluation of the famous "Billy Graham Rule" and Graham's rocky relationship with sex | NS1 (paywall)

Sorry, Christians, but you are not the "light of the world" | Franz Von Zahn | An article for people who think the world hates them because they're Christians | NS1 (paywall)

Ten Things We Forgot About Jesus | Dan Foster | Notes on the often-overlooked aspects of Jesus' life | NS1 (paywall)

Vance, Harris, and a Politics of Ingratitude | Diana Butler Bass | Thoughts on the danger of equating gratitude with political loyalty | NS1

Violent Delights: On Saint Maud and the Terror of Devotion | Nicholas Russell | A look at the A24 horror movie Saint Maud and how it depicts the horrors of religious fanaticism in an otherwise normal person (some spoilers for the movie; also, the movie has graphic moments that may not be for everyone) | NS1

We Have To Break the Cycle of Shame and Pain in the Evangelical Church | Sheila Gregoire | Thoughts on how evangelical churches often unintentionally perpetuate cycles of abuse and anxiety in their members | NS1

The Weight of Sin on Young Shoulders | Dan Foster | Personal testimony of "healing from the wounds of childhood religious indoctrination" | NS1 (paywall)

What if our whole approach to religion is wrong? | Rebecca | Quick thoughts on how many evangelicals have an understanding of God that is closer to prosperity gospel preaching than what's in the Bible | NS1

What is it that actually makes change? | Rebecca Lindenbach | Thoughts on the difference between blame and responsibility and how confusing the two just causes more harm | NS1

What's the Difference between a "Christian Marriage" and a Good Marriage? | Sheila Gregoire | While this is specifically in regards to marriage, the concept applies broadly. Are you trying to be good or Christian? There is a difference. | NS1

When Deconstruction Means Losing Family | Sheila Gregoire | A healing message to those going through deconstruction and their parents on why it can hard for parents to accept when their children change beliefs | NS1

Which church is dying? | Debie Thomas | Brief reflections on how death has always been a part of Christianity and how "the church is dying" isn't a helpful or even true statement | NS1 (paywall)

Why People Walk Away from the Church | Dan Foster | An honest reflection on the most common reasons people are leaving churches today (they're not what your pastor tells you) | NS1 (paywall)

Willow Creek, What's a Pastor? | Scot McKnight | A challenge to churches to reconsider what makes a good pastor | NS1

The Worst of Christianity in an Eight-Word Comment | Dan Foster | A brief reflection on why questioning a person's salvation or dedication to God based on their having a different position than you isn't helpful or biblical | NS1 (paywall) 

The Worst of Christianity in One Facebook Advertisement | Dan Foster | Observations on some of the toxic views of marriage common in evangelical circles | NS1 (paywall)

The Worst of Christianity in a Meme | Dan Foster | A critique of a common criticism against deconstruction | NS1 (paywall) 

You Can't Read Minds... And that's generally good news! | Dan Koch | A therapist's advice on not making assumptions about other people | NS1