I spent my teenage years immersed in purity culture, in both evangelical and fundamentalist Christian circles. If you were homeschooled, went to youth group, or wore a purity ring, you probably know what I’m talking about. Purity culture was an ideology, a movement complete with books like Dannah Gresh’s Secret Keeper, promoted in concerts by Christian artistsContinueContinue reading “Purity Culture isn’t just a Christian thing”
Tag Archives: theology
Sometimes I realize I’ve been lied to: Revisiting narratives we tell ourselves about terrorism + extremism
I visited the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial in September 2015. Do you ever still feel a nauseating shock when you realize you’ve been lied to? I know many of us have expressed feeling this when we got out of homeschool-ville and fundamentalist Christianity in one way or another. I visited the Oklahoma City bombing memorialContinueContinue reading “Sometimes I realize I’ve been lied to: Revisiting narratives we tell ourselves about terrorism + extremism”
I can’t save my siblings
Growing up homeschooled means you get a lot more time with your siblings than other kids. As an older sibling, it also means you have much more responsibility for them. My parents told me I didn’t need friends, I had my siblings. They also told me I was the example for them, the prototype. ThisContinueContinue reading “I can’t save my siblings”
Three year anniversary: #WhyILeft Fundamentalism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fQ0JSImpzM Three years ago yesterday, I left my parents’ house. They’d delivered an ultimatum: transfer from UCCS to Bob Jones University or move out. I chose freedom. Last year, someone told me, “That’s one thing I love about you. You’re incredibly American, in the most fundamental way. You’d rather be free than comfortable.” Which isContinueContinue reading “Three year anniversary: #WhyILeft Fundamentalism”
We’re not just ‘rebels.’ What fundamentalist Christianity demands is unreasonable.
In my last post, I talked about why I don’t trust authority. Many people like me who were raised in controlling environments tend to not get along with authority outside that context, breeding difficulties in maintaining employment and interacting within society. But the older generations often discount why we’d react this way. “You’re just aContinueContinue reading “We’re not just ‘rebels.’ What fundamentalist Christianity demands is unreasonable.”
Eleanor Skelton 