by John Ellis Earlier today, I published a short, anti-Trump diatribe (anti-totalitarianism diatribe, to be fair) in response to the White House’s letter to the Smithsonian Institute. The letter informs the Smithsonian that the White House will be reviewing exhibits, materials, and programs to ensure that they conform to President Trump’s definition of American exceptionalism … Continue reading Donald Trump, Bob Jones University, and Fundamentalist-styled Historical Revisionism
Category: Fundamentalism
Bob Jones University: The End Is Nigh
by John Ellis This morning, Bob Jones University, my almost alma mater, introduced Dr. Bruce McAllister as the school’s seventh president. The announcement was wrapped in a mood of relieved optimism. Watching it live, the whole thing seemed to me like a giant sigh of relief from those who love a version of Bob Jones … Continue reading Bob Jones University: The End Is Nigh
A Godless Fundamentalist Revisited 10 Years Later
by John Ellis It’s been 10 years since I began writing the first version of ‘A Godless Fundamentalist.’ It’s been 5 years since Crossway considered publishing it. At the time, over the 5 years as I spent writing, editing, rewriting, and editing some more, my objective acted as a framing mechanism calling me to downplay … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist Revisited 10 Years Later
‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ Exposes the Darkness of Christian Fundamentalism (and Provides a Warning to All White Evangelicals)
by John Ellis (As a head’s up: The footnotes in this article are important. You don’t want to skip them.) When 17 Kids and Counting – eventually 18 Kids and then 19 Kids and Counting – first began airing on TLC in 2008, it quickly became a hit in white evangelical circles. It was embraced … Continue reading ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ Exposes the Darkness of Christian Fundamentalism (and Provides a Warning to All White Evangelicals)
The Coup at Bob Jones University Isn’t Over
by John Ellis “The current direction is not sustainable. I am walking down a dark road with no light ahead. The future of BJU requires the Chairman and the President to work together. It is not happening now, and I can’t see it happening in the future.” BJU President and CEO Steve Pettit in a … Continue reading The Coup at Bob Jones University Isn’t Over
Up Next at Bob Jones University: Casting Crowns Playing the FMA Stage?
by John Ellis (edit 3/30/23: This article appears to be short-lived wishful thinking, I guess. With Pettit's "forced" resignation by the duplicitous board, it seems clear that Bob Jones III and his cronies have figured out how to circumvent Pettit and bite down on that poison pill after all. Who knows, maybe a powerful alumni … Continue reading Up Next at Bob Jones University: Casting Crowns Playing the FMA Stage?
The (Possible) Slow, Strange Suicide of Bob Jones University
by John Ellis (Edit on 3/30/23: Me: "Why are so many people clicking on a months old article that is really no longer relevant?" Friends later text me about the news that Steve Pettit has resigned as president of BJU, stating that he can no longer serve as long as John Lewis remains chairman of … Continue reading The (Possible) Slow, Strange Suicide of Bob Jones University
Claiming Rock Music is the Devil’s Music Is, In Fact, a Devilish Claim
by John Ellis My pastor, while quoting a Nirvana lyric during a sermon, accidentally got the number of years that have passed since the song’s release wrong, and then looked at me in way that even my non-Nirvana fan wife picked up on. After the service, he made a beeline to me – well, as … Continue reading Claiming Rock Music is the Devil’s Music Is, In Fact, a Devilish Claim
Conspiracy Theories Are Part of the DNA of Evangelicalism
by John Ellis I’ve stopped being surprised when new acquaintances[1] steel their gaze, purse their lips, and then begin their forthcoming monologue with, “Did you know ….?” Those monologues have “taught” me all kinds of things about Dr. Fauci, the Clintons, sex trafficking of children, the global elite and their place in the “swamp,” CRT, … Continue reading Conspiracy Theories Are Part of the DNA of Evangelicalism
Rules Do Not a Good Boy Make: My Year as a Sixth-Grade Terrorist
by John Ellis Spelling is not a forte of mine. As a writer, red squiggly lines are my friend. Words like “Wednesday,” “indubitably,” and “cornucopia” are beyond my ability to remember how to spell correctly. One word I’ll never misspell, though, is obedience. The spelling of that word was drilled into me via multiple performances … Continue reading Rules Do Not a Good Boy Make: My Year as a Sixth-Grade Terrorist
Practically Known Theology 