Why Conservative Evangelical Christianity Is The Worst Evil Ever Manifested Upon The Earth

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By far, the worst form of evil ever manifested upon the earth is conservative, Evangelical Christianity—for there is nothing more diabolical and destructive than to position and assert oneself as having and presenting the exclusive cure for humanity’s deepest, darkest, and most troublesome and consequential realities while at the same time, being the very poison that like no other, perpetuates, enflames, and imprisons all humanity to the very diseases it claims to heal. Conservative, Evangelical Christianity is the cosmic lie that must be called out of the shadows of deception. It is a spiritual veil to an empty life. It is the cancer claiming to be the cure, addicting all its adherents to a hope that is no hope at all. The anti-Christ, the wolf in sheep’s clothing, the devil draped in holy garments disguised as an angel of light–these are none other then conservative, Evangelical Christianity at its core.

At the heart of all conservative, Evangelical Christianity is the sum of Satan’s biggest ploy, a mixed Gospel that is in truth, no Gospel at all—an imposturous trick of grandiose proportions that pimps a “good news” proclamation deemed to be straight from the throne of God that is in reality only partially good news, if good news at all. God loves you, BUT. He saves you, BUT. He blesses you, BUT—you must repent, make a faith choice, and love Him back in all the right ways, or else. This is the essence of a mixed Gospel, always containing some level of human performance for its existence and effectiveness in one’s life. God does His part, but you need to do yours—until then, a divine connection is hit or miss at best, and nothing of God reaches beyond this divide until you appropriately reach back.

This is bad news—terrible news. God and His dealings with all humanity are deemed as contractual and conditional at the core, requiring some level of human responsibility for their establishment, continuation, and validity. God is the necessary giver, but humanity is the necessary receiver. Jesus knocks, but we must answer. We pray, God moves. We tithe, God blesses. All is a divine equation where God makes His offers and humanity is solicited to respond accordingly in ways that complete, uphold, access, and maximize what is in reality, a conditional relationship to the Creator. Ultimately, God’s love, power, blessings, and desires are only as effectual as our human capacity to respond correctly.

This is a sure, diabolical death sentence no one can withstand disguised as our only way of emancipation and life, for who among us, with all our human limits of mind, heart, and spirit could ever truly respond adequately in one moment let alone a thousand, successfully tripping all the necessary God-switches. To believe one can even take a step toward doing so is to already be seduced by Satan’s greatest scheme—a humanly codependent Gospel, which is no Gospel at all.

In fact, it this false Gospel that erodes beautiful humans into mere spiritual junkies addicted to the sound of their own faith and faithfulness, leaving them with a shivering, psychotic, bipolar spirituality convinced that hinging upon their faith performance is both their greatest potential hope and their greatest potential demise. If I believe, do, feel, and think correctly, then all is well—Jesus is on the throne, life is good, I’m forgiven and acceptable, blessings abound, and heaven is a certainty. But, if my faith flounders, my actions wander, my feelings waver, or my thoughts collide, then all is not well—Jesus Himself is now justly unsettled towards me and in some way or another there will surely be a cost to pay in goodness, blessings, favor, and perhaps even the eternal trajectory of my life.

So, in panic and desperation, we turn to the latest “Christian” book, or empowering “Christian” conference, or candle-lit liturgy, or emotional worship chorus, or ritual, or sacrament, or spiritual formula, or good deed, or ministry accomplishment, or breakthrough-promising “to do” list, searching for a fresh syringe from which to inject a hope that is no hope at all into the restless veins of our empty, strung out soul curled in the fetal position grasping for life, hoping that today will finally be the day we “get right” and “get it right” and therefore overcome. But sadly, as Satan’s lips grin from ear to ear and his nails course through his wiry beard, that day never comes and never will.

If the good news of Jesus requires anything from us, anything at all, it is in fact the worst news of all. No matter our greatest intentions or desires, nor even in our best moments of believing or behaving, our spiritual performance always breaks down. In the end, whether with God, ourselves, or others, the good that we know we should do is not what we do, and once again, our capacity to escape ourselves is found foolishly and drastically insufficient. Thus, this mixed, humanly-codependent Gospel we believe turns the key towards freedom from all that shackles us, reveals itself to be the very evil that keeps us imprisoned. Behind every person with a sin problem is first a person, not with a behavior problem, but rather with a condemnation problem in heart, believing themselves to be condemned in some way.  A person with a condemnation problem is first a person, not with an obedience or faith problem, but one who has been tragically kept from the one and only cure—pure Grace, the true Gospel. Only pure Grace heals and empowers, any other mixture of any kind only serves to entice, enflame, and imprison every negative aspect of our lives. Therefore, what is pimped as Christian living is in fact, Christian suffering—humans reduced to spiritual zombies given just enough of a Grace-mixture to sustain a pulse, but never the purity of Grace that brings true freedom, healing, and life. This is spiritual terrorism, a sure kind of hell where nothing ever truly gets better, and conservative, Evangelical Christianity its prince. The very moral decay conservative, Evangelical Christianity licks its lips at ridding from planet earth is the very moral decay it creates, perpetuates, and entices with a mixed Gospel that is impotent to solve anything and virtually omnipotent in poisoning everything.

For where you have a mixed Gospel, there you will have some level of human performance required. Where you have some level of human performance required, there you will have the sure presence of self-righteousness. Where you have the sure presence of self-righteousness, there you will have the perceived spiritual justification for the condemnation, labeling, and judgement of others. Where you have a perceived spiritual justification for the condemnation, labeling, and judgement of others, there you will find every kind of hellish manifestation on earth—racism, sexism, discrimination, hatred, violence, murder, war, homophobia, bigotry, nationalism, elitism, misogyny, legalism, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, division, condemnation, and all the like.

Just ask the forty percent of transgender people who commit suicide each year and the countless others that can’t pee in a public restroom with simple human dignity. Just ask the LGBTQ community who live every waking moment of their lives in fear, discrimination, marginalization, and condemnation sentenced to walk on this planet depressed, shamed, shunned, abused, and even murdered. Just ask the thousands of good, Jesus-loving people who have been put out from their church communities—spiritually oppressed, abused, and terrorized, many to the point of giving up on Christianity all together, if not taking their own lives first as the deep scars of religious shame seem impossible to heal. Just ask the millions of people in cities and nations across the world who have been killed, their communities obliterated, and their cultures and faiths demonized by our nation that has turned the cause of Christ into a militant empire that spiritually justifies war and violence for its existence and furthering. Just ask the 6 million people exterminated in the Holocaust, a cosmic atrocity led by a man named Adolf Hitler who claimed, “My feelings as a Christian point me to see my Lord and Savior as a fighter,” and “the true message of Christianity is only to be found in Nazism,” and “I can imagine Christ as nothing other than blond and with blue eyes…” Just ask millions of black slaves from history and millions of others within our modern black communities today who, by the color of their skin, are predisposed as being inferior, guilty, suspect, lazy, and irresponsible and thus deserving of abuse, exploitation, discrimination, and even death.  All this and tragically more, manifested at the feet and influence of primarily a conservative, Evangelical Christian mindset rooted in a false, mixed Gospel that is no Gospel at all, where many of its adherents have become experts at weaponizing the Bible, spiritually justifying hate, condemning those who think, believe, and act differently, furthering a conservative Christian empire at all costs, and outright sucking the life out of living.

When one connects the dots from source to symptoms, the evil and its roots are undeniable.

Beyond the realm of Christianity, if and where humanity is inherently hateful, carnal, and self-seeking on its own, conservative, Evangelical Christianity only serves to enflame all that is bad into the worst by giving it a spiritual justification that transforms evil into being more evil than evil itself. For Satan has found no greater incubator than conservative, Evangelical Christianity through which to cloak his most diabolical and destructive manifestation ever wielded upon the earth—the spiritual justification of evil birthed from a false, mixed Gospel that is no Gospel at all.

To be sure, this is the Antichrist agenda in full bloom. For if conservative Christianity truly believed in the pure Gospel of Grace and its complete sufficiency, then the Christian life wouldn’t be a test, but a rest—all humanity would be seen as equal, worship would be un-programmable, church would be uncontainable, condemnation would be impossible, differences would be inconsequential, people un-judgeable, skin colors and orientations un-shameable, washing the feet of all others would be fundamental, and love, particularly of one’s enemies, would be unconditionally unconditional. All would be Grace. Church, an open table. Life, a freedom to fully love others and fully be oneself.

For the truly good news of the pure Gospel of Grace through Jesus Christ is this… God is love, Jesus is Grace, and you have been made whole, complete, and irrevocably connected to the Creator—solely based on and by Him who is Love, and nothing based on you or by you who are simply the beloved. God’s greatest desire and the cause of Jesus Christ is to awaken the world to that which has already been settled—He is love, you are the beloved, period. You are blameless, pure, holy, righteous, and fully free, and quite frankly there is nothing you can do about it because Jesus did everything about it. The cross is truly, one and done.

This is life abundantly, this is God completely, this is His heart though His son, irrevocably.

That’s why one writer, seeing the drastic differences and the demonic deception and consequences of a mixed Gospel manifested among people, wrote this…

I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving grace of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you. I say again what we have said before: If anyone preaches any other Good News than the one you welcomed, let that person be cursed.” –Galatians 1:6-9

Notice, Paul clearly recognized that God does not call nor come to humanity with a message of condemnation, shame, guilt, fear, spiritual performance, conditions, “to do” steps, behavior modification, or sin management, but rather with one word, one message alone… Grace.

If it’s not all Grace, it’s not all Gospel.

If it’s not all Gospel, it’s pure evil—an evil that should be cursed, no matter how controversial or unpopular it is to do so, even unto death on a cross.

Hate me, criticize me, fart in my general direction—I will not stop sounding the alarm.

Never, no way, no how.

All is Grace.

Grace is brave, be brave.

137 Comments

  1. Margo Allen

    I hear you! How can those saved by grace then condemn others as a result! A simple observation that has troubled me for decades.
    We are all one, tethered to the devine , yet refuse to admit it because we are “better” than our peers. May you find rest in your battle with the beast.

    • ckratzer

      Margo, thanks for the encouragement! Well said!

    • Bill Beach

      Your understanding is beautiful.

  2. John Draper

    Chris, I think you’re too hard on Evangelicals. I’m not an Evangelical, though I was for 35 years. I think fundamentalism, in all its forms is far, far more dangerous than Evangelicalism.

    Anyway, I don’t think you need to fight against Evangelicalism. It’s dying on its own. I don’t think it’s going to be around in, say, 50 years. 🙂

    • ckratzer

      John, thanks for your insight! I’m not sure if the countless lives that have been negatively impacted by conservative, Evangelical Christianity would say I have been too hard.

    • J H Robbins

      John,
      Unfortunately I don’t think we can afford to wait 50 years for evangelicalism to die out on its own. I went through the HIV/AIDS crisis with many friends who were positive and watched helplessly as many died – all the time evangelicals were condemning us and lobbying against HIV/AIDS research and treatment clinics. Who knows what pandemic is next – medical, societal, etc. ? And certainly many evangelicals will attempt to lay whatever arises at our door, regardless of the truth.

      First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
      Because I was not a Socialist.
      Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
      Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
      Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
      Because I was not a Jew.
      Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

      • J H Robbins

        I am, BTW, a devout Christian

        • CJ

          Bless you, brother! You have a great calling to bring authentic Jesus to those you have a reach to in the LGBTQIA community. Keep letting your light shine. I see God giving you more, more, more of His presence and healing old wounds. And giving you new blueprints for social justice influence that is birthed in grace, love and truth and with Jesus, the Rock, as a firm foundation. As I just prayed for you, I feel like holy spirit says you have natural leadership anointing, as well as being a gifted connector of people and are generous in sharing hospitality and making people feel safe and cared for. Love to you! God bless the work of your hands. You are amazing and your Father in heaven is proud to call you “son”.

          If you aren’t familiar, check out the ministry of Andrew Marin. It will make you smile. He is a hero of the faith.

          loveisanorientation.com

    • Chris

      Aren’t most evangelicals fundamentalist?

  3. Pam

    Christians are, again, facing a new re-direction/Reformation. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves–it iis the gift from God.”

    • ckratzer

      Pam, thanks for the comment and scriptural reminder that all is Grace.

  4. Ron Doub

    You group under one banner those who up hold the “faith once delivered,” with those who are religious bigots. I make no apology for the cross of Christ! Grace is free, but it is not cheap! You are labeling the Christ as one who who is evil, since Jesus proclaimed “repent or parish.” This is beyond apostate, this is the spirit of the antichrist.

    • ckratzer

      Thanks for reading my article Ron, and taking time to comment. Obviously we do not agree on these matters. Blessings to you. “And if any man hear my words, and believe NOT, I judge him NOT: for I came NOT to judge the world, but to save the world.” Jn 12:47

    • Anthony

      To that I say, you are absolute ignorant. If we are to truly encapsulate and contextualize Jesus’s words of repent or perish in the gospel of grace, those words mean something entirely different than what you think they mean.

      Further explanation:
      First we must understand that Jesus’s words are to a Jewish law based audience whose justification before God is largely the culture of sacrifice, and appeasement to ward off a vindictive deity and the ensuing consequences of not measuring up to the jot and tittle of the law.

      Repent in Greek is the word Metanoia which means a Change of mind of perception. The mind of man aligning with the mind of God.

      Perish in the Greek is the word apollumi which means rendered useless or to be at a loss. Or to lose out or come to ruin. Now considering that the gospel of grace is the one true gospel let’s take a look at a saying of Paul’s ” by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified”

      Essentially, Jesus is saying if you guys don’t align with the mind of my dad who makes me the basis of your righteousness and justification you’ll be loss, you’ll come to ruin because no one comes to the father except through the justification I’ve given to humanity. Your rules and regulations don’t match up with the fathers heart, which states that salvation (sozo- i.e. Healing,wholeness union with God and creation) only happen by the doing of myself.

      You don’t earn your way to God’s love. You rest in the confidence that Jesus is God’s love and that this free gracious gospel is the announcement of what he has already accomplished.

      Now if you want to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and strain and strive for what’s already ours (i.e. Older son prodigal son parable) go ahead but you’ll soon realize that self effort is a dead end.

      Repent or perish…. Get it?

      • Jim Aitkins

        I love it, Anthony. Well said. No… VERY well said.

      • Pretty Pony

        Agreed! And then came the laws with the new religions that were set forth to scare and control humanity.

    • Jeff hunt

      Thank you Ron. By grace, thru faith does require something from us.

  5. Alaina

    In these words I hear a God in a garden saying to those naked and ashamed. “Who told you you were naked?”

    The lie of the serpent has always been the idea that God is not currently with us. It starts with the words “Did God say” and presupposes that God is not there to answer. This was the very first lie that we still can’t seem to lose, and it is this reason that the gospel is easily summed up in three words “God With Us”.

    People focus on us leaving the garden alone, but scripture is clear, God walked out with us.

    • ckratzer

      that’s a brilliant observation, Alaina!

    • Jim Aitkins

      So good. Made my day, Alaina.

    • CJ

      Dear beautiful sister! Bless you…you are radiant and God’s using your journey for His glory. You are a masterpiece and work of art created in Christ Jesus to do good works. 🙂 I see in my spirit that you reach out and hold people close. Such an awesome gift from God and tangeible expression of His embrace in a world where loneliness plagues many hearts. I love your observation about the garden and God’s voice! Christine Cain of the A-21 campaign preached an amazing message on this exact topic. Be blessed as you listen. We are an army of warriors of light. The gates of hell shall not prevail.

      Also, check out the brilliant work of Andrew Marin at:
      loveisanorientation.com

  6. David Anonymous

    the worst evil because they: cut off the heads or drown or burn to death, all the non conformists !!! …… oh wait that is “radical islam”, a religion of peace, …. sorry for the confusion, I thought we were quantifying “the most evil” …. clearly your intention was to publish a lot of big words to appear intelligent.

    • Mark L

      And clearly you let the message in the blog post go right over your head like a 767 leaving LAX.

      Evangelicalism IS pure evil. Any sect that tells its adherents that they have to “remain in good standing” to gain entrance to Heaven, or tries to control the masses through codification of their twisted, prostituted version of Scripture, is evil. Satan has been looking for a way to discredit the Gospel of Christ for millennia, and with evangelicalism, he succeeded.

      I was an evangelical at one time. Seeing the same folks go up to the Altar at Altar call every Sunday to repent, and listening to these zombies talk about how they want to force their beliefs upon the entire nation, sold me on the Satan theory over the whole thing.

      Do these so-called “evangelists” and megachurch pastors use their church collections each week to help the poor, the infirm and feed the needy?

      No. They use the money to build large “sanctuaries” that could be used to hold a Metallica concert or an NBA matchup in. And to enrich the huckster in the expensive suit up on the stage, pronouncing Jesus’ name in the same loud way someone would if they were walking and suddenly saw a pile of dog duty they were about to step in.

      There is nothing even remotely redeeming or good, about a version of Christianity that enslaves its adherents, politicizes Scripture, and is headed by greedy rich men who see the gullible masses in their audiences as “commodities.”

  7. Doubtful

    Yea, but what about Paul who laid down so many more rules for Christ’s adherents to follow??

    • jochanaan

      Those observations of Paul were not a precondition, but rather directions based on grace already given. And in some cases, notably I Corinthians 7, Paul freely admits that these are his own observations, not God’s spoken Word.

  8. ron

    Hi Chris, i am far from a conservative evangelical and i enjoy your writing; in this case, i think your opinion is over generalized.

    • John Draper

      I would agree. Most Evangelical Christians I know are kind and generous.

      • John

        How “kind and generous?” Or do they follow Republican policy? Charity is a vice in the sense that it serves the giver, makes them feel righteous.

    • ckratzer

      Thanks for the feedback, Ron!

  9. Retha

    I will quote one sentence as an example of what is in the article:
    “If the good news of Jesus requires anything from us, anything at all, it is in fact the worst news of all.”

    That is not true of any other good news. If it is good news that my local SPAR is selling milk cheaply, it does not become bad news because it is not free.
    If your fave overseas band is having a concert in your city, and you get complementary tickets, the concert is not bad news because you have to drive there.

    Yes, if God wants to redeem the earth, we have to be willing to go along with it – live in a way that is redemptive.

    Here is an example of self-contradiction in your article:

    “If the good news of Jesus requires anything from us, anything at all, it is in fact the worst news of all.” “Grace is brave. Be brave”

    If what you say require us to be brave, or be pro-LGBT, or anything at all, it cannot be good news by this argument. (I want people to respect the LGBT community, but that is requiring something of them. As such, I can’t claim that to require anything is to come with bad news.)

    ————–

    40% of trans people commit suicide every year?

    So, 92% of trans people will be dead within 5 years of realizing they are trans?

    Year 1: 40% commit suicide.
    Year 2: 40% of the remaining 60%, or another 24%
    Year 3: 40% of the remaining 36%, or another 14.4%
    Year 4: 40% of the remaining 21.6%, or another 8.64%
    Year 5: 40% of the remaining 12.96%, or another 5.18%
    That leaves less than 8% of them alive after 5 years.

    • ckratzer

      Retha, I am sure glad you read my article and honored to receive your trust, openness, and willingness to comment. Yet, I need you to help me out a bit because I am truly having a hard time following the logic of your three points. I don’t want to assume that, in an effort to dismiss the hard truths of this article, you are trying to jimmy-rig contradictions and errors that simply aren’t there in the article. If you are seeking further explanation of points you need more clarification so you can learn and potentially affirm what is said, I am happy to have a dialogue with you.

    • Caroline

      That’s assuming a steady number of trans people. Does this make you happy that these people choose suicide?

    • Cristina

      Ummm, you’re assuming that year 1 is the only year that trans people exist and there are no new trans people after that. Your logic is faulty. Also, nowhere in this article did it say everyone had to agree with every choice (or in this case not choice because since i didn’t choose to be straight, I don’t think anyone else had a choice either) that people make, it said that you don’t judge them because it isn’t your job! Jesus literally gave us ONE job. Love. That is all.

      • Alaina

        It’s 41% that attempt at some point in our lives. This number doesn’t change much though year to year, because the church and society is still cruel. And so Most of us attempt more than once if we don’t succeed. I was a minister before coming out trans, I knew I would lose everything and everyone, that the church would condemn any that showed love to me.
        The most predictive factor of whether an LGBT person will attempt to kill themselves is familial support. Yet evangelicals rage against families that love their children, tell them that they are wrong and sending their children to hell. Families like mine join hate groups so their image won’t be tainted by the shame of our existence.
        This isnt just madness, it is evil.

  10. Jen

    Rediculous much? You’re every bit as judgemental. I’m no fan of evangelism but you’re accusing them of every ill in society. Grow up.

    • ckratzer

      Jen, thanks for reading my article and for your comment! Glad you liked it.

  11. Randy Blunt

    Truth. Thanks for sharing this.

    • ckratzer

      my honor, Randy. Thank you!

  12. Caroline

    I walked away from evangelical Christianity (EC) based on what I saw on the political spectrum. As an unabashed “liberal” I could not understand the opposition to those policies that would HELP people. It seems that EC’s live and die on the unholy trinity of gays, guns and babies. I ended up telling some of these “good ECs” off. In my journey out of this, I’m rediscovering my sense of the divine. I live in a valley surrounded by mountains…that just SCREAM of God’s glory in such a beautiful place. Panentheism suits me more than Christianity ever did.

    • ckratzer

      Caroline, thanks so much for sharing your experience and taking the time to read this article!

  13. Shannon

    Great article, but please learn the difference between “then” and “than”. You’re publishing intelligent articles online.

    • ckratzer

      Shannon, could you please email me with the instances to which you are referring. ckratzer@ymail.com

  14. Adventurider

    having been brought up as a kid in a Fundy Evangelical Cult, i was in tears by the end of this. having mostly dropped the whole shitteroo and am now a contented non-theist, it is so incredibly refreshing to read something that showed that there may indeed be something worthwhile about Christianity. i have quite “lost faith” in “Christians” by and large, but finding crews like “The Christian Left” and “Unfundamentalist Christians” and Dr Roger Ray of Springfield Community Church has given me some glimmer of desire to not huck the Baby out with the bathwater…. thank you for this article. much appreciated. i will repost, much to the chagrin of my dear sainted mother who would not approve of this in the slightest……

    • ckratzer

      Adventurider, So encouraged and bless by your comment! You are not alone. I hope we can stay connected and learn more of each other’s stories.

  15. D.Smith

    Love this article, thank you for writing it. Your points are correct on so many levels. Only thing is I also used to say it was Evangelicals causing all the harm, but I’ve since come to understand that the problem are not true Evangelicals but those that have succumbed to a really radical fundamentalist heresay and have hijacked the term, Evangelical, calling themselves Evangelicals and they are not. Much like radicals in the mid east claiming to be members of a true and only religion that are not and destroy all others in false beliefs. True believers need to stand up to this evil being mindful when Jesus did he was hung on a cross. You are so right about false Evangelicals causing so much harm!!! About 6:20 in this video, Rev William Barber talks about the term Evangelical and claiming it back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt3JW75ky7k

    • ckratzer

      DS, I would agree, as I believe this article eludes, that a mixed Gospel mindset is in almost all of Christianity and other religions. However, I do believe the system of conservative, Evangelical Christianity has weaponized and spread it like no other. Thanks for your thoughts and willingness to read and comment.

  16. Charles Toy

    This is a great piece of work. What;s wrong with your feeling proud of something that connects with so many people who thought they were alone in these sentiments? You’ve done a good thing when people are exposed to your work and they walk away saying, “Thank God! I thought I was the only one.”

    They usually feel that way after having been served an ample amount of hostility throughout their live over said viewpoint.

    Good stuff.

    • ckratzer

      Charles, that is exactly part of the reason I write, not to simply convince and create change, but to let the bullied know they have been heard, are valued, and have one who will go with and for them. Thanks so much for “getting it” and taking the time to read and respond!

  17. Geneva

    My only question is to the author, have you ever had any experience where you needed God in that very moment , more than anything you ever needed in your whole life???. I hear that you are offended by evangelical preachers and I’m just wondering why ?

    • ckratzer

      Geneva, I am not “offended” but rather describing the spiritual landscape as I see it. Of course, I need got, and Him every moment. The good news is that I, and all humanity, have God always with us, no matter what. He is Emmanuel.

  18. Leo

    The devil’s greatest trick was not convincing people he did not exist. The devil’s greatest trick was convincing people he was the creator. A great many Christians might well ask themselves how their devil is a master of lies yet they are somehow magically immune to the true deceptions. What does it say about the repentance of a man who never once thought he was wrong?

    • ckratzer

      Leo, interesting thoughts for sure. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!

  19. Christian Vagabond

    You don’t know what you’re talking about. What you’re describing here is traditional Christianity, not evangelical Christianity. Catholics and Mainliners believe these things, too, even if some of the mainline churches haven’t emphasized these beliefs as much as they used to.

    You need to learn the difference between Arminian Christianity (the belief that we choose whether to believe in God and can lose salvation.) an Calvinism (the belief that God chooses us, and we have no say in the matter). Your rant is aimed towards Arminian Christians and Catholicism. But most of the Christians people have in mind when they criticize evangelicals are actually Calvinists.

    Calvinists believe that you have no true free will; you were designated before birth to either be saved or not saved, and there’s nothing you can do to change the future state of your soul. You’re just following God’s plan when you criticize Christianity, and God’s plan might be for you to end up in Hell.

    It’s also pretty silly to select Christianity for its historical views on race, gender, etc when all cultures have had the same history of bigotry (and yes, that includes atheistic cultures.)

    • ckratzer

      CV, thanks for reading my article and your comments.

      • wilma

        good answer ckratzer>> to Christian Vagabond>> loved it>> loved your article also, and agree with most of it…

        • ckratzer

          thank you Wilma!

  20. Mikee Bridges

    Damn. We gotta hang out. Drinks are on me. I’ll come to you. All social media @mikeebridges. I’m not a weirdo, I promise. Haha.

  21. Anita

    I left christianity for multiple reasons including being LGBT. I have always struggled with the idea atheists automatically less moral than Christians.

    • ckratzer

      I completely understand your feelings Anita! Thanks for taking the time to read and comment!

    • Joel Robbins

      I’m LGBT also, but I refuse to let evangelicals push me out of Christianity. It is true that my belief is very different from mainline Christianity, so I don’t believe much of what they do anyway.

  22. LAT

    This article is very intolerant and sterotypical.

    • Kimmy

      Calling out intolerance and hypocrisy does not make one intolerant and hypocritical.

    • J H Robbins

      I don’t the it is ‘the’ worst – I believe there are several other contenders for that title, but they are all evangelical and zealous sects of popular Western religions.

  23. bryan

    I completely agree with your article.
    I think at the heart of the twisted gospel is a sincere misunderstanding of the Bible. It amazes and saddens me how people who go to church every week never hear any teaching on reading the Bible in context, nor a differentiation of old and new covenants.
    Just yesterday I read two fb posts about how we aren’t forgiven until we forgive. Sheees! Really? Jesus wasn’t enough? Context people!
    It is so sad, the lack of understanding, but I think people are sincere in their misunderstandings. And also stubborn.
    Keep writing truth.

  24. jochanaan

    I have known many good Evangelicals who, in their personal lives, would never condemn or refuse to help anyone who needed help. Yet the organizational structures of evangelical Christianity now seem aligned with forces that have nothing to do with the Good News of God’s Kingdom, which even now is visible in those who step beyond the rhetoric of exclusion to tolerate, accept and welcome those whom so many exclude. May more such say what you say, Chris. And may God bring us all to greater love for Him and all His children and creatures.

    • ckratzer

      Jochanaan, well said! Thanks for your readership and comments!

  25. David A Morse

    Galatians 2:15-16 We Jews know that we have no advantage of birth over “non-Jewish sinners.” We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule-keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it—and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good.

    17-18 Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren’t perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was “trying to be good,” I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.

    19-21 What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a “law man” so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not “mine,” but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

    Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

  26. Phil Benshoof

    I love this. Pure brilliance. I have long treasured the words of Jesus in Matthew 6, and tried very hard to follow them, despite my failings.

    Your words here describe a situation I have seen over and over, and am seeing played out firsthand in my local school board meetings, perpetrated by righteous christians bent on spreading hatred and discrimination against LGBTQ students in the district.

    Thank you so much for writing this.

    • ckratzer

      Phil, thank you so much! You are not alone my friend! Honored to be brave along side of you!

  27. Vincent Huffman

    Evangelical Christianity is close to the Crusades. Fifteen million peoplw died because they didn’t appear to believe in the aporopriate manner.

    I am a Gay male who is a Christian.

    I never pray without a plea to a loving God to save me from the Christians.

    Dr. H

    • ckratzer

      Vincent, well said!

    • J H Robbins

      Please say you live near Austin and that you’ll be my doctor.
      I’m just kidding – sorta. Anyway, I love your post!

      • James Aitkins

        I am with you in that sentiment! Might be more accurate to cite the inquisition, though, than the crusades.

        The God of CEC is definitely an exclusionist.

  28. Dan Held

    Generally agree. Do take issue with the word “grace” sometimes as this is a Pauline word Jesus Himself never taught or used. Jesus preferred “agape ” which has a somewhat more relational meaning. Grace can be passively received but love is necessarily more actively received leading to salvation . Just my opinion .

    • ckratzer

      Thanks Dan for your comments.

  29. Brien

    The Bible is a compendium of tales and fables quite normal and consistent to the times.
    The old Testament consists of fables, and fireside tales recounted orally by story tellers and goatherders for generations; stories which were common to all the surrounding primitive cultures of that time, until writing was invented, and then again many different sources and versions were written down.
    These stories were for entertainment, morality and to answer the many mysteries, since there was no science yet.
    The ‘new’ Testes is also hearsay since these stories were written by the loyal faithful, not by objective historians at that particular time, and written many years after the supposed events.
    Then many of these stories, not all, were compiled by one self-absorbed reborn Roman Emperor for the expressed purpose of conquest and control, and this was your Bible.
    Half the stories were ignored, discounted and none are verifiable.
    It is backed up by absolutely no facts and evidence. Your bible book was finally compiled 400 hundred years after your Jesus by a reborn Roman dictator who decided what the ‘Christians’ should believe.
    Furthermore, there is no evidence for the existence of any Jesus by the historians of that time of from any objective contemporary writers.

    • ckratzer

      Interesting observations, thanks for sharing Brien.

  30. Brett

    The delineation here really is true Christianity, which involves serving those in need and engaging with love and compation, thusly the costly sacrifice of being ‘blessed by God’ which demands we change our lives to benefit others over self…extending the grace.
    What you are describing here are ‘Pharisee Christians’ with a dash of conservative nuttery who are so focused on who they perceive is right and who is wrong, engaging themselves and the world around them with a metric/rubric of salvation and are always sure they are the ones closest to God, when truth be told they couldn’t be further away. Their delusional national pride is the antithesis of a covenant kingdom.

    • ckratzer

      Brett, thanks for taking the time to read my article and for commenting. Appreciate that.

  31. Thomas Tonsky

    Sounds like you’ve been listening to the Gospel Revolution and Mike Williams.

    • ckratzer

      I am not familiar with either, sorry.

  32. Sharon

    Fanaticism of any stripe is the problem. It’s not limited to Christianity.

    • ckratzer

      In my opinion, fanaticism has little to nothing to do with the issues/descriptions I address in this article.

  33. linda

    Profound! You just tapped in on the turbulence inside me. You’re right you do have to be brave. I ask myself, why do I have to feel afraid of how my friends and relatives will react if I post your article? I am so perplexed with how my Christian Evangelical relatives and friends are behind Trump 100%. Why? I am so perplexed by how they have for years, demonized Hillary Clinton. Why? In all honesty, they have made her the person that she is now. In a sense, they have made her the very person that disappoints them. I know she is different from all the hate. I watch them fall short every time as a result of their actions, but instead of learning from their mistakes, they repeat them over and over again. Thank you so much for writing this article. Thank you for being brave.
    God bless you!

    • ckratzer

      Linda, so thankful you read my article and took the time to comments, let’s be brave together!

  34. Adam

    Jesus did not say don’t judge, he said don’t judge hypocritically. “Stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgement.” John 7:24, I think the fundamental preconception that the author is mistaken about is that God is only described as having a loving nature. God by definition must also be the most righteous judge, most Holy, most good, etc. So he must hate sin, and judge sinners. To condemn a Christian for telling the objective truth about morality to those that are acting immorally according to the Bible is an odd thing for a Christian to choose to do. Jesus spoke more about hell than he did about heaven. The Bible describes hell as a real place with real consequences for sin. Would it be a loving act to not warn non christians about the consequences of sin outside of the saving power of Jesus. No. Also, comparing evangelical Christians to Hitler? You can’t rightly judge a religion based on those who don’t rightly follow it. Does the author really think Hitler rightly followed Christ? The Bible is very clear on the issue of homosexuality. The act is a sin. The desire or feeling attracted to the opposite sex is not sin until acted upon. We have a choice to choose Gods way or our own sinful desires. Frank Turek says if you don’t want God now you’re not going to want him for eternity. Yes salvation is a free gift of God, however it must be chosen. In Gods plan for salvation he has chosen those who will be saved but also he foreknew that they would freely choose him. This is a separate doctrine from the idea of sanctification. Christians should strive to be imitators of Christ in all things. So because salvation is a free gift we should in gratitude live Holy lives.

    • ckratzer

      Adam, thanks so much for reading my article and the genuine concern behind your comments. Obviously, we disagree on these issues. However, I completely understand where you are coming from and respect you as a fellow human being on a mutual journey of faith. I used to see things much as you do, I was a mainly conservative pastor for some 20 years. I read the scriptures in the same manner as it seems you do and saw God, the world, myself, and the issues you mention, all in much the same way as you do. It was the same kind of love you have for Jesus, the Bible, and truth that led me into and along a transition that has changed many of the viewpoints I had held so dearly. If in your spiritual journey, you ever find yourself questioning your beliefs with the honest sentiment, “what if I am wrong?” about the things to which I believe I am so right, it would be my honor to further share my spiritual journey with you and in so doing, perhaps I could be a blessings. Thanks again for your heartfelt comment.

      • Adam

        Sir I would love to know what caused you to change your beliefs.

        • Brien

          That one is so obvious. I grew up and got an education where I learned to question things previously thought as true.
          I gave up on Santa and fairies the same way.
          Un proven stories need to be questioned.
          Along with that is the realisation that we, as Hominids, are no more special than the Australopithecines, apes or monkeys, which we evolved parallel with all the way back to the common ancestor.
          When we die -> we die! Rather arrogant to think otherwise.

          • Adam

            The request to hear what caused a change is beliefs was intended for mr kratzer.

  35. Chris Clark

    Such an eloquent twisting of the Gospel of Christ……So many things in here are so true……..sort of like this equation……2+2=…………the twos are real numbers ……the plus and equal signs are real too…………..but if following the equal sign we place any number other than 4 the whole equation would then be false…………this is the case in your article…….in too many cases it is true that Conservative Evangelical Christian Churches preach grace but then lace it with performance expectations that can never be reached…..it is true that many feel perpetually condemned because they are not meeting the “requirements”………..that does not mean in any way though that conservative Evangelical Christianity is wrong or evil ……it simply means that many claim the Banner of Christ but are still evil through and through…….The use of the word Homophobe in your article is proof that you are attempting to lead weak minded people away from the truth of the Gospel…….Claiming indirectly that is is ok to practice homosexuality while basking in the Grace of God is pure evil in it’self ……….we are to be sorry for our sin………….we are to be concerned whether or not our actions and words please God…….not in order to secure salvation or earn spiritual brownie points but rather to maintain fellowship with God………The postulation you make is straight from the heart of Satan himself ………..it is the same postulation he made to Eve in the Garden………Did God REALLY mean this when he said that?……………

    • ckratzer

      Chris, thanks so much for reading my article and sharing the courage of your convictions. Obviously, we disagree. Not sure how much of the article you read or with how much openness you did so. As I have mentioned in a previous comment on this strand, I understand your kind of perspective as I used to share it when I was an Evangelical pastor for many years. I am certainly not going to contradict your points in this setting, the article stands for itself. However, it is important to know that, in my belief, my affirmation of homosexuality is not an issue of “grace,” it is a matter of truth. Though I sense I am throwing stones at a mountain here, I would suggest you build genuine relationship with the LGBT community with a true openness to hearing their stories. Additionally, I would suggest studying the passages that seem to condemn homosexuality in scripture, seeking out sources that do so from a perspective and scholarship that comes to an entirely different conclusion then yours. You will likely be surprised to learn that there are Jesus loving, Bible loving, truth seeking, super scholarly people out there who read the same Bible as you and come to completely different conclusions than yours; homosexuality being just one of many issues. You may even be confronted with information, scholarship, and revelation that totally turns your faith inside out and upside down. This is the fear that many have that prevents them from questioning, exploring, and considering views, scholarship, and biblical understanding that challenge long held beliefs. Blessings to you, Chris. Thanks for your readership.

  36. Brien

    Unfortunately, and common to religious disbate, is the erroneous presumption.
    This article discusses the damage of evangelical versus fundamentslist actions when both in all forms is destructive to the welfare of humanity.
    Niether of these forms can show proof for the actual existence of any gods.
    Humanity has passed the point in our intellectal , scientific, and social levels that we no longer haave need for the construct of religions.
    Science has answered the questions of the universe that religion used to pretend to answer, and we no longer need the mental crutch of empty after-life promises.
    In fact, it is these very promises of paradise and/or threat which are so damaging to our human psyche.
    We need to emphasise honesty and human ethics to progress further in our social and mental evolution.

    • Adam

      In the naturalistic world view on what basis can you call anything good or bad? Can science provide a basis for an objective standard of morality. Your statement was not a scientific statement but rather an opinion or abstract idea of what you think is true, not based on science.

      • Brien

        If that were an opinion only, then you have the proof necessary to refute that opinion – right?!
        We do not use science to try to prove something does not exist; we use scientific method to observe facts and analyse those facts.
        Another fact is that you don’t have any facts to show the existence of a Jesus, nor can you prove the existence of a god.
        Think out your arguments before you print them – you are at an elementary level , so up your game.

        • Adam

          If there is a supernatural world that exists beyond the natural world we cannot expect to use natural means of measuring or investigating the supernatural in order to find out anything about it. This is a category error. Its similar to a person saying that the beauty of a peacock feather can be measured by weighing it. Or that i can measure love with the Fahrenheit scale. We cannot logically expect to find evidence for the existence or non existence of a transcendent personal being that exists outside of nature by using only that which exists in nature. Your argument appears to be leaning toward a naturalistic world view in that the only means of investigation are implied to be scientific and that knowledge beyond science is not possible. William Lane Craig famously listed five areas that can’t be explained through science: logical and mathematical truths, metaphysical truths, ethical beliefs, aesthetic judgements, and science itself.
          322 words

  37. Kevin

    I’ve been saying this for years,.. I love you man!!!

    • ckratzer

      Thanks Kevin, keep saying it!

  38. Otis Pishaw

    Have actually read the bible?

  39. Brandon Sorenson

    Being from a Pagan background, I find it interesting from a backseat view. I’m an outsider to all of this, while often having myself, or others, deal with the brutal mindset of these people. Being a Texas native, the Conservative Christian Capital, I am often appalled at their antics. I’m glad to live in a democracy, for now, and am thankful I do not necessarily need to hide my faith, or my self. I know several good-natured Christians, Muslims, and Jews. But, I remain wary. I, and my folk, may have to leave this country, for our own survival, if the Fundamentalists have their way. Never again, the Burning. Never again, the pogroms.

    • ckratzer

      Brandon, I am so sorry for your experiences and understandable fears. I appreciate you sharing a bit of your story and stand with you in support of your voice. You have been heard. Blessings to you.

  40. Charissa Grace White

    thank you for this scintillating writing.

    one small correction…no one really knows how many people commit suicide due to their gender issues. often, those who do so are not out to anyone, and sometimes not even to themselves, but nevertheless are deeply afflicted by gender dysphoria…which, come to think of it, is a very apt metaphor for the schizophrenic mentality of evangelical christians…

    the stat you referenced about 40% of transhumans committing suicide…that is slightly misstated. That 41% figure is in reference to those of us who have ATTEMPTED suicide. Think of it: if 41% of cisgender humans attempted…

    Other stats in that study include even more frightening stats, 80% of us have suicidal ideation…

    The only real “fix” for a transperson is transition, and that drops the statistical rates down to the same as for the rest of humanity.

    Thanks again for a great article, and God Bless
    Charissa

    • ckratzer

      Charissa, thank you for your encouragement and statistical info.!

  41. Scott, CECHM in California

    “Where you have a perceived spiritual justification for the condemnation, labeling, and judgement of others, there you will find every kind of hellish manifestation on earth—racism, sexism, discrimination, hatred, violence, murder, war, homophobia, bigotry, nationalism, elitism, misogyny, legalism, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, division, condemnation, and all the like.”

    Kind of like the way you have labeled and judged us Conservative Evangelical Christians as perpetrating the worst evil on earth?

    Do you know what Jesus would like me to say to you? Or do you just want to hear me agree with you?

    Well, here is what came to my mind:

    Judas was chosen by Jesus, along with the other eleven men, to follow Him and learn from Him for three years. Judas chose not to trust in Jesus.

    The thief on the cross next to Him was not given grace until he chose to trust in Jesus.

    Saul was confronted and blinded by Jesus. Saul chose to trust in Jesus. Saul regained his sight and became Apostle Paul.

    Jesus told us the parable of the talents. Each man chose what to do with what he was given. Their rewards and fate were judged by what they had done.

    God chooses us. We must respond with trust in God or trust in ourselves. Our rewards and fate are determined by our response.

    I trust what God has said and done. Both in His Holy Word and in the details of the reality that He has created. It is therefore my responsibility to tell you that you have made some wrong judgments. It is not so much that I wish to impose my beliefs upon you, but rather that I am commanded to disciple, love, and pray for you and I will be judged upon my efforts and upon my results. However, I truly wish for you to benefit from God’s blessings as much or even more than I can. Of course this means that you would have to change some of your beliefs and behaviors, but it would be for your temporal and eternal benefit to do that. This all may be slightly arrogant for me to claim, but it is nowhere near as arrogant as saying that you are nothing more than a worthless, hairless, short-lived ape. And it is certainly not an EVIL message; for you have nothing to fear from me. If I am wrong, you are fine. If I am right, it is not me whom you should fear anyway; only fear God who will judge us all.

    • Brien

      “Do you know what Jesus would like me to say to you? ”
      This is going to be your answer; your reply is one mythical person’s spurious remarks ? ?

      The Bible is a compendium of fire side tales and fables recounted orally for generations, until writing was invented and then again many different sources and versions were written down.
      There were no grand central universities to organise the many various versions of these origin stories.
      They were for entertainment and to answer the many mysteries of our universe, since there was no science yet.

      This is the old Testament.
      The ‘new’ Testes is also hearsay since these letters, ‘gospels’ and stories were written by the loyal faithful, not by objective historians at that particular time, or by any contemporary writers, and written many years after the supposed events of this mythical Jesus. Thus, there is no verifiable evidence of a Jesus.

      Then many of these stories, not all, were compiled by one self-absorbed converted Roman Emperor for his expressed purpose of conquest and control of the people. He recognised that this was the perfect religion/mythology for domination of the populace. Half the ‘christian’ letters and ‘gospels’ were ignored and none are have been proven to be authenticated in regards to any Jesus.
      This Jesus person is a convenient myth.

      This ‘Bible’ is backed up by absolutely no facts and evidence.

      In fact, this fraud, to intelligent people is the reason why religions in general, and christianity specifically is reprehensible and offensive.
      It also appears that the more absurd the belief – the more vicious the followers are in their fanaticism.

      • Scott, CECHM in California

        “This ‘Bible’ is backed up by absolutely no facts and evidence.”

        This is far from truth and you should know that since you claim to be an intelligent person.

        However, it is your assertions that are backed up by absolutely no facts or evidence.

        Also, as an intelligent person, you should recognize the great good that Christianity specifically has provided to people for centuries in the form of schools, universities, clinics, hospitals, adoption agencies, counselling, encouragement, etc.

        Truth is often absurd. And so is history. That does not make it absurd to believe it. Nor does necessitate one being vicious. But if you compare Christianity to Darwinian Evolution, it is quite clear which one is both greater in absurdity and viciousness. At least it should be to an intelligent person.

        • Brien

          Whoa! Were you home schooled?! You did not pay any attention to the sciences?? Science is based on observable fact! Evolution is not up for debate.
          Your Bable has as much fact as a Sherlock Holme’s book – the locations are there and the stories are not.

          • Scott, CECHM in California

            Now Brien,

            Did you mean the scientists? Or their scientism?

            I agree that evolution as a theory of origins is definitely not up for debate. It has been well proven to be an insufficient explanation for some time now.

            You really should give the Bible more credit than that. It contains much more verifiable facts than any work of fiction needs. Only someone wishing to chronicle actual history would include so many verifiable and strange facts.

            BTW – Homeschoolers often do much better with STEM than public schools. I only wish that I could have been homeschooled, like our three kids. They have so much more education than I had at twice their age. I really am jealous of their educational opportunities.

            Oh, I almost forgot. When has the evolution of one organism into a more complex organism ever been observed and repeated? I think you forgot to mention that it also must be repeatable. Right?

            And, I was thinking also of asking you to consider Christian music, architecture, and art through the ages. They really have been a significant benefit to people as well. I may not be the smartest CEC, but there are and have been millions of them through the centuries. I really think it is wrong to slight the intelligence of so many brilliant Christians that have done so much good in this world because of their faith, their love of God, and their love of others.

          • Brien

            Unbelievable Idiocy!
            Your inability, and obvious refusal, to understand any science is no excuse to be downright stupid!
            And just what ‘facts’ do you think you can verify from your silly book?
            Btw, any accomplishments of ‘christian’ music etc was developed by humans, regardless of a belief.
            If you cannot provide actual proof, just shut up – these vile excuses for your beliefs is insulting to human intelligence.

          • Scott, CECHM in California

            Hi Brien,

            I think it would be idiotic of me to post links to all the articles and books that have been written that support my beliefs. You would not read them nor agree with them even if you did read them. You have obviously made up your mind to believe that science has better answers than Christianity can provide. I just wish you could elaborate a little more than your terse statements. I haven’t studied evolution, so you likely know much more about it than I do. I have always wondered how the chemicals came together to form the first amino acids, and where the DNA or RNA came from that coded for a functional protein, then where the ribosome came form that assembled those amino acids into proteins, and how the first proteins just happened to have enough functional shapes to form a cell, and then how the first cell survived and reproduced, and then how one cell became multi-cellular, and then how diversification of cells arose all the way to the panoply of species that have lived upon this planet. I have only heard magical stories of possibly or probably how this all could have happened by random mutation and natural selection. I have never heard any of the observable facts that you mentioned about evolution. Do you have a link to something that shows these observable facts?

        • Brien

          The link to science and DNA etc is http://www.HighSchool.com.
          What is the proof for a jesus – it is not there. Just letters and hearsay gossip and nothing by objective writers of that time. Show your proof!

  42. Scott, CECHM in California

    Look, guys. Life is short and time keeps on ticking and it’s getting late. So, let me cut to the chase like you all seem to do.

    What is so great about peculiar sexuality that it has become your main freedom to pursue at the expense of all that is good and right and true?

    I mean, as you have asked, “What the Hell…?”

    Does it not occur to you all, for example:

    No amount of surgery can make a man into a woman, but psychotherapy can help him overcome his dysphoria.

    Two men cannot mate and reproduce as a man and woman do, and therefore cannot be equal to them in relationship.

    Men who have sex with men typically do so by penetrating the beginning or end of the digestive tract with their reproductive organ, delivering their sperm (genetic bullet with outboard motor designed to penetrate egg cell wall with chemical solvent) along with its immunosupressive seminal fluid and any STI’s into some of the most absorptive tissue in the human body.

    OK, and let me ask this:

    How can you consider it vicious and evil for me to tell you these truths?

    Even though you know these things to be true, you will still label, judge, and dismiss me and my words out of hand just for bringing them up. Right?

    Well, there is so much more good that comes from being a Conservative Evangelical Christian that I really think you all should give it more consideration than your caricatures and dismissals have done. Not only do we CEC’s have hope for the afterlife, but, contrary to the charge of schizophrenic mentality, we enjoy better sex, safer sex, stronger families, stronger friendships, true camaraderie with people of all sorts, and I could go on and on, but let me end this one now. You all should become CEC’s like me. You’ll likely live longer, healthier, better lives, and if we CEC’s are right, you’ll be there with us in the afterlife as our eternal brothers and sisters. If we CEC’s are wrong, none of this matters one bit anyway, as we will all soon be dust in the wind.

    Now I have to go kiss and hug my CEC wife and our three CEC children and tuck them into their CEC beds so we can all go to sleep and dream our CEC dreams.

    BTW – Guys, since we’ll likely never meet in this life, I’ll just hope and pray that we meet in the afterlife. Hope that’s not too vicious, evil, or absurd for you.

    • J H Robbins

      You write – “Since we’ll likely never meet in this life, I’ll just hope and pray that we meet in the afterlife. Hope that’s not too vicious, evil, or absurd for you”.
      You don’t hope this for one minute. You want your afterlife as sanitized as you wish this life were. I’m just sorry that you and your CEC wife have only experienced connubial relations three times – since apparently that’s all you think sex is all about.

      • Scott, CECHM in California

        Hi J H,

        Since the afterlife is eternal, I actually hope it is as sanitized as the Apostle John describes in Revelation chapter 21. Why would I not wish for everyone to be there too? Don’t you wish that I could experience more pleasure, at least with my wife? So, why is it so hard for you to believe that I would wish eternal pleasure for all who read this, including you?

      • James Aitkins

        Lol!!!

    • sophia

      so what. here are your facts:

      1. No amount of surgery can make a man….
      2. Two men cannot mate and reproduce..
      3. Men who have sex with men.. (ewww – how often do you think about this stuff??? something about sensitive tissues…)
      OK, and let me ask this:
      How can you consider it vicious and evil for me to tell you these truths?

      i don’t consider it “vicious and evil.” actually – you are nothing to me – just as i am to you. a new fleeting connection of electrons. i could care less what you think. are they “right” these facts of yours? who cares – it is interpretation on a personal level. have you any of these predilections from which you extract understanding?

      but… “You all should become CEC’s like me.” (and I have a gay agenda?)

      We have lived your agenda as if it were a given, culturally, but it is not. By what right does your cultural christianity pass judgement and evangelize? you clearly know little of the issues of being anyone unlike yourself, like gay or trans, yet we exist.

      can you not see that “what you think is right” is merely your belief system – easily labelled as “AMER/XIAN/CAUC CULTURE INSTALL v 20.16”.

      So what – you have beliefs. So do I. Whatever.

      What you think you have is moral imperative, which is really just a known bug in people who cannot imagine seeing outside of their own culture’s standards. AMER/XIAN/CAUC CULTURE INSTALL v 20.16. is as riddled with bugs as most every other cultural bias.

      I exist as do you. I have no desire that you or your family cease to exist or “join my side” (duality much?) – can you not just leave me alone. i have no advice to give you on your life nor the presumptuousness to comment on that i know little of.

      a what? a KEK? CCHEC? whatever that means i know you are a human. so am i.

      • James Aitkins

        Sophia, i love that respone.

  43. Tori Browning

    Chris, I agree with what you said in the article 100%. I’ve been a faithful Christ Follower for well over 45 years, and I’ve always seen the Evangelicals/Fundamentalists as a modern-day incarnation of the Pharisees. If you read the words of Jesus, both describing and berating the Pharisees, you will find much in common with our current crop of Evangelicals/Fundamentalists.

    Also, I love the concept of “Grace”, but to many that is a confusing term. I think it’s far better to say that “We are saved by the unconditional love of God and Christ”.

    • ckratzer

      Tori, so great to have you read my article and take time to comment! Thanks so much, it’s an honor to connect with you!

  44. JoelG

    I just saw your article on internet monk, clicked the link and just read this. Thank you for having the balls to write this. You are not alone my friend. It’s nice to find someone who articulates how I think these days. So thank you.

    • ckratzer

      Thanks Joel, you are not alone!!

  45. Shane

    I’ve been following your blog for about year now and it seems to come down to this, you’ve replaced one hatred for another. You constantly rip apart, bash, and spew vile contempt and hatred at conservative Christians. And many times your arguments, as this post is an example of, is filled with tons of words that seem to go nowhere and with extremely little to no scripture to back up your bashing. Where is the love you go on about? I’ll tell you this, if you are trying to get those of us who disagree with you to come around to your line of thinking, titles such as “Why Evangelical Christianity is the Worst Evil Ever Manifested Upon the Earth” or “Is Evangelical Christianity the AntiChrist?” is counterproductive.

    Sure it’s great click-bait and you can rally your supporters, but replace “evangelical” or “conservative” with “LGBT” or “homosexual”. As you well know there are “christians” who have made those statements and worse, putting every horrible thing that has happened in the world on the back of homosexuals. Wasn’t it Pat Robertson who said homosexuals brought on 9-11? Or was that Falwell? Either way that was supremely asinine.

    In my eyes (a conservative, evangelical Christian) you are equal to them and the Phelps clan. Spreading hate through your self-perceived righteousness. I’m not claiming to be persecuted, it’s my choice to come to your site and read about what a horrible person I am. I enjoy opinions that differ from mine and yours definitely does. In another post you say, “I love you, and I am one of you,” but I have to say, if this is love I’d shudder to feel your hatred. Feel free to continue down the path of hatred if you wish, but I hope you don’t plan on changing many people’s minds. As Paul says in Ephesians 4:15, speak truth in love. If what you say is really true you probably can drop the hate.

    • Brien

      As Brien 19:50 says: Show proof for your god(s) and proof for your claims by your religion.
      Otherwise all that you have is a lie.

  46. Tom

    The just shall live by faith….requirement? Without faith it is impossible to please God……requirement?

    • ckratzer

      contextually, no and no. “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” Jn 12:47

  47. Michael Lindholm

    Bravo, Chris! This has been needing to be said for decades. I extricated myself from the clutches of one of these evil cults 13 years ago, and decided that my personal relationship with Christ doesn’t need an intermediary. The “Church” today is all about political meddling and making huge amounts of money. Salvation in any form is empty and material.

    The adherents of evangelicalism have taken the very “Mark of the Beast” they warn the rest of us about taking. And Donald Trump is their antichrist.

    • ckratzer

      Michael, thanks for reading and taking the time to comment, sure appreciate your encouragement!

  48. Clarke Bucknell

    Now that’s what I’m talking bout. You just added another hole to my ceiling!

    • ckratzer

      Amen Clarke!

  49. Rich Koster

    Hello, Chris! I just started reading your stuff and I don’t have time right now to make a thorough response. I do agree with those who say you are painting with a too-wide brush those whom you call CECs. In my experience, many do not practice their claimed theology of salvation. Many I know are authentically kind, generous, compassionate, and committed to the pursuit of liberty and justice for all. But there is also another group of people for whom the Gospel of pure grace falls on deaf ears – those Christian Universalists who fervently believe that every human being must make a personal affirmation of faith in Jesus Christ in order to receive eternal life; and/or those who say that we all have to shape up in some way to be fit to be received into heaven. Some kind of CU purgatory, that is. More on that later. Hang in there!

  50. James Aitkins

    I am noticing an interesting disconnect in the dissenting comments defending CEC.

    The article itself attacks the faulty, exclusionary belief system that Chris losely, though exclusively, refers to as Conservative Evangelical Christianity. This while I see many of its defenders lauding the benefits of a moral lifestyle.

    When evangelicals defend their faith by completely bypassing the more scathing parts of the critique and focus instead on its few benefits, it is a little like disagreeing with someone who rhetorically remarks that no one would want to live on the surface of the sun. If we were to follow the CEC logic, we could imagine them responding something like this…

    ‘Why not?’ they’d say. ‘It would be sunny, like, pretty much every day!’

    Evangelicals: no one is attacking the benefits of being married and raising well adjusted kids. The article is making the point (perhaps more acerbically than necessary in some places) that Conservative Evangelical Christianity does not work for the individual believer, long term. And, therefore, it doesn’t work for the world.

    It leads to burnout for the individual. It leads to silly denominational squabbles among its tens of thousands of sects. It has led to violence. It leads to bitter resentments among the most (on the outside, looking in) who feel targeted by its exclusionism. This, sadly, leads many toward unbelief anything God-related. All of these contribute to a general disillusionment among both those in the CEC faith and those who are shut out of it. The factual basis of each of the above sentences are so demonstrably true that literally millions of examples could be offered in support of each.

    So, when a conservative evangelical Christian responds to all of this by essentailly saying, ‘Well, at least it’s sunny pretty much every day,’ I tend to think such a level of disconnect deserves no response at all.

    No response at all… except to point out that a fact not denied with arguments in opposition are facts acquiesced to.

  51. Connie Hansen

    I don’t know what to say, except Wow!! And, Thank you. I will share this with everyone I know in hopes that they can finally, maybe, understand me. I do not possess the gift of being able to put my thoughts into written words on paper. You have done it for me, so thank you. This kind of gospel could be the path to real peace in this world.

    • ckratzer

      Thank you Connie, the honor is mine. Let’s stay connected!

  52. CJ

    I love Jesus. I love the word of God. I love freedom in the holy spirit. So thankful following Christ is not a religion and am saddened by the many ways Christianity has become another religion. Religion separates man and God, denies reach, but Jesus came to tear the veil so we can enjoy the glory of His presence face to face and walk in wisdom, discernment, revelation and rest. I could testify for days about what a personal friend and savior Jesus is. He loves the world. Every tongue, tribe and nation. Every broken vessel. Every marginalized person. Every wounded warrior. Everyone in the shadows. The forgotten. Those locked up in darkness. The voiceless and victimized. How amazing that because of His blood, we all get a place at the table. We are all accepted. We are all valuable. We all are forgiven. We all have an identity and a purpose. We all have a place in His Kingdom–not an earthly kingdom (Jesus did not come to function like an earthly kingdom), but a heavenly one. He is a GOOD Father who offers us free gifts to receive.

    Much connection can be found between Biblical Pharisees, fundamentalists/legalists and modern day evangelicals (generally speaking, of course, as there are always exceptions to the rule!) ☺ But in all things those of us who love Him need to keep an open heart and mind and respect the journey each of us is on. Unity is powerful. It’s how the world will know Jesus sent us! We can agree to disagree and still love extravagantly…Our job as authentic Christ followers is to be a healthy tree. “You will know a tree by it’s fruit”. And, “the fruit of the spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control; against such things there is no law”. In addition, there is fruit from living above reproach and in an uncompromising way personally, through the help of holy spirit, so that the enemy cannot use our character and integrity against our witness. We are in the world, but not OF the world.

    Two scriptures on my heart:
    Philippians 1:18 & 1 Corinthians 9:9-24
    Wow!!!

    The goal under the new covenant is simple (paraphrase):
    1. Love God
    2. Love your neighbor

    In all things let’s press into and allow ourselves to be stretched beyond what may be familiar and comfortable (or even standard practice) to find effective ways to get the truth of Jesus into the hands of those who need His unconditional love most. Anything that gets in the way of this, should make us check our hearts. Jesus came to model how the spirit of the law must take presidence over the letter of the law. And the great commission should be priority. So beautiful!

    Side note on politics: Jesus would not take a side. There are aspects/reflections of God’s heart on both sides and equally, gross misrepresentation on both sides. He always was concerned with our hearts and kept the main thing the main thing. Although, because of the gift of freewill, we should know why we support what we believe from a place of conviction and personal discernment.

    Billy Graham:
    “It’s God’s job to judge, holy spirit’s job to convict and my job to love.”

    Mother Teresa:
    “Live only for Jesus”.

    The Bible:
    “True religion is this; to love orphans and widows in their distress”.

    Thank you with much gratitude Chris: for engaging the truth you share authentically from the place the holy spirit has burdened your heart with–a form of love Jesus would often demonstrate: righteous indignation. There is a time and place for that! We each have a unique God call and mantle on our life and the Lord loves variety. He uses all kinds of voices (quiet and loud–remember the ‘crazy’ prophets!? Lol), denominations and platforms and even our individual personalities to glorify Him as we surrender to doing what the Father is doing, for such a time as this. I believe we are all encouraged to know that the tide is changing in the church, even as 2017 is a year it is being prophesied will see the church age ending and the kingdom age/era upon us and the restoration of all things back to a more original state. God is after the ones the traditional church has hurt the most and all the “untouchables” in this hour. Be blessed that God is greatly using your ministry and many others like it, to stir people’s hearts and get wheels turning! I also commend you for not allowing other people’s anger or blatent animosity in the comments to trip you up in sin, eliciting an angry reply. That is good fruit.

    To the many commenters on any side of the discussion: Much love!!! Thank you for your stories, perspective and vulnerability. They have touched my heart. Keep running the race! Keep wrestling with truth! Keep being raw and authentic and colorful and passionate in your times of talking to God! God is for you and cheers you on all the way! He will faithfully complete the good work He began in each of us and He adores those of you who have always marched to the beat of a different drum! He is not limited in His reach and passionately pursues people. He can (and is!) manifesting and encountering individuals with His tangible presence in very outside the box ways. Yes! This includes those in other religions, atheists, agnostics, occult members, satanists and every other group I may not have mentioned by name (Isaiah 65:1). Saul became Paul, remember? One touch from the Creator changed him radically. The Lord doesn’t want any to miss out on the party heaven will be…or on His goodness here in the land of the living, while we wait. The fullness of God’s kingdom in power: signs, wonders, miracles, healings, peace, love and joy in the holy spirit are accessible to us. Hallelujah. We have the opportunity to REpresent Jesus well and give others access, not keep them outside “the gates” or cause them to stumble. What a privilege and responsibility.

    For those led, please agree with me in prayer: “Give us more childlike faith, God. Open our eyes and ears to the spirit realm and the Ephesians 6 battle. Convict us where we need more compassionate hearts. Let us be quick to forgive. Let us be righteously angry when justice is lacking and cry with those who hurt. Let us celebrate others well and rejoice with them. Let us pray for our enemies and carry the ministry of reconciliation we have been entrusted with, as those who walk worthy of the call. Let us BE love everywhere we go–in generous measure. Touch and provide for every household represented and bring them into deeper communion with the living God. Set people free from religious spirits and condemnation. Bring wholeness & use each life as a planting for the display of your splendor. Make yourself known in the earth. Thank you Jesus! Amen.”

    And to all wounded by religion and Trump’s election: Please accept my apology as one voice of many, on behalf of Christ followers, for anything done intentionally or unintentionally that has misrepresented God’s heart. I’m so sorry! Keep your eyes on Jesus and don’t become jaded, because He never sinned and will never let you down. We humans, even when we try to do our best with holy spirit help, just plain fall short and make mistakes and don’t always get it right. In those times, we should operate in humility, asking forgiveness from God and people, and be restored through accountability and surrender. The church in its many forms is still a tool in the hand of God and for every atrocity committed, much genuine good is done too. God will and is bringing correction to the church where it is needed.

    Anything that consumes us beyond pure worship of the one true God is idolatry. This takes on many forms in society and within the church. It hurts our reach to a world that needs real hope. Let’s stay vigilant in our openness to let God prune anything from our hearts that isn’t honoring to Him. Balance in our walk is so important, because there is less black and white on most issues and many shades of grey: therein, lies the beauty. As followers of Jesus it’s not about having all the answers, but more about how the condition of our hearts is when we don’t have all the answers. How do we respond? Are we able to love well? This keeps us humble and dependant on God for discernment and wisdom. Dialoguing with those who aren’t exactly like us, when done in love and with respect, fuels progress, change and advances peace. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God”. The power of life and death are in the tongue according to scripture, so as we decree blessings and not curses over dead things (anything that is in need of an overhaul or resurrection), dry bones will be raised up (Ezekiel 37)!

    Let’s keep changing the world. We are better together.

    Here are a few resources many of you would enjoy and have blessed my life:

    Frank Viola’s book: “Pagan Christianity”

    Tony Campollo and Shane Claiborne’s movement:
    redletterchristians.org

    Andrew Marin’s incredible testimony and work: http://www.loveisanorientation.com

    The website and magazine “Christianity without Religion formerly, Plain Truth Ministries” at: http://www.ptm.org

    The ministry and testimony of Todd White–check him out on YouTube.

    The ministry of prophet Doug Addison. He has a proven track record of accuracy and moves in a huge heart of love and encouragement. His blog post from 1-10-17 is full of HOPE!
    http://dougaddison.com/2017/01/prophetic-word-for-2017-get-your-hopes-up/

    Also, a huge revival focused on love, unity, family (spiritual and natural) and the glory of God is happening in San Marcos, CA five nights a week. As well, extended revival meetings are going on in Seattle WA. This outpouring of God’s presence is expected to go through the continental USA and then globally. The San Marcos meetings hit their one yr anniversary on 1-25-17. It is an incredible and legitimate move of God. They preach the word and the holy spirit and radical miracles are happening. Many wonderful revivalists, prophetic teachers and worship musicians are all coming together to help facilitate what God’s doing in a collaborative effort. I personally have had two physical healings just watching via livestream. Check out: “Fire & Glory outpouring” or Jerame Nelson’s YouTube page. For directions and a full meeting schedule, visit:
    livingathisfeet.org

    Bless you all!

  53. Sherry

    No words for how important this post is. Thank you.

  54. Didi

    Lovely article

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