Noah interviews Dr. Andrew Bauman on the alarming stats and stories of women in the church who have been sexually abused and sexually harassed by Christian men and pastors. This epidemic has roots in our theology, our problem with porn, and the power dynamics of the church.
The Lies of Lust: Stolen Humanity
“My dad told me it’s okay to look, as long as you don’t touch,” a large, well-past-puberty 8th grader once told me with a smile.
This boy’s father passed on to him the idea that objectification doesn’t hurt anyone. This is a lie. It’s a lie the father had bought into and has now passed on to his son. It’s a lie from culture that many of us have bought into as well.
One could argue that it’s better to look and not touch than it is to give unwanted touches, which is obviously true. This is probably what this father was trying to teach his son. But the fact that unwanted touches bring great harm does not mean that “looking without touching” is a victimless crime, as this dad had led his son to believe.
Shame vs. the Gospel – Is God pleased with you?
…it’s so deeply ingrained in me that I need to perform for him to really be pleased with me. So I strive and strive and strive. And it’s never enough. And it never will be enough. And the emptiness of that just kills me.
Why Churches Should Not Publicly Observe Mother’s Day
At church growing up, they would always have all moms stand up and then ushers would walk around and give each mom a carnation. While I understand the heart behind this, there are several significant reasons this and other Mother’s Day observations / celebrations should not be done in church: 1. Many women have had […]