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Let me extend a friendly welcome to all you new followers who found me via my latest article, "Authoritarian Christians are Deliberately Undermining the Public Health Response to Coronavirus"
https://conversationalist.org/2020/03/27/authoritarian-christians-are-deliberately-undermining-the-public-health-response-to-coronavirus/
Here's a thread about what I do with some recent highlights
https://conversationalist.org/2020/03/27/authoritarian-christians-are-deliberately-undermining-the-public-health-response-to-coronavirus/
Here's a thread about what I do with some recent highlights
In December of last year, my and @laureneoneal's Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church, an anthology of personal essays by former evangelicals, Catholics, and Mormons, was published. This is my first published book project: https://www.amazon.com/Empty-Pews-Stories-Leaving-Church/dp/1946093076
One hope I have for the book is that it will help to secure a place in the elite public sphere for leavers from high-demand religions. Our "pundit class" and government have been coddling even authoritarian Christians for far too long. Former fundamentalists have key insights.
In December, @laureneoneal and I were happy to join @anamariecox on @crooked_friends to discuss the book and the broader implications:
https://crooked.com/podcast/the-giant-negging-pick-up-artist-in-the-sky/
#MondayMotivation #EmptyThePews
https://crooked.com/podcast/the-giant-negging-pick-up-artist-in-the-sky/
#MondayMotivation #EmptyThePews
And in January, Empty the Pews received a largely favorable review in @washingtonpost:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/personal-stories-of-the-exodus-from-christianity/2020/01/16/7594a8f8-1472-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html
#TuesdayMorning #EmptyThePews
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/personal-stories-of-the-exodus-from-christianity/2020/01/16/7594a8f8-1472-11ea-a659-7d69641c6ff7_story.html
#TuesdayMorning #EmptyThePews
Before Empty the Pews was a book, it was a hashtag I coined in August 2017 to protest the Christian Right for continuing to support Donald Trump after the "Unite the Right" rally at Charlottesville and his "very fine people on both sides" comments. The idea was as follows...
People could share their stories of leaving toxic Christianity for better religion or no religion as their own consciences dictate. In so doing, we would put right-wing Christian leaders on notice that they are losing the youth, losing numbers.
#TuesdayThoughts #EmptyThePews
#TuesdayThoughts #EmptyThePews
I've been proud to discuss #EmptyThePews with inclusive, progressive Christians who are willing to listen and who understand that the hashtag is not anti-religious as such.
Take this interview in @Sojourners for example: https://sojo.net/articles/what-should-you-do-when-your-church-does-not-condemn-hatred
Take this interview in @Sojourners for example: https://sojo.net/articles/what-should-you-do-when-your-church-does-not-condemn-hatred
I've also been proud to discuss #EmptyThePews multiple times with the wonderful @WeltonGaddy on @StateofBelief Radio:
https://stateofbelief.com/segments/emptying-the-pews/ https://stateofbelief.com/segments/emptythepews-chris-stroop/
https://stateofbelief.com/segments/emptying-the-pews/ https://stateofbelief.com/segments/emptythepews-chris-stroop/
Other hashtags I've started have also trended and created some interesting discussions about religion and politics. Take, for example, #ChristianAltFacts: https://www.pajiba.com/politics/christianaltfacts-is-why-america-is-a-dumpster-fire.php
And #ExposeChristianSchools, which was attacked by 4Chan trolls, The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, Fox & Friends, and more:
https://apnews.com/4202bedd44b54572a74dc152dbb65b72 https://cstroop.com/2019/02/04/setting-the-record-straight-on-exposechristianschools-why-the-media-must-not-cede-coverage-of-ex-evangelicals-to-the-right/
https://apnews.com/4202bedd44b54572a74dc152dbb65b72 https://cstroop.com/2019/02/04/setting-the-record-straight-on-exposechristianschools-why-the-media-must-not-cede-coverage-of-ex-evangelicals-to-the-right/
I'm a Christian school graduate myself. I've blogged a fair bit about that experience. And before I was a full-time writer, speaker, and advocate, I was trying to make it in academia. I have a Ph.D. in modern Russian history that I've also used to write about foreign policy.
Here are some blog posts on my background in the Christian Right, which I've come to oppose tooth and nail:
https://cstroop.com/2017/03/06/educated-evangelicals-academic-achievement-and-trumpism-on-the-tensions-in-valuing-education-in-an-anti-intellectual-subculture/
https://cstroop.com/2018/06/14/escape-from-jesus-land-on-recognizing-evangelical-abuse-and-finding-the-strength-to-reject-the-faith-of-our-fathers/
#MondayNight #EmptyThePews
https://cstroop.com/2017/03/06/educated-evangelicals-academic-achievement-and-trumpism-on-the-tensions-in-valuing-education-in-an-anti-intellectual-subculture/
https://cstroop.com/2018/06/14/escape-from-jesus-land-on-recognizing-evangelical-abuse-and-finding-the-strength-to-reject-the-faith-of-our-fathers/
#MondayNight #EmptyThePews
And check out my contributions to @ForeignPolicy here: https://foreignpolicy.com/author/christopher-stroop/
Another big recent highlight for me was my invitation to join @Alyssa_Milano for an episode of her @sorrynotsorry podcast, where we did a real deep dive into the history of today's right-wing evangelicals.
I loved this chat
https://sorrynotsorrypod.com/episodes/empty-the-pews-with-ex-evangelical-chrissy-stroop/
#TuesdayMorning #EmptyThePews
I loved this chat
https://sorrynotsorrypod.com/episodes/empty-the-pews-with-ex-evangelical-chrissy-stroop/
#TuesdayMorning #EmptyThePews
I currently write regularly for @RDispatches, and I was previously a pretty frequent contributor to @Playboy:
https://religiondispatches.org/author/christopher-stroop/ https://www.playboy.com/profile/chrissy-stroop
https://religiondispatches.org/author/christopher-stroop/ https://www.playboy.com/profile/chrissy-stroop
And one of the pieces I'm most proud of having written that allowed me to bring my historian's training to bear on horrifying current events is this piece for @damemagazine on right-wing evangelicals and predatory adoptions:
https://www.damemagazine.com/2018/10/01/are-evangelical-adoption-agencies-stealing-children/
#writerslife #EmptyThePews
https://www.damemagazine.com/2018/10/01/are-evangelical-adoption-agencies-stealing-children/
#writerslife #EmptyThePews
If you want to read my more strictly scholarly work, peer-reviewed and other wonkier stuff, you can find that here:
https://uibk.academia.edu/ChristopherStroop
https://uibk.academia.edu/ChristopherStroop
Long story short, after graduating from Stanford I taught in Moscow, Russia, for three years and Tampa FL for another three. I then gave up chasing the tenure-track professorship dream.
I went home to live with my parents for a year and see if I could break through as a writer.
I went home to live with my parents for a year and see if I could break through as a writer.
As of now, that's sustainable. Last spring, I came out as a transgender woman, and last July I moved to Portland Oregon. I have regular writing gigs with @RDispatches and @Convo_ist. But I still depend on @Patreon and am so grateful for my patrons: https://www.patreon.com/cstroop
So there you have it. I'm Chrissy Stroop, and if you're reading this, then you're probably interested in the things I write. Thank you so much for that! I try to be pretty interactive #OnHere, so feel free to say hi.
End thread.
#MondayThoughts #EmptyThePews
End thread.
#MondayThoughts #EmptyThePews
