Assorted Projects

From time to time I spearhead a project here on the blog, often with collaboration from readers and contributors. Some of those I’ve done in the past include:

Raised Quiverfull

The Raised Quiverfull panel is a collaborative effort by nine young adults from families influenced by the Quiverfull movement have come together to answer questions about their upbringing. While all of the participants have questioned and rejected the quiverfull ideology they were raised with, their current beliefs and positions vary.

Raised Evangelical

In the Raised Evangelical project, young adults who were raised in evangelical and fundamentalist families but have since left those faith traditions have come together to answer questions about their upbringing and about leaving the beliefs of their childhood behind. These young adults come from an array of backgrounds (no two evangelical or fundamentalist families or churches are identical) and have today arrived at a variety of perspectives (while all will have left evangelicalism/fundamentalism, their beliefs today range from progressive Christian to atheist).

The Purity Rings Project

Many evangelical and fundamentalist teens wear purity rings, a product of what I call “the purity culture.” Sometimes these rings are gifted to them by a parent, often a father, or obtained through a youth group or purity campaign. Other times these rings are something these teens buy for themselves. Either way, every ring has a story, and no teen who wears one walks away unaffected. In the Purity Rings project, young adults who had purity rings as teens and have since come to question the rationale behind purity rings share their stories. Some stories are disturbing and others are inspiring. All are moving.

Forward Thinking: A Values Development Project

Forward Thinking is a collaborative venture with fellow Patheos blogger Dan Fincke of Camels with Hammers. At its center is an invitation to readers and fellow bloggers to participate in forming values and grappling with thorny questions.

Judaism 101

I’ve asked some of my Jewish readers if they would mind participating in a panel and answering questions about Judaism, and a number of them have agreed. The panel of participants I have put together includes individuals whose backgrounds and current beliefs and practice vary, meaning that this panel has the potential to effectively showcase the large variety of belief and practice within Judaism. This panel presents an opportunity to learn more about a religious tradition most of us know very little about, and also an opportunity to learn once again just how much more complicated life and belief is than the simple stories many of us were taught in Sunday school.

Homeschool Reflections

The modern homeschool movement began in the United States in the late 1970s; today, several million American children are being homeschooled. Parents choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons – religion, a child with special needs, a desire for a better education – and the outcome is similarly variable – some homeschooled children excel while others fail miserably. In the Homeschool Reflections project, young adults who were homeschooled as children share their stories.

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