Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Unfundamentalist Parenting

Home
Progressive Christian
Family, Parenting and Religion

2017-08-02T20:26:36+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Don’t Recruit Your Children for Culture Wars

Last updated on: August 2, 2017 at 8:26 pm By Cindy Brandt

Left vs. Right. Liberal vs. Conservative. Gay Rights vs. Religious Liberty. Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life. Evolution vs. Creationism. These are the culture wars of my generation. This the rhetoric woven into the evangelicalism of my upbringing. In just about every battle, I’ve fought hard on both sides, first on the right and now on the left, and I’m not sure which was harder—digging my heels in on either side, or making that painful transition from one to the other. Photo by Jason... Read more

2017-07-28T22:00:15+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Prodigal Mom

Last updated on: July 28, 2017 at 10:00 pm By Guest Contributor

I am thirty-three years old. I am holding my baby. I have come to worship. I am so anxious I can hardly breathe. Photo by Alex Hockett on Unsplash It feels like my heart is going to burst out of my chest. It feels like a constant struggle not to run away. It feels like my journey from ‘good Christian girl’ to ‘spiritual failure’ is complete. It has taken me months to come back to church since my girl was born. She... Read more

Uncategorized

2017-08-24T07:07:17+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Raising Children Without the Evangelical Savior Complex

Last updated on: August 24, 2017 at 7:07 am By Cindy Brandt

“People need the Lord ~~” I can’t tell you when I first heard this emotionally stirring chorus, but I can tell you that I was very young. Growing up evangelical, it was instilled into my impressionable spirit a sense of urgency to reach the world for Jesus. Soothing, meditative music was good. Cultivating a love for others was good. A sense of mission and responsibility to the world was good. Developing an unhealthy evangelical savior complex was baaaaaaad. Photo by Gabby... Read more

2017-07-19T11:09:22+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Teen Vogue, Anal Sex, and the Christian Response

Last updated on: July 19, 2017 at 11:09 am By Guest Contributor

I started following Teen Vogue back in the fall, when it first became clear that the editorial content had moved well beyond fashion trends and into the realm of politics. Here was a publication with a critical editorial vision and slant that lifted up marginalized voices — young women, people of color, queer folks (even pro-choice clergy!) – and spoke clearly about the impact of cis-het white (mostly male) privilege on its audience. Teen Vogue was connecting the dots. I... Read more

2023-06-02T23:58:47+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I Miss Pride Month

Last updated on: June 2, 2023 at 11:58 pm By Guest Contributor

I miss PRIDE Month already. I miss Facebook’s rainbow emoji’s, the vibrant colors and encouraging words woven throughout corporate ads and banners, and the sea of rainbow-clad children parting the streets of Huntsville, Alabama, and other townships and cities that intertwine to form the Bible Belt. I enjoyed marching alongside so many colorful comrades in this year’s PRIDE Parade. The lessons learned and love and laughter shared were invaluable. This is why I marched: I marched because I believe ALL... Read more

2017-07-12T22:38:15+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Family Drama, Bad Religion, and Shit Happens

Last updated on: July 12, 2017 at 10:38 pm By Cindy Brandt

Family life is unruly. And I’m not just talking about the teenager’s bedroom, I’m referring to the reality that shit happens, from the inconveniences of delayed flights on family vacations to life-altering blows of divorce, depression, or death. Image: Unsplash There is within us a human impulse to try to contain the chaos, to explain and control events of our life in a way that makes sense and brings comfort. Fundamentalist families provide this by prescribing life into a system... Read more

2017-07-05T19:29:14+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Don’t Ask Your Child to Forgive

Last updated on: July 5, 2017 at 7:29 pm By Cindy Brandt

Growing up fundamentalist, forgiveness was an indispensable part of Christian life. Embedded in the gospel was the narrative of God’s forgiveness of our sins, and our subsequent reflection of God’s grace through our own forgiveness of others. ‘Forgive us, as we also forgive others,’ Jesus taught us to pray. There is depth and spiritual wisdom in the call to forgive that lead to powerful stories of healing, reconciliation from individual and family discord to large scale social/political schisms. And yet.... Read more

2017-07-04T00:02:42+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

VBS Alternatives for UnFundy Parents

Last updated on: July 4, 2017 at 12:02 am By Anna Skates

Summer is upon us. For parents, this means day camps, pool days, and for church folk – Vacation Bible School. VBS is fun-filled, over-the-top, and often chaotic but gosh, some of my fondest memories as a kid were those I made at VBS. There’s something special about a space carved out in the church during the summer that’s just for kids. However… Many of us who have deconstructed (or are in the process of deconstructing) our own childhood faith cringe... Read more

Uncategorized

summer

VBS

2017-06-26T23:21:16+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Parenting Without Spanking

Last updated on: June 26, 2017 at 11:21 pm By Ryan Stollar

In two recent posts, I took issue with the practice of corporal punishment against children. First, I said it’s high time that the church starts talking openly about physical punishment if we’re going to get serious about ending child abuse. And second, I argued that corporal punishment is inherently violent and violence against children is never okay. In this third post I want to offer resources to parents who are interested in pursuing alternatives to corporal punishment. General parenting... Read more

2017-06-26T23:21:47+08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Is it Possible to Maintain Healthy Relationships with Fundamentalist Family?

Last updated on: June 26, 2017 at 11:21 pm By Cindy Brandt

E asks, Hello, Cindy! I was hoping to receive some advice regarding creating and maintaining positive relationships between my children and their fundamentalist grandparents and other family members. I was raised in a fundamentalist family, where I was homeschooled and forbidden to have “secular” relationships with people, including cousins and neighbors. I’m now 34, married with two children, I have a degree in early child development and my husband is a high school teacher. We attend a Christian church that... Read more

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Hebrew word "Chokmah", often used in Proverbs, mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Wisdom Fear Strength Knowledge

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Progressive Christian