Thread by @C_Stroop

1. Evangelicals love to twist the meanings of words and phrases, appropriating human rights rhetoric for an ideology that rejects universal human rights.

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2. There's a disingenuousness in the way Evangelicals and other fundamentalists will change their framing and packaging for different audiences. It's cult-like.

3. Let me explain what I mean by "cult-like." Fundamentalists and cultists of all kinds operate with ends-justify-the-means tactics when it comes to drawing people in for conversions.

4. They actually do hash out these tactics and practices, strategize and theorize in creepy ways, in which potential converts are thoroughly objectified.

5. Common practices include "love bombing," which can be found in even "mainstream" Evangelical churches, even if they don't call it that.

6. Why do you think they have those free coffee and donuts available after church? Pastors are often not subtle about this - they want you to bring friends and/or talk to visitors so that they'll come back!

7. Maybe that seems normal enough, but it can start to seem less so when you realize it's not done simply in a spirit of neighborly good will, but with conversion to a very specific ideology as the goal.

8. And as non-denominational megachurches and churches inspired by them have adopted more corporate language and practices in their churches, conservative Evangelicals have gotten ever more savvy about rebranding and marketing.

9. Here's some commentary and a collection of tweets I wrote about growing up in that non-denominational-ish megachurch-inspired "hip," "relevant," yet still reactionary and abusive at its core Christianity:

chrisstroop.com/2017/08/09/of-…

#EmptyThePews

10. @JosiahMHesse's new piece for @guardian details a new phase in "hip" conservative Christianity - slick videos for kids with the gaslighting message that if you just accept Jesus, you automatically won't be gay:

theguardian.com/us-news/2018/j…

#EmptyThePews #SpiritualAbuse

11. The conservative, mostly white Evangelicals behind such campaigns do not care about the real human cost of preaching these messages, or how it's amplified when they use phrases like "love is love" and pretend to reject conversion therapy to draw people in.

12. But indeed, those obsessed with conversion - and ultimately with their own egos and insecurities and their ability to impose control, above any lived human experience - have been appropriating language for weaponized use on the mission field for a long time.

13. And I mean a very long time. Paul, the original obnoxious Christian missionary, was not above appealing to the altar to the unknown god in an attempt to convert Athenians.

14. Indeed, Paul wrote to the Corinthians about his manipulative strategies, the same way Evangelical leaders discuss what amounts to means of manipulation for achieving conversions today. biblegateway.com/passage/?searc…

15. And in these contexts, it's not uncommon to hear Paul's statement, "I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some," invoked.

16. But this isn't about any genuine embrace of pluralism or coexistence. In today's terms, it's about marketing and branding. It's about "form over function," to use language I heard ad nauseam growing up in megachurch-inspired "hip" Evangelicalism.

17. Here are some key points to remember. Anyone who wants to convert you is objectifying you. Sometimes this is quite overt, as in the practice of "friendship Evangelism" I was taught about growing up.

18. In their desire to convert you in order that they themselves can feel validated and in control - a deep need for paranoid personalities - they will try to redefine words and values that appeal to you. #Resist that. it's gaslighting.

19. And, again, this is not new. As @kaclk will attest, the same thing happens in Catholic natural law theology. In fact, it's one of the best examples of manipulative redefinition of words like "love" and "dignity" that I can think of.

20. Reeling vulnerable people in with a show of generosity and subtly, insidiously twisting the meanings of important words and concepts are the hallmarks of conversion efforts of toxic Christians and cultists.

21. These practices are abusive. When "love" is made to mean "do exactly what I say or be tortured forever," we're simply not talking about love anymore. What we have is textbook abuse. End thread.

salon.com/g00/2015/07/09…

#SpiritualAbuse #EmptyThePews #YouDontKnowEvangelicals

*function over form, that is. We could mess with the form a lot in order to reach people. It was called being “seeker sensitive.” A simpler word fly it is: “manipulation.” #EmptyThePews