Manipulated by Faith
My former life as a Fundamentalist Christian
Story submitted by Jay Wolf
This is a true story. It has been rolling around in my head since the political upheavals that are currently tearing our country apart began. The chaos and damage inflicted by Fundamentalist Christianity, a group I once belonged to, stirred within me a need to share my story. I experienced firsthand just how intolerant and hypocritical this group is as an organized movement over fifteen years ago. My goal here is not to stir political debate but to reach out to those who struggle with as I once did and encourage them that there is a better way. While the events are accurate, names have been changed.
I used to be a Fundamentalist Christian. After a troubled childhood and a yearning for belonging, my wife and I decided to look for a church home. We were both in our early 20’s. We managed to stumble into a church that seemed a perfect fit at the time. It belonged to the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). The pastor and parishioners were friendly, and the messages more than satisfied my need for absolutes at that time. Of course, there were exceptions, such as an active discouragement for modern music or secular learning. However, this was easy enough to overlook for us. We were done with college, and as for our love of contemporary music, well, they did…
