What's unintentionally comical about Rauser's post is that he himself epitomizes the angry deconvert syndrome. He constantly reminds us that he's a former fundamentalist, raised in a fundamentalist church/family. He constantly rails against fundamentalism. He finds it frustrating aggravating that he can't get most Christians or atheists to take his progressive theology seriously. He tries to discredit the testimony of angry deconverts, but he discredits his own deconversion testimony in the process. He acts like his personal experience growing up in a fundamentalist church/family makes him an authority on fundamentalism. Just like apostate atheists with the same background.
Yes, he is blind to his own inadequacy to be objective about fundamentalism. But otherwise, I think his point is well taken. For whatever reason, converts seem to develop a kind of amnesia (if not downright hostility) regarding their former faith commitment. I wouldn't expect Bryan Cross to accurately describe Calvinism. Or William Webster to impartially portray Catholicism. Or Joshua Harris to fairly depict the Sovereign Grace movement.
ReplyDeleteThe director of my master's thesis was one of the very, very few Evangelical professors to hold a position in the Religion department of a State University. He tried to get other Evangelicals to be considered for staff openings, all to no avail. At every opportunity he could, however, he opposed applicants who were former Evangelicals...because almost invariably they were as vehemently anti-Evangelical as it is possible to be. Kind of like Bart Ehrman.
Converts seem to have a tough time ridding themselves of that chip on their shoulder that naturally develops against the faith they have turned their backs toward and left. All its faults are magnified, and all its strengths reduced to ashes.