Burgeoning evangelical dis

Some thoughts I'm forming for an essay on the misguided philosophies of the evangelicals.

jem

***

An American evangelical Christian with whom I once did volunteer work told me that people commonly turn to his faith following some major life crisis. I was surprised by the admission: it seemed to undercut the presumed power of the religion, positioning evangelical Christianity as something people turned to for relief, like a drug, a thing to ingest to make the pain go away. Indeed, listen to any evangelical radio station for very long, and you’re likely to hear the confessional of the former drug abuser, testifying how he left behind his substance of choice once he found Jesus. It begs the question, of course, whether the addict substituted one addiction for another.

But the phenomenon of turning religious in the midst of despair also brings to mind a truism offered by a wise therapist who once advised me on selecting a suitable romantic partner: one is more successful when she chooses out of interest and desire rather than desperation. I’m familiar with the monumental effort it takes to sustain a belief system acquired through means other than self-discovery and conviction. When you know something to be good, true – from experience, observation, from a feeling deep in your heart – but your faith-based belief system tells you it is wrong, evil, what results resembles a battleground more than a peaceful, loving mindset. Of my evangelical volunteer friend, I found myself wondering whether, before his abrupt conversion, he had ever gone to therapy.