Porch Talk with Father Aaron
Welcome! Here we have conversations where the Christian faith interacts (or intersects) with topics found outside of the typical, safe church environment. We wanted to address the question: "What happens when a priest talks with people of the community about topics that are important to them, but not necessarily what you might hear Sunday morning?" Our church porch (or patio) was designed to facilitate these meaningful and authentic conversations, so we called this "Porch Talk." Join us!
Porch Talk with Father Aaron
"Cultish" Tendencies in Church with Gaylene Tupen
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Years ago, my sister, Gaylene Tupen, had read the book "Cultish" by Amanda Montell. That book had since been the catalyst to a series of conversations Gaylene and I enjoyed over time about some of the quirky religious experiences we remember from our youth. Eventually she agreed to talk about this here for others to enjoy as well. We talk about the use of special language to identify "insiders" and the use of fear as a control mechanism; tendencies that can grow into "religious malpractice" if left unchecked.