Silenced Voices, Unspeakable Questions: Lena Baird’s Story, Part One

“Gender roles didn’t just factor into literature class and dining hall discussions—they permeated campus culture.”

You Can’t Lace Geography Lessons with Jesus: A Response to Israel Wayne

“When we start imagining a bigger God, when we start prioritizing children over ideology and children’s lives over our so-called ‘freedoms’ — that’s when we’ll actually see a shift in the homeschooling movement.”

David Noebel, Summit Ministries, and the Evil of Rock: Jeri Lofland’s Thoughts

“In 1974, David Noebel was staggered when students confided to him that Billy James Hargis, ardent promoter of traditional morality and father of four, had had sex with several of them…In 1976, Hargis was forced to resign, and the school closed its doors the following year. Noebel went on to effectively ‘fold’ Christian Crusade into Summit Ministries, building it into a successful international worldview training/brainwashing center targeting all ages, but teenagers in particular.”

How I Learned To Stop Being Afraid and Love Other Religions: Part Two, When Buddhism Saved My Life

“What C. taught me about emotions is one of the most important lessons I have ever learned in my life. Growing in the conservative Christian homeschool world, where first-time obedience and purity culture were rampant, I was taught to distance myself from my emotions, to be afraid of them: Don’t be angry at adults. Anger is rebellion. Don’t look at attractive women. You will lust. Don’t be sad. You must set an example for others.”

Rewriting History — The History of America Mega-Conference: Part Four, Kevin Swanson Is Tired Of Losing

“Kevin Swanson, host of Generations Radio, has a long history of eccentric comments documented by Right Wing Watch, and he was no different in person. I’m not sure what troubled me more: Swanson’s acidic tone, or the hyperbolic content of his talk. His seething hatred for The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, and other 19th century writers was both irrational and unsettling.”

Homeschooled Girls and Trash Cans: Latebloomer’s Story, Part Seven

“From hanging around with people such as Scott Lively in my fundamentalist Christian homeschooling community, I understood the danger that America was facing from the gay agenda. I believed that the gay lifestyle was depraved and corrupt… Then one day I accidentally met a gay person.”