Child liberation theologian, child and survivor advocate. Learn more about my work: www.rlstollar.com. He/him.
I cannot stress enough the power of realizing that you are not alone. You are not crazy for thinking that aspect of church or God or the Bible hurt you so much. There is a reason it hurts—because it hurts other people, too.
You Are Not Your Own: And Other Lies Evangelicalism Taught MeCreative commons courtesy of Pixabay, Patrizia08. By Ryan Stollar “You best learn to live while you’re alive.” — Cloud Cult Healing from any trauma, but especially religious traum…vashtiinitiative.orgThis is like saying the once-rights of slave owners or husbands (property owner rights) are the same as the rights of enslaved people or wives (people once considered property by law). This nonsense is a brazen abuse of children's rights.
Jonathan Lange: Parental Rights Are Children’s RightsColumnist Jonathan Lange writes, “Every enforcement tool from the federal DOJ and DOE to the local school board should be protecting a child’s right to be…cowboystatedaily.comI once created a quiz where you must identify whether certain phrases are lines from the bestselling erotic BDSM novel 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James or lyrics from Contemporary Christian Music songs. ...I retook it today and got so many wrong, lol.
50 Shades of Grey or Contemporary Christian Music Lyrics? A QuizOh come on, you’ve thought the same thing.homeschoolersanonymous.net
this is a good article abt what our normal was. don't dissect us. don't rubberneck/gawk at us. let us be. we can't explain to your satisfaction & yet another 'omg i can't believe it' won't help. just stop. #Exvangelical #religiousabuse #childhoodtrauma #traumasurvivor
R.L. Stollar"The church wants to wash her hands of Bill Gothard — 'we never knew him!' — but the backers and supporters and poster children are still celebrated."
"Affirming children’s inherent rights and value... is a key part of empowering our contemporary communities to better love and protect children. Christians should affirm children in an unambiguous way."
Using vs. Liberating Children: How Child Theology Differs from Child Liberation TheologyWhile deeply indebted to the Child Theology Movement, child liberation theology breaks from it in a number of important ways.rlstollar.comcan confirm. it caused me endless trauma, ptsd, nightmares, a fear of parenting my own kids. but i banished the exparents & broke the cycle. i don't care if they call me prodigal. i am free now. #Exvangelical #religiousabuse #childhoodtrauma #traumasurvivor
Child Liberation Theology"Parents who refuse to acknowledge the harm caused by Christian authoritarian parenting risk alienating their kids long-term."
"Out of twelve pages of Gothard’s 'Road Safety' module, six are about car maintenance and contingencies and six are about what to do if you’re sexually assaulted while out driving."
Bill Gothard Explains Road Safety (aka How Not to Get Raped)Bill Gothard claims that a victim of sexual assault who does not cry out—who remains silent for whatever reason—is equally guilty with her attacker.homeschoolersanonymous.netIn the Dobsonian-Trumpian worldview, a sexualized saying like “Daddy’s home” can serve simultaneously as the essence of the gospel promise, the essence of biblical parenting, and the essence of good government.
When the Prodigal Son Returns Home With a GunUnless you are willing to look at the root of violence in your own families or respect the human rights of other families’ children, I cannot take your concerns about violence seriously.rlstollar.com"It’s important to create space for children not just to know that disobedience can be good and holy, but also to give them opportunities to practice."
Christianity should empower and liberate childrenWhat would the church look like if we treated children as agents in their own lives, and allowed them to do their own theology?uscatholic.orgTwenty years ago, Reb Bradley penned an article called "Solving the Crisis in Homeschooling." The crisis? "Parents have graduated their first batch of kids, only to discover that their children didn’t turn out the way they thought they would."
The History of Homeschooling, 1904-PresentA history of the modern U.S. homeschooling movement from 1904 through the present.homeschoolersanonymous.netMarvin Olasky did not make a singular mistake with Doug Wilson. It was one of many times when Olasky partnered with, platformed, and promoted Christofascists.
When Marvin Olasky Platformed Doug WilsonWorld Magazine was intimately involved with promoting Christofascism throughout Marvin Olasky’s leadership.rlstollar.com"Children are not mere creatures of parents. They are not projects or weapons. They are inheritors of God’s Kingdom, images of that God, and they are capable of prophecy, leadership, teaching, and theology."
An Introduction to Child Liberation TheologyThis is the first article in a multi-part series I am writing in 2022 providing an overview of child liberation theology.rlstollar.com"The church wants to wash her hands of Bill Gothard — 'we never knew him!' — but the backers and supporters and poster children are still celebrated."
I’m Tired of Talking About Bill Gothard and The DuggarsThere will never be headlines for broken marriages and broken hearts, for eating disorders and suicidal depression.homeschoolersanonymous.netThe Roys Report covers Bill Gothard's heart attack and coma. "IBLP’s doctrines, particularly those on authority, sexuality, and suffering, became a blueprint for fathers and older brothers to sexually abuse their daughters and younger sisters."
Institute in Basic Life Principles founder Bill Gothard reportedly hospitalized after heart attack | The Roys ReportBill Gothard, the disgraced IBLP founder who taught millions of evangelicals, has reportedly suffered a heart attack and is in a comaroysreport.com"Parents who refuse to acknowledge the harm caused by Christian authoritarian parenting risk alienating their kids long-term."
Adults raised in the ‘Christian parenting empire’ of the ’70s-’90s push back(RNS) — Leveraging social media, these parents and professionals aim to show that this parenting approach can result in trauma, estrangement and views of God as abusive.religionnews.com"We know that 'not all homeschoolers' are 'like that.' The culture we grew up in that is still alive and well IS 'like that.' If you’re not 'like that,' we’re not talking about you."
If The Shoe Doesn’t Fit…“Can we please just stop with the comments about how not all homeschoolers are ‘like that’? We get it.”homeschoolersanonymous.netThis timeline repeatedly demonstrates that people from around the world, throughout different time periods and with different cultural assumptions, can understand the importance of protecting children and their rights.
An American History of Child AdvocacyThis idea of child advocacy is not new, it is not partisan, it is not ideological, and it is not crazy.rlstollar.com