Announcement

Two Years of SFL

74 Comments

Two years ago I got bored and started a blog.  It wasn’t the first time I had done  this — I’ve been writing somewhere on the Internet for the better part of a decade. But for some reason, people showed up to read this one and add their own thoughts and insights to my few ramblings and reminiscences.

Today, this site has had almost 600 posts, over 1 million visits, and (most importantly to me) 27,000 comments. You’ve all been very busy.

Looking forward, I honestly don’t know how much longer I’ll write on this particular topic — or at least write on it with this frequency — but I’m thankful for each one of you who takes a few moments from your day to read here and contribute to this community. I appreciate your encouragement and all the e-mails with stories and suggestions that show up in my inbox on a daily basis. I only wish I could do  them the justice they deserve.

Now back to the regularly scheduled insanity…

74 thoughts on “Two Years of SFL”

  1. I only wish I could do them the justice they deserve.

    The church I grew up in had an annual stewardship supper to honor laymen. Every year two people received special recognition in the form of the “You Done Good Award.” I think I speak for all of us when I say you done good, Darrell.

  2. Congratulations on the anniversary, and I hope you keep it going for years to come. For those of us who grew up in Fundie households, this has been a welcome source of humor.

  3. I remember a little less than two years ago someone in another forum (can’t remember which one) mentioned this new site and provided a link. The first one I read (and has been one of your best) was “Evangelist Fish Stories” and at that point SFL was on my Favorites List. I thought you would run out of ideas after six months but they kept coming. Thanks for the effort you have put into this site.

  4. Congratulations doesn’t do it justice. I’m not sure the you done good is enough. It’s a testament to you and fundamentalism (respectively in the positive and negative) that it continues to be as great as it is.

  5. Thanks, Darrell! It’s been great reading! When I went back and read the archives, I wished more of us were commenting on some of those earlier posts because I can imagine some pretty interesting threads!

  6. Thank you so much for this blog! To celebrate, your next post needs to include a link to an amazon wish list so we faithful fans can send you something as a way of thanks! (I’m serious–do it so we can say thanks.) 😀

      1. That’s not me. 🙂

        That’s another Darrell Dow who lives in the Midwest and is a whole lot more Libertarian than I’ll ever be. 🙂

      2. Any blog that wasn’t started by Abraham or Adam (and adhered to Baptist theology throughout history) is one I feel like I should seperate from.

    2. BTW, I don’t in any way shape or form speak for Darrell, but if I were the author of a wildly successful & satisfying blog (even if not all that lucrative/financially rewarding), I think I’d prefer to see people tweeting photos of themselves in SFL gear to @stufffundieslik more than having stuff checked off my wish list.

      1. Another shirt idea: “I See the White Piano!” (with a graphic of a white piano of course)

        I think that’s too much of an inside joke to ever be lucrative though. But it’s funny. Of course, you couldn’t buy it, RobM!

  7. @Darrell, I must concur with my brothers and sisters, “You’ve Done Good Here!” This is the greatest free therapy a recovering fundie could ever hope for. This site has been both validation and comfort for us who wondered if we were the only ones. It has been a source of healing and growth as well. For this george and I Thank You!

    I think PW may have something with her comment. The fundies are awfully keen on Homecomings, and Ole Fashioned Days… why not have an Old Fashioned Post day once a month or so where you re-visit some of the old posts? Sort of a “Do you remember when I posted…..” 😎

      1. SFL Post of the day sounds great to me.

        PS I think some of those 27,000 comments you would be just fine if hey hadn’t been posted (aka Don answering the door for IFB doorknockers naked, or the recent time I fell into the trap of calling IFB Pastor’s wives “professional women”). LOL

    3. Yay for free therapy! You know we need it! Speaking of therapy, peeps, I need some suggestions about what else to post on MY blog when I talk about Fundy issues and the way I view them now … if you get a chance, click on my name and glance through what’s on my blog, then comment or message me a suggestion or something.

    4. Good idea, Don!

      Darrell, repost The Best of SFL for those who just got here and for future newbies. Everyone is right; this site is very therapeutic.

    5. I like Don’s idea. Mine was similar except it was SFL: The Special Edition. Like what George Lucas did with Star Wars except Darrell could add captions to the pictures or expand them.

  8. Darrell – Let me join the chorus as well, thank you for providing this forum. I have mentioned before that it certainly is very therapeutic for all of us, but its more than that. As we discuss the various topics, we are forced, or at least I am forced to “think critically” about what I believe, and why. We really don’t get that in fundyland. God speaks to the pastor and then the pastor gives out God’s message, at least as much as he thinks we can handle. I know that I often have to get out my bible when I am writing a response here, so that’s a good thing. (subject to ramble)

    Keep up the good work, and TKS again!

  9. Thank you, Darrell! I can honestly say some more healing has occurred in my life since finding this site–laughter is good for the soul. Considering I still have nightmares about my abusive fundy ex-pastor, the laughter is much needed!

  10. It seems to me that because of the title of this blog that you would eventually exhaust all of the possible topics, and I’m amazed that you’ve managed to find something new after 2 years. Yet, I’m very impressed with your ability and those of your readers to keep coming up with new material. God gave us a sense of humor and creative people like you have found a way to keep us laughing.

  11. You can’t stop posting!! I just found this place! I’ve been out of the IBF movement for a long time and had no idea that things had gotten worse. You not only provide laughs but you and your regular posters keep me up to date on what is going on in that alternate reality known as Christian fundamentalism.

  12. Congratulations, Darrell. SFL is unprecedented in the history of post-fundamentalism.

    PS. If you leave us, who will guide our thinking?? We might go back to the garlicks and onions of Fundyland… 🙁

  15. Thanks again, Darrell. I can well believe that writing on a relatively single topic might lead to eventually reaching the bottom of the well. The thought has crossed my mind a few times recently. I think you’ve done a good job of keeping the faith real.

    1. I’ve thought that as well, but you will always find Youtube videos or articles done by kooks. They’re the illustration that keeps happening.

  16. Thank you Darrell. I’m not sure that you’ll ever know how much you (and the other members of this community) have helped some of us. Pastor’s wife has been such an enormous blessing to me. All of you have helped widen my horizons and have helped me grow as a person and a believer. I spent 2 hours reading Jenni’s blog a few days ago and I wept. It was like speaking to an old friend and working out issues that I’ve been unable to talk through.

    Don, RobM, Jordan and others: your humor cuts my pain away.

    Thank you all.

  17. So glad for a new post. The “being good and playing nice” was getting so old.

    Congrats on 2 years! I like the idea of revisiting some of the old posts; you never know when another white piano will be spotted.

  19. many years to sfl!

    i honestly had no idea that the peculiar strain of ifbism in which i was raised was as widespread as it is. for most of my life i considered myself part of the “remnant” of a few dozen congregations who held to the true faith, once delivered to the saints (in 1611AD).

    when my beloved wife showed me this site, i laughed so hard that i had to make her do a load of laundry (just kidding- i did the laundry myself).

    it’s refreshing to know that there are others out there who were raised in the same bizarro religion as i, and that a good many of them have left and are laughing about it.

    keep up the great work!

  20. Darrel,

    One idea would be to get a few contributors to write articles for the blog on a regular basis. I belonged to another blog some time back that took this approach and it worked very well. The variety of perspectives, stories, and discoveries can help to shed light on a topic that is obviously striking a chord with people.

  21. This website has been an amazing blessing for both me and my wife. There is healing in this site.

  22. Kudos, Darrell! I know it has been said before, but it is worth repeating: this community helps so many of feel less isolated. What an eye-opener to know that there really are others out there who have also been hurt deeply by this warped system — I am NOT the only one!! Thank you so much for pointing out the absurdity and giving us the opportunity to laugh! Hugs

  23. Humor/mockery is a tool that motivates people to change! That was part of Jesus’ repertoire in dealing with the pharisees. I think you combine humor with discernment…and that moves people to action. I understand the idea that you have to “pace” yourself (I honestly don’t know how you do it–takes a lot of creativity)…but just know that I get a lot of emails from people who refer to your site. You are making a difference! Thank you!! 😛 😛

  24. Darrell,

    Congratulations and a little groveling. I have definitely enjoyed this site a lot during my journey out of fundamentalism. I had not realized that I had left fundamentalism geographically but not theologically. Thanks for helping with that.
    😀

    Please do not end this site. I will have no clue where to go for my daily dose of humor, discussion, and sarcasm. Keep this going as long as the fundamentalism supplies appropriate fodder!

    1. Oh, if Darrell ends this site, I will go soul-winning at his door EVERY SINGLE DAY, asking him what church he goes to and if he died right now, where he’d go.

      Yep, every day. Chick tracts and all.

      1. Oh, perfect, Natalie! And I’ll flood his inbox with badly written, poorly spelled hate mail and conspiracy theories. 😀

  25. To repeat what everyone else has already said, thanks for what you do at this site! As one of the earlier comers to SFL I thought you would have run out of stuff to write about a long time ago, yet every post you write makes me think, “Why didn’t he write about that before now?” Again, thanks for what you do at SFL, happy blogiversary, many more posts, and get cracking on that book! :mrgreen:

  26. Love this site. Darell has always struck a healthy balance while questioning fundamentalism but not belittling those who are are still there or who are struggling to find a new normal.

  27. This site has been (if you’ll pardon the expression) a godsend IMO. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one and that there are things to laugh about both in and in leaving fundyism.
    Big zen hugs and thanks!

  28. To be honest with you, I can’t remember how I found this site, but I found it sometime before Thanksgiving, and I’ve been going through the posts (hence, my million comments). I’ve enjoyed reading here so much. I had been hurt VERY deeply within the IFB’s through several situations (I’ll spare you the details), but I HONESTLY believe it was God getting my out of all that junk. This site is healing, Darrell. ALL OF YOU are healing. I’m not sure I’ll ever trust a church and church leaders again. I hope I will, but at least, the anger is nearly gone. And, ya’ll have had me in stitches, literally. The videos have given me headaches and loose bladders. And, yes, I blame ya’ll. 😉 But, most importantly, I feel like I’m not alone, and that’s more than I could have ever asked for.

    Thank you, to all of you.

  29. Two years. Wows. Well thank you so much for the laughs as well as providing a place people can realize, recuperate, and encourage one another in.

    The sad truth is that religion in general, and fundamentalism specifically leaves a lot a wounded behind, and doesn’t care for them well. I think this site serves as a place for many of those to heal. I just hope that those hurt by the cruelty of men in the name of god, will move on to find what God is really like and have a better relationship with Him for it.

    At any rate: thanks Darrell 😀

  30. I can only add my thanks to the others. I haven’t left very far (yet). Some of the subjects are very true of the kind of place I’ve left; some of the subjects seem to be attacking “sacred cows” I still have in my own thinking.

    You should be able to keep it going, as long as the kookiness stays out there, and it looks like it will.

    You absolutely MUST continue the “Jesus Goes Soulwinning” series – part 1 was just priceless!

    I’m sure exaggerated war stories abound for posting, too.

    I hope you’ll be celebrating 10 years here before you know it!

  31. Darrell,

    Just don’t let it turn mean spirited and the mirror of what it mocks, and you’ll have plenty more material.

  32. I have been wasting time on the interwebs from back in the ftp/bbs days. This site is in my top ten. You go, you!

  35. What I find amazing is that I honestly wondered at first if Darrell wasn’t raised in the same churh I was raised in. He just knows everything that has been so common to me my whole life. Seriously, I’m still in the early stages of learning life outside of the IFB and Christianity outside the IFB. But, its been a freeing journey.

  36. Darrell – Well done thou good and faithful servant!

    Now get back to the keyboard and bang out a couple more posts. You’re absence over the holiday weekend was unacceptable 😆

  37. I’ve never commented before, but I’ve been reading off and on for a few months. This blog has really helped me realize that it’s okay to change… I’m not going to stand before in God in shame like it was crammed into my head. I’m not very good with words (there’s a reason I’ve not commented before! lol) so I’ll leave it at that. I have just really needed these words you’ve written and all the comments.

    Thanks!

  38. Good job Darrell. Thanks for creating this blog. It taught me that I can still be a Christian without being a Fundy Baptist. When I left the church completely to pursue a hedonistic lifestyle, I thought it was the only option. This blog has shown me otherwise. I appreciate that there are some who have fallen into the ditch on the other side of the road. There are some still stryggling with Fundyisms and some have a good balance. I’ve learned from everuone, including John and his mother. Today, I attend a non-charismatic non-denom church where I’m actively involved in grace. My relationship with Jesus is awesome because I don’t bow in fundy induced guilt and shame anymore. I owe a lot of my new found freedom in Christ to this blog.

  39. Darrell,

    Congratulations on two years hammering out a well-written, thought provoking and (most importantly) humorous blog. I’ve been reading your blog from the beginning. At first, I read them for entertainment. Then, I started reading your posts in conjunction with the comments and eventually studied to learn more about various theological topics. Now, I come to your site to be entertained and to learn from others.

    I can’t imagine the amount of hard work you put into this. I am so happy to read just how successful this blog is. Thank you for your hard work.

    Crystal

  42. Ok. Just found this site this week. Haven’t got any work done at the day job for two days.

    Please don’t stop writing!

  43. No, no no! I hope you don’t go away. I just got here. I’m a refugee of PCBBC, though I rarely went to class and years later found it was okay because it was not accredited. So much to say. I’ve been a lurker for a month or thereabouts. I’ll continue to drop in from time to time.

  44. I guess I now understand where Job’s friends were coming from when they gave Job their advice as I feel like giving the same advice to this web page owner

    1. This made me laugh so hard. You DO realize that Job’s friends were wrong, don’t you? They may have had “good” advice, but it didn’t apply to Job’s situation.

  45. I stumbled on this page and see it is just a bunch of miserable like minded individuals doing everything what they accuse people that don’t think like them of doing only from the exact opposite perspective. I’m sure everyone on this forum would have been offended by the early church fathers. I’m sure God is greatly honored and glorified by this page.

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