An Incorrigible Rant

 by

 Joe Chiarenzelli

Prepare, my friends (for rhetorical purposes), for a rant. If you have no interest in one I direct you to the “X” in the upper right corner of your screen and if you are using some sort of mobile device I don’t know how to tell you to close the window, but do that. We are about to embark on a trip through my head and hopefully society’s doldrums, the mundane and banal realities of modern American life. Exit if you must.

If the Bible is wrong about the flood...

By Sean Ewart

This never, ever happened.

I know the Genesis flood narrative has been hacked over so many times another article debunking the myth might be overkill. On the other hand, tens of millions of Americans still believe in the literal truth of the Bible and some people are still scouring the mountains of Turkey looking for the remains of Noah’s ark, so it’s worth taking another swing. 

Rape Talk at the University of Albany's Women's Studies Department

 By Sean Ewart

We were instructed to write, on a small piece of paper ripped out of a notebook, whether or not we had been sexually assaulted or knew someone who had and then pass the paper to one of the instructors, who shuffled them and handed them out again so nobody knew whose paper they had.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The Gadfly Press Debate Series

Part Three: Closing Statements. 

You're wrong about why Christian kids are leaving the faith

An open letter to American Protestants,

You’re losing your youth. One in three Americans under 30 have no religious affiliation and the number is on the increase. Protestants are now a minority in the country, representing 48% of the population – down from 53% in 2007. And it’s not like your kids are leaving the church only to rejoin again after having their fun in college; the trend is slow but clear: America is becoming less Protestant, less Christian, and less religious. What are you doing wrong?

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ - The Gadfly Press Debate Series

Part Two: Rebuttals 

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ - The Gadfly Press Debate Series

Part One: Opening Statements

Introducing The Gadfly Press Debate Series!

This is more civilized that we care to be.

We’re going to be rolling out a Debate Series on The Gadfly Press that focuses on concise arguments, engaging topics and an easy-to-follow formula. 

The Gadfly Press wants to be an aggregate of thought-provoking voices and we want to encourage constructive argument – and we’re putting our money where our mouth is.

The Debate Series will feature 500-word introductions, and the chance for each writer to respond with two 300-word rebuttals. Essentially it’ll look like this:

Writer 1: Dinosaurs existed (500 words).       - Writer 2: I don’t think dinosaurs existed (500 words).

Writer 2: You’re wrong (300 words).             - Writer 1: No, you’re wrong (300 words).

Writer 1: Here’s why I’m right (300 words).  - Writer 2: Here’s why I’m right (300 words). 

And then, of course, writers and readers are invited to engage in the comments section until their fingers are worn to the bone. 

Over the years we’ve found debates to be the best way to distill the main point of anyone’s worldview – consider this cage-fighting for writers. We want to see what you think and why. 

Debates, we hope, will cover a multitude of topics. Whatever you’re interested in, so are we. If you know of anyone you’d like to see debate, or if you want to join in, let us know.

Why the Religion Discussion Matters

By
Joe Chiarenzelli

               I often find myself in the position on the weak side of a conversation being asked why The Gadfly Press concerns itself so much with religion. To be honest, I also question that urge myself. Both I and my co-editors certainly do seem to have some sort of fascination with prodding and questioning the ideas that lead to a religious perspective on life and an almost perverse fascination with dismantling them. So on the day that our discourse series begins I want to explain exactly why we concentrate and conglomerate around the topic and maybe illustrate some of the psychology that goes into it.

Why I am a Christian - the probability of God

 By Greg Coles

Since this is my first post with The Gadfly Press, you should know up front that I may sound a bit different, ideologically speaking, than the other esteemed writers here. But being in the minority is nothing new for me. I lived for 15 years in Southeast Asia; a tall white kid among a bunch of shorter, more Asian kids. I never played Pokémon with my generation but I read Hamlet at age 8. I’m an unabashed follower of Christ who never votes Republican, can’t stand Jerry Falwell, and dislikes much of institutionalized American Christianity. I have the nerve to tout pacifism in a nation that glorifies the heroism of violence, and to pursue a PhD in English at a time when much of academia scoffs at the idea of faith in the supernatural. And now, to top it all off, here I am writing on a blog alongside authors with whom I don’t always see eye to eye.