This is part two of my series on psychopaths and Christianity. For the first article on Ted Bundy, click here. Evangelical Christians love their trophy conversions, dramatic stories of notorious sinners that find their way to the foot of the cross. For example, forty years ago I was fascinated by Run Baby Run, the story […]
psychopathy
The Most Cold-Hearted Son of a Bitch You’ll Ever Meet
The meeting unfolded in front of the camera one day in 1989. On one side of the table sat James Dobson, author of the bestselling book Dare to Discipline, founder of the ministry Focus on the Family, a symbol of family values: chubby, large glasses, wholesome. On the other side sat a handsome and charismatic […]
I’m no psychiatrist, but … is televangelist Kenneth Copeland a psychopath?
You tell me: in my non-expert opinion it is either that Copeland is a psychopath or he is possessed by demons. (Okay, I admit that it is also possible that he is a psychopath possessed by demons, but Ockham’s razor requires me to start with the simpler explanations.) Those crazy eyes are the stuff of […]
Would Jesus want you to stay married to a psychopath?
This morning, I tweeted the following survey: Clinical psychopaths are manipulative anti-social narcissists who are incapable of experiencing love or empathy. The condition is untreatable. If you came to believe your friend was married to a non-violent psychopath, would you support your friend divorcing that individual? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) July 27, 2018 As of […]
Is the psychopath morally responsible for his actions?
This article picks up the discussion of my recently-published article “Shrewd as Snakes: The Christian and the Psychopath.” In this article, I will begin with two intriguing quotes from John Henry Browne, the attorney who defended notorious serial killer and clinical psychopath Ted Bundy: “Ted was the only person in my forty years of being […]
Shrewd as Snakes: The Christian and the Psychopath
Note: six years ago I wrote a series of articles on psychopathy. This article is based on that earlier work. Some years ago I did an interview on the topic of my book Finding God in the Shack (a companion to Paul Young’s bestseller The Shack). At one point in the interview I offered the following radical […]
On Donald Trump: Pity the psychopath, but don’t vote for him
In another tragic instance of ongoing internecine urban violence, the cousin of basketball star Dwyane Wade was just tragically shot and killed while pushing a baby stroller. Donald Trump wasted no time in exploiting this horrific tragedy to serve his own interests (while misspelling Wade’s name in the process): Now it is no secret that politicians regularly exploit tragedies […]
Keith Olbermann argues that Donald Trump is a psychopath (but we already knew that)
In this twenty minute video (which was just posted yesterday) Keith Olbermann goes through psychiatrist Robert Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist to argue that Donald Trump qualifies as a psychopath. Unfortunately, Olbermann mistakenly describes this as a “sanity test”. Psychopathy is a personality disorder, not a matter of insanity. And since Olbermann is not a psychiatrist trained in […]
Why “The Wolf of Wall Street” is an evil, despicable film
I haven’t watched Martin Scorsese’s new film “The Wolf of Wall Street”. Nor do I intend to. Consequently, you might think it a bit presumptuous of me to opine — and with such moralizing forcefulness! — on a film I haven’t yet watched. What gives? Well let’s start with the premise. The film stars Leonardo […]
Why does the Catholic Church continue to protect its abusers?
The 2006 documentary “Deliver Us from Evil” tells the horrifying story of convicted pedophile (and, in my non-professional assessment, clinical psychopath) Oliver O’Grady. Father O’Grady was a priest in the Roman Catholic Church who was shuttled around various dioceses in California for decades, groping and raping children along the way. His victims are in the […]
Did William Lane Craig smear Sam Harris? A response to Chris Hallquist
In the discussion thread for my article “Would you want an atheist for a neighbor?” R0c1 took issue with my suggestion that William Lane Craig was worth reading. He pointed to Chris Hallquist as one who had persuaded him that “Craig is not a trustworthy source of information on the subjects he debates.” And he […]
Christian moral schizophrenia and psychopathy
In “Might God call Christians to participate in a future genocide?” I pointed out that Christians who believe God commanded genocides in the past should be open to the possiblity of God commanding a genocide in the future. I gave, as an example, Revelation 19 which seems to narrate a future war when a population […]
Psychopaths and General Revelation: The Dialogue Continues
My article pointing out the tension between general revelation as portrayed in Romans 2 and psychopathy received a range of responses which map out a range of possible responses to the dilemma, so it will be helpful to survey them. Getting Clear on the Problem If we are to deal with this problem adequately we […]
Psychopaths in the pulpit and pew
Clifford Everybody knew Clifford. He was loud and brash but also had the ability to be charming, even mesmerizing. He had a criminal record longer than your arm, but he could also quote scripture like nobody’s business. The year was 1981 and Clifford was attending the same church in Surrey, British Columbia as “Dave”. (I […]
