Dianna Anderson

Faith and Feminism

Dianna Anderson is a 27 year old writer. She grew up in Sioux Falls, SD, as the daughter of two teachers, and got her undergraduate degree in theology and philosophy from the University of Sioux Falls. After college, she went to graduate school at Baylor University and earned a Master’s in English Literature with some interdisciplinary work in religion and film. She has lived in England and Japan, and has landed in the suburbs of Chicago for now.

We Must Not Excuse Religious Universities’ Censorship of Student Speech

Dianna Anderson

Under a section governing relationships on campus—a section common to private Christian liberal arts institutions—LeTourneau University’s 2014-2015 handbook bans “public advocacy for the position that sex outside of a biblically-defined marriage is morally acceptable.”

How the Duggars’ Conservative Christianity Can Enable Abuse and Cover-Ups

Dianna Anderson

It is doubly important that we carefully examine the sociopolitical and theological environment that allowed such abuses—and their apparent cover-up—in the first place. And we must think about the impact that this hyper-conservative Christian theology can have on survivors of this kind of abuse.

Religious Lawyer Argues Marriage Equality Will Increase Abortions

Dianna Anderson

To a certain kind of religious conservative, this connection makes some—if not perfect—sense.

Purity Culture’s Racism Robs Women of Color of Their Reproductive Agency

Dianna Anderson

One of the most popular and prevalent examples of purity culture's racism is the critique of the pop singer Beyoncé’s life and work by conservative white politicians and pundits, who have gone so far as to wonder aloud if Jay Z had not crossed the line from husband to exploiting “pimp,” thus reducing Beyoncé’s talent and ambition to a sexuality that is not under her control.

Bob Jones University’s Reported Attitude Toward Assault Reflects Fundamentalist Theology

Dianna Anderson

Ingrained in Bob Jones University's very DNA is a belief in shame as an essentially positive thing, which manifests in its reportedly condemnatory attitude toward survivors of sexual abuse and violence.

Purity Culture Doesn’t Prepare Teens for Healthy Sexual Exploration

Dianna Anderson

Many self-identified evangelicals have ceremonially promised to stay virgins until marriage. But there are often few narratives available from adults who are now struggling with the purity vows they made as teenagers.

MRAs for Jesus: A Look Inside the Christian ‘Manosphere’

Dianna Anderson

Christian masculinists spend much of their time online brutally lambasting modern men and women for not adhering to biblically based gender roles. But their arguments aren't all that different from conservative evangelicals'.

Why Conservative Christians Fear the Affirmation of Transgender Identity

Dianna Anderson

Accepting the very existence of trans* people is an act that threatens conservative Christians' image of God.

The Limitations of Executive Orders: Anti-LGBT Discrimination Continues on All Fronts

Dianna Anderson

Tyler Brandt being forced to wear a nametag with a homophobic, ableist slur is but one example of the problems that face LGBT people every day in the workforce, despite President Obama's attempts to address workplace discrimination of LGBT people on a federal level.

Purity Culture, and Male Entitlement to Women’s Bodies

Dianna Anderson

Elliott Rodger felt so entitled to women that he murdered them when he didn’t get what he felt he deserved. It is precisely this attitude of entitlement that the modern evangelical church deems holy and good.

Dianna Anderson

Search: