"Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound) That sav'd a wretch like me!"John newton (1772) Evangelical Christians love to talk about grace. It’s this blanket word, used to comfort and also clobber believers. Not ready or willing to forgive your abuser? You need to offer grace. You made a mistake that caused real harm? Thank goodness … Continue reading The Problem of Grace
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Longing To Belong (in the wrong place)
Well that escalated quickly. Yesterday a tweet I posted went as viral as I'll probably ever be, completely by accident. The funny thing is, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a happily married woman (to the same guy I was married to back when I was trying to be the perfect Christian wife). I … Continue reading Longing To Belong (in the wrong place)
Dear Church, Culture is Not the Enemy.
We hear this term a lot in church lingo, its part of “Christianese,” if you will. This idea of “culture” and giving into it. That culture is the enemy of bible believing Christians. And what they really mean by “culture” is; secularism. Culture to them, essentially means living your life outside the church community while … Continue reading Dear Church, Culture is Not the Enemy.
My Spiritual Deconstruction: Part 2
[This post is a follow up to Part 1 which I posted last year, you can read that here first if you want to get caught up.] Onward and Upward When I was twelve years old my family moved to a new town a few hours away where we didn’t know a soul. It was … Continue reading My Spiritual Deconstruction: Part 2
Love in the Wilderness
"I'm not the enemy, religion is." That specific sentence popped into my head, the first morning of Evolving Faith, when Barbara Brown Taylor was speaking. She was talking about the wilderness. How God is in the wilderness if we allow her to be, just as much as she is anywhere else. She spoke of the … Continue reading Love in the Wilderness
The Mystery of Wilderness
Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend Evolving Faith in Denver, CO. I was nervous going in for a couple reasons. First of all, I felt like a fraud. In the weeks leading up to the conference my faith had taken a sharp left turn somewhere between agnostic and atheist. I wasn't sure what … Continue reading The Mystery of Wilderness
Come as you are, except…
Hey lets talk about churches that pretend to love everybody always. What I mean by this are churches (especially megachurches and church plants) that love to advertise how much they LOVE people. All people. Doesn't matter how you dress or how colorful your past (colorful pasts make quality testimony, great witnessing material). Come as you … Continue reading Come as you are, except…
What does “exvangelical” mean?
No, it's not a typo. It's a real word with a lot meaning for a lot folks who grew up in the church. When I say "the church" I'm referring to evangelical Christian churches, mostly on the North American continent. Lately I've had a couple people hanging out in my DM's on Twitter asking a … Continue reading What does “exvangelical” mean?
My Spiritual Deconstruction: Part 1
The Early Years Before I get started, let me emphasize my parent’s love for their kids and how they shaped our family in a way I’m grateful for. I do not see them as the enemy or the direct result of my leaving evangelicalism behind. They were evangelized themselves. Found refuge in the church from … Continue reading My Spiritual Deconstruction: Part 1
