"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
Christianity
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)
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
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
A Letter to My Unborn Daughter
Dear daughter still in my womb, Your dad says you're gonna give us hell. He's probably right. You never stop moving when I am still. If I am tired, you are awake. My doctor says you're a perfect, happy baby girl. She's probably right too. Your big brother has mixed feelings about you on a … Continue reading A Letter to My Unborn Daughter
Too Many Hard Things
Warning: This post is not your average Coffee, Mom, Repeat fodder. If you don't like discussing important, meaningful issues in current events & Christianity, there may be too many hard things for you to hear. Sorry for the delay mamas, the last few weeks have been a blur. Our Thanksgiving was slightly hi-jacked by my … Continue reading Too Many Hard Things
