I had an epiphany around 4am this morning. Having returned the day before from a two-week trip around Europe, my internal clock is still disrupted and I wasn’t tired at all. I lay awake, tossing and turning, gripped with fear that I might never get pregnant again. Or may never be able to carry a… Continue reading What is our highest calling?
Category: Theology
What was missing from my progressive theology
Most of my twenties were spent immersed in Progressive Christianity, although I wouldn’t have called it that at the time. I would have explained that I was going through a season of heavy doubts and questioning, which happens to most Christians at some point. If there is any dogma I picked up in progressive Christianity,… Continue reading What was missing from my progressive theology
What Mary offers grieving mothers
For most of my Christian life, Holy Week and Good Friday have been emotionally difficult. It’s a season that brings up old memories of being called a “Christ killer” by the mother of a childhood friend. Hearing Gospel passages of the Jewish people demanding Christ’s death has always made me extremely uncomfortable. That’s still the… Continue reading What Mary offers grieving mothers
Grief is the currency of love
There are a few clubs I’ve been forced to join against my will: The fatherless daughters club. The sexual assault survivors club. And now, the miscarriage club. *** When my depression and trauma were at their worst, I actually felt angry with my parents for trying so hard to have me. I’m the fourth child… Continue reading Grief is the currency of love
I had a daughter
Josh was far more optimistic than I was about trying for a baby. Doctors had told me a while ago that, due to prior health issues, the odds of conceiving were not in my favor. I went into this next venture fully convinced it would never happen. Imagine the depth of my shock and joy… Continue reading I had a daughter
Let’s Talk: a Rabbi Speaks to Christians (a review)
I’m a sucker for books about interfaith dialogue between Jews and Christians, but almost always left feeling disappointed and even frustrated by them. It’s not that I don’t believe productive conversations are possible – they are! I still have them regularly with Jewish friends. But when the goal is unity rather than education, Christian doctrine… Continue reading Let’s Talk: a Rabbi Speaks to Christians (a review)
Should Christians celebrate Hanukkah?
If you’re familiar with my stance on Christians celebrating Passover, then you can guess my feelings about Christians observing Hanukkah. In a recent article for Christianity Today, Maria Baer profiles a Messianic Jewish family who observes the feast of Hanukkah as a reminder of God’s promise to preserve the Jewish people. While I take some… Continue reading Should Christians celebrate Hanukkah?
Rosaries and ugly sweaters
I’ve been making jewelry for years, but just recently started making rosaries: a practice that began in Covid lockdown, when I had an abundance of beads and little to do. As a Catholic-flavored Anglican, the rosary is a helpful visual for me during times of quiet prayer. I grew up in a home with mezuzahs:… Continue reading Rosaries and ugly sweaters
Losing the sting of death
In a recent article for Christianity Today, Ewan C. Goligher writes about the increase of physician-assisted suicides in Canada: Grounding the freedom to be killed in the right to life might seem counterintuitive, but the court reasoned that the criminal prohibition on physician-assisted death could force “some individuals to take their own lives prematurely, for… Continue reading Losing the sting of death
Does Galatians 3:28 teach “Jewish erasure”?
I’ve been rereading Amy-Jill Levine’s book, The Misunderstood Jew. Levine’s work captivates me because she’s an Orthodox Jew who teaches the New Testament at Vanderbilt University. That makes her perspective unique in a world where Jesus’ Jewish background is often forgotten or ignored. While I don’t always agree with her views, Levine’s work is the… Continue reading Does Galatians 3:28 teach “Jewish erasure”?