Part 2 of the Coming Home series. As a columnist for my campus newspaper, I wrote an article during the month of “Sextober” (yes, for real) questioning the effects of birth control on the female body: is it really healthy to shut down the entire reproductive system, just to avoid the natural occurrence of pregnancy?… Continue reading Coming home: The appeal of a consistent sexual ethic
Category: Theology
On coming home: the Eucharist
After months of speculation, I’m finally going to start writing about the reasons I am becoming Catholic. The truth is, much like my conversion to Christianity from Judaism, there isn’t one single reason I can condense into a 30-second response to curious friends and followers. So I’m going to start cataloging the “explanation posts” here,… Continue reading On coming home: the Eucharist
How does anyone survive the unthinkable?
I was pregnant when the attacks of October 7th happened; postpartum one year later; and am pregnant once more on this two-year anniversary. That is to say, I’ve been more emotional on these occasions than usual, although the horrific slaughter of innocents is a lot for anyone to process. But the faces of the two… Continue reading How does anyone survive the unthinkable?
That awkward Jewish girl at RCIA
I was naive to think I had ever “arrived” in my Christian journey. I’ve thought I found my permanent place, my forever spiritual family, many times throughout adulthood, only to have schisms tear apart the church. Or have close friends move away. Others got married or had babies long before I did, and virtually disappeared.… Continue reading That awkward Jewish girl at RCIA
Why I’m (still) not a Messianic Jew
Nearly ten years ago now, I wrote a blog post explaining why, despite my Jewish heritage and faith in Jesus Christ, I do not call myself a Messianic Jew. It went semi-viral, and not in a good way. I received – and still do, on occasion – many emails criticizing my reasons, which mostly had… Continue reading Why I’m (still) not a Messianic Jew
What Christians get wrong by saying “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship”
There are rhythms to certain relationships that are not only enjoyable, but indicators of good health. In my marriage, it’s making coffee for myself and my husband (he still doesn’t quite understand the French press) in the morning, which we sip in our home library as our daughter races her toy cars across the carpet.… Continue reading What Christians get wrong by saying “It’s not a religion, it’s a relationship”
How anxiety pointed me to the gospel
I’m occasionally asked if I ever consider myself a “completed Jew,” and Christians tend to be surprised when I answer no. The main reason for that is because it’s considered highly offensive to Jewish people. The gospel is offensive enough; I don’t see a need to use language that is inflammatory if I don’t have… Continue reading How anxiety pointed me to the gospel
Pope Francis and the importance of moral clarity
If there’s one takeaway from my brief stint in progressive Christian spaces, it’s this: certainty in faithful matters is not a goal, but rather an enemy (ironically, they seemed pretty certain about that). But when I read books and blog posts about people’s de-conversion journeys, it seemed that certainty itself was not always the problem:… Continue reading Pope Francis and the importance of moral clarity
The Protestant to Catholic pipeline
I recently came across this Christianity Today article on why there seems to be a surge of Protestants turning to Catholicism: It’s no secret that a growing number of Protestants in the US have become embittered with American evangelicalism. There is, of course, the disillusionment with sexual abuse scandals among well-known leaders and institutions—as well… Continue reading The Protestant to Catholic pipeline
I left Judaism, but can’t fully leave
In my last post on antisemitism, I touched on Christians celebrating Jewish feasts, and how it causes offense to many Jewish people. I’d be a hypocrite to not expound further on how my own actions as a Jew-“ish” believer can be just as offensive. To an extent, there’s not a whole lot I can do… Continue reading I left Judaism, but can’t fully leave