“I’m not walking away from Jesus, but I’m done with the church.” Perhaps you’ve heard this statement, or made it yourself. I sure have. Fed up with what seemed to be a culture of hypocrisy, I concluded that the Holy Spirit must not be real if so many Christians who claimed to know Christ were… Continue reading Deconstruction: a topic that’s too big for words
Tag: Christian culture
Grieving antisemitism as a Jewish-born Christian
There’s a strange irony in being a Jewish convert to Christianity. The former community no longer considers me a member, yet the Nazis would. And now, more recently, so would the terrorist group Hamas. I struggled for years with needing external validation for who I am and where I belong. Though accepting it from hate… Continue reading Grieving antisemitism as a Jewish-born Christian
The Church needs the questions that progressives are asking
Books introduced me to Christ, and it was books that led me back to him after deconstruction. But it wasn’t the writings of C.S. Lewis or Charles Spurgeon or any of those “spiritual giants.” I was re-introduced to Christ through Rachel Held Evans and Peter Enns and Sarah Bessey, leaders of progressive Christian thought whose… Continue reading The Church needs the questions that progressives are asking
On waiting well
I’ve been married nearly a decade, but still vividly remember being single all through college. I remember having one friend after another pair off, wondering when it would be my turn. I heaped so much shame on myself for not being able to find satisfaction in God alone. Everyone at Bible Study told me that’s… Continue reading On waiting well
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?
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”?
Overturning Roe isn’t enough to eradicate a culture of death
Does anyone care what I think about the increasingly likely possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade? Likely not. I’m admittedly quite hesitant to add my voice to all the noise on the internet right now. In my social media feeds, I see two prevailing perspectives: one from conservatives who are celebrating, and one from liberals… Continue reading Overturning Roe isn’t enough to eradicate a culture of death
The danger of reactionary theology
The online world of deconstructing Christians is a sad one. In private Facebook groups and DMs, I read story after story of adult children being disowned by their parents for coming out of the closet; rape victims being forced to apologize for “adultery” before their congregation; abused wives told by pastors to endure beatings like… Continue reading The danger of reactionary theology
Rethinking sex, celibacy, and abundant life
I’m currently reading The Thrill of the Chaste by Dawn Eden. I read it before when it was first published in 2007, but this is an updated edition in which Eden, who was born Jewish, describes more of her journey to becoming Catholic. I’m naturally a sucker for these stories, so I had to buy… Continue reading Rethinking sex, celibacy, and abundant life
From Deconstruction to Reconstruction: a story of doubt to faith
I became a Christian in the fall of 2008, after growing up in a liberal Jewish household. You would think that someone who made such an extreme conversion would have a great deal of certainty about her faith. But from about 2013 to 2017, I was basically an agnostic. I believed in God, but didn’t… Continue reading From Deconstruction to Reconstruction: a story of doubt to faith