I used to feel ambivalent, sometimes even frustrated, when friends would share on social media that they were expecting. Hear me out. Trump was still fairly new to the White House. Hate crimes were increasing all over the country. White nationalists were becoming emboldened in revealing their hateful agendas. Scientists released a grim report on… Continue reading Maybe we need more foolish hope
Tag: Donald Trump
Can anger be holy?
People of color are often used to hearing that they sound angry all the time. The "angry black woman" stereotype is especially common. What you may not know is that "angry Jewish woman," or simply "angry Jewish people," is also a Thing. And I'm one of them. In an unexpected way, the Trump era has… Continue reading Can anger be holy?
Jesus and relational boundaries
In many ways, my husband Josh and I are opposites. Despite both of us being Christians, introverts (well, he's more of an outgoing introvert), and passionate about cats, he attends an evangelical megachurch -- I attend a small Episcopal one. He finds liturgy "weird"; I love it. He's politically independent, but holds views that lean… Continue reading Jesus and relational boundaries
When we are the reason they left
Not long after "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" author Joshua Harris announced he is no longer a Christian, Marty Sampson, a songwriter for the Christian band Hillsong, did the same thing. In my social media feeds, people have expressed fear that their favorite Christian artist, author, or speaker might be next. As if deconversion is a… Continue reading When we are the reason they left
ICE raids and “real” Christians
Some people say that actions matter more than belief. My Jewish upbringing taught me the same thing. A loving God, I learned, would judge people by the way they treated others than whether they followed the correct religion. I'm torn about this. The thing is, theology matters -- it matters a lot. Theology shapes what… Continue reading ICE raids and “real” Christians
MAGA hats and the importance of symbols
Ever since the kerfuffle at the March for Life last week between a group of Catholic school boys in MAGA hats and a Native American veteran, I've been thinking a lot about symbols -- how they get their meaning, and how the same object or slogan can mean different things to different people. I know… Continue reading MAGA hats and the importance of symbols
Why I marched
It's one thing to protest for a cause -- and another to do it in the nation's capital. I'd done the former a few times, but when my mom told me she would pay for my plane ticket to Cleveland so we could drive down to DC together, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.… Continue reading Why I marched
When to end a friendship over politics
Would your family have hidden mine from the Nazis? I kid you not, I asked this question of my friends when I was a child. It was the ultimate gauge to see if they were truly good people (thankfully, they all said yes, they would have hidden me, but many of them didn't even know… Continue reading When to end a friendship over politics
What Jesus might have meant by “the way to life is narrow”
Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven? I struggle a lot with this question- I know many Christians do. It's a particularly nasty struggle for me, because if the answer is yes, that means everyone in my family is going, or has gone, to the dark place. I wrestle with God quite a bit… Continue reading What Jesus might have meant by “the way to life is narrow”
Original sin vs. Original blessing
You would think that, in order to convert from one religion to another, one would have to be pretty damn certain about their new beliefs. And I was – I still am, for the most part. It’s the details that sometimes trip me up – are people born sinners? Will God eternally punish people who… Continue reading Original sin vs. Original blessing
