I used to have a crucifix necklace that I purchased at the Vatican during my semester abroad. Upon returning home, I made the mistake of wearing it to a meeting at Campus Crusade for Christ, my alma mater’s campus ministry. People chastised me: “You don’t want to wear that, people will think you’re Catholic!” “Crucifixes… Continue reading Give me blood and guts
Tag: Jewish converts to Christianity
An uncommon pariah in an unsafe world
There’s a line from my memoir that goes like this: “Christians are called to be pariahs, to go against the ways of this world. But I am a special kind of pariah.” It refers to the biblical mandate that Christians are to be “not of this world.” Gospel values are always going to make us… Continue reading An uncommon pariah in an unsafe world
My Jewish background and the Ten Commandments in schools
Growing up, I attended a public school system that regularly bent the rules as far as what was permitted under freedom of religion. Football coaches prayed with students before games. Teachers discussed matters of faith with students in the classroom. Faith-based groups visited my health class to discuss abstinence. I didn’t know yet that Jesus… Continue reading My Jewish background and the Ten Commandments in schools
Revisiting my memoir at church book club
This month, my church chose my first book, Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter, for its book club. I hadn’t volunteered the fact that I had written a book, and it was published under my maiden name, so I was surprised that someone managed to find it. I’m not sure how common it is for authors… Continue reading Revisiting my memoir at church book club
Horrified but distracted. Empathetic but numb.
While a terrorist group attacked innocent civilians at a concert in Israel, I was probably sleeping. At seven weeks pregnant – the size of my first baby when she was discovered lifeless in my womb at eleven weeks – I was dealing with a fair amount of personal anxiety. And nausea. On a progesterone supplement… Continue reading Horrified but distracted. Empathetic but numb.
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
Thank God I’ve changed
There have been two major shifts in my faith so far. The first, and most obvious, is the shift from Jewish to Christian. The second is more recent. Around the time I dropped out of seminary in 2013, my faith started falling apart. I had been a believer for about five years at that point,… Continue reading Thank God I’ve changed
The condensed “confessions”
My bat mitzvah, November 2001 I recently found a Word doc called "Testimony" that I had written to share with my church small group a few years ago. Consider it a condensed version of Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter...even at 2000 words! *** For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with reading… Continue reading The condensed “confessions”
A Jew-“ish” Christian goes to Poland
Last month my family went on a trip to Poland to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Why Poland, you ask? My mother’s side of the family is from there. This trip was a deep dive into our Jewish ancestry, as well as a quest to find the best pierogies in every city we stayed in. It’s… Continue reading A Jew-“ish” Christian goes to Poland
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