In a ridiculous display of abysmal timing and sexual idolatry, the Center for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (or something like that) published the Nashville Statement, a handy-dandy, user-friendly little list that says homosexuality is a sin and those of us who affirm the LGBTQ community are not Christians. The Nashville Statement takes a prominent place on their website, right next to the Danvers Statement — which essentially says that as a woman, I am a second-class citizen and that’s the... Read more

Here is what a day in seminary is like: You wake up, and read. It doesn’t really matter which book or for what class — you have a pile and you know you have to read them all, so pick one up and just start reading. Get coffee, actually. Then start reading. Or study on Quizlet (thank you to You Know Who You Are for telling us all about that app!) to learn the 52 verses from the Hebrew scriptures... Read more

My friend is in the middle of a shunning.   It is both imposed and self-imposed — I’ve seen it before. Her church is shiny and contemporary, and she was in a place of leadership (as much as a woman can be in a place of leadership in the Evangelical sphere). She is well known there, and beloved, and participated in some sort of indiscretion.  Broken, wounded and hurting, she is trying to piece her life back together — to figure... Read more

Last night, a family friend, my almost-twelve year old daughter, and I were sitting around the table after dinner, talking. My friend and I had purchased lottery tickets a few days before, and we’d yet to see if we’d won anything. We started day dreaming about what we’d do with our winnings.   It’s such a fun exercise. I know what I’d do. First, I’d donate a large amount to two nonprofits that I learned about when I met their... Read more

If America was sitting in church, and it was that time for communion, when your pastor says, essentially, “All believers are welcome, with an examined heart,” the U.S. would need to stay seated.  Our heart, it seems, remains unexplored — and not just its deep corners. The entire surface, right there in the open, lay dusty and ignored, covered in black and white headlines and the messy gore of the oppressed.   Philando Castile’s name has disappeared from headlines this Monday... Read more

For a long time, I thought the apostle Paul was a jerk.   I remember I said that to an Evangelical pastor once, and I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head, right there in front of me. After all, Paul is pretty much like the Evangelical pope, albeit a dead one, and sometimes I confess to being a little uncomfortable with the way he seems to be elevated to a prominence that seems equal to... Read more

If you’ve been reading my work lately, you know I’m going through a thing. This thing involves a lot of being in love with Jesus, but not a whole lot of being in love with the institution of Christianity. This thing involves loving the people in my church like crazy, but for some reason not being able to go to church.   This thing involves missing going to church, and yes, I admit, a lot of anger and frustration. I’m... Read more

Lately, I’ve been pretty critical of all things institutionalized Christianity. Today was the day I was going to write some good stuff (because there’s a lot of good stuff) but then this happened. So the good stuff will have to wait a bit.   An 18 year old girl ready to graduate with a 4.0 from a Christian high school has been banned from walking with her class at her graduation ceremony because she is pregnant.   Here is an... Read more

I was instantly struck by the fact that somehow, from authoritative voices like Biblical scholarly commentaries, a narrative of women's sexual sin will be constructed even when there is absolutely no evidence of it. Read more