Last week, I asked a question on social media. For anyone not familiar with purity culture, it’s common within Christian circles. While Christianity has traditionally promoted chastity (as it should), purity culture placed the emphasis…
Posts tagged Church
Protecting the Lambs
“Did all that Jesus stuff really happen?” She’s sitting in the next room, watching cartoons. “Did what really what?” I call back, buying myself a few seconds. “Jesus and his mom and his other dad….
9 Things I’ve Learned About My Book
We’re three weeks past the launch date for Act Normal. The initial jolt from the launch is over, and it should be pretty steady going forward. I figured this would be a good time to review,…
Mandatory Year-end Blog Post 2017
Well, hot dang, y’all. I finished my memoir this year. It’ll be available in January 2018. I actually started working on it during Lent of 2015, so I’ve been working on this for over…
We Don’t Want to Believe Someone We Like is a Predator
Why is it so hard to believe someone we like is a predator? When we hear a report of predatory behavior about someone we know, our immediate reaction is usually, “What? Him? Not him. I…
Why Did I Write a Memoir?
Before I get into this, I want to congratulate Tanya Marlow. Her new book, Those Who Wait: Finding God in Disappointment, Doubt and Delay, launched today. So I bet you can guess what I’ll be reading…
An Online Conversation With My 17-Year-Old Self
In 1998—the era of screeching modems and dial-up speeds we thought were lightning fast—I was one of a few people I knew who had a home internet connection and their own website. When Geocities closed…
The Spiritual Gift of Shutting Up
Have you ever taken one of those spiritual gifts tests? You answer a few multiple choice questions and the test suggests which spiritual gifts you might have. And then you compare your gifts with…
The Pacifist’s Guide to Inflicting Pain
Oh, Kristy, you crazy Jezebel. Pacifists don’t inflict pain. How can you inflict pain when you’re standing still, allowing people to punch you in the face? I believe that Christians are called to pacifism….
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Creeds
I politely stood when the congregation stood and hoped no one noticed my mouth wasn’t moving. I read along in my bulletin as they spoke the words, a little off on the beat here and…