Evangelical preachers often insist that deconstruction is the same thing as rejecting God and walking away from Jesus. And yes, for some people, their honest journey leads them to a different conclusion – and they deserve to be met with respect, not condemnation or contempt. But for many of us, deconstruction becomes the doorway to…

The Boston air was crisp, the atmosphere full of excitement as we made our way to our seats. The dimly lit MGM Music Hall, a space designed for concerts and performances, was transformed into a place of academic tradition. Simmons blue filled the stadium, from the lights that lined the balconies and the beautiful curtains…

I don’t know about you, but as a woman in America, I am exhausted from being viewed as nothing more than a face and a body. I have been tired of it for a long time, but now I’m putting it into words. For you, for me, for our daughters, our sisters, our nieces, our…

Content note: This piece includes references to religious trauma, spiritual abuse, and trauma responses. Please take care of yourself as you read and pause if you need to. In Part 1 of this series, we explored what religious trauma is and how it can reshape our inner world. In Part 2, we named spiritual abuse…

Part 2: Recognizing Common Patterns of Spiritual Abuse and Their Impact A gentle note for readers:In this post, I discuss specific forms of spiritual abuse that often occur in churches and other faith communities. While the content is non-graphic, some readers may find certain parts emotionally triggering. Please read at your own pace and take…

Choosing Compassion Over Coercion in the New Year Christmas is over, and the new year is just around the corner. In this final week of December, the volume of hustle-culture rhetoric gets turned all the way up. Television and social media ads promise endless ways to reinvent yourself, most of them focused on losing weight…