Categories: changing mindsets, healing wounds
Categories: healing wounds, My Story
In case you’re just tuning in, you might want to start with Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. This post isn’t officially part of the Path Toward Healing series, but it’s apropos as well.
In the previous posts, I’ve largely dealt with the fallout associated with my departure from institutional Christianity, particularly in suffering at the hands of institutional churches and leaders who for one reason or another felt threatened by that decision. Today, I’m going to begin turning the focus less toward what was behind me, and more toward where I found myself, and my new spiritual surroundings, if you will.
Categories: healing wounds
In the previous “official” post in this series, I talked about the question of coming to grips with broken relationships left behind once we decide to leave a certain situation (like a church). I shared a bit of my own story, and how I felt the need to differentiate between forgiveness and reconciliation.
I wish I could say that this was the only time in my journey out of institutional Christianity that I had to deal with injustice (and subsequently forgive). But it wasn’t. And it probably won’t be that way for you, either. There were many times along my path that salt was thrown onto my wounds by church folks, and particularly by church leadership–people that had nothing to do with my Church Left Behind. Lemme ‘splain.
Categories: healing wounds
I frequently refer to my transition out of institutional Christianity as a path, or a journey. A lot of people who follow this here blog are going down similar paths. But paths don’t simply lead away from something–they lead toward something (or at least, they should). Ultimately, this path should lead toward healing.
This post might easily turn into a series of posts, because there’s a lot that can be said about this topic, from a wide range of perspectives. But I’m just going to start by sharing some general and personal thoughts about my own path, and see where this “path” leads. 🙂
Categories: healing wounds, link love, women's issues
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything about women’s issues. It isn’t for a lack of passion about it, but in many ways it’s perhaps because I’ve said my piece…and the last few times I’ve posted about it, most of the comments were from other men who wanted to waste my time arguing theology, which tended to make the posts counter-productive. So mainly I’ve been focusing more on living out these convictions more than just talking about them.
Categories: food for thought, healing wounds, music, women's issues
Pam’s post on Communitas today reminded me of this song by Patty Griffin, which I recently heard and which captivated me immediately. It’s not a Christmas song, not even a “Christian” song–but the very human depiction of Mary in this song speaks volumes to me about the struggles and sacrifices of so many women, and does so in ways that words alone cannot.
“Mary” by Patty Griffin
Mary, you’re covered in roses
You’re covered in ashes, you’re covered in rain
You’re covered in babies, covered in slashes
Covered in wilderness, covered in stains
Categories: creativity, healing wounds, women's issues
Yesterday afternoon, blogger friend Kathy invited some folks over to her house to watch a movie and discuss it, and the family and I went. We can do that now, being that we now live near her. 🙂
The movie was called Who Does She Think She Is?, a documentary about women in the arts, their struggles to find their voice, the obstacles they face–and the price they often pay for their choices. (No–I was not the only man in attendance.) The movie made was by the same people who made the Oscar-winning film Born into Brothels.
Categories: changing mindsets, healing wounds
This post picks up a continuing thread from “Why the Heart of Every Man Should Be Breaking,” which I posted several months ago.
Last week, my blogger friend Sarah published three posts in a series called “Jesus Breakin’ the Rules“, quoting extensively from Walter Wink’s book, The Powers that Be: Theology for a New Millenium. I haven’t read the book, but the quotes Sarah took from it had to do with what Wink calls the “Domination System” of women, and how virtually every record of Jesus’ interaction with women flew in the face of this system. You might not agree with every (or any) of Wink’s specific interpretations (I agreed with about 90% of it), but his take should get you thinking, at least.
Categories: healing wounds, random stuff
Categories: food for thought, healing wounds, theological questions
