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Cherry Picking the Truth

I recently read a post that broke my heart because it came from someone I love and respect. It talked about “accepting basic reality,” using Deuteronomy 22:5 as proof that men and women must dress according to strict gender lines and even mentioned and reinforced the idea of strict gender roles. The message was simple: “People today are rejecting what’s been obvious and accepted for thousands of years.” But when someone says “basic reality,” it makes the conversation sound simple. Likes it been clear and settled forever. But we all know this conversation is anything but simple. And it’s sure not settled. Maybe the part that  should  be simple is this:  Let people figure out for themselves who they are. Let people work out their own convictions. Let people decide how they will live their lives before God. Faith was never meant to be forced. It was never meant to be controlled from the outside. It’s personal, wrestled with, and lived out between an individual and God. Scrip...
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God Isn’t Policing Your Closet

  So, about the conversations surrounding Deuteronomy 22:5—this verse is being (and has been) used in ways that completely miss the historical reality. This passage was written over 3,000 years ago to ancient Israel. At that time, the modern concept of transgender identity didn’t exist. The cultural conversation we’re having today about gender identity is a modern framework, it simply was not part of the world Deuteronomy was addressing. So no, this verse was not written about transgender people. In the ancient Near East, cross-dressing was often connected to: Pagan temple rituals, fertility worship, idol practices, ritual prostitution, disguising yourself to deceive, manipulate, or gain access where you shouldn’t be.  God was setting Israel apart from surrounding cultures that practiced those things. The concern was idolatry, deception, and religious practices tied to false worship l—not personal identity, and not everyday clothing choices. This chapter is about distinction a...
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Diet culture really did a number on us.

We have all been taught to believe that body size comes down to one thing: “If you’re overweight, you must be overeating.” And if you’re not thin yet?   “Just put the fork down.” Right? I’ve heard that one before and “Just push away from the table!”  But y’all, the reality of it is that you do NOT have to be overeating to be overweight. Weight is not and has never just been about what you’re eating right now. It’s influenced by your metabolism, your hormones, your stress and cortisol, sleep, medications, past dieting, muscle mass, age, genetics, your body’s natural weight set point.  Our bodies learn to adapt. They remember restriction. They slow down to protect us. They hold onto energy when they’ve been through cycles of dieting, stress, or not getting enough nutrients. This means that someone can be eating balanced meals, watching portions, not overeating, trying to do everything “right” …and still be overweight. Body size is not a reliable measure of how much som...
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Love Your Neighbor—Unless They’re Gay?

  It will never make sense to me that  “no Christian would ever facilitate homosexuality”  is the hill so many self-proclaimed Christians are willing to die on—while completely ignoring the countless other things their religion is supposedly opposed to. So many are hyper-focused on the “sins” they believe they  aren’t  committing, that they don’t even know what all is considered sin anymore. We have Christians who openly acknowledge that the Bible has been translated, edited, and shaped by men in power—things removed, things added—to assert control and keep people living in fear and guilt. And yet those same people will still scream that being gay is the  ultimate  sin. So ultimate, in fact, that they feel justified in shaming, humiliating, ostracizing, belittling—and sometimes even harming—gay people, all in the name of God. They’re Christians… right up until a gay person enters the room. Then suddenly, only certain lives that God created are acceptab...
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