During the holiday season we’re bombarded constantly with contradictory messages about how we ought to take care of our bodies this time of year. Over the early winter months there is a collective expectation and even glorification of indulging in all kinds of ways–eating, drinking, spending money, etc. But if we dare enjoy ourselves a bit, we’re Read More
Social Justice
“If Not Me, Then Who?”
“If not me, then who?” This question guides my advocacy work. It provides a form of self-accountability that keeps me true to my life's purpose: to make the world a more just, compassionate place. Like many of us I’ve been horrified and triggered by the stories of sexual abuse perpetrated by (mostly) white men in power. There have been days Read More
Politicians Make Dangerous Theologians
Accounts and allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse perpetrated by mostly straight white men in power have flooded the U.S. news cycle for months. Each new revelation confirms that sexual violence is an epidemic fueled by systems of unchecked power and authority, including patriarchy, white supremacy, and Christian Read More
When in Doubt, Be Yourself
“Excuse me, *you* are the board chair? Of this national organization?” Back in October of 2015 I was elected to lead the Board of Directors for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. At 32 years old I didn't expect to take on this level of leadership quite so early in life. Frankly I was stunned. Turns out I wasn’t the only one Read More
Restricting Access to Birth Control is Immoral
On a hot August day in 2012, I was taking my usual monthly trip to Walgreens to pick up my birth control prescription. As I pulled out my wallet to cover the co-pay, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist informed me that I didn’t owe anything. It was the first month that the contraceptive mandate included in the Affordable Care Act Read More
Should I Have a Kid?
“Did you always know that you wanted to be a parent?” A few weeks ago while recording an episode for our podcast Kindreds, my co-host asked. We talked at length but in short, the answer was, no. When I was young and single, the idea of having a kid was something that seemed like an eventual, yet distant given for my life. But when the question Read More
The Trouble with Boaz
I’ve always been troubled by the story of Boaz found in the Book of Ruth. While there are plenty of biblical narratives that horrify me–Hagar, Tamar, and other “texts of terror” as Phyllis Trible called them–the story of Boaz is uniquely problematic in how it has been interpreted and applied by some Christian traditions, particularly among Read More
The Bible & The Handmaid’s Tale
The Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel, is a chilling look into a fictional future in which women are stripped of their rights and dignity, rape is sanctified and ritualized, fertility is a commodity, and those who resist the theocratic regime are executed on the spot. In watching the Read More
The Intersections of Faith and Reproductive Justice
Last week I participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) on the intersections of faith and reproductive justice. These conversations are critically important, particularly in these political times when threats to our bodily autonomy and right of conscience are sanctioned by our current administration, Read More
The Shifting Dance of Balance
What's your reaction to the phrase work-life balance? Does the idea of balance seem aspirational to you, or does it seem utterly impossible? If you're like me, it feels more like the latter. There are several major problems with the concept of work-life balance in the ways that I have heard it described. The phrasing falsely segregates Read More