Jen Hatmaker quits “church” and invites you to join her

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I quit being part of a church for a few months when I was in my mid-twenties. I had been a regular churchgoer my whole life, so it wasn’t something I (or those who knew me) expected. It happened after I moved to a new city and started looking for a church. Every time I’d visit one, I felt lonely and lost in the sea of congregants. And I found no comfort in the familiarity of the services — if anything, it felt too familiar. I had the evangelical liturgies memorized — from the call to worship to the benediction….

The boring preacher in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood

Categories: Church · This and ThatTags: · · ·

One time I was talking to a friend and she mentioned that when she first started following Jesus, the Lord greatly used sermons from a certain TV preacher to help her grow in her faith. Personally, I wasn’t impressed with the televangelist. Granted, I hadn’t actually listened to any of the preacher’s sermons, but that was beside the point. Everybody in my circle agreed that the preaching was little more than motivational speaking with scriptures thrown in.

If I Could Go Back and Change My College Years, I Wouldn’t

Categories: Loving Your NeighborTags: ·

I was about to start my freshman year of college, and I was afraid I wouldn’t have any friends at school. While there were plenty of people my age at the local charismatic church I was attending, I wasn’t sure I wanted to hang out with them. They struck me as being a bit on the wild side (spiritually), especially this guy named Gerald. He worshiped God like he was drunk on the Holy Spirit, and if you struck up a conversation with him, he always found a way to bring it back to Jesus. It made me uncomfortable, but…

Here’s Why I Regret Mocking Megachurches

Categories: Loving Your NeighborTags: · · ·

Several years ago, I attended a church retreat during which I wrote and performed a skit that I now regret. It was basically a stand-up routine in which I played the part of a megachurch pastor, and to be fair, it wasn’t all bad. Some of the skit was just gentle ribbing of big, seeker-sensitive churches. But there were other parts that included not-so-subtle backhanded insults and biting sarcasm. Those parts got the biggest laughs from my audience, and therefore, I considered the skit to be a big success.

Healing the Wounds of Segregation in the Church

Categories: ChurchTags: · · · · · ·

During my junior year at the University of Southern Mississippi, I invited a Yugoslavian student to a campus worship service that was organized by my church, which was predominately white. After the meeting, we were talking in the hallway, and he noticed a group of mostly black students meeting across the hallway. Then he asked something that caught me off guard. “Why do the white Christians and the black Christians meet separately?”

The Danger of Liquor, Buffets, and Self-righteousness

Categories: Growing PainsTags: · · · · 4 Comments

“Margaritas, everyone!” said the worship leader from my new church as she filled plastic cups for the partygoers in her home. I was mortified, and I figured God was too. Then I walked outside where I found our Austrian pastor making conversation and smoking a cigarette. All I could do was put on my best fake smile, bid farewell, and ease away from the party in confusion.

With its Planned Parenthood Editorial, the New York Times Repeats a Shameful History

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In the fall of 1906, an infamous mockery took place in New York City: Ota Benga, a Congolese man, was put on display in the “Monkey House” of the Bronx Zoo. Mr. Benga found himself in the cage after being sold into slavery and subsequently purchased for display at the World’s Fair in St. Louis. The anthropologist who brought him to the United States eventually left him in New York where he was placed under the supervision of the zoo.