Liz Cooledge Jenkins

Tag: evangelicalism

  • We predated evangelicalism

    Hi friends, Where did most of January go? I have no idea. But I do have a random thought for you today. I recently read poet Maggie Smith’s memoir You Could Make This Place Beautiful, and I was struck by this line: “I predated this shit, the music reminded me, and I would outlast it.”…

  • It’s okay to be baffled: (more of) a sermon on Acts 10:1-23

    Hi friends, This week I want to share with you the second of three reflections from a sermon I got to preach at my church a few weeks ago. (The sermon is here if you prefer to watch/listen; the first reflection is here. The scripture text is Acts 10:1-23.) — Peter is on a journey…

  • What exactly broke the world? Reflections on Fortune by Lisa Sharon Harper

    Hi friends, Something I love about Lisa Sharon Harper’s recent-ish book Fortune is that it raises—and then unpacks—this question: What exactly broke our world? I think this is a crucial question. But it’s not always one that we talk about—at least not with nearly enough specificity. In my experience in Christian circles, in particular, people…

  • ISO worship music that doesn’t make me cranky

    Hi friends, I have a confession: Christian worship music often makes me cranky.  I don’t know if this is actually a confession. As in, I don’t know that I’m really ashamed of it or feel like it’s a bad thing. After all, there are plenty of good reasons to feel cranky about Christian music. For…

  • The gifts no one wants to receive (reflections on a Kirkus Review)

    Hi friends, A few weeks back, I submitted my book manuscript (Nice Churchy Patriarchy) to Kirkus Reviews. When I saw last week that their review was ready, I was a little nervous to take a look. Apparently they have a reputation for being “unsparing.”  (The good news is that once you receive your review, you…

  • Individualism twists our understanding of injustice

    Hi friends, Ally Henny was an (online) classmate of mine in seminary, and I’ve appreciated her voice on social media ever since. But I hadn’t really read much of her (non-social-media) writing until now.  I just read her recently released book, I Won’t Shut Up: Finding Your Voice When the World Tries to Silence You.…

  • Super chill book review part 1: Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey

    Hi friends, My general goal is to post here weekly-ish, so I kind of wanted to get a “super chill book review” of Tricia Hersey’s Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto (Little, Brown Spark 2022) out last Friday.  But then I was tired. There’s been a lot going on. And I thought, if I’ve learned anything…

  • Out there on the web: women in the book of Daniel, church expulsion, climate crisis & lament, and labor exploitation in church

    Hi friends, Hope the end of this week finds you ready for a restful weekend.  I’ve been reading Trica Hersey (aka the “Nap Bishop”)’s book Rest is Resistance, and it certainly has me thinking about what it looks like to steal away moments of rest, reflection, daydreaming, and napping throughout the week. Not just because…

  • Shiny and Happy

    Hi friends, I’ve been continuing to watch all the recent evangelicalism exposé documentaries. It’s a lot. I’m talking The Secrets of Hillsong (some reflections here and here). I’m talking God Forbid (on the Falwells, yikes). And I’m talking Shiny Happy People (on the Duggars, Gothard, and IBLP). This week, I wanted to share a few…

  • The (Not-So-Secret?) Secrets of Hillsong

    Hi friends, Did anyone else watch The Secrets of Hillsong documentary series recently? I did, and I have a few thoughts. I’d love to hear yours too if you watched it—whether they’re similar to mine or quite different! I don’t know if “enjoyed” is quite the right word, but I certainly found the documentary morbidly…