The Pastoral is Political: Beyond Pro-Life v. Pro-Choice

Earlier this year, I had an encounter that shook me in a powerful way. I was speaking on a panel of religious leaders at a sexuality education conference. I was by far the most progressive person on the panel. A woman who worked at an abortion clinic asked about finding chaplains, as so many of… Read More

The Pastoral is Political: Standing With Planned Parenthood

A series of misleading videos put out by an anti-abortion group has given rise to yet another movement by some policymakers to cut all federal funding to Planned Parenthood. At the Religious Institute, we have been in the forefront of the movement to remind the general public, the media, and policymakers that people of faith… Read More

The Pastoral is Political – “Polite” Conversation

Lately, my work has steered me to reflect on a topic that doesn’t often come up in “polite conversation” and certainly not in polite religious conversation. And yet, there’s a deep theological undercurrent to this work. I’ve been talking, writing, and speaking about access to abortion care. Or, more specifically, the lack of access to… Read More

The Pastoral is Political: Killing Goodness

This Sunday, my Episcopal congregation, like many Christian congregations, will celebrate a hybrid of Palm Sunday and the Sunday of the Passion. We will begin by welcoming the radical prophet’s triumphal entrance into our midst with cheers, waving of palm branches, and songs of “Hosanna, he comes!” By the end of the service we will… Read More

Religion, Sex, and Politics

I have an interesting job as a religious professional. I’m not an ordained clergy person in a parish or congregation. I’m the deputy director the Religious Institute, a multifaith non-profit that works to change the conversation about religion and sexuality in this country. And God knows, that conversation needs to change. Fast. Because apparently we… Read More

Sexuality and Spirituality

A couple of weeks ago I spoke on a panel about faith and reproductive justice at a conference called Beyond Roe: Reproductive Justice in a Changing World at Rutgers Law School. A colleague from another organization organized the panel for the audience of lawyers, future lawyers, and activists. He framed the panel by saying that… Read More