Love and loss;
Church in the pew;
Worship in the rain;
God. Grief. Grace.
My name is Crystal and I'm a serial religion blogger, having written for my own websites and some others that you may know, such as the Huffington Post and Patheos.
My former blogs were about theology, about shedding Christian fundamentalism, about attending seminary as a non-traditional Christian and about what it meant to evolve spiritually. I wrote about that part of my journey until I graduated from seminary and became a pastor. I found that ministry did not suit me as well as working outside the church, so I returned to the secular career world where I now work in interfaith advocacy and enjoy it deeply.
Those who are interested in reading about my evolution and the nontraditional theological conclusions that I drew along that route are encouraged to grab my book, By the Waters of Babylon: A Collection of Doubter's Devotions, which is available on Amazon.
For those who care about credentials: I hold a Masters Degree in Theological Studies, which I earned while studying world religions and interfaith dialogue in seminary. I'm working on a second Masters in the humanities with an eye towards completing a Ph.D./Religion in the very near future. While I am no longer a pastor, I remain an ordained minister, having received my credentialing from the Progressive Christian Alliance.
There's no "statement of faith" on this website, but I will share that while I am a Christian, I unapologetically affirm and respect the peaceful paths of people who practice other religions. I also don't worship any books, buildings, or traditions; this includes the Bible, church and Churchianity. While I don't worship these things and reserve the right to criticize them, I do love scripture and Christianity's time-honored traditions deeply. I am a wanderer of sorts, but I do attend an Episcopalian church and love it quite dearly.
Thanks for your interest in my writing.
-- Crystal
