Sarahbeth Caplin's Blog, page 12

The gospel of “self help”

There’s a lot of advice out there about how to conquer your problems and live your “best life.” I’ve never been entirely certain about what that means. How to become rich and famous? How to be great-looking and best dressed? I have no idea. Just perusing the Self-Help section at Barnes and Noble, I notice… Continue reading The gospel of “self help”

Reckoning with anti-semitism on Good Friday

I feel like I should be more upset that I’ll be spending my first Easter as an official Anglican at home this year (thanks, coronavirus). But while I look forward to the hope of resurrection, the entire Easter season carries baggage of anti-Jewish rhetoric from even the most progressive of Christians for me to get… Continue reading Reckoning with anti-semitism on Good Friday

Sharing toilet paper with Jesus

I pre-ordered Laura Fabrycky’s book, Keys to BonHoeffer’s House, back in January, and was fortunate to have my local independent bookstore ship it to me last week despite being closed due to the coronavirus. I haven’t been able to put it down since I pulled it from my mailbox. Bonhoeffer, a theologian living in Nazi-occupied… Continue reading Sharing toilet paper with Jesus

Theology in the time of Covid-19

There are many great theological takes out there about leaning in to God during this unusual period of self-isolation and fear in the time of Covid-19. But for every great theological take, there’s always several bad ones that spring up as well. There is no religious tradition that is immune to bad theology, but since… Continue reading Theology in the time of Covid-19

The way we talk about Pharisees, and why it matters

With the Lenten season coming up, it’s time to discuss something that’s been on my mind for a while: Pharisees. Odd, I know — that’s not something that normal people think about, except perhaps how not to be one of them: those hostile, unbending, legalistic Jews of the 1st century. The ones who scolded Jesus… Continue reading The way we talk about Pharisees, and why it matters

The one sin we can’t fess up to

For Black History Month, I’m making more of an effort to read books by people of color (something I should be doing more of anyway). In rereading I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (because it’s just that good), this passage stood out to me: White people desperately want to believe that only the lonely,… Continue reading The one sin we can’t fess up to

How to talk about politics on social media without being annoying

Many people are annoyed by the onslaught of political posts on social media. I can’t say I blame them — because not all political posts are created equal. It would be easy to say “Just don’t” in response to the question, Should I post something political? But the truth is, almost everything is political in… Continue reading How to talk about politics on social media without being annoying

Maybe we need more foolish hope

I used to feel ambivalent, sometimes even frustrated, when friends would share on social media that they were expecting. Hear me out. Trump was still fairly new to the White House. Hate crimes were increasing all over the country. White nationalists were becoming emboldened in revealing their hateful agendas. Scientists released a grim report on… Continue reading Maybe we need more foolish hope

Humanity is not all right

I am still asked from time to time why Judaism wasn’t “good enough” for me to keep it as my religion. A common misunderstanding when it comes to religious conversion is that it’s all about what fulfills me at a personal level, or makes me happy. I did not leave Judaism because it wasn’t making… Continue reading Humanity is not all right

Connecting to Jesus by strawmanning Judaism

I understand the appeal of Messianic Judaism to Protestant Christians: it seems like a way to connect with the Jewish roots of Jesus. It helps provide context for Jesus’ parables. It also functions like an insider’s guide to evangelizing the Jewish people. Unfortunately, MJ theology not only misrepresents ancient Judaism – it’s offensive to traditional… Continue reading Connecting to Jesus by strawmanning Judaism