Sarahbeth Caplin's Blog, page 16
November 28, 2018
John Allen Chau and misplaced evangelical zeal
I was sitting in a coffee shop a few months ago, working on a book review for a company I was freelancing for at the time. The book was about whether or not the Apostle Paul was bigoted, misogynistic, and homophobic, given what he wrote about slaves, women, and other groups. The book was lying… Continue reading John Allen Chau and misplaced evangelical zeal
November 1, 2018
Why I still consider myself Jewish
I knew my life would change after I became a Christian — but I was also surprised by how much remained the same. I thought I was giving up Judaism…but Judaism, the religion, and being Jewish are two different things. Somehow, I never stopped believing that Jewish spaces suddenly ceased to be my spaces. My… Continue reading Why I still consider myself Jewish
Why I can’t stop calling myself Jewish
I knew my life would change after I became a Christian — but I was also surprised by how much remained the same. I thought I was giving up Judaism…but Judaism, the religion, and being Jewish are two different things. Somehow, I never stopped believing that Jewish spaces suddenly ceased to be my spaces. My … Continue reading Why I can’t stop calling myself Jewish
October 30, 2018
The inherent deception of Messianic Judaism
My phone pinged with an email notification from my freelance editor at Patheos, regarding the news of Mike Pence honoring the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims by inviting a Messianic rabbi to say a prayer at a rally. Naturally, that prayer invoked mentions of Jesus — or rather, as he is known in Messianic circles, Yeshua … Continue reading The inherent deception of Messianic Judaism
October 28, 2018
Choosing a religion that persecutes you
When my brother mentioned casually at the dinner table that he was interested in Buddhism, neither of my parents thought it was strange. In fact, in recent years there has been an increase of interest in Eastern religions among the Jewish community, and there’s nothing shocking or heretical about it (unless maybe you’re Orthodox). My … Continue reading Choosing a religion that persecutes you
October 23, 2018
Why targeted evangelism is a bad idea
For every post I write that encourages Christians to stop targeting Jews with evangelism, someone always comments, But don’t you want the Jews to be saved? I understand what the comment is asking — supposedly it’s a Christian’s duty to make sure that everyone hears the Gospel, so they can have fire insurance before they … Continue reading Why targeted evangelism is a bad idea
October 22, 2018
When to end a friendship over politics
Would your family have hidden mine from the Nazis? I kid you not, I asked this question of my friends when I was a child. It was the ultimate gauge to see if they were truly good people (thankfully, they all said yes, they would have hidden me, but many of them didn’t even know … Continue reading When to end a friendship over politics
October 18, 2018
What Jesus might have meant by “the way to life is narrow”
Is Jesus Christ the only way to heaven? I struggle a lot with this question- I know many Christians do. It’s a particularly nasty struggle for me, because if the answer is yes, that means everyone in my family is going, or has gone, to the dark place. I wrestle with God quite a bit … Continue reading What Jesus might have meant by “the way to life is narrow”
October 12, 2018
Christians: let the Jews speak
Being misunderstood sucks. I’m not a big people-pleaser by nature, but it does bother me when I’m disliked for the wrong reasons. This doesn’t happen too often, but the following scenario has happened to me more than once: New Jewish acquaintance: “So you grew up Reform, but then converted?” Me: “Basically, yeah.” Them: “So you’re … Continue reading Christians: let the Jews speak
Christians, it’s time to take a seat
Being misunderstood sucks. I’m not a big people-pleaser by nature, but it does bother me when I’m disliked for the wrong reasons. This doesn’t happen too often, but the following scenario has happened to me more than once: New Jewish acquaintance: “So you grew up Reform, but then converted?” Me: “Basically, yeah.” Them: “So you’re … Continue reading Christians, it’s time to take a seat
