Anonymous wrote:I use the story of ANC’s “shift” as a real world example of institutional corruption in my public policy lectures in university. The names omitted to protect the, er, “innocent”.

That's fascinating. I'd love to hear more.

I use the story of ANC’s “shift” as a real world example of institutional corruption in my public policy lectures in university. The names omitted to protect the, er, “innocent”.

My son and daughter will be 49 and 48 this year. One of the times I miss them most as kids is when I see moms buying school supplies together with their kids in August. It just takes me back to them picking out their backpacks and lunch boxes and carton boxes and taking them to McDonalds or Pizza Hut afterwards. 😢🥰

No matter how great of adults they turn out to be in their 20, 30, 40, or close to 50’s, there’s always a little tug for when they were kids and teens.

I get so annoyed with how she presents her own experiences as if they are universal. Especially with how hyperbolic she always is. Like her oft-recycled post about how you shouldn’t ever plan anything for the first Friday back to school because your kids will be fried and asleep by 5pm. Ummm, no? Not everyone? My daughters usually want to go out to dinner or have a sleepover. They’re fine on the first Friday of school.
And her recent post about how young-adult children are the absolute very best, a complete dream, and that you don’t lose your little kids at all, they just get better! My girls are not quite young adults yet, but they are very close. And we do mommy/daughter dates and vacations and it’s all extremely delightful. But I still get misty-eyed when I pass by a library story hour. I can enjoy them NOW and miss them THEN. Both can be true. Not everything has to be spun so that Jen’s life right this very minute is the very best ever!!!

Anonymous wrote:Former ANC member here, from the best years when it was an actual vibrant church that while still holding true to the Bible was very focused on the community and the outcasts. I couldn’t do the shift they forced down everyone’s throats after Jen made them do it. The deconstruction era seemed to me and my family so empty and throw the baby out with the bath water and it seemed like they were unmoored and making it up as they went along. So glad we’ve found a church that is still a Christian church but gentle and open in all the best ways without giving it all up.

The thing that bothered me was that ANC became a place where they were almost embarrassed of Christianity. We just couldn’t s anymore. It felt dead and empty and performative. That Jason guy is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. With a little tortoise jewelry thrown in.

Previous commenter here who mentioned being in church with the limiting and tiresome progressive types. Our church went through serious tragedy we lacked the depth to deal with and eventually closed it's doors forever. Some of the former members have fully embraced ways of living that are completely at odds with the Bible, which false teachers like Jen helped lead them to embrace.

I looked up that Jason guy and he graduated from a seminary I'm very familiar with, which is supposed to be evangelical but which has a lot of very liberal graduates. He clearly identifies as a progressive. Hard pass

Former ANC member here, from the best years when it was an actual vibrant church that while still holding true to the Bible was very focused on the community and the outcasts. I couldn’t do the shift they forced down everyone’s throats after Jen made them do it. The deconstruction era seemed to me and my family so empty and throw the baby out with the bath water and it seemed like they were unmoored and making it up as they went along. So glad we’ve found a church that is still a Christian church but gentle and open in all the best ways without giving it all up.

The thing that bothered me was that ANC became a place where they were almost embarrassed of Christianity. We just couldn’t s anymore. It felt dead and empty and performative. That Jason guy is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. With a little tortoise jewelry thrown in.

Anonymous wrote:"That’s the problem with the deconstruction movement…. They never stop rebelling and it all becomes a never ending fight against their past."

This. I was in church for a long time with people who seemed defined by this dynamic and it felt so limiting and tiresome after a while.

I bet! I tried “the Bible for normal people” podcast and Rachel Held Evans (RIP) for a bit but it gets so tiresome after awhile. They even had “evolving faith” convention where they all make $ on this group of disaffected Christians. I remember someone sang “nothing but the blood” and the liberal crowd was so upset, said it was triggering, and they had To come out with a huge apology.

How can they not see that their new audience is super judgy and self righteous? I am so glad I came back to a more traditional church (independent Methodist who left the UMC) and stopped listening to the Hatmakers of the world. Tell us what you are FOR not just what you are against, is my plea to progressive Christians

"That’s the problem with the deconstruction movement…. They never stop rebelling and it all becomes a never ending fight against their past."

This. I was in church for a long time with people who seemed defined by this dynamic and it felt so limiting and tiresome after a while.

What’s odd is that she can’t let go of the church, since she still makes her $ being loosely connected to Christians.

Just look at Derek Webb- she’s following his footsteps. I used to love him- he was reformed (which I am not anymore- or rather indifferent, as I find it divisive) and questioning the church in a real and genuine way. But he couldn’t stop there- he had to dress in drag for the dove awards, put nail polish on his boy and cheat on his wife. That’s the problem with the deconstruction movement…. They never stop rebelling and it all becomes a never ending fight against their past. They throw all standards/morals out the window and they become insufferable. It’s like a rebellious middle child who has oppositional defiance disorder.

I don’t understand why she could not get a normal corporate/ non profit job and just stop the deconstruction charade. Like to really separate from her past would be healthier and more tolerable than whatever she’s doing now by living all her life online.


Churches paid her well to speak on her heyday (2014 ish) but now that the income has dried up she is left with a very narrow minded left wing audience who doesn’t go to church but is just as judge mental as the worst Christians.

As a Christian I just wish she would
Cut ties with the religion if she is this bothered by her past Christian life. It would seem more authentic than trying to make money off her despised past.

Anonymous wrote:Wow, props to the poster who just put up this quote! I just looked it up.

One of the reasons why I return to this thread is because I am genuinely baffled by the women writers in the Christian deconstructive lane.

I am a churchgoer in a Christian church. It is the center of my life. What intrigues me, and why I come here, is because I keep wondering why these women who have left organized churches write a lot, and seem to believe they are offering something new. They present as groundbreaking in this "deconstruction " yet I never read anything spiritually original or fresh. I'd love to hear thoughts on this.

There have always been spiritual fakes and phonies who attempt to make money off the church. Nothing new under the sun. Etching ears and all that.

Jen is just another in a long line of fakes.

To her this is just a way to make money and build up a platform. It’s what she knows and what’s close to her. M

Problem is she’s burned a lot of bridges and lost most of her original audience. Her new audience is fickle and small and demoralized and shrill.

If the election proved people are really tired of the old angry divisive white savior perpetual victimhood progressive political posture. That ship has passed. No one wants it anymore.

Jen is lost. She’s been lost a long time. And the walks are closing.

Wow, props to the poster who just put up this quote! I just looked it up.

One of the reasons why I return to this thread is because I am genuinely baffled by the women writers in the Christian deconstructive lane.

I am a churchgoer in a Christian church. It is the center of my life. What intrigues me, and why I come here, is because I keep wondering why these women who have left organized churches write a lot, and seem to believe they are offering something new. They present as groundbreaking in this "deconstruction " yet I never read anything spiritually original or fresh. I'd love to hear thoughts on this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jen’s next grift: An online faith community where women pay her to assure them that Jesus was just a cool, hippie who never mentioned sin.

I think she her next grift will have a churchy theme. Either online church or a visiting pastor/speaker to churches. It really might work for her, there’s probably a dumb audience for it.

2 Tim 3:6 - 2000 years ago the apostle Paul already saw there was an audience for it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jen’s next grift: An online faith community where women pay her to assure them that Jesus was just a cool, hippie who never mentioned sin.

I think she her next grift will have a churchy theme. Either online church or a visiting pastor/speaker to churches. It really might work for her, there’s probably a dumb audience for it.

Like that hasn't been done to death in last two decades.

Anonymous wrote:Jen is like Nadia Weber- just call yourself a Unitarian and put your safe Jesus back up on the shelf.
Nadia has a sleeveless pastoral garment /shirt to show her guns. These people are caricatures.

All the progressive Christian, deconstruction, exvangelical bunch (Glennon, Jen, Nadia, Rachel Held Evans, Sarah Bessey, Pavlovitz, et al) are like carbon copies of each other spewing out the same shallow talking points, but lots of people out there lap it up because it tells them they can have their cake and eat it too.

Jen is like Nadia Weber- just call yourself a Unitarian and put your safe Jesus back up on the shelf.
Nadia has a sleeveless pastoral garment /shirt to show her guns. These people are caricatures.