When I wrote this piece a while back on the lack of space within the church for lament, I noticed there is a whole host of negative emotions we are wary of attaching with Christianity. We are uncomfortable with the angry Christian, the depressed Christian, the grieving Christian, the doubting Christian, the shameful Christian, and more. Christian culture has set up a moral code of conduct to prevent access to those who don’t conform. Christians often say, “I’m being a terrible Christian, aren’t I?” after expressing a very real emotion like fear, doubt, or anger. I am convinced we need the voices of Terrible Christians, because they dare speak of the brokenness within each of us. They also say to those outside of the Church, “Duuuuude, we’re just as messed up in here,” and tear down walls by sharing pain. The Church cannot be healthy unless it allows her people to embrace the fullness of humanity – along with the complete range of experiences which come with this crazy, beautiful life.

I am excited to be launching this series where myself and some other Terrible Christian friends will be sharing our stories. My hope is this will  create an uncomfortable space to share uncomfortable truths. In doing so, we can resonate with our own brokenness, and plunge the depths of God’s Terrible Grace.

Stay tuned for the first upcoming post: “I am a Sad Christian.”