March 3, 2022

The Both-And of Lent (Audio Essay)

The Both-And of Lent (Audio Essay)

Even outside the context of practicing Christianity, the symbolism has value.

Even though my relationship to religion is always shifting, some of the rituals and symbolism have more resonance than others. For me, in recent years Lent has been the most meaningful part of the Christian tradition, even if I'm not sure where I fall in relation to it.

In this audio essay, I explore the both-and nature of Lent - through denial and affirmation.

"I have made it a focus of both this show and my writing that, to me, the term ‘exvangelical’ has its limits. I understand that it is inherently negative, in that it describes a former relationship. It also describes a formative relationship of incredible significance. As a term, as an identity marker, it is at once a recognition and renunciation of a certain type of belief and belonging. That is significant in and of itself. But it is a denial without a prescribed affirmation. What one chooses to affirm is up to them."

In this 10 minute essay, I go into more detail.

The transcript will be posted to postevangelicalpost.com later today. Support my work for $4/6/8 per month and get access to ad-free podcast feeds, Discord, and subscriber-only posts.

Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.

Exvangelical is a production of The Post-Evangelical Post and part of Irreverent Media Group. Check out more shows irreverent.fm.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices