Yes, I offend people.

I am honest. And that scares people. It also offends them. When I suffered from Post Partum Depression, I openly admitted it. I talked honestly about my feelings. Some people didn’t like it. Some of my friends distanced themselves from me because they were angry at me for not being able to rejoice over my beautiful healthy baby.

I am sorry that my honesty offended, but I wouldn’t change my behavior. Because although 2 people withdrew friendship from me, at least 4 others confessed privately to me their own sufferings from PPD, and how much it meant to them to hear about my struggles. That’s a trade-off that’s worth it.

I am an LGBT ally. I think there are probably more letters now, but (to be honest) I don’t have the time to look them up. Besides, I support the whole shebang. Why? For 2 reasons. 

1. If I’m not interested in having sex with you, then frankly your sexual preferences are completely irrelevant to our relationship. And here’s a clue: the only person I want to have sex with is my husband. He’s straight. Hurrah! 

2. I believe that Paul was serious when he wrote Galatians and Romans. I believe that when he says we have been set free from the Law, he meant it, meant the entire Torah. So I can eat bacon, wear cotton-wool blend clothing, ignore mold stains on my tent, have sex with my husband regardless of where I am in my menstrual cycle, masturbate, get drunk, smoke tobacco, eat like a glutton, fast like an anorexic, commit suicide, grab a man’s balls if he’s attacking my husband, take the Lord’s name in vain, get divorced, remarry my original husband, shake hands with a man less than 40-80 days after I give birth, double harvest my fields, keep my ox loose even after he has gored somebody to death, and keep 100% of my earnings to myself. Now, is it GOOD for my soul and spirit to do these things? Maybe, maybe not. Should my Christian community reject me for doing these things? I say no.

My willingness to support those of alternate sexuality has offended people and hurt friendships. I am not sorry. I consider people of alternate sexuality to be one of many severely oppressed groups in America today, and I am proud to speak up on their behalf.

I am a feminist. I believe that women and men should have the exact same legal, civil, medical, and financial rights. I believe that denying women access to birth control while at the same time granting men access to Viagra is an obscene and inane example of brutal sexism at work. I have yet to see a community that practices complementarianism that succeeds in affirming women as gifted by God. I believe that the failure to ordain women is a major problem in the global church; a failing that I believe saddens God.

I do offend people with my feminism. I am sorry. I regret that my feminism is so militant, and I am actively working on how I can express my views in a way that educates rather than offends. But I cannot lie, and I cannot put on a mask to hide my beliefs. I can only ask humbly that if I offend you with my feminism, that you give me the chance to make amends and to have a calm, rational conversation about the issue.

Share with me: Do you offend people? How?