I was sent here after asking where I fit in after deconstruction
By an overwhelming amount of kind people telling me that where I had landed after deconstruction sounded very…Episcopalian.
I grew up in a very conservative Christian environment, and over the last several years I’ve had to seriously deconstruct a lot of what I was taught. I didn’t want to abandon Christianity entirely, but I also couldn’t return to the rigid, certainty-driven version of faith I grew up with.
Where I’ve landed is a Christianity that is more contemplative, sacramental, open to mystery, and comfortable saying “I don’t know.” I still value Scripture, prayer, tradition, and the person of Jesus, but I’m much less interested in having airtight answers for everything. I’ve also found a lot of value in contemplative practices, silence, meditation, and some aspects of Zen Buddhism.
When I described this elsewhere, a surprising number of people basically said, “You should look into the Episcopal Church.”
So… here I am.
I’m curious what drew you to the Episcopal Church, especially if you came from an evangelical, fundamentalist, or otherwise conservative Christian background. What surprised you when you first started attending? And if I visit an Episcopal church for the first time, what should I know?