

When We Belong
Reclaiming Christianity on the Margins (June 2022)
If you’ve been searching for language to describe a faith and community where you can live out your whole being…I’ve got a couple ideas. Step into a journey toward liberation, belonging, and a faith that makes you whole again.
We need belonging to survive and thrive. For Christians who know the pain, isolation, and loss of identity that comes with the ongoing struggle to be seen in churches and institutions full of barriers to belonging, you are not alone. Sometimes it can feel easier to walk away from faith completely. But there is another way. When it feels as though there’s no place left to belong, Jesus invites us into a love that knows no bounds and a community that truly liberates.
Endorsements for When We Belong





Free Booklet
Sign up for my newsletter and receive my FREE E-book ‘Change the Story’, a short anti-racism intro for the church. A great starting point for those starting their journey towards racialized justice. Six small chapters, recommended reading lists, article links, videos and movie lists, and more! My newsletter comes once or twice a month and comes with reflections, links to interesting articles, book updates, and more.
Podcast Episodes
#43 – Rev. Michiko Bown-Kai on Deconstruction and Identity in Progressive Spaces
We end Season 6, a season devoted to the topic of deconstruction with Michiko Bown-Kai (they/them). Michiko is a minister with the United Church of Canada. They grew up in Ontario in the UCC, and later became a minister, currently serving in Cambridge, Ontario.
In Episode 43, we cover a lot of ground starting with an introduction and story of Michiko’s path into ministry. We then detour to share stories about our Japanese ancestors during interment. The remainder of our conversation hovers around deconstruction, the importance of identity, and a critique of progressive Christian spaces.
#42 – Deconstruction with the NakedPastor – David Hayward
Episode 42 features David Hayward, a name you may not be familiar with, but whose art you certainly are. Found everywhere as the @nakedpastor, David has a wide array of tools to share his message. In this episode we cover a lot of ground starting with an introduction...
#41 – Past the Shame – On Deconstruction with Omar Reyes
In this episode I invite my friend Omar Reyes who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, to share about his journey through deconstruction. Originally form El Salvador, Omar grew up in the Pentecostal tradition and found himself a pastor for a decade. But then something didn’t fit. Listen to Omar’s story, his thoughts on deconstruction, moving away from works and shame based faith tradition, and how he thinks of deconstruction through an emotional and connective lens. We often spend a lot of time working out the “right” way to believe when in fact we should consider the right way to be in relationship with one another.
We end our conversation talking about ideas of how Christian gatherings look like in a pandemic age.
#40 – #exvangelical Creator Blake Chastain on Deconstruction
#exvangelical and all that Episode #40 welcomes Blake Chastain who coined the #exvangelical hashtag alongside the launch of the Exvangelical podcast in July 2016. Exvangelical conversations and communities have proliferated online across social networks like Twitter,...
#39 – Trash, Keep, Reclaim, On Deconstruction with Rohadi and Drew Brown
Drew and Rohadi conclude a three part series on deconstructing Christianity. In this episode they talk about their list of items from contemporary church traditions they would trash, keep, and reclaim. Listen in as both share their stories and paint a picture of what Christian community can look like moving forward.
#38 – Deconstructing the Christian Worship Industrial Complex – Rohadi and Drew Brown (Part 2)
Deconstructing the Christian Worship Industrial Complex with Rohadi and Drew Brown (Part 2). Continuing our series on deconstruction, Drew and Rohadi discuss major pillars in deconstruction. In this episode they tackle worship, or Christian music, and the ways it has formed Christian churches in good and bad ways. They discuss their experience, how they determined mainstream Christian music wasn’t going to work, and end with some ideas for deeper/better.
#37 – Have You Heard About Deconstruction? – Part 1 with Rohadi and Drew Brown
Have you heard about deconstruction?! It’s all the rage.
Drew and Rohadi take offer a take on what Christian deconstruction examining the root cause–white supremacy. They share stories growing up in different churches, making sense of a Christianity that seeks to make marginalized people less whole, their journey through deconstruction.
Divesting from institutional whiteness needs different voices speaking of different realities and hope, a new imagination, around faith and belonging. Here are two.
From the Blog
More On the Model Minority Myth
As we wind down Asian Heritage Month (AAPI History Month in the USA), I am republishing a short thread on the model minority myth that I recently posted on Twitter. I have written on this subject before, noting the "terms and conditions" Asian folks need to adhere to....
Stop Mass Shootings: Fix American Gun Culture, Fix the Gun Problem – From Canada with Love
Reposted from February 20th, 2018. It's been noted on social media: When children in Sandy Hook were massacred by semi-automatic fire, America had a choice to do something. And they did. They did nothing. The implications are grave. To do nothing after school children...
White replacement theory is not fringe
Ok, here goes. A post from a thread I recently wrote in light of recent violence (yet again) out in Buffalo. It pertains to replacement theory, or as I describe it here, white replacement theory. This idea is not fringe. It is an embedded cultural understanding most...
“When We Belong” Endorsements
I just got a first look at the voices who endorsed my book and I'm not only filled with joy, but am honored these folks would take the time to read and leave a note about this work. Check them out below. "When We Belong captures Jesus' core message of belonging. The...
Biblical Freedom is Setting the Oppressed Free
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rohadi (@rohadi.nagassar) In our current pandemic world there's an accumulation of confusion, disarray, and maybe feelings of being scared. Many are hurting from pandemic life and now grieve the loss of...
Jesus and John Wayne – A Brief Review
So a year ago Charlotte Donlon (you can find her episode on the Faith in a Fresh Vibe podcast here)asked me for my take on Kristin Dumez's book, "Jesus on John Wayne", as a Canadian who grew up in white evangelicalism. First off, Dumez's book is a must read. It's up...
2 Causes of Deconstructing Faith
As many of you know, I'm somewhat of a connoisseur of deconstruction. My next book will include a deep dive into deconstructing faith. Deconstruction is so hot right now that white thought leaders are finding ways to monetize it, and fundamentalists are finding ways...