Author Archives

A passionate pragmatist and truth teller. Advocate, theologian, spouse, mama.

• Unexpected Divine Encounters by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on October 15, 2018 • ( 17 )

  

  As I finalize my manuscript for Women Rise Up, to be published with the FAR press in early 2019, I want to share this excerpt from my chapter on Mary Magdalene.  The Spirit of God moves at unexpected times and places…. Read More ›

• Longing for (Dis)Connection by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on September 18, 2018 • ( 15 )

  

  As I type this post, I have another browser window open to track the path of Hurricane Florence due to make landfall in my area sometime later this week. Though I now live a few hours inland, I grew up… Read More ›

• Claim Your Expertise by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on August 21, 2018 • ( 21 )

  

  Years ago I attended a women’s workshop hosted by The OpEd Project, an organization dedicated to diversifying voices in the media. The first exercise was for each of us to state our particular area of expertise to the group. I… Read More ›

• See, Hear, and Believe Women’s Pain by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on July 17, 2018 • ( 15 )

  

  Rachel Fassler was in so much pain that she couldn’t remain still long enough for the emergency room nurses to take her blood pressure. After hours of being overlooked, dismissed, and misdiagnosed (she was initially treated for kidney stones) by… Read More ›

• Creating Space for Wisdom Sharing by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on June 19, 2018 • ( 9 )

  

  Along with spending more time in silence, another spiritual practice I’m cultivating is creating space for the wisdom of the room to emerge. At a basic level this involves talking less and listening more. Keeping quiet is a discipline I’ve… Read More ›

• Is there Space for Beyoncé in Worship? by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on May 12, 2018 • ( 19 )

  

  Last month nearly 1,000 people gathered at Grace Cathedral, an Episcopal congregation in San Francisco, to participate in a worship service notably referred to as the Beyoncé Mass. Several of Beyoncé’s songs, including “Survivor,” “Flaws And All,” and “Freedom,” were… Read More ›

• When Spirit Speaks by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on April 17, 2018 • ( 16 )

  

  Though I couldn’t call myself a skeptic in general, I’m always a bit dubious when someone claims to have an audible connection with the divine. I’ve found sacred guidance to be more subtle than that, revealed slowly over time through… Read More ›

• When Disappointment Stings by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on March 20, 2018 • ( 8 )

  

  Disappointment seemed like the theme of 2017–and not just because of the results of the U.S. Presidential election. It was more personal than that. At least that was how it felt. Over and over again I got this close to… Read More ›

• Saying Yes to Saying No by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on February 20, 2018 • ( 13 )

  

  I was sitting in my then-therapist’s office one day, feeling exhausted and hopeless. Between mourning a break-up and constantly traveling for work, I felt like I’d been digging myself out of an ever-deepening hole of despair for months. “When someone… Read More ›

• Happiness Habits by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on January 16, 2018 • ( 11 )

  

  Finding joy has never been a priority for me in terms of how I structure my life. A long-term goal? Certainly, yes. My path to getting there, however, has been misguided. I’ve held the common belief that if I can… Read More ›

• The Trouble  with “Wellness” by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on December 19, 2017 • ( 20 )

  

  During the holiday season we’re bombarded constantly with contradictory messages about how we ought to take care of our bodies this time of year. Over the early winter months there is a collective expectation and even glorification of indulging in… Read More ›

• Politicians Make Dangerous Theologians by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on November 21, 2017 • ( 11 )

  

  Accounts and allegations of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse perpetrated by mostly straight white men in power have flooded the U.S. news cycle for months. Each new revelation confirms that sexual violence is an epidemic fueled by systems of unchecked… Read More ›

• Restricting Access to Birth Control is Immoral by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on October 16, 2017 • ( 12 )

  

  On a hot August day in 2012, I was taking my usual monthly trip to Walgreens to pick up my birth control prescription. As I pulled out my wallet to cover the co-pay, I was pleasantly surprised when the pharmacist… Read More ›

• Introducing the Kindreds Podcast by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on September 19, 2017 • ( 6 )

  

  What do we mean when we call girls “bossy”? How do we deconstruct the myth that women can’t get along? What are the real costs of emotional labor? Kindreds is a podcast for souls sisters. In each episode my co-host… Read More ›

• The Trouble with Boaz by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on August 15, 2017 • ( 20 )

  

  I’ve always been troubled by the story of Boaz found in the Book of Ruth. While there are plenty of biblical narratives that horrify me–Hagar, Tamar, and other “texts of terror” as Phyllis Trible called them–the story of Boaz is… Read More ›

• The Intersections of Faith and Reproductive Justice by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on July 18, 2017 • ( 8 )

  

  Last week I participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Center for American Progress (CAP) on the intersections of faith and reproductive justice. These conversations are critically important, particularly in these political times when threats to our bodily autonomy… Read More ›

• Anti-Muslim Demonstrations Demand Our Response by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on June 20, 2017 • ( 6 )

  

  On June 10th anti-Muslim demonstrations were held in 28 cities across the United States, including one a few miles down the road from me at the North Carolina Capitol grounds in Raleigh. Organized by ACT for America, identified by the… Read More ›

• Finding Peace in the Wait by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on May 16, 2017 • ( 9 )

  

  Have you ever tried to download a number of large files to your computer at the same time? If you’ve purchased a TV series through iTunes or received high-resolution pictures from an important event that you couldn’t wait to view,… Read More ›

• When a Methodist Turns Baptist by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on April 18, 2017 • ( 15 )

  

  Nearly a year ago, almost to the day, I entered the sanctuary of an historic church in downtown Raleigh for the first time. Visiting a new faith community is nearly always at least a slightly uncomfortable social experience. In my… Read More ›

• Coexist or Contradict? How about Resist Instead by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on March 21, 2017 • ( 14 )

  

  While stopped at a red light on my way home one day I noticed that the two cars immediately in front of me had the same “Coexist” bumper sticker. You’ve probably seen one like it. Each of the letters of is a symbol… Read More ›

• Parenting and Politics: How I’m Showing Up by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on February 21, 2017 • ( 6 )

  

  When I was ten weeks pregnant I gave an impassioned speech in front of the Supreme Court during the Hobby Lobby hearings about why universal access to contraception was part of my own religious understanding. I’d wanted to share about… Read More ›

• Encountering Spirit: A Ritual of Blessing for an Abortion Clinic by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on January 17, 2017 • ( 10 )

  

  For the last year I have had the honor of serving as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC). This leadership role often requires great personal and professional sacrifices and yet blesses me… Read More ›

• Making Room for Joy this Advent by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on December 20, 2016 • ( 17 )

  

  Driving around my town in North Carolina, I have come across a handful of houses that had decorated their yards with an empty manger staged in front of an empty cross. This juxtaposition of Christian symbols struck me as peculiar, so I… Read More ›

• A Lament for My Daughter by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on November 15, 2016 • ( 8 )

  

  I wrote this the morning after the Presidential Election. While there will be time for hard work, there must also be space for the sacred work of lament. This is mine.  Last night I dressed you in the Hillary shirt I ordered… Read More ›

• Opting In, Opting Out: Navigating Political Divisions “for the Sake of the World” by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on October 18, 2016 • ( 15 )

  

  Over a year ago I made the decision not to watch–not to consume the vitriol of this political disaster we in the U.S. have created for ourselves. It was a conscious choice in favor of my own self-preservation which I stand by. I had no… Read More ›

• The Restorative Act of the Rite-13 Ritual by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on September 20, 2016 • ( 9 )

  

  I had never heard of the Rite-13 Ritual until I saw it listed on my worship bulletin a few months ago. My first reaction was to become annoyed when I saw the additional program item and to begin to calculate… Read More ›

• Taking Risks to Heal Ourselves and Our World by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on August 16, 2016 • ( 5 )

  

  I was in New York having tea with a colleague whose prominence in our field has risen significantly over the last several years. I confessed half-jokingly that had we not known each other before this happened, we probably would not… Read More ›

• Get Compassion: Reflections on Childbirth and Privilege by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on July 19, 2016 • ( 9 )

  

  Jessi Klein wrote an Op-Ed in last Sunday’s New York Times entitled “Get the Epidural” in which she takes on the arguments for “natural” childbirth and makes an astute point about its premise: “It’s interesting that no one cares very… Read More ›

• What Will the Faith Response to Zika Be? by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on June 21, 2016 • ( 9 )

  

  In the face of the Zika epidemic the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued new recommendations for individuals at risk of contracting the virus either through mosquito bites or through sexual contact with an infected person. If someone has traveled… Read More ›

• Mixing Work and Faith: Redefining my Relationship with the United Methodist Church by Katey Zeh

  By Katey Zeh on May 17, 2016 • ( 14 )

  

  The United Methodist Church (UMC) General Conference, the denomination’s legislative body that meets every four years, is currently underway in Portland, Oregon. For self-avowed “MethoNerds” this is a highly anticipated event akin to watching the Olympics. Meanwhile I’m doing my… Read More ›