Beyond Parochial Faith

Beyond Parochial Faith: A Catholic Confesses weaves the author's personal story of woundedness and healing with her spiritual evolution. While working through and growing from personal relationships, Clancy wrestles with large questions of life's meaning.
Her spiritual transformation allows no denial of God's existence, but her rational mind cannot accept the Christian Father/Son myth. She moves from parochial faith to faith informed by science, world religions, and the arguments of atheists.
Clancy denounces what she calls sexist God-talk and espouses ""secular spirituality,"" while also honoring Jesus and religious myths for being avenues to transcendence.
Beyond Parochial Faith shows a deeply spiritual life independent of religion's dictates. ""Nones,"" the Goddess, sexual assault, the #MeToo movement, and a gay priest play roles in this story. The author's questioning epitomizes Western spiritual evolution in the twenty-first century.


""Beyond Parochial Faith invites readers into deep reflections on their spiritual lives. The author takes readers on a fascinating tour through her family and the religious culture of Stearns County, Minnesota. This book is splendidly written. Its intimate feel pulls readers 'beyond' constricting ideas to adventurous new visions about God, church, women, doctrine, and other religions. With intimate sharing and courage, Clancy sheds light into the darkness of 'parochial faith,' blazing a trail for others.""
--Vincent M. Smiles, Professor of Theology, College of St. Benedict & St. John's University

""The author brings us into the strange world of her puritanical childhood. We can identify with the self-doubt that torments her yet leads her toward personal rebirth and meaning. Ms. Clancy is self-reflective without being self-involved. Readers of her provocative blog will here discover how her need to escape the past sparked her independent thinking. All readers will meet a woman who is an insightful, modest, and gifted writer.""
--Lance Becker, Northwell Health

""Clancy emphatically stays true to her 'god is not three guys' mantra as she rattles patriarchal cages in this well researched and intimate biography. It shows the devastation to lives steeped in unhealthy Christian self-denial. Beyond Parochial Faith might set free people who are shackled by religious conditioning, willing to accept abuse and sacrifice quietly--like good little children as God pats our heads.""
--Karen Tate, author, radio show host, social justice advocate


Jeanette Blonigen Clancy is an educator and writer in Minnesota. She taught languages and communication to adolescents and adults in a variety of settings, most recently teaching English to adult immigrants and supervising student teachers. Brought up in a blanketing Catholic climate, she obtained a master's degree in systematic theology from a Catholic university and attends Mass with Benedictines, but claims a ""secular spirituality,"" free of religious dictates. She blogs at www...