First published 2015
Nadia Bolz-Weber serves as pastor despite her resistance to the God she feels called to follow. This former standup comic brings her tattooed, profane, and angry self to ministry work. Her congregation includes surprising members: a church-loving agnostic, a drag queen, a felonious Bishop, and a gun-toting NRA member. These unlikely believers become her accidental saints. Through shared meals of bread and wine, wrestling with scripture, and honest conversations about their real struggles, Nadia encounters grace repeatedly. This grace feels less like comfort and more like a blunt force that transforms people in ways they could never achieve alone. The book chronicles how ordinary people find wholeness through community, even when their steps toward healing falter. Nadia writes in her signature confessional style about what happens when disillusioned people gather to practice Christianity together. Her account speaks to both believers and skeptics who seek authentic spiritual community.
Genres: christian-fiction, contemporary, religion, memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
211 pages · Hardcover · Convergent Books
Content warnings: mental-illness