How Jen Hatmaker Lost the Plot

on Fr. Richard Rohr, Brene Brown, and the Feel Good Christian Complex

Let me tell you about the time I pulled up crying to a Barnes and Noble. 

There are stories that don’t need to go on the internet, and what happened that night is one of them. But I would identify that night as one of the three? four? worst nights of my life. I went where I usually go in moments of desperation—the bookstore. (I feel like I should probably say the adoration chapel or something, but I’m just being honest.) I wandered the rows, found myself in the Christian section, and saw a bright red book facing out. It was by Jen Hatmaker, who I thought I might know from HGTV. I bought it on a whim, and sat in my car and read for a while. 

Oh, friends. That book made me laugh. And in that moment, the Lord who loves me knew I needed to laugh. I laughed so hard I could barely breathe. I laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and finally, eventually, drove back home. 

In a time when I desperately needed a reminder of joy and Christianity and love, Jen Hatmaker was there. And that’s why it makes me feel like shit to write this newsletter, but I tell you guys constantly I feel like I’m supposed to write the truest words I can. This, I believe, is the truth. 

A while ago, I mentioned Fr. Richard Rohr in a newsletter about Audrey Assad. Quite a few people asked me to identify what it was I found so troublesome about Fr. Rohr, and when I started writing, I found it hard to really convey sincerity in what I was saying. I think that’s because while I can correctly identify where Fr. Rohr is leading people astray…I never truly learned from Fr. Rohr. I hadn’t heard of him until I heard critiques of him. Fr. Rohr was not a companion, ever, on my faith journey. Fr. Rohr was not someone I loved.

Jen Hatmaker was.