Growing up, going to Church was just something I had to do. I did not really understand the purpose, as my mother would drop me off for Sunday school and mass while she went for coffee and bagels with friends, only to return to pick me up. Church was an obligation, and as I grew older, I questioned more and more about it, drifting further off and away. Much like Jean Waight’s canoeing analogies, I felt stuck on a rock or headed for waters that just were not part of the enjoyable experience I had heard about and hoped for. I never felt the close-knit family and support system that everyone told me Church should be. As I grew older, my distrust and dislike for patriarchy and intolerance of LGBTQ+ issues caused me to drift further away from Christianity.

One of the first things readers will notice is the woodblock prints that open each chapter. They are like a small window into what is to come. Reading Jean Waight’s memoir, The River Beyond the Dam: Shooting the Rapids of Progressive Christianity, I felt like I was talking to a friend, someone who really got what I was thinking when it came to Church. Her blunt and direct approach to sharing her story was inspiring. In her book, she reminds readers what the real purpose of community is. It is not sitting in a building singing hymns; it is coming together to improve the community by buying diapers for those in need or taking on the coal industry standing with the Lummi. She does not just accept that men take leadership roles in the Church; instead, she brings feminism to the forefront of the discussion, saying it isn’t enough just to have women in leadership roles; they need to actually be treated as equals and allowed to hold leadership positions over men. Jean actively questions the dogma surrounding religion and holds those around her to higher standards, not settling for the status quo.

The River Beyond the Dam is not a book that readers can pick up and read cover to cover. If they do, they are missing a great deal. Each chapter is a chance for reflection and unpacking preconceived notions. Jean references multiple resources, providing insights that back up her thought process. Providing a full bibliography at the end of the book allows readers to continue their own research and personal journey after reading this memoir. For those who feel the Church is a lost cause, her story offers a glimmer of hope, a chance that, while slow, change can come if enough people put in the work.

Pages: 247 | ASIN : B0C2BGC4N9