About grete
Raised on the central coast of California, far from anything resembling a Bible Belt, Grete nevertheless found herself immersed in conservative Christianity from the day she was born. In adolescence, she swallowed the evangelical ideology whole: preaching to her closest friends in high school, traveling the world as a missionary, even enrolling in seminary. Then, in her mid-twenties, a heartrending break-up destroyed the illusion that her obedience had earned her favor with God, and she began to see the ways she'd been manipulated--and complicit in the manipulation of others--for so long.
Now, with the benefit of hindsight and the support of fellow former evangelicals, Grete reflects on what she was taught by the church, how it hurt her, and what it looks like to deconvert from the belief system that was the center of her world for nearly three decades.
Grete's essays have appeared in Tiny Buddha and Across the Margin. Her first book, How to Leave the Church, is currently available.
