Girl meets God by Lauren Winner is Lauren’s memoir of a spiritual quest. Lauren comes to Christian faith with a unique perspective as she was born to a Jewish father and a lapsed Baptist mother. Although she was brought up Jewish, she was not considered an Orthodox Jew until she chose to complete the rituals to become one and, for some Jews, not even then.
However it almost seems that in the process of becoming a Jew she found Christ, although the chronology is not entirely clear. The decision left her with a dilemma. What was she to tell her Jewish friends and the Jewish community to which she belonged? How could she explain her new found faith after committing her allegiance to Judaism?
Circumstances allowed her to spend some time in England where she was able to grow in her Christian faith and be baptised while being somewhat isolated from her Jewish roots. However on her return she realizes that her friends feel betrayed by her acceptance of Christianity.
The material is organised around the church calendar rather than strictly chronologically which is a little confusing but perhaps Lauren did this as a way of protecting the privacy of some of her family and friends or as a way of focussing on elements of faith rather than herself.
Girl Meets God takes you on a fascinating journey exploring Christianity from a Jewish mindset. I found it insightful and enjoyable to explore Jewish thought and perception from this perspective. Lauren writes honestly about her struggles and her ongoing quest for truth. Her background and her character provide an unusual slant on issues of faith and makes for an absorbing read.
A quote from the book is here.
