Jenny Erikson, a conservative Christian mommy blogger, recently attracted the attention of the manosphere when she posted posted an attack on her pastor for “spoiling the surprise” of her divorce by telling her husband before she could.
When Jenny talked to a friend about leaving her marriage, the news made its way to Jenny’s pastor, who contacted her husband, Leif, to let him know what was coming. Her husband went home, and the following conversation transpired:
“I want to know what My Pastor told you,” I [Jenny] repeated.
He paused. Dried his hands. Took a deep breath. Sighed. “That you were planning on filing for divorce on Friday,” he finally admitted.
So there you go. My Pastor had actually told my husband, based on a fourth-hand rumor, without talking to me first, that I was planning on leaving him. That. Just. Happened.
“I filed for divorce last week,” I told him flatly. “I was planning on telling you this Friday.”
Jenny accuses her pastor of repeating a “rumor” that he heard “fourth-hand” while freely admitting she had already filed for the divorce a week ago. She wants to blame him for something, but was just mad she got caught.
My husband defended him as doing his pastoral duty. I looked him straight in the eyeballs and said, “The fact that you are defending this man’s actions yesterday is one of a thousand reasons I cannot stay married to you.”
The Bible’s position on divorce is pretty clear: don’t. Jenny shouldn’t be shocked that her pastor would warn a member of his congregation his wife is about to destroy his family, and give him a chance to confront her and repair the marriage.
Who is Jenny Erikson?
The tagline of Jenny’s blog is “God, Family, Politics, Wine (in that order).” Her profile picture is a cell phone image of her with a fruity alcoholic drink captioned “conservative blogger” when you hover your mouse over it. She has supported the Tea Party, been to CPAC three years in a row, and submitted a video question to the GOP presidential debates.
She and her pastor had clashed before over an article she wrote entitled Victoria’s Secret’s New Teen Lingerie Is Something All Moms Should be Happy About. She also wrote a piece against ‘Fitness Mom’ Maria Kang, who posted a picture of her toned body and three children with the caption, “What’s your excuse?” and a piece against Tuthmosis’s ROK article 5 Reasons to Date a Girl with an Eating Disorder, meaning she is familiar with this site.
Jenny writes that she was “contemplating drinking before 9am” the day after announcing her divorce, revealing a lot about her relationship to alcohol and true feelings about the divorce. Shortly after her husband left, she got a Bible verse tattooed on her wrist, in an attempt to be as “hip” as other women. While Jenny is comfortable criticizing the government, she believes women are beyond reproach, even if they are drunk, fat, dressing their daughters in sexy lingerie, marking their bodies, suffering from eating disorders, or claiming God told them to break up their family.
Jenny is excommunicated, responds with snark
After divorcing her husband, her pastor rightfully excommunicated her. For those not familiar with the customs of the church, excommunication is a fancy word for kicking someone out. Usually, excommunication occurs when someone breaks a major rule and is unrepentant — unrepentant being the key word, because if Jenny was to say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong,” most churches would let her back in.
Instead, Jenny posted the letter her church sent her and peppered it with snarky comments:
Form for Excommunication:
As you know we have announced to you the great sin committed and the grievous offense given by our fellow-member, Jennifer Erikson, to the end that, by your Christian admonitions and prayers, she might come to her senses, turn to God, and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26).
[Another side note. Snare of the Devil. I’m sorry, but I just snorted. Y’all should’ve heard it. It was totally sexy. Snare. Of. The. Devil.]
…So yeah that happened.
You’ll notice most of her posts end with some version of “that happened” or “That. Just. Happened” as if she is deeply surprised that her actions have consequences and there are other people in the world who don’t share her narcissistic fantasy, in which God thinks exactly like her and agrees with every decision she makes. Her substitution of indignant phrases for counter argument shows an inability to imagine or empathize with a perspective other than her own.
What life is like for Jenny after divorce
At least Jenny seems to be adjusting adjusting to single life well:
I’ve been living without a man around the house for just over a month now, and there are definitely some things I’ve had to get over. Spiders, for instance. I’ve had to kill numerous spiders all by myself. I tried to make the girls do it, but they were too busy screaming bloody murder at the eight-legged freaks to obey me. We’re going to have to work on that. Or something…
I’ve had to do all my own dishes. Leif used to do that…
Money. Is. Tight.
So far, a toilet hasn’t clogged yet, but I know it will eventually (hello, I have kids!), and then it will be my responsibility to fix it.
The fact this man used to do the dishes for her tells you everything you need to know. Her husband Leif shared in the housework, provided for his family, was present as a father, and active in his church. He seems by all accounts to be a good man.
What can we learn from this?
Jenny’s actions have been slammed by Christian manosophere bloggers such as Dalrock and Sunshinemary. The fact that a significant number of bloggers identify as “Christian manosophere bloggers” shows that even conservative Christian men in monogamous marriages need game nowadays.
Jenny Erikson’s husband did exactly what he was told he was supposed to do. He had the full support of his community and pastor and it still wasn’t enough to preserve his relationship. The sad truth is that by supporting his wife, Leif was supplicating rather than leading, even going so far as to buy her presents after she divorced him. Jenny describes him before marriage as “my shoulder to cry on when I went on bad dates” and “just friends.”
His wife placed a greater value on the tingles between her legs than her church, family, or God. If Leif had studied game, he might still have his marriage. Or have picked a better wife. We’ll never know.
Most churches wouldn’t even excommunicate a woman for divorce, instead placing blame on the man for failing to please his wife. There are pastors who regularly praise the heroic struggle of single moms. Feminism has infiltrated the church to such a degree that it’s dogma has become a part of church dogma.
Women like Jenny don’t just subscribe to the feminist dogma that we should support any choice a woman makes – they spiritualize it – saying that we should support any choice a woman makes because God wants us to. Even the Bible is just food pellets for her rationalization hamster.
Jenny Erikson is now a single mother with little money, two daughters to take care of, and the fading looks of body worn down by years of drinking and stress. Because she publicized her actions online, the stigma of abandoning her family will follow her as a warning to any man who’d consider dating her, and any Christian who thinks religion alone will spare him from the problems of modern women.
Read More: Why Christian Men Don’t Deserve Virgins
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