Endorsed by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, New York Times best-selling author of Jesus and John Wayne, Cait West’s newest release, Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy, offers a heartbreaking and brutally honest coming-of-age memoir and the story of West’s gradual escape from purity culture.
Recounted with sensitivity and optimism, West tells her remarkable story of growing up in a strict Christian home during the Christian patriarchy movement, which affected many Protestant denominations. Authoritative leaders weaponized literal interpretations of the Bible to obtain submission and control. Parental aspirations turned into spiritual manipulations disguised as Christian love. West was expected to live as a stay-at-home daughter with a prescribed future controlled by her father, and his behavior was “rewarded and praised for his narrow views and inflexible rules.” Cait West’s future was not her own. With age came the realization that this was not what life was supposed to be. West says, “I did not leave in a day but over a long time of gathering strength and resources. In some sense, I am still leaving, even though it’s been more than a decade now since I boarded a plane to start my life over.”
Rift is a voice for those who have been stifled by purity culture, an alternate narrative full of hope, and a cautionary tale to bring attention to continued abuse in Christian communities.
Yop Image: Eerdmans
