Preacher: Debie Thomas

Debie Thomas

The Revd Debie Thomas is a priest, author, and speaker known for her work on "spacious" Christianity, which explores the intersections of faith, doubt, and complex identities. She currently serves as a transitional deacon at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Palo Alto, California, and is a seminarian at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific. Debie also serves as a columnist and contributing editor for the Christian Century, and previously served as a staff writer for Journey with Jesus from 2014 to 2022, providing weekly lectionary reflections. Debie is a sought-after speaker, frequently leading retreats and workshops on scripture, spiritual memoir, and journaling. She has authored books that reflect her journey from a conservative evangelical upbringing to a more inclusive faith: A Faith of Many Rooms: Inhabiting a More Spacious Christianity (2024). Debie was born in Kerala, South India, and raised in Boston, and often writes about the "murky in-betweenness" of being a South Asian American woman and a former "preacher's kid". She holds a master’s degree in English literature from Brown University and an MFA in creative writing from The Ohio State University.