Anna Redsand’s memoir begins with her terrifying discovery that there would no longer be a place for her within the devout missionary community in the Navajo Nation that had been her world. She was 16 when she heard her mother condemn two missionary women who had been discovered to be lovers: “They’re living in sin. They should see a doctor.” Unable to reconcile the beliefs of her childhood with the powerful stirrings of her adolescent sexuality at a time when same-sex marriage was not drawn on any map, she felt forced to leave behind all that she loved. 

As that world faded, so too did everything religious and spiritual within her. Entering first into exile and the shame of being unwanted in the homeland, she headed into the uncharted territory of new religious, spiritual, and political directions. Always striving for authenticity, continuing to long for home 40 years after taking leave, she embarked upon a deliberate experiment to see if return was possible. 

The question became, did a faith community exist that could accept Anna as a lesbian, a doubter, and someone committed to social justice? Or had too much changed in her and too little changed in the Church? 

To Drink from the Silver Cup is the story of Anna Redsand’s quest. It is a story for anyone who has left a faith community for any reason: disbelief, rigid morality, the choice of an unacceptable partner, finding science incompatible with religious teachings, or sexual orientation, to name a few. It is for anyone who is questioning whether their faith still works for them. It is for people who have separated from their family of origin because of differing ideals or cultural pressures. It is for people who still live in their place of origin while caring about those who have left.