It is tough to "come out" as a Christian in this online world, since this world is one chiefly of ideas and intellect. This is because my ideas and intellect are most aligned (I think) with people who feel liberally about social issues, who have more questions about the whys and hows of society and philosophy than they have answers, and who view the world as a complex place where accountability is elusive. These people, and myself, view with suspicion if not open hostility those who would move this country toward intolerance, toward stark moralism, toward an arrogant and military imposition of our will on others because of a belief in our own anointedness.
That is, in the paraphrased words of Gandhi, I love Christ -- but how I feel about Christians is another matter.
As a Christian, however, I believe I am responsible for exploring, deepening, and challenging my own faith and understanding. I also believe that I am responsible for sharing my belief with others. That's kind of uncomfortable and makes me secretly fear becoming a pariah, a "Jesus freak." It makes me feel that everything else I say will be discounted or discredited.
But there it is. I am a person of faith, and I am accountable not only for nurturing my relationship with God but for not being secretive about having that relationship. Veiled threats at the bottom of vapid religious chain e-mails -- you know, whose message is "if you're a Christian, you'll send this to everyone in your address book" -- don't make me feel a twinge about deleting them. My faith has nothing to do with trite poems or prayers for personal success or the religion of feeling good. My faith does have to do with being a thinking, doubting, exploring, intellectual person, though. And since this site is a place I have staked out for doing those things, it is incumbent upon me to claim faith here.
(Plants flag.)
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