Out of the Closet

So, here is another thing about me that is going to show through in my blog posts: I'm a Christian.  If you do not share my faith perspective, please don't head for the hills.  Keep reading.

I'm a bit nervous to acknowledge my faith in this setting.  But I do so because it is important because my faith informs my world view.  It is going to shine through in my writing like it or not.  Indeed, my faith is a primary reason I'm drawn to the notion of voluntary simplicity.  So, it is important to be up-front about it.

But let me be clear why I'm nervous to share this.  I'm not in anyway ashamed of my faith; I tend to be quite open about it.  But because of that openness, I know from past experience that many will read the word "Christian" and make certain negative prejudgments about me.  The term often carries with it a lot of baggage in our culture.  Connotations of the dour anti-dancing preacher in Footloose or the judgmental nature of Dana Carvey's "Church Lady" are not uncommon.

And though I am devoutly Christian, that does not mean that I embrace certain beliefs you may associate with Christianity (or at least certain variants thereof).  For example, I don't believe that dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the same time.  I don't believe feminists or homosexuals were responsible for the horrific suffering endured due to the 9/11 attacks.  I also don't believe the devastating earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince in 2010 was recompense for a pact that Haiti made with the devil centuries ago.  And if he were physically present on this planet today, I personally doubt the Son of God would lobby for a repeal of the estate tax.  But maybe that is just me.  Admittedly, I never went to seminary.

When addressing my political biases, I mentioned I didn't want this to be a political blog because I aspired for it to be broader in appeal. Similarly, I come to voluntary simplicity at least initially due to my faith, and many people of faith are also drawn to the concept.  But I don't intend in any way for this to be a "Christian blog." 

There is nothing wrong with having a Christian blog, there are some excellent ones out there.  But again I aspire that this particular blog would have a wider appeal.  Plenty of folks from other faiths--or no faith at all--are drawn to the notion of voluntary simplicity.  My hope is that whatever your spiritual perspective you will find something of value in this blog.