On Anne Rice: Please Read Beyond the Headline

Even though I am in Germany, the headline about Anne Rice has reached here. The headline says she has left Christianity. The reading of the article says she has reacted against the tone of many tied to the faith who simply reflect a faith that is anti-this and anti-that.

Now I do not accept all that she says nor do I think walking away from many in the community is the way to love those for whom Christ died and to whom we are related as fellow Christians, but I think I understand at least some of her point. It is that many in the church do not reflect well the Christ they identify with. Any pastor knows this as the church is a community, not of perfect people, but of redeemed people who should be growing spiritually but often come up short. There also is an issue of how we stand up for and represent what we believe, especially when the church stands opposed to things the world accepts. There is what we believe (or sometimes discuss those things) and how we discuss it. Tone and content are both important. She is raising that question in a way that should lead to some internal reflection.

Hopefully the door is not closed on this topic for her reflection. Hopefully we can reflect on the issue it raises.