Hi! I'm Ern.
Upbringing: My parents raised me as a Protestant Christian, and that's my background. I liked growing up in a Christian home, because it wasn't an overbearing one. I also think it opened my mind and made me think about the "big questions" and things that lots of people just brush off as a fantasy. We didn't go to church every Sunday, but we didn't just go once a year either. I was involved in youth group off-and-on. Ok, by "involved," I mean that I went sometimes. I'm counting the times I snuck off to read. I liked to know as much Bible trivia as possible. It impressed the adults and got me brownie points. I prayed the sinner's prayer when I was around seven after having a dream featuring angels. I felt it was time, because I wanted to take communion. What kid wants to be left out of adult activities?
After that: Faith started to mean something to me during my junior and senior years of high school, and then in college, faith meant a lot. I was baptized at Christian sports camp, in a lake, the summer before college, and that was pretty cool. It was a gradual thing. It's not exactly a testimony that would fit well in a short-story book. They say that lots of kids decide religion isn't for them when they get to college. I was the opposite. I would bike miles to get to church (until my dad bought me a car). Since then, there have been ups and downs. I questioned things, got through hard times with God's help, got burned by the church a bit then got over it, changed my politics to no politics, and discovered that pastors have podcasts (!!!)
Why this blog is necessary: I get pretty obsessed with these topics, and my friends will want a break from hearing my peanut-gallery comments on faith and scripture (especially because most of my friends are agnostic). I try to limit it to one mention of any religion per day. They tolerate it pretty well, bless them. But when you have an interest, you want to talk about it. Sometimes they ask a question, and then after two hours worth of a detailed answer, they probably regret asking.
Will only Christians like the blog? It depends on if you are interested in the Bible. The first thing I want to do is go through the whole Bible by chapter, in depth, pointing out things that the modern, average reader would miss due to lack of historical or background knowledge about what's being discussed. I've changed my mind about a lot of things, many times. There's nothing more exhilarating than the feeling of realizing you were interpreting something in absolutely the wrong way. I love feeling my brain/paradigms re-wiring. I studied other religions a bit, got more life experience, met people with different backgrounds, lived with people of different faiths (and agnostics), and read more books. I've disagreed with other Christians on a LOT, and I'm sure I will tick them off in this blog. Because of my background and general love of Jesus, Christianity will be discussed a ton. This isn't a "Christian" blog. It's about spirituality. But Christianity is what I know the most about. However, I wouldn't doubt that non-Christians will be able to relate to it at some point. And they will be able to keep me on my toes/challenge me. I don't like when religion only exists to keep certain types of people in and certain types of people out. So that won't be happening here. This also isn't an evangelism tool. You can't argue anyone into believing what you believe if they don't dig it. Often, the best you can hope for is that they will understand and respect where you're coming from, even if they never agree. Also, this is a legalism-free zone. And there will be no litmus tests here. If you say, "Well, I don't believe being gay is a sin" no one needs to reply, "Well, you're not a real Christian." There's nothing wrong with honest disagreement and questioning. We all are wrong about something.
Ok, ok, I'll give you a "belief statement": Let's brush denominations, semantics, doctrine, small issues, politics, and rules aside for a second because who can really agree on those, even in the same religion? Richard Dawkins criticized us for splitting hairs and splitting the church. Here are my most solid beliefs. These are the things I will likely believe forever. 1) There is a God 2) Jesus was the Son of God 3) Salvation is free/it's all about grace 4) Jesus rose from the dead 5) You can't lose your salvation 6) God loves everyone 7) There is AT LEAST some truth in every religion/faith system, and you can learn something from everyone. I'm only 24. I still have tons to learn about God. That's what makes it fun and interesting.
Feel free to suggest topics, questions, verses, or other religions for posts. I'll do 'em.
