Brian W. has been steadily commenting on my blog for six months. He’s one of our token Conservative Christians.
He was anyway.
On my blog Brian gets beat up. If there’s one thing you can say about the people who regularly comment on my blog (and you know who you are!), it’s that they do not let a point drop. Showing up on my blog talking about how, say, being gay is a choice, is like strolling into a hardware store carrying a 40-lb. magnet. You get nailed.
The first sentence of the first comment Brian ever made on my blog was: “I simply don’t know how a Christian could marry an unbeliever, I just don’t see ANY biblical support for such a union.”
I almost felt sorry for him.
One of the next things he wrote was: “The doctrine of Hell is a red-herring smoke screen unbelievers throw out as to why they or others can’t, don’t or won’t believe in Christianity. The fault is YOURS, not the judge.”
I liked Brian. He was always thoughtful, gentle, respectful, knowledgeable, gracious–and durable. Man, that guy can take hits. It amazed me that day after day he kept showing up on my blog. It was like watching a cat again walk into a dog park.
But Brian W. believed what he believed—and knew why he believed what he believed—and he wanted to share with others those beliefs, and the reasoning behind them. Worked for me. (Plus, he bought hard copies of my books Penguins and I’m OK–and liked them! So, you know: really worked for me. I’m easy like that. )
So two days ago Brian left this comment deep in one of the comment threads to my post Meet Scott Anderson, Soon To Be the First (Openly) Gay Minister Ordained by Presbyterian U.S.A.:
I am amazed on the journey God put me on these last several months; what started off as a fairly innocuous friend request on Facebook to John (we attended the same high school and graduated the same year). I find myself here now with a complete new mindset. I consider myself quite the “progressive conservative” Christian, living in California, but I soon discovered through this blog how clueless I really was about homosexuality. I’m not (yet) a rainbow flag waving champion of gay rights, but I’m now keenfully aware how verbal and written dogmatic conservative biblical beliefs can cause such pain and suffering, and is actually COUNTER productive for the cause of Christ (salvation for all through His Gospel). I still have a long way to go – but I see the error of my ways – because of people on here. Praise God……
And there you have it.
YouTube, movies, DVDs, video games, iPods, iPhones, iPads … and still what matters most is words on a page computer screen. It’s still, above all, about reasoned conversation, open-minded interaction, thoughtful exchange.
A great thanks this morning to all of you here who so consistently do so very much to engage, welcome, gently challenge, and above all show you care. I don’t want everyone in the world to think the same way; how boring would that be? But in my dreams, people from different backgrounds and with different perspectives listen to one another. They reflect. They commune. They empathize. Together they—together we—grow.
Thank you, so much, for helping make that dream come true.
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