The Inaugural Blog

The Inaugural Blog.

That’s a Frasier reference. Feel free to let me know in the comments if you get it. 

Anyway… Hi! I’m JC LaChette, the antithetical Christian. This is my blog – The Antithetical Christian.

Welcome and thanks for stopping by! Before we get started I should warn you about a few things.

• I will probably quote Frasier a lot. I mean, like, a lot, since that show is my happy place.
• I’ll probably reference song titles or lyrics, too. I can’t help it. I’ve tried.
• I am not a Biblical scholar, a clergyperson, or a theologian. I am simply a Christian misfit who sees this as a way to let other Christian misfits know that they aren’t alone. We can be offbeat weirdos and Jesus still loves us. 
• I will very likely disagree with many common interpretations of Scripture. I have learned – and am learning – that there are so many missing pieces or altered translations of words that much of the Bible as we know it today is not the same as it was when it was written.

A free-spirited, adventurous mouse-painting, moon-howling sort of girl.

See, I told you I’d be quoting Frasier again. It just happens, I’m sorry.

OK, so I don’t paint with mice or howl at the moon. But I do paint (abstract art) – and I am free-spirited. Also, if we are being quite honest, I do love the moon. Regardless, that quote is about being different, artistic, individualistic – I check all those boxes. I’m not your average modestly-dressed, softspoken, submissive, conservative Christian. I’m loud and flashy and outspoken – not to mention proud. Stick around and you will see how I navigate Christianity while surrounded by people who are more like Frasier than Katelyn – the woman about whom Frasier used the “moon-howling” description. 

It’s difficult to stand out sometimes – to be the antithetical Christian – but I think the loudness of one’s being can be the perfect megaphone for the story of Jesus and his saviorship. For me, the message that the oddball can be saved gives hope to so many more people than the message that the wealthy doctor can be saved. I’m inclined to think there are more of us oddballs than there are wealthy doctors. 

You sing the words, but don’t know what it means.

… and there are the song lyrics. They’re from My Chemical Romance, in case you were wondering.

They’re also a pretty accurate description of people who quote the Bible but don’t actually understand what it means. Really, though, do any of us know what it all means – aside from the whole “Jesus died for us” thing? The rest is full of parables and allegory and advice on living a good life. I will be focusing on this theory a lot throughout this blog – the idea that advice is subjective, and we need to realize that when we read the Bible. 

We also need to realize that the Bible has been translated from Greek and Hebrew. Those languages have many words that don’t have an exact synonym in English, so other words were substituted. Not to mention, the chosen books of the Bible we read now are just that – chosen – by humans, sometimes to fit a narrative. So when we read and study and then quote the Bible, we need to keep all of that in the backs of our minds. Nonetheless, the spirit of the Bible is what’s important; the underlying theme that “God’s got this,” and the most important fact (yes, I said fact) of all – Jesus is our savior. I will never dispute that.

Long story short…

Throughout this blog you will find columns about me and my faith, columns that raise more questions than answers, and columns that are more academic in nature; research-based articles about various faith-based topics and theses that have popped into my head. Many things pop into my head, and I’m glad I have a place to get them all out and to hopefully interact with some folks who share some of the same ideas.  I’m also looking forward to intelligent conversation and debate about various things and some new insights and viewpoints to ponder.  One thing I know for sure is that I don’t know much, but I want to know as much as I possibly can.  Learning is my passion and I plan to do a lot of it.

So, all of that being said, let’s hang out together – us freaks who don’t fit the common Christian narrative. Let’s talk about the Jesus who gives us hope when we feel hopeless, direction when we feel lost, and love when we feel unloveable. Let’s talk about being antithetical Christians in a world that is the antithesis of Christian.  Then maybe we can help change it.

Comment below! Thoughtful, respectful comments are welcome and encouraged.