I think we certainly should reach out to people who are critical of us, but I’m getting weary of Christian-bashing, most of it based on a narrow, media narrative about who Christians are. What the world calls “Christianity” is so diverse that I’m amazed at how often critics can get away with typecasting Christians.

When Nancy Pilosi’s daughter recently did a documentary on evangelical Christianity in America, she was shocked at what she found – a very diverse, happy, loving group of people. When she appeared on David Letterman’s show, told what she had found, and showed clips, Letterman remarked, “Can people really be that happy?”

I sense that Ann Rice fell into the trap of thinking all Christians agree on a monolithic interpretation of what it means to follow Christ. She didn’t get that from a conscientious study of the Bible, along with a little loving investigation of what really happens in evangelicalism, but from the media – plus her own interpretation of Roman Catholic teachings. All this seems to have produced a very narrow view of who we are as Christians.

If she did that with any other group, it would be called “prejudice”.

I enjoy my church family, even with some difficult ones,
I guess I just separate myself from all the craziness in my mind that exists in Christedom or I might do the same; and am glad my church doesn’t present itself as anti-everyone. i would rather be too tolerant than too rigid.