Christianity without Rice!

I was a bit taken aback when I was asked what I thought about, "Rice no longer being Christian!"

Wondering whether this was some culinary comment and beginning to panic what I'd have to have with my favourite Indian meals in future I pressed my inquisitor further only to find that apparently Anne Rice was no longer Christian. I have to admit, my response was, "Who?"

Seems that a few years back this self-proclaimed atheist and author has banged out of being a Christian because of the religion's attitudes to homosexuality, science and birth control! Wondering where she'd been to have problems and what on earth this was all about I find that, according to her Facebook presence, she's leaving because:

"In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."

So there you have it her loss, is her loss I guess and she's welcome to add it to her collection of whatever it is that she stands for, against or doesn't understand. A bit of a shame but I didn't know she was a Christian and so won't really miss her. But what's it all about?

I read around a bit more and see that she appears to have mistaken the weird and totally despicable types who populate the Westboro Baptist church for real Christians and then the pieces start fo fall into place and her odd comments about commitment and Christ and the like make more sense. I understand the reason that she claims Christ is central to her life and yet can't be christian.

Confused, she certainly is (I hope her books are easier to read and understand!!).

First and foremost, Christians hate no one! Well they shouldn't, I can point to fascists of the orthodox, central and liberal wings whose attitudes and utterances make this appear a lie, but they shouldn't!

Secondly, it is wrong to confuse Christ with Christians and the quote from Ghandi she uses "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ," makes for a great sound bite but the same is true of humanity - I like being humane but humanity ain't humane either!

We SHOULD look like Christ, but many of those 'Christians' I encounter look more like people who should look like Christ rather than those who do. We're all flawed, fallible and struggling to bang the rocks together in harmony with the conductor - but this is no caveat, only the reason we should work harder on our faith issues.

Rice poses this question:
"When does a word (Christian) become unusable? "When does it become so burdened with history and horror that it cannot be evoked without destructive controversy?"

My answer is that it (Christianity) never becomes unusable (unless people choose to portray it as such) and that it can be 'evoked' always without destructive controversy (unless people choose to use it, or receive it, that way). Christianity is counter-cultural (well, apart from those who seek to revise the Bible and make Church and world synonymous that is!) and needs to remain so - if we lose the difference there's nothing different about it.

Rice says that, "My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me but following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become."

Christianity is, for the most part exactly what it always has been - it's just those who seek to weaken it by accommodation or aggression that are the problem. It's still created and sustained by a living God and His love is there for all, regardless. Just a shame that our obedience isn't as constant and present I guess.

So she's still a Christian - end of story.

Pray for her and those who cause her to stumble that she might grow and they might repent.

Pax