Thank you for this piece, Roger. This resonates strongly with my experience. As someone who has wrestled deeply with questions of my faith I never wanted the fact that I was wrestling cause me to be seen as a pariah who should not be supported in the full arms of loving fellowship (just as that was what I was needing and craving). I have so much more empathy now for others who wrestle with these issues, and although I've learned that my path is not necessarily theirs, I can sit with them in their struggle and be a loving and listening ear to validate their journey.
This essay strikes me as being apologist. It avoids all of the emotionally, spiritually, faith killing actions of the church and its leaders. This is what happens when a church turns into a for profit corporation.
Thank you for this piece, Roger. This resonates strongly with my experience. As someone who has wrestled deeply with questions of my faith I never wanted the fact that I was wrestling cause me to be seen as a pariah who should not be supported in the full arms of loving fellowship (just as that was what I was needing and craving). I have so much more empathy now for others who wrestle with these issues, and although I've learned that my path is not necessarily theirs, I can sit with them in their struggle and be a loving and listening ear to validate their journey.
This essay strikes me as being apologist. It avoids all of the emotionally, spiritually, faith killing actions of the church and its leaders. This is what happens when a church turns into a for profit corporation.
That's fascinating--I don't often get accused of being apologist. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.