Why Christianity Deserves a Fresh Look
Google Image What comes to mind when you hear the word “Christianity?” A vague grouping of all the Christian denominations? A particular Christian religion, such Lutheranism or Catholicism? An image of old, judgmental people smug in their certainties, who have all kinds of biases and antipathy toward people who are unlike them? I hope it’s not the later image because that would merely be a stereotype. There may be a disproportionate number of older people among people who profess Christianity, but in my experience, they’re not any more judgmental, smug or biased than anyone else. In fact, I believe they are less so. So what of the other images? When we think of these “groups,” we may think of why many people aren’t attracted to religion. We think of the institutions, of their political and social views, their religious services, which we may see as boring. Or we think of the clergy, which in the case of Catholicism, may include the publicity given to abuser priests (...