Christianity and the bad reputation

[crboltz]

So yesterday, a bit of news was had by Anne Rice claiming that she was "Quitting being a Christian" due to the perceived notion that to be Christian one has to be anti-many things including: Gay folks, Feminists, Women, Scientists, Birth Control etc. Ultimately it seems that what Ms. Rice wants to quit is being Catholic (Sorry to my Catholic

Comments

[doctorray]

I think there are two related matters at work here contributing to this problem.

First, conservative, evangelical churches have in some ways hijacked the term "Christian". Sadly, the religious knowledge of most people is pretty limited, and I can't help but wonder if distinctions like Baptist, Methodist, Unitarian, etc. are lost on people who hear "Christian" and think of these strident, conservative, 'non-denominational' mega-churches.

Second, from my perspective, the conservative evangelicals are just louder and more assertive in claiming the Christian 'brand'. In part I think this has to do with their strong sense of mission. If you think that your way is the only way, and you've been commissioned by God to get as many people onto the 'right' path as possible, you're going to put yourself out there pretty assertively. My sense is that more ecumenically-minded denominations tend to be less aggressive and strident. Probably this has to do with a broader philosophical outlook as well, and the types of people who fnd themselves attracted to the various denominations.

But it seems to me that, at the end of the day, for a variety of reasons, 'Christian' has come in the public mind to mean something quite different than it did decades ago. Alas.

[crboltz]

I think you are right. The "liberal" churches tend to be a lot quieter than the "damn everyone else to hell" churches. The UCC produced two TV commercials, which several networks refused to air. I found them on you tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx1u1v7hAtY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRcv9u9x3z8