My Friend John, along with his wife and several friends, has been blogging for some time at www.among.wordpress.com. (Their blog, among Friends, is linked in my right sidebar.) John posts a fairly long, overtly religious, usually scholarly post every couple of weeks. A few days ago, he posted a piece titled “Seeking New Bottles for This New Wine.” When I read it, I found myself sitting quietly, smiling softly, enjoying the peace that the Spirit brings with it.
John and I share a mystical and tender spirituality. I regard him as a spiritual mentor, and he occasionally tells me that I inspire him. However, whereas I maintain a diligent Universalism, trying not to favor one religious tradition at the expense of all others, John is deeply, faithfully, and joyously Christian. (Like many others, John sometimes mistakes me for a Christian, because we share a similar inward experience of Divinity; I receive this as a compliment.)
In his most recent post, John explains his Christian faith in clear and simple terms. If you are a Christian, you should read these paragraphs. If you are thinking about becoming a Christian, or would like to know more clearly what Christianity is, read it. If you have been harmed or troubled by something that someone called Christianity, you really should read this and get to know this kind and gentle man.
(I hope to publish a real post – a story – by tomorrow evening. If I don’t get it done, I apologize, but a very busy planned weekend means you won’t hear from me then until Monday. But, I will want to tell you about the weekend when it is over.)
Something Entirely Different 