So you want to know
what a
wide-eyed radical,
bleeding-heart on-his-sleeve
Liberal Christian is.

Well, I hope that I don't disappoint you. I cannot give a definitive description. You see, one of my foundational beliefs is that when the creator creates, he or she creates in diversity. Consequently, while I can tell you about myself as a wide-eyed radical, bleeding-heart on-his-sleeve Liberal Christian, I cannot tell you about all wide-eyed radical, bleeding-heart on-their-sleeve, Liberal Christians because there are not two alike.

First off, I am not radical all the time. The things that I do get radical about are:

• people who try to tell you that their particular version of the Christian Faith is the only real version and that all the rest are cheap (or satanic) imitation. I have a standard prayer for these legalists, and they are legalists or pharasitical. I pray that they receive a Damascus Road like experience similar to the one that Paul received.
• those who would dismiss others as less because of circumstances of birth, such as social or economic opportunities, race or ethnic background, religious differences, intelligence, gender or sexual preference. This works both ways. Those at the bottom tend to dismiss those at the top as being somehow different and of no consequence as much as the opposite. The only difference is that those at the top have the power to take advantage of those at the bottom more often than not.
• employers who see their employees as just another resource, albeit their most valuable resource. A resource is something that is exploited for the usable portion and then discarded when the usable is consumed. To reduce real human beings to the status of a resource is a gross injustice and should be a crime. Because this does happen in the work place, we need a minimum wage and we have to fight a long and hard battle to get that minimum wage to reflect a decent standard of living.
• attempts to legislate morality. Most moral crimes effect few beyond the person committing the crime. Those who claim to be effected are effected because of their own selfishness. They complain with arguments like, "How can I face my friends knowing that my son is a drug addict? or that my daughter gave birth out of wedlock." Because of these selfish concerns, all levels of government have wasted billions in attempts to prevent, investigate, prosecute and incarcerate moral criminals. This waste is enough to replace the total national defense budget! Better to spend less on licensing and controlling, which can be done far more effectively.
• definitions of justice that include any form of "adequate retribution for crimes committed." "Retribution" is merely a more acceptable version of the word "revenge," and revenge has no place in attempts for justice. Instead, I define justice in terms of the positive. Justice is realized when any one person is allowed to realize his or her potential and to serve both God and humanity utilizing that potential. Conversely, anything that stands in the way of that goal is unjust.

The above not only explains the radical portion of my self-description, but the rest as well. This description was given to me when I lead an adult Christian Education class a few years back. ...And, I am proud of that description.

Beyond this, I have three more things that will help you learn more about me and the kind of Christian Faith I practice:

• First is the Gauntlet, a series of ten theological statements. They cover everything from creation to end times. From these statements you will get an idea of how I structure my faith.
• Then there is my logo. My logo, borrowed from the United Church of Christ, the denomination in which I celebrate my faith, has been adapted by me for me. I designed it to demonstrate not only my background, but what is important to me from a religious perspective. When you get to my logo, click anywhere on it and you will get a pop-up window which will tell you what I was trying to say there.
• Finally, there is a brief biological statement about me, as well as a photo. This should complete the picture.

If, after all this, you find me to be acceptable, or at least non-threatening to your own version of faith, feel free to enter my site.

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