unapologetically yours

I have found myself thinking a great deal about Christian apologetics over the past...long time and realizing that I am not in the least bit interested in engaging in those arguments anymore (not that I ever did that much). I find the debate surrounding the existence of God, the divinity of Christ, and all that fun stuff to be fascinating--I love reading about it and listening to it but I don't so much want to participate, at least not in the one-upmanship that often goes hand-in-hand with it. My friend Tim has talked about this a ton lately, but I had actually been thinking of this unrelated to him--thankfully his thinking, not to mention his timing, happens to dovetail nicely with mine. I have been wanting to write a post like this for awhile, but have never gotten around to it. Anyway...

At the heart of the arguing, for many, is this incessant need to be "right" about their beliefs, like they are not secure enough to just believe without having to prove that those who reject faith are "wrong". As a person who professes faith in Christ, I don't think I was ever called to "defend the faith" in that way. However, I know that I have been called to love others and a real love of people precludes having an agenda. One thing I would like to clear up is that the fact that I feel this way is not an indicator of a crisis of faith; if anything my faith is just as strong or stronger than it has ever been. Rather, I just think that these arguments can get people hot under the collar, leading them to do/say stupid things in God's name that result in further alienating those who might have an issue with God/the church/faith to begin with; I do not want to be one of those people. I am only too happy to engage in dialogue about anything to do with God and faith with anyone who is interested, but if, for either person, it becomes "claws out", then I'd rather lay it to rest.

Feel free to disagree with me about this, I welcome your comments...