About 18 months ago I was having a conversation with my former Christianity Today colleague Drew Dyck @drewdyck about his forthcoming book “Generation Ex-Christian.” In his book, Drew tries to understand the recent trend of Christians in their 20’s abandoning their faith, and then attempts to develop ways in which “believing” friends and family members can try and coax the “Leavers” they know back into arms of orthodoxy.
Following our conversation the term “Leaver” kept cycling through in my head. It had an oddly strange appeal, as if someone had given a voice to something I had secretly known to be true for many years. Nonetheless, it was a secret I had to conceal. I worked at Christianity Today; honesty would have cost me my job, not to mention ostracizing many I hold dear.
Fearful of paying such a price, I suppressed my judgments of faith for the sake of those around me. Yet, as always seems to be the case—when I can no longer run from something that is true of myself—the writer is cursed to write.
As such, the “Beleaver” was born, giving my faceless voice to be the object of countless prayers and petitions.
Drew wants Leavers to see the reasons they have to return.
I’m the willing voice of contented rebuttal.
Welcome aboard Mr. Beleaver, I look forward to reading more of your story.
You shoud follow the argument wherever it lead, but please sign your name when you think the trail has ended.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it isn't a real blog; it's a "tumblog" - a blog on Tumbler, which I understand even less than I do Twitter, which isn't much.
ReplyDeleteApparently, you don't leave comments, but "notes". I wanted to respond to one, and couldn't figure out how to do it. I suppose one first has to join Tumbler, which I don't want to do, as I belong/subscribe to too many things already. I'm annoyed that I got talked into joining Facebook.
It's a shame; if he really wants to engage, I can't understand why he wouldn't just set up a regular blog on Blogger or Wordpress, link it to Twitter if he wanted to, and call it a day, so people could leave actual comments and interact.
(Yes, Ken, I complain about everything.)
Cipher,
ReplyDelete**(Yes, Ken, I complain about everything.) **
Do you also complain about how much you complain? If not, then you complain about almost everything. ;)
"Apparently, you don't leave comments, but "notes". I wanted to respond to one, and couldn't figure out how to do it."
ReplyDeleteNot even. There is no real comment integration on Tumblr unless you install disqus on top of it, and even then, integration can be a little spotty.
(Hi! Long time reader/lurker, first time poster. Funny, the things that drive one to finally say hi)