I am not a Paulist Christian. I find Paul to be a legalist disguised poorly as a spiritualist. Still he said some good stuff. One shouldnt throw the baby out with the baptismal waters. I find my brand of Christianity in the gospels, and even in some gnostic gospels.

The difficult part of Christianity is the burden the world places on you once you announce it. " Oh so your a Christian, ehhhh?" Hmm I remember the time you said this or that... or so goes the diatribe.

To which I tend to respond: "are your standards so low you meet them everytime?" or, when I'm feeling vulgar... "@@@@ off you hoser." I fully recognize that the latter is not Christ-like. But then I'm human and if I manage to say something like that then I must have been treated VERY poorly.

If somewhere during the discussion I sense a genuine desire to learn about Christendom along with touch of hurt from their previous experience of it, well, then I go out of my way to apologize for how bad their experience might have been. I then proceed to tell them that I will not do whatever it is that was done to them again. At least, not purposely. Getting them to believe that is at the core of the mission of Christianity.

Why? Because that is the core of apologesis. Many who would persecute or show hatred toward Christianity were wounded bitterly, often during church social events. Or wounded by family members who mistreated them.

The Bible says that 'even a Publican(tax collector) loves their own family'.

So when we hurt our own family members under the guise of Christianity we have, in essence, doubly sinned. But if the standard is to at LEAST loves one's family, the Christian is called to do more.

Indeed, we are called to Love our God with all our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength and to Love our Neighbors as ourselves. Upon these two hang ALL the Law and the Prophets.

We are not always capable of this. It's something we grow into. During that growing process we often fail miserably. And I mean MISERABLY!!!

Sometimes we fail constantly....but for the Grace of God there go I.

Recently I watched the story of William Wilberforce and John Newton in Amazing Grace, the Movie. Wow what a story, and truly illustrative of the healing balm of Christianity. A slave captain turned blind monk wrote what is, quite possibly the greatest, most recognized hymn on the planet. God, by His grace and through John's faith allowed him a chance, in his lifetime to be redeemed and show the fruits of said redemption.

His pupil, William Wilberforce felt so strongly for slaves' rights that his entire career was based upon it.

I think that despite our failings as tellers of the Good News, that same News is powerful enough to overcome our situation and bring about powerful change for the benefit of mankind.

The above is the very Thesis of Christianity, a type of Deus Ex Machina. In fact it is not a type of, it is THE Deus Ex Machina. Our failings are so dire, so complete and inseparable from our flesh that God, in His perfection, had to provide a solution contrary to all that is Natural Law, so that we might live. Yes I say contrary to Natural Law, in that it is not natural for one to sacrifice their children for the life of anyone.

So God sent, not his only son, for we are all God's Children, but rather he sent his Only Begotten Son to be slaughtered purposely, on our behalf, so that we would have opportunity to merely believe that this man chose to die for our failings.

I find this story so compelling exactly because it is not human nature. If not human, then it must be God. What else could it be? Oh, I'm sure theres a legalistic rationalization, some sort of philosophism that at 1:30 am frankly escapes me.

No matter. We Christians are not at all important in the Gospel itself, merely in the telling of it.

So in much the manner the Shakespearean Chorus might beg indulgence in the telling of their story, I too humbly plead, Dear Reader, that you might indulge, nay, merely bend a fair gaze during the telling of this, our Story.

Fatfencer