Ana Marie Cox, the founder of the Wonkette blog and a generally progressive commentator, made a surprising revelation the other day:
Here is why I believe I am a Christian: I believe I have a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior. I believe in the grace offered by the Resurrection. I believe that whatever spiritual rewards I may reap come directly from trying to live the example set by Christ. Whether or not I succeed in living up to that example is primarily between Him and me.
Umm… okay. Sure. It’s not a very convincing case for anyone else to become a Christian, but that’s not what she was trying to do.
Cox talks about how it’s not easy to come out as a Jesus follower to her progressive colleagues — and I can understand that, though I’m not sure why anyone would care. (It’s not like her columns will now swap out reasoned arguments for meaningless Bible verses.)
More worrisome, she claims, is how certain other Christians will take the news: If President Obama has to bend over backwards to prove his faith — and right-wingers still don’t accept it — why would they believe Cox, who’s far more liberal?
I read spiritual meditations, but the Word is still a second language I speak less than fluently. If Obama’s occasional mangling of scripture is proof positive that he’s not a “real” Christian, I have so much studying to do I may never catch up.
Personally, I don’t care. What someone does with their faith matters far more to me than what they believe and I have no problem working with progressive Christians. (Convincing them to shed their faith is a secondary goal.) Plus, it’s not like Cox is suddenly burning her Feminism Card or making a play for a job at Fox News Channel. The only change is an internal one.
And even if her beliefs aren’t exactly accepted in her circles, it’s still a lot easier to be a Christian in this country than any of the alternatives. Welcome to the majority, Ana Marie.
When push comes to shove, though, I’d much rather have Christians like Cox on my side than atheists like S.E. Cupp.
(Image via Wikipedia. Thanks to Chance for the link)