Because someone asked...

Someone who read the “about me” on my blog asked what I meant by a Mongrel Christian, so here’s my answer:

I’m Catholic because my Dad was Catholic; I went to Catholic schools and will always be grateful to my truly wonderful teachers; I was a Catholic chaplaincy representative at university; I married in a Catholic church; I became a communion minister, standing at the front holding the cup while my husband sat in the cry-room with our first-born son. And my brother’s a Catholic priest.

I’m Protestant because my Mum is Methodist; my Granddad was a Methodist lay-preacher and I loved to read his sermons; my Uncle served a term as president of Gideon’s in England; my husband grew up in the Church of England and our kids are baptized Presbyterian (USA) and C of E; I read prayers in the Church of England; I led worship in an Evangelical church; I taught Sunday school for kids and adults; I’m an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA); and I’m a regular worshiper at a Christian Reformed church.

I’m mongrel because I belong to so many different backgrounds, and I’m Christian because what I’ve learned of science, history and the Bible convinces me, while what I experience in life sustains that conviction. I’m also a believer in Occam’s razor, evolution, relativity and global climate change. And I think the Red Sea parted when the wind blew down the Gulf of Aqaba.

So that’s me, Catholic Protestant, Mongrel Christian, and writer of What IF…Stories, Inspired by Faith and Science.

Comments

CA Heaven said…
I like your way of being a Christian; bridging the traditional conflict between protestants and catholics, and honoring science an evolution. I happen to be an atheist myself, but if I wasn't, I guess i would be a mongrel Christian too, or even broader; mongrel religious. I can't see any reason why it should be more correct to believe in the Christian (and Jewish) God, rather than the Muslim God, or the Hindu Gods ... and so on. Maybe it's the same Goddiness that has just appeared with different faces (one, three or more) to different people around the world?
February 15, 2010 at 2:09 PM
maryrussel said…
Fascinating article. Love CAH's comment too. :)
February 17, 2010 at 12:04 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Connect those Connections

Taken from a talk I gave on Sunday at the Writers' Mill. This is a very low-level approach to getting connected, from one beginner to another... Internet Writing, Marketing and Networking If you’ve got an email address you’re on the internet. If you’ve got a book out or an article in a magazine, you’re into marketing. If you’ve got friends, you’re networking. And if you use Google, you can do almost anything. Google Google is your friend. Google “how to join facebook” “How to join goodreads” “How to join Twitter” etc… Google “facebook badges” “blogger widgets” etc… to spice up your pages. Anything you want to know, a nice simple question to google will almost certainly tell you. But keep safe . Don’t just click on the first link you see. Make sure it looks vaguely genuine. “F*@!book.com/badges” might take you somewhere you don’t want your computer to go. “Facebook.com/badges” tells you all about badges. Why would you want to join all these interne...
Read more

Eternal curse might hide a blessing too.

Image
Today is the official launch day for Toi Thomas's paranormal romance, Eternal Curse, and I was lucky enough to be offered a free preview copy some while ago. The novel creates an intriguing mythology of angelic beings and the Fall, binding it nicely to modern day characters in search of meaning for their lives. There's an interesting blend of the paranormal, faith and science, and the story has a nicely old-fashioned feel with separate underlying tales taking center stage on the way to resolution. So... here's the cover, the blurb, and my review: ABOUT THE BOOK 'You have plenty of time to change your mind. You have not yet seen the monster I can be.' Giovanni has been waiting his whole life to meet someone like Mira, someone from the outside world who might be able to help him. He wonders if there really is help for him as he continues to hold tightly onto dark secrets and even darker memories. Giovanni wants to be hopeful and he wants to accept Mira...
Read more

Author or transcriber, reader or visitor, greatest or least? Meet Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Image
 Today I'm delighted to welcome Kathryn Elizabeth Jones, author of " I walked with Jesus ," to my blog. I very much enjoyed her short stories retelling miracles from the life of Christ - we clearly have faith and short fiction in common with each other.  I loved how historical, real, and relevant Kathryn's stories felt. You can find my review here:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4904771188 . I'd love to meet the author and chat in person, but inviting her to my blog is the next best thing, so I asked her to let me and you how she finds her audience. Here's what she told me. Why I think my audience is beginning to find me by  Kathryn Elizabeth Jones One of the hardest things to do as an author, other than writing or marketing a book, is to find that often illusive audience. It’s easier with mysteries or children’s picture books, probably because you know who reads them; adults and teens who love sleuthing and children and their parents who love reading....
Read more