Getting Started

It has now been six weeks since I created the template for this blog. As you can see, I have been very tentative in stepping into these waters.

The reason for my caution is that I want to stay in the tension of the middle of the current culture wars. All around the blogosphere I see fierce dichotomy. It is difficult to offer an opinion without be characterized as belonging to the opposite camp. In the culture wars the dichotomies are regligious/secular, conservative/liberal, Christian/atheist. I find myself on the continuum, not either end. I'm a liberal Christian. I have passionate beliefs about social justice that come out of my faith. I also respect the intellect that I believe God has placed in humans, so I think that science is not at odds with religion. I hold that since America is a representative democracy that I have a duty to add my voice to the public forum and a right to be heard and proportionately represented (albeit within a system where the winner takes all).

While I always want my side to prevail, I also value the system that can make that happen. Dirty tricks and "working the system" may be effective ways of advancing a cause, but they also work to destoy the system that makes it all possible. I want this blog to be a place for culture war pacifists; a place where there is a cease fire in place regarding name-calling, finger-pointing and partisanship-for-the-sake-of-partisanship.

I may not always be able to live up to my own standards, but at least that is my intent.