Ah the blogging life! (Is internet journaling blogging? So much to learn in this brave new world.) I've been wanting to start this for some time.

For most of my life I've been aware of what have become known as the 'culture wars.' This the name for the belief that there are two forces ar war for the heart and soul of our culture, especially in America. On the one side (as it is usually presented) are the Christians who are also social and political conservatives. On the other are who are liberals and anti-Christian.

When things are defined this way, I simply cannot choose sides. It's not that I am unclear about my beliefs and values. I am very clear. It's just that I don't fit in either category very well.

I am a Christian pastor. My faith in God and in Jesus Christ is at the core of my being. It informs all of my beliefs and values. I am also a rational human being, the son of an engineer and a teacher. All of my life I have held a deep admiration for scientists who have asked honest questions about the origins and nature of existence. I have been touched deeply by the secular thinkers who call for tolerance and compassion in our world.

The idea that these two sides of my life are irreconcilable has always struck me as foolish. In my life I have never needed to struggle to reconcile them because they naturally go together. It seems to me that most of the topics that come up in the 'culture wars' are nonsense and fear-mongering.

If we can look past the fear and the rhetoric, we will find that our culture is not at war, or at least it doesn't need to be. I am a 'conscientious objector' in this culture war. I think there are actually quite a few of us out there and we need to be heard.