A word of encouragement for Christians on the margins

I meet a lot of disenchanted Christians and former Christians who think they’re alone in their desire for expressions of Christianity that are more engaged with nature, more empowering of women, and more encouraging of creative expression. And it is true that many Christians give such concerns lip service at best; some being outright hostile towards them.

There are however streams of Christianity that take a very different approach. Indeed we need look no further than Jesus himself, who spent a lot of time outdoors, was exceptionally affirming of women for his time, and was a storyteller of exceptional creativity and power. You are actually in good company.

I find a lot of Christians who are living their faith out this way often fly under the radar though. You won’t find them spruiking for money on television, treading the halls of power, or telling crowds what they want to hear. They tend to be more circumspect, less courted by the rich and powerful, less interesting to the media. Their relative invisibility should not however be mistaken for nonexistence.

I find I tend to run into Christians like this working on the margins, hanging out with the alienated, hanging in with supposedly lost causes, and hoping against hope for new possibilities. They are there to be found, just not so much in the spotlight.