Why I'm Writing

There are more than two billion Christians in the world, and almost all of them belong to one of three families: Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant. All three claim to follow the same Jesus. All three read the same Gospels. Yet they disagree on fundamental matters such how you're saved, the role of Scripture versus tradition, and what the "one true church" really means.

I had a pretty typical non-denominational protestant upbringing. Church involved singing worship songs at the beginning and end of service with a 45 minute sermon in the middle and communion taken once a month. I remember at a young age my dad telling me it wasn't right to take communion unless you've accepted Jesus into your heart. So, at eight years old, on Good Friday, that's what I did. I always had questions around salvation, and when someone talked about being “saved” or not it would always spark a lot of anxiety. Thoughts of what happens when we die occupied my mind constantly. Eternity is a long time! If I’m being honest, I still wrestle with this question today.

At this point in my life, I'm married with a daughter on the way. My Protestant dad and brother were recently baptized into the Orthodox Church, with mom closely behind. They felt a disconnect between our western modern church and the initial vision Christ had entrusted to Peter, Paul, and the Apostles. They wanted a practice of Christianity that you could trace back to the early church fathers and Orthodoxy was their answer. On the other hand, my wife's family is Catholic, and that's how she was raised before becoming Protestant in late middle school. The two of us met post college in our local non-denominational church where we served regularly, found some of our best friends, and ultimately got married.

Over the past couple years, some serious questions have surfaced for me around the stream of Christianity I’ve stayed in for most of my life, and if that stream is truly the most effective path to salvation. Paul urges us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). I see no other question that can be more important.

I am starting this blog for a few reasons. First, I am not a teacher. I am a layman. Hence the name of this blog. I’m not writing to teach but to be understood and challenged by my friends. I hope this blog will provide a vantage point for you to understand the conclusions I am drawing behind the decisions I am making. I want this blog to spark lively conversation with people I know and trust who do not see eye to eye with me and I look forward to these discussions.

To anyone interested, thank you in advance for taking the time to read, process, and work through these ideas with me. The exercise will be well worth it!