Imago Dei

A lot has happened in the last year to change who I am and how I think. Because of that, I want to take the opportunity to explain to you how I’ve changed and how I remain the same.

If I had to choose one word to describe myself, I would use the word Christian. As much as I hate the negative connotation that goes with it, I can’t deny that’s who I am.

I am a follower of Christ.

I was accused today of attacking Christianity with a passion above everything else. My intent has never been to attack Christianity. I attack the godless practices of Christianity. I attack the legalism and the double standards. But I don’t attack Christianity.

I don’t censor my comments here, unless they degrade into juvenile name-calling and bashing. As a result, I tend to have a lot of comments from people who aren’t Christian - sometimes because they praise what I’ve said and sometimes because they hate what I’ve said. A lot of times because they disagree with something another Christian has posted in the comments. If this offends you, or makes me less of a Christian in your eyes, then you don’t have to stick around.

This website isn’t my attempt to please anyone on this earth. I’m not trying to make nonbelievers like me. Similarly, I’m not trying to make believers like me. It’s here to be my voice. Sometimes I lose that voice, but for the most part, this is me.

I don’t have everything figured out. You’ll see a lot of posts that question things. You may even see some posts that seem to contradict each other. I’m still asking a lot of questions. Hopefully, I’ll never stop doing that. No one has everything figured out. Not me, not you, not Donald Miller or Rob Bell. Not Tozer or Swindoll. Or Dobson. Pick your flavor of Christian, and I can guarantee you that they don’t have it all figured out (regardless of what they may say).

If you disagree with me, speak up. If you agree with me, I still say speak up!

I love Jesus Christ. I love God. But I hate the things that are done in God’s name. I hate that people have screwed up Christianity for so many. I hate that we’ve forgotten that Jesus was a lover, not a hater. We’ve forgotten what it means to be kind, generous, merciful, and compassionate.

If I agree with an atheist, it’s because I genuinely think their point is a better one than the Christian counterpoint. If that makes me less of a Christian in your eyes, you don’t have to stick around.

The measure of “how Christian” I may or may not be is up to God. I don’t fit in the mold of a traditional Christian - and for that, I’m thankful.

Overall, I’m still just Mandi Kaye. I’m a woman in her twenties trying to figure both life and faith out. I’d love to have you join me in this endeavor, but if you can’t, I understand that too.

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Tags: live like Christ