I actually think that I have all of those expectations... and I kind of did NOT have those expectations in Evangelicalism. I started making friends and family outside of the church in my early teens, and it was absolutely partly because I found those elements outside of the church in ways I never found it inside. I would also say that at…
I actually think that I have all of those expectations... and I kind of did NOT have those expectations in Evangelicalism. I started making friends and family outside of the church in my early teens, and it was absolutely partly because I found those elements outside of the church in ways I never found it inside. I would also say that at this point I have a strong expectation within community of respect for boundaries and care and respect for a person's journey, which were not really values that I was taught growing up.
I am actually MORE intense about shared values than I once was. Growing up I was definitely taught liberals were trouble but I was always friends with liberals over conservatives, even though I consistently gave conservative talking points. At this point, I am not sure I could be friends with a conservative, and it's in large part because I really do believe that what we have here is what we get, what you do is who you are, and politics isn't the delightful game that my father tended to think it was when I was growing up - it actually has a profound impact on people's lives. I'm not interested in arguing with someone about the humanity of myself or anyone else.
I actually think that I have all of those expectations... and I kind of did NOT have those expectations in Evangelicalism. I started making friends and family outside of the church in my early teens, and it was absolutely partly because I found those elements outside of the church in ways I never found it inside. I would also say that at this point I have a strong expectation within community of respect for boundaries and care and respect for a person's journey, which were not really values that I was taught growing up.
I am actually MORE intense about shared values than I once was. Growing up I was definitely taught liberals were trouble but I was always friends with liberals over conservatives, even though I consistently gave conservative talking points. At this point, I am not sure I could be friends with a conservative, and it's in large part because I really do believe that what we have here is what we get, what you do is who you are, and politics isn't the delightful game that my father tended to think it was when I was growing up - it actually has a profound impact on people's lives. I'm not interested in arguing with someone about the humanity of myself or anyone else.
This sums up my journey very well. Thanks for the insights!!