Dear Forrest Frank

A plea, not a polemic

Twenty years ago, I think I would have said what I want to say with a very different tone. I was on the warpath, cutting through dense forests with my righteous machete, trying to wipe out anything other than what I considered the very center of orthodox theology. And not just theology, but behavior. Once I discovered Reformed theology, I had a very narrow view of what was acceptable within Jesus’ church. I was 19 years old. I knew almost nothing.

I don’t know much more now, but I think I have a more expansive view of what belongs within Jesus’ church. The table Jesus invites us to is so much bigger than I realized 20 years ago. I haven’t deconstructed or abandoned orthodoxy by any means, but things that I would turned up my nose at decades ago I see in a completely different light. We used to be part of a church that absolutely would not have accepted Christian rap as acceptable music for anyone to listen to. But I have a 15 year old who really likes rap and hip hop, and I am so thank…