 A lot of people want to know whether I� �� � m a � ���"real� �� � Christian or not. By that, they want to know whether I hold supernatural beliefs (believing in the idea that God is an actual being, entity, or force; and believing that the resurrection of Christ was an actual historical event). Since I don� �� � t hold supernatural beliefs, and I approach Christianity as a belief system that makes use of myth, symbolism, and poetry, there� �� � s sometimes a lively discussion about whether I should call myself a Christian. For me, the point is not so much to answer the question as to start a discussion about what people believe and the consequences of belief for action in the world.
 What draws you to keep coming back to church?
 St. Andrew� �� � s remains a place where I work politically, but it� �� � s also become much more. The text and tradition are a rich source of wisdom, and I find church to be a place where I learn a lot, from Rev. Rigby and from other members of the congregation. Instead of a place where I come only to influence others, it� �� � s a place I come to be educated. I also find it a comforting space, both in the ways I am part of a community and I can be alone. For me, church is both a place to connect to others and to find solitude.
 In your book All My Bones Shake, you stated � ���"These are end times, of a sort. I am not talking about rapture and tribulation, but about rupture and triangulation.� �� � Can you elaborate what you meant by this statement?
I think more and more people recognize that we live in an unsustainable system in ecological terms. We can� �� � t continue to draw down the ecological capital of the planet indefinitely -- we have created a rupture with the larger living world. That� �� � s not an apocalyptic vision, a claim about the rapture, but a recognition of reality. To make sense of it we have to triangulate, to ponder the problems from many perspectives, rather than sink into a narrow interpretation of one tradition. If religion is to be of value in helping us deal with these multiple crises, we have to overcome the fear-driven interpretations so common in conservative/fundamentalist Christianity. But I think we should recognize that we live in a crazy system, and a fear of what� �� � s ahead is real and reasonable.
 Can you unpack what you mean by the statement, � ���"[O]ur only hope is that there is no God, and more than ever we need to serve the One True Gods?� �� �
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
