A Limited Vantage Point

I am realizing that Christians in large part, especially those who like me have inherited their faith, are born into a very particular Christian tradition. My perspective on Christianity is very limited. I was born into an African Methodist Episcopal family (both sides), jumped ship at 16 to become Pentecostal and ran like the wind from that at the end of college to a small non-denominational hodge-podge of the traditions we all came out of, highly influenced by the Conservative Protestant and Pentecostal traditions. In short, I have only considered Christianity from this very limited vantage point.

There is a history of believers with vast and varied perspectives that I was simply not exposed to, nor encouraged to explore. I remember feeling an internal cringe at the mention of any denomination that was not my own, as if lepers or the like were being spoken of. (Not at all that lepers would deserve that response, it certainly wasn’t Christ’s. Pardon the figure of speech.) There was very little discussion of what made us all Christian, just condescending criticism of (oddly not OUR differences but) THEIR differences. I truly identify with the notion that WE are keepers of the truth and THEY are deviants.

Today I sense the scales falling from my eyes and am hungry to learn more about other Christians past, present, near and far.

If anyone has any suggestions for reading or people to talk to who can represent their tradition well and are disposed to answer the questions of someone with tons of them, please let me know.