ENG 211
2-18-13
“When Christianity Was Still Safe” This chapter poses the idea of breaking out and really finding God. Claiborne begins this chapter explaining what drew him to church. He talks about the fun experiences and the trendy trips. Then he begins to realize he’s not living the life. He begins his journey with “spiritual bulimia.” He buys into Christianity with bumper stickers, t-shirts, music to try to live Christ. However, his studying of Christ really threw him off, and he began to question what he believed in. After a few transfer students introduced him to excitement and enthusiasm, he became a “Jesus freak”, preached the word, threw bumper stickers on every car, and eventually began attending a Christian college. It wasn’t until he befriended some homeless people that he really saw God. He saw demons and angels, struggles and miracles, and the Word for the first time. I like this story. It shows that it isn’t always the lights and loud music that bring you to Christ. I really think that it is extreme pain and suffering that can really impact your faith and bring it to another level. Jesus didn’t just heal the blind to save our sins; he had to die on the cross to allow us to be forgiven. Healing the blind was just a way to prove how awesome he is. Experiencing others’ struggles is a great way to learn how marvelous God is and what he is really talking about. I agree that some Christians become too “normal.” The idea of branching out and finding God in the