Ann Carda
My desire to belong in the Reformed tradition was so strong and I thought if I changed my mind about this, I would lose that part of myself. This was the tradition that raised me, that gave me the gift of faith and my love of God, and that made me who I am. My need to belong was stronger than my desire to embrace the truth that God was revealing to me.
I wish I could say that I am a person who, when confronted with injustice, is brave enough to stand up and fight no matter the cost. I am not that person. I was always going to need more than just an intense study of Scripture and a solid theological argument to change my mind. I needed to hear the argument made from someone I respected and trusted in the Reformed tradition.
Thankfully there are many people in the Reformed tradition who are brave and who will stand against injustice when they see it… people like Lewis Smedes. As an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church, a graduate of Calvin College, Calvin Seminary and a professor of theology at Fuller Seminary, he became the person who gave me the freedom to admit what I already knew to be true. If he could change his mind and still belong, I knew I could, as well.
Read Ann’s complete story here.