Why I Am Not Quitting Christianity | Sojourners

Why I Am Not Quitting Christianity

By now, most of you have heard of the dramatic news of Anne Rice's simple statement of "quitting Christianity." I'm amazed how much coverage this has received -- everywhere.

First of all, I am a fan of Anne Rice. In fact, I don't know of many people who dislike her. She's a phenomenal writer and additionally, she's gotta have some Asian genes in her. She's 68 and ages like no other. But in case you don't know much about her:

Anne Rice (born Howard Allen O'Brien on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American author of gothic, erotic, and religious-themed books from New Orleans, Louisiana. She was married to poet and painter Stan Rice for 41 years until his death from cancer in 2002. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history. [via Wikipedia]

She was also known as a Christian for some time, but last week, she wrote and shared the following via her Facebook page:

"For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian. I'm out. I remain committed to Christ as always but not to being 'Christian' or to being part of Christianity. It's simply impossible for me to 'belong' to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else ... In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control ... In the name of