Anne Rice and True Christianity

By pastorboy

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.

I quit being a Christian. I’m out. 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. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of …Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen.

This announcement by Anne Rice shocked me in two ways. Number one, I never knew that she was a Christian. I am not so shocked that she claims to be one, for many people claim to be Christian, and many of those simply are not if we were to judge in truth (John 6:24). My judgment would be simply based on the content of the writing she is famous for, like Interview with the Vampire, which is vampirism at best, satanism at worst, and writing that Christians should avoid reading. Why? Light simply can not fellowship with darkness.

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Belial is another name for Satan, but also is translated wickedness. Vampirism is on the rise in our society due to the popularity of the twilight series. Anne Rice is the Grandmother of the movement, however. We can see the impact this type of literature has had on teen culture, even those who claim to be Christian as Anne Rice claimed.

If you read between the lines, Anne Rice seems like she is saying that she is opposed to a false picture of Christianity painted by those who observe what passes for true Christianity today. I have a few objections to her statements about what Christianity is.

1. Catholicism is not Christianity Anne Rice was raised Catholic, and I do not know if this is what she refers to as Christianity. Catholic doctrine and dogma is not Christian. It has some Christianity mixed in, but at its roots is pagan. The evidence is in the perverse behavior of a growing number of priests. Not only that, all you need do is look at the history of the institution to see that it has a form of godliness, but denies the power. I know some Catholics who are Christian, but that is a very small minority.
2. Being a Christian requires conversion: Jesus said “you must be born again”. This is not an act you can decide to do, it is an act by which God regenerates a spiritually dead person by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-10). In this conversion, a person becomes a new creature in Christ (1 Corinthians 5:17) and begins to walk according to the spirit, and not according to the flesh. (Galatians 5). They have been crucified with Christ, and they no longer live, but Christ lives in them (Galatians 2:20) This is evidenced by their bearing fruit in keeping with repentance (Galatians 5:22, John 15)
3. Conversion means change: A true Christian goes from death to life, from darkness to light. They no longer participate in the fruitless deeds of darkness.
4. Christians are not anti-gay: Christians love homosexuals and will warn them because the Bible warns them that they will not inherit the kingdom of God if they remain in sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) but gives them and all other sinners hope that they can be converted (1 Corinthians 6:11)
5. Christians are not anti-feminist: Christians have done more for the rights of women than any other group. We believe in appropriate, God-ordained roles for women, but that does not make a woman anything less than a man. They are just different, and have been created to fulfill different roles than men. Women are to be honored, in fact, while wives are called to submit to and respect their husbands, husbands are called to DIE for their wives, thus demonstrating love.
6. Christians are not anti-artificial birth control (see # 1 above) We are against the murder of an unborn child through birth control pills with an abortive element in them. Using other non-harmful forms of birth control is not specifically condemned in the Bible.
7. Christians are not anti-democrat: However, many democrats are pro-abortion. Many Christians vote their conscience, and cannot see how a person can be pro-murder (abortion) and be a Christian (see 1 Cor 6:9-10 again)
8. Christians are against secular humanism God hates a prideful heart; humanism by its very nature worships humans, and this is the first and worst sin! Secular humanism transgresses the 1st and 2nd commandment. Christians are those who realize that they cannot save themselves, that they need a Savior from sin.
9. Christians are not anti-science: (see #1 above again) This is a falsehood, because God is the author of science. Christians are all about science, in fact,  the Bible is full of science. We are against false science that is founded on presuppositions that there is no God.

Anne, you are not quitting Christianity, because if this is how you view Christianity, REAL Christianity, I would say that you have been following a false Christianity for quite some time.  I am glad to hear that you desire to follow Christ. Just make sure that it is the Christ as presented in the Bible, not some Christ that you create in your imagination. I recommend reading the Gospel of John, where you will find the true Jesus.  Then, Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is a great place to find our need and the provision in Jesus Christ for that need. Then, Anne, obey what you read. I think you will find that the modern version of Christianity is what you want to abandon, and not the true faith in the Bible.

(HT: CRN)