Greetings. My name is Bryan Cox, a thirty-something software engineer, married, with two beautiful children. I was invited to this theological discussion by Chris, whom I have known for some time through various discussion forums and blogs. He and I have had interesting theological and philosophical discussions in the past, so I look forward to the gems of thought I believe this blog may bring out. Unfortunately for myself, I may be the least participatory one of the group due to lack of time and due to life priorities, but I hope to provide occaional background thoughts and fodder for discussion.
I have no degree in theology or philosophy, however, through life experience, every human forms his or her own understanding of the world into which they were born and attempts to find his or her own individual answers to the questions posed by existence. It is in this sense that I come to this discussion, not as an expert in the academic fields of theology or philosophy, but as a fellow human seeker of answers/truth. I have many opinions, some of which are maleable and some not. I recognize, and hope others will as well, that my views are mine alone. I reserve the right to be wrong and to change my mind if I see merit in another's views or error in my own. Basically, I believe in keeping an open mind, but I also believe in the old adage that "One can be so open minded that their brain leaks out." A very coloquial way, perhaps, of saying that one cannot believe everything.
That said, I grew up in fundamentalist, evangelical, Southern Baptist churches. Unfortunately, for many today, several of those labels sadly conjure up images of pesky, judgemental people who condemn others before dealing with the flaws in their own lives. Though there certainly seem to be a number of such individuals, this has never been my experience. The people I have known in these churhces have been warm, caring, and introspective people on the whole, whether from rural towns ro large cities. Many protestants, in fact, have become embarrassed by such labels due to the way they are used in today's media. This pains me because it seems that one would want to believe in the fundamentals of their faith. I believe most Christians would agree that such fundamentals include "The Great Commission", as given by Jesus, which makes us evangelical. As for Southern Baptists, I'm not sure that many really understand that Baptists believe in the autonomy of the local church. In other words, the Southern Baptist Convention does not always represent the beliefs and convictions of every Baptist church. In my opinion, they have occasionally made some very poor and very public decisions. Who hasn't? Unfortunately, individual Southern Baptists tend to get automatically branded by those decisions. So, I still consider myself a fundamentalist, evangelical, Southern Baptist, but not, hopefully, in the derogatory sense in which many today mean it.
My own theological and philosophical views are very complex and, perhaps, perpetually in slight flux as I continue to read, learn, and understand new things. I continually quest for more knowledge of my own religion as well as of others. In addition to the Bible, I have read other religious texts from the Bhagavad Gita to the Qur'an and portions of the Mishnah and Talmudim. In an effort to better understand Christian theology, I have read many of the "Early Church Fathers" (as well as apocryphal and heretical works). I have done some reading in philosophy, but the only branch that has much "ring of truth" to me is existentialism. Though Soren Kierkegaard is often labeled "The Father of Existentialism", I happen to think that King Solomon, author of Ecclesiates, is more deserving of the title (though I doubt even he was truly the first existentialist, as existentialism seems to contain hard-to-swallow nuggets of truth that must have been with us since the dawn of humankind).
Like everyone else on this earth, I only know about the meaning of life what I've learned through my life experiences. Because I declare myself Christian, it does not mean that I have not and will never have doubts. In fact, a "relatively silent" "crisis of faith" brought me to my knees and into great depression at one time. It was a combination of realizing that *no one* has all of the answers to life or questions of religion, finding the very ugly truths (in my opinion) about a complete lack of belief in God through existentialist philosophy, and finally really understanding on a higher level what "faith" and "hope" as expressed in the Bible and by early christians really means. I will never know all the answers, but I can say that given my trust in those who handed me the truths of my upbringing, my life experiences, and my knowledge, I believe that Christianity holds the best answers I have found to the meaning of life and what happens after we die.
So, as I understand it, the answer to life, the universe, and everything is not "42" as Douglas Adams would have you believe (heh...) but faith and hope in Jesus Christ as expressed in the Bible.
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