Thanks for the opportunity for conversation. I'll do my best to answer your questions and look forward to hearing back from you.

1. How well do I know that my version of Christianity is the truth? I'm assuming you mean "The Truth." I don't assume my version of Christianity is the absolute truth. I'm human and don't know everything. And the older I get I get more comfortable with knowing that I don't know very much. For me, the focus isn't on being right so much as it is on a way to live life and how to be in relationship with others, with self, with creation, and with God. If all that matters is being right, then I'm wasting my time because I'll never get to there and I would have missed out on a whole lot.

2. How certain am I that the things I teach are correct? Good question. I don't know. Again, it's not so much about being right as it is in looking at how to live. I just led a workshop at a youth conference and my section was on conflict. I talked about how we can focus on being right or we can focus on being in relationship. We lose a whole lot when we focus on being right. If being in relationship is more important, than it becomes easier to see the humanity of the other person, and in turn, we can better see our own humanity. We can have grace towards others because we see how grace was extended to us first, etc.

3. How well do I know the historical background of my holy book? Pretty well actually. I'm a student of history at heart. I'm currently reading "Crucible of Faith" which talks about the years 250 BCE - 50 CE and how impactful those years are on shaping theology still today. One of my other favorites is "The Lost Art of Scripture." It's about how Scripture has been formed throughout cultures and time. A really fascinating look. I've studied a good bit about the history of Scripture, who influenced the formation of Scripture, etc. I believe we've watered down far too much of Scripture or made it far too simplistic. It's not. It's very complicated. Part of understanding the Scripture is understanding the cultural context, language, history, geopolitics of the period, and more.

4. How well do I know and understand modern science, and what are my thoughts on it? The real question would be what line of study of science are we talking about? I'm not a scientist, so I don't have an in-depth understanding of a whole lot, but I have some understanding of the sciences. I see no conflict between science and faith. In Seminary I took a class on science and religion that I really enjoyed. We looked a seven different ways that science and religion interact with each other - from seeing outright conflict between the two, to complementing each other, to both benefiting each other, and more. It was a fascinating look at the relationship. I'm guessing you would be curious about specific things related to science and religion for me - I have no issue with evolution and can ask - why couldn't God use evolution? I'm all for advancements in medicine and science to help us better understand the universe. I'm not threatened by science.

5. How well do I know and am interested in other religions? Great question. I know a bit about several other religions - enough to have some conversation on a variety of religions. I'm fascinated by belief systems and appreciate the truths that these faiths offer their followers. For me, I try to see similarities in faiths. As I mentioned, I do a lot of reading, and so other religious faith traditions are of interest to me - what do they believe, why, the history, the people, culture, impact on daily lives, etc. I'm part of an inter-religious organization and so have respect for other religious traditions.

6. Am I open to a discussion with people from other religions? Absolutely. I would thoroughly enjoy it. What would the topic of conversation be?

7. Do I think I can defend my position well enough? If so, why? If not, why? Context. Why am I in a situation where I have to defend what I believe? Sounds more like a debate to me. The purpose of a debate is to win. I'm more interested in a conversation than a debate. If I'm more concerned with winning or defending, then I'm not seeing the humanity of the other person I am with. We both lose in that case. People don't care what you believe until they know that you care.

8. How well do I understand atheism and what it stands for? Another great question. It depends on how the term is being defined I guess. Regardless of that, my goal in talking with a person who embraces atheism would be to see their humanity, not to try to convert them. I would want to understand how a person comes to their conclusion, or where they are right now with their beliefs about the world, God, and more.

9. How and when did I become a Christian? I was born into a Christian family - Roman Catholic. I was baptized on the day I was born because I wasn't breathing properly and that's what they did in those days. I practiced the faith actively as a child and into young adulthood. I had a conversation experience of sort that ended up with me converting to become a Lutheran, and not only that, but a Lutheran pastor (ELCA). I would have never guessed that I would become a pastor earlier in my life. But God had other plans for me. I was intent on having a career in politics - another subject I have a long history in myself and a deep understanding of. I like to call it my first language. I've been Lutheran since 2009.

10. Why did I choose my specific denomination? See above for part of the story. I like to say that I didn't choose Lutheran, God chose it for me in a way that I can't really explain with words. But since that time I have learned a great deal about the faith from a Lutheran perspective and have come to appreciate the Lutheran perspective and focus on faith - heavy on grace, very supportive of ecumenism, appreciation of paradox, radical hospitality, etc. Having said that I also retain some Roman Catholic perspectives - appreciation of mysticism, sacraments, etc.

Thanks again for the opportunity to talk about these things.