Can Anne Rice Just Quit Christianity but Remain Committed to Christ?

Anne Rice, the famous vampire novel writer, announced on July 28, 2010 via her Facebook that she “quit being a Christian.” Her initial declaration along with subsequent entries created such a buzz in social media realm that she even received interviews on popular television news programs. Note that it was several years ago that Rice announced she embraced Christianity, namely Roman Catholicism, and that her spiritual pilgrimage is explained in a book entitled Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt. But now things have changed.
Just how does Rice reason all this out? The following Facebook updates by Rice tell the story:

“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.” 07/28/10

“As I said below, 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.” 07/28/10

“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn’t understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me. But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been, or might become.” 07/29/10

“I quit Christianity in the name of Christ on this page so that I could tell my readers I was not complicit in the things that organized religion does. I never dreamed others would be so interested, or that they would feel the need to talk about their own religious struggles. But they do. And the public conversation on... this is huge, and I think important.” 08/08/10

I can see eye to eye with Rice having interacted with a few professing Christians that to put it nicely were “quarrelsome” and “hostile.”

Yet I’m also thinking what she’s rejecting what can be considered to be the genuine article of Christianity. This becomes clear when Rice says, “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.” I’d say, “Geez Ann, do you think you might be criticizing a caricature instead of the genuine article?”

Is Christianity really “anti-gay”? Of course not! It is the teaching of Scripture that homosexuality is a behavior not an identity, and the most loving thing a person can do is to confront another on their own wrongdoings.

To call Christianity “anti-feminist” is simply untrue. It is from the biblical world view that one actually finds the equality of the sexes and the need to develop social structures that give rights to women. Did not God create man in His own image both male and female? It is because women are divine image bearers that form the theological basis for why they deserve their dignity and respect.

The criticism of being “anti-science” is likewise a misnomer. It is only a prior belief in an ordered universe created by God that one can actually form the philosophical basis for science and the search for a meaningful world. If God created the universes, then the more we discover things about the universe, the more we discover about the God who made it.

Perhaps Rice is missing the mark in trying to distinguish Christ from Christianity? The early followers of Christ had no problem taking on the name “Christian” whatever connotations it may have had (cf. Acts 11:25-27; 26:27-29; 1 Pet. 4:16). There are lots of fakes out there, but the more important thing is to know what to look for in the genuine article. Christ taught that the wheat would grow alongside the tares (Matt. 13:24-30), and there is wisdom in knowing that there are a few things done in the name of Christ that are far from anything Christ would have taught.

I also think Rice made an astute observation in saying that she “never dreamed others would be so interested, or that they would feel the need to talk about their own religious struggles” and that “the public conversation on... this is huge” and “important.” The people of God need not clam up about these issues, but really struggle through them. They need to struggle in knowing why they believe in what they believe. Moreover, no professing Christian is so divinely anointed that they can be considered beyond criticism and untouchable. When professing Christians speak and act in ways that drag Christ name in the mud the saints must correct the one in error.

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Addendum: 8/24/2010

Anne Rice offers the a brief synopsis of her spiritual journey back to the Roman Catholic Church in the author’s notes on pp. 305-322 of Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (New York: Alfred A. Knopp, 2005).

Romans 1:26-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:8-11 are passages in the New Testament that explicitly condemn homosexuality. Moreover, it can also be noted that in spite of the fact that the New Covenant believers in Jesus Christ are no longer under the Old Testament ceremonial laws (e.g. eating shellfish), the ethics of Moses— the moral law—is still applicable. So while Christians need not worry about eating unclean foods, they still recognize the eternal transcendent moral truths reflected in the Mosaic Law, such as a condemnation of behaviors like adultery, pedophilia, rape, polygamy, polyandry, and bestiality.