Issue 91

Editorial

By Kate Harper

Christians come in all shapes and sizes. The aim of Christis is to provide a space where people of any faith or none can explore their attitudes to Christianity. The diversity of our Christian community is something that has concerned many of our contributors to this issue. Several of us attended a recent service at Heslington Church where one of the speakers declared that "God is not interested in creating identikit Christians", and this idea has found its way into several articles. Ellen Wakeham explores the impact of our personality type on our spirituality, while Ryan J King, recently returned from America, explores how those in the States view faith in Britain.

As people, we are obviously all very different, and yet as Christians we often seem keen to force ourselves, and other people, into the mould that we consider befitting for good Christians. Our vast differences become evident to me whenever I pick up a copy of Christis. What I consider to be a perfectly reasonable concept may to someone else be 'heretically liberal', but it is surely the role of the magazine to provide a forum for debate and discussion around these very issues. Sexuality, the role of women in the Church, changes to Catholic worship and our response to issues in contemporary culture (such as Harry Potter) are all topics that have inspired people to write for this issue of Christis, and I would be amazed if anyone found themselves agreeing with every word of every article. Fantastic! If we've made you think then I consider that we have done our job. If you feel that Christis is lacking a particular viewpoint, then I would challenge you to consider writing it yourself. We can, after all, only publish what we have. If you feel that Christis needs a good hearty dose of evangelicalism, or an injection of liberalism, or a bit of mysticism, then please, let us know! We are always delighted to receive articles and letters in response to articles. If something infuriates you so much that you want to throw your shoes at the wall, then tell us. Go on, I dare you!