In the beginning....

Greetings. Welcome to my column in Hoosier Review. I thought I'd give you, my readers, a peek into my life and what lies ahead for this column.

From the name of this column, you may already think you know what it will be about. Or maybe you have no idea what to expect. Let me tell you what this space will hold in the future. Regardless of your expectations, you may be surprised.

First, what do I mean by "faith?" According to the Bible, faith is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) But, in a larger way, "faith" has come to refer to any religious system of beliefs. So, you could say this is a column about religion.

I don't consider myself a religious person, however. I am a Christian. To me, that affects the way I live each day. Christianity, to me, is a way of life, not a set of rituals and rigid rules of conduct. I will write about Christianity, because it's what I know about. If you want to find out about Islam, Judaism, Shinto, etc., ask someone who is familiar with those.

You're probably still wondering exactly what I will write. This column won't just be a place to read a bi-weekly sermon. I want to cover stories that other publications don't. Along with perspective on issues directly affecting people of faith, I want to bring you information on the many Christian groups at IU and in the community. You might even expect a review of a Christian music album or book from time to time.

So, that's it for this issue. If you have any comments or ideas for my column (anything you'd like to see me cover?), please send a letter to the editor, or write to me personally.