The Poignant For 4/4/10, Easter Sunday Special: One Place That Represents Christianity So Well

On the buildup towards this Easter Sunday, the images of those supposedly exhibiting the Christian faith (or so they say) has been for a lack of a better word, brutal.

From the painful escapes of the Roman Catholic Church's cover up of child molestation events to the utter nutcases of the militia group planning to take down government officials, it's been nothing short of forgettable for one trying to probably explain to their atheist friends again "Why are they Christian" (or follow any other faith for that matter).

But there is one person who without a doubt can answer that question with a full conviction of "Yes."

And that is one PastorDan.

I haven't met PastorDan, and this is the first time on the rational online community to talk at some length about the individual.

How could I talk about an individual that I don't know? Because PastorDan represents the necessary template in order for one to be not just an invaluable liberal Christian, but to be the best Christian .

In an era where conservatives nutcases have tried to (and sometimes been successful) at imposing their beliefs onto others and damaging the thoughts of those even pondering at one time to be Christian, PastorDan and the group at Street Disciples does the exact opposite everyday.

They welcome everyone there at that wonderful site. Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic, atheist. Hell, they would even welcome a Martian if it came to the site (only for the New York Times and Washington Toast to not give them attribution for breaking such a story if that ever did happen).

PastorDan and his group at SP are the embodiment of the progressive talk on faith and life that would be ideal for anyone in this country, let alone the world.

In the account of the disciple and apostle John, he tells us that he ran the moment he heard that Christ's body somehow wasn't in his tomb less than 2 days after he was crucified. Whether you the reader wants to believe that account should always be based on how you feel and no one else.

But on this Easter Sunday, may you at one point run over to a place that represents that policy uttered in the last paragraph. It's a policy that should be for all Christians instead of the one angering those of other faiths or non-faiths with obsessive and irrational behaviors.

So if you heart leads you to do so today, may you give Pastor Dan on Twitter the love, as well as those at Street Prophets.

It certainly is a place that is the total opposite of what we have all seen this week from the "news in Christianity."