Ask An Evangelical

"Jesus loves me and I love him. But my story is part of a much bigger story that tells me about who God is, and why human beings exist, and why — in the midst of so many bad things happening in the world around us — there is hope for a better future."

That's what evangelical Christian Aileen Van Ginkel wrote when we [Globe and Mail] asked her to explain a bit about her faith. What do you think? She came online Monday to respond to your questions about her religion.

Christian Aileen Van Ginkel was the guest of Globe and Mail for a 1 hour online forum titled "Ask An Evangelical." Ms. Van Ginkel presented a surprisingly balanced view while fielding questions like:

• I am a homosexual. Does Jesus still love me?
• How do you feel about the efforts of the so-called "Moral Majority" or Christian Right in North America?
• If the Bible is the inspired word of God, how do you justify the negative parts of the Bible, such as slavery, killing your neighbour, the plagues of Egypt (which God states he prolonged to glorify him), and hell?
• I was raised an evangelical Christian and left the church in my late teens. Why is it that when an earthly leader says "love me, obey me, serve me, be faithful to me....or else I'll torture and kill you," he is recognized as evil, but when God says the same thing, He's supposed to be supreme Good and Love?

Kudos to you, Ms. Van Ginkel, for taking on this challenge. Thank you for representing Evangelical Christians so well.

See the full interview at globeandmail.com.