I enjoy the yearly Stack Overflow survey on technology and languages because it is open to everyone. I thought it would be cool to have a similar survey for Christianity, so I made one: https://forms.gle/1EfNk9FGunDX8wjWA
All questions are optional. If there is enough involvement I plan on doing this each year. Questions can change, and I'm open to feedback.
For context, I am part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I also come from a comparative spirituality background and have over 40 years of personal spiritual seeking, study, and practice across multiple traditions. My friend is a biblical Christian from a conservative evangelical background. He sees me as a gay man in our interactions because I have not shared my transmasculine/non-binary identity with him for personal reasons.
My friend does not consider me a Christian because I have not declared Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and because I do not share an evangelical framework of sin and salvation. We also approach Jesus differently—he holds a traditional evangelical view, while I relate to Jesus in a more mystical and experiential way.
When we first met, he understood me to be an agnostic or non-Christian. At that time I was fairly reserved about my spirituality, partly because our frameworks didn’t align well. He later told me he had been praying for God to “open my heart.” I accepted that prayer, and from my perspective my heart was opened to God—though not in a way that looks like evangelical conversion.
Recently, he encouraged me to read the Gospel of John. I did so. I shared with him that when I engage with any sacred text, I tend to do so in an embodied way, that I feel the meaning of the words in my body and soul.
During that conversation, the topic of “covenant” came up naturally, along with a broader discussion about prayer. It wasn’t structured or formal, but an unfolding exchange that emerged from the natural flow of conversation.
In that context, he spontaneously invited me to pray with him. We did not ask for anything; we simply expressed gratitude and thanksgiving together in the moment.
This stood out to me because, in my spiritual framework, prayer is not casual. It carries relational weight and responsibility. I don’t approach prayer lightly, and I don’t tend to pray for specific outcomes because I don’t presume to know what another person needs or what should unfold. Certainly if there is something tangible to do to help, I do that instead of pray.
Another important piece of context is that he has previously said he considers only fellow Christians to be his spiritual family. I, however, experience certain relationships as spiritual family within my own karmic framework, including a sense of continuity across lifetimes, even when theological beliefs differ. I experience him in that way, though he does not share or return that framing.
My question is:
Within your Christian tradition, is inviting someone who is not considered a Christian into a spontaneous prayer of thanksgiving generally viewed as ordinary kindness or evangelism, or does it more often signal a deeper level of spiritual fellowship, trust, or acceptance?
If you’re willing, I’d also appreciate it if you mention your denomination or tradition, as I’m curious how interpretations may differ.
One year ago today God called me to not cut my hair for a full year as an act of submission and consecration unto him. Tonight was my last night of this vow and I decided to record a video of me playing a favorite worship song of mine. I guess the anointing was strong because this turned into something I did not expect.
Its time for us to become doers of the word. Its time for us to give our WHOLE lives, not just the part that gets me to heaven. Its time to pray.
I hope you enjoy this video!