Positionality Statement - Kelvin Rutledge

Currently, I do perceive and communicate that I am of Christian faith. I do practice in daily prayer in terms of blessings and meditation. I do not participate in an organized church/religious ceremony on a consistent basis. I do traditionally attend church on major Christian holidays (i.e. Easter, Christmas, etc.) and go intermittently throughout the year. I do believe that faith does operate on a continuum and that individuals can move and change as they navigate life as a whole. I did question my religions affiliation during my master’s degree program but ultimately decided to still identify as a Christian. The majority of circle does identify as Christian. A counter narrative is that I do have a strong Deist population among my friends who identify as members of the LGBT community (partially due to their negative interactions concerning organized religion but still have a strong calling to faith and spirituality). I honestly have very rare interactions with the selected student population. I have interacted and dialogued with those of Atheist and Deist perspectives. Outside of those conversations, I have not actively taken an interest in terms of learning their perspectives and how this identity impacts their interactions.