About Me

Hello, my name is Chris Rothbauer. I am 30 years old and originally from Jeffersonville, Indiana, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky. I have a BA in Philosophy and English from Indiana University Southeast and am currently studying for a MA in Philosophy from the University of Sheffield. In August, I will begin a new journey: that of a seminarian as I undertake a course for a MDiv and MA in Leadership Studies from Meadville Lombard, a Unitarian Universalist seminary in Chicago. I am heavily involved in several areas of human rights activism, including gay rights, labor rights, and as a member of Amnesty International. In my free time, I love to watch old films, try new foods, enjoy a good beer or whiskey, walk through the woods, play my guitar, or just sit and read a good book.

My religious journey has been a rocky one. I grew up in a holiness denomination, the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana denomination). I was being groomed for the ministry, but the minister and I did not see eye to eye on several issues, so I left. I drifted in other churches, but eventually deconverted all together because of my struggles with my emerging sexuality. I eventually discovered philosophy and began questioning everything I had ever been taught. The next decade was one of discovery for me as I found out who I was spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I now attend a Unitarian church in Sheffield. In terms of belief, I consider myself a progressive panentheist, but I do not limit my understanding of the holy merely to any one faith. Indeed, I believe there are many paths to the Holy, and I want to examine each one of them thoroughly.

I believe that religion is much more than a belief in some God who can do magic. Religion is about serving the world and trying to make it a better place. In the words of the American revolutionist, Thomas Paine, “My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.” Fighting for the good in the world is one thing that brings meaning to my life, and I try each day to live my life as if it were my last. After all, “faith without works is dead”. (James 2:20) This blog is about me trying to do as much good in the world as possible. I may not be able to change the whole world, but I will do what I can.