I write under the name of Sean here, but it is my middle name and not the name I go by in person.
Why do I use a pen name on this site?
The topics on this site may be of a sensitive nature, requiring a lot of background information (including both Scriptural theology and spiritual experience) to consider in a safe and constructive fashion. Some may be advanced topics in that they require basic and intermediate foundations, foundations which few may have grasped.
Often it is far too cumbersome to cover all the bases and foundations to present complex information in a safe manner. There are ways to poke holes in almost every idea or post — to make an essay bulletproof might require a book or encyclopedia. If thoughts only got shared when they were presented in a bulletproof fashion, almost no thoughts would be shared, and I think that would be unfortuante. This site is for those who are mature enough to explore how ideas might be legitimate without gravitating to a false perceived safety in fear, pessimism, and closed-mindedness.
Sometimes it is wise to keep pearls of insight hidden where they cannot be trampled. However, I long for the church to grow in courage in the supernatural, knowledge of the supernatural, abandonment of empty tradition in exchange for a living relationship with God, and the skill of staying in unity in Christ even while our opinions and perspectives still appear to be in conflict.
Therefore I choose to share optimistically about sensitive topics, knowing that there are risks involved. I am more concerned about the risk of not sharing and growing with the body of Christ.
I’m writing under a different name so people who know me who discover I am writing these things of a sensitive nature will have some pause when considering in what context I am writing — a context of vulnerable exploration and a context that requires true spiritual maturity, so that people consider the topics with extra care.
I believe that sometimes we have to feel safe with one another when we are at our most open-minded — I hope this site can be safe for honest open-minded truth-seeking.
I (perhaps idealistically) don’t believe in secrets, only in an order to finding things out (even if it takes millions of years to learn something, or never learn some things because knowledge is abundant and expanding faster than we can learn it.) Before people find out I’m writing these things, I hope they read this page.
I write about topics here that I would not bring up in every type of setting. I may not be perfect at it, but I try not to be someone who likes to bring things up for the sake of being sensational, impressive, or shocking or to draw attention to myself. I don’t want to make my own name famous or grow in pride by telling my stories — and I feel it helps me for the time being to share under a different name.
There are a few other reasons for writing under a pen name but I’m not sure they all need to be said.
In short, writing with a pen name makes me feel I can write with more safety for others and more freedom in what I can do here.
-Sean aka Jared