If you’re visiting Beneath the Tangles for the first time, the reaction you might be having to our website is…wut? The convergence of Christian spirituality and anime might not be obvious to most, but we believe that there’s an inherent value in the blogging we do, both for believers in Christianity and those who aren’t. We invite you to take a look at our main core values and beliefs on this site, listed below, to give you an idea of what we’re about and why we do what we do.
Christianity
All of the writers on this site are followers of Christ. But for those of you that have a negative view of Christianity, we ask that for the moment, you toss aside everything you know about Christians. Throw away the hypocrisy, judgment, bullying, and hatred that you’ve encountered and see what we’re about. While we have different denominational backgrounds and varied experiences, as well as differences in less significant theological points of our faiths, we all believe in the same critical points, including the belief that all humans are sinners in need of redemption and that God, the creator of the Universe, sent his son, Jesus, in human form to the earth where he died as an atoning sacrifice for our sins and arose from the grave, that in our belief we may be forgiven, receive the Holy Spirit, and gain eternal salvation as the gracious gift of God.
Religion
While the writers here believe that Christianity is the one and only true way, we welcome readers of all other religious beliefs (and those who don’t have a religion) to join us in conversation on the blog. We are respectful of all faiths and open to all beliefs and questions to our faith (or regarding religion in general). This blog is meant to be safe place for religion to be discussed without the worry of judgment or condemnation.
Humanity
The culture takes the point of view, perhaps without explicitly saying so, that humanity is generally and mostly “good,” that our motivations and works usually come from well-meaning hearts. While we’re very capable of good works, and though humans do a lot of wonderful things in the world, our writers believe that within, we’re all sinners. This unholiness creates a barrier between humans and the holy and perfect God; we don’t deserve to be in His very presence. Hell is an actual place, and it is where people are cast to be away from God’s presence. But God offers salvation through His own sacrifice, as mentioned in the Christianity section above. Part of our mission here is to deliver this message to those who are unaware.
Bible
The writers of Beneath the Tangles take the Holy Bible as authoritative, written over thousands of years by writers inspired by God. As a collection of 66 books, scripture contains many different kinds of literature – history, poetry, and letters, to name a few, and must be read with contextual understanding. Still, it’s also one cohesive whole, and right from the first chapter through the last, tells the story of God’s love and redemption for mankind. We frequently point toward scripture in our blog posts.
Anime
We understand that many Christians disavow anime, along with other forms of media they at best dismiss, and at worst find vile. While we’re careful to take in the wide range of sensitivities that Christians have, particularly through our recommendations, we also believe that anime can be a beautiful expression of creativity that entertains, leads us to think and act, and which can tell stories that help reveal the greater story of God and humankind. Anime is not evil, nor should Christians who consume it feel unchristian simply because they tune in.
Missions
Our writers believe that it is the call of every Christian to tells others about the gospel story, or the story of God’s redemption of humankind through Jesus Christ. This website helps to tell that story through discussion of significant parts of the gospel, including the ideas of grace, sin, justification, mercy, and transformation, within posts that discuss some of our favorite anime and manga. Beneath the Tangles is a ministry as much as it is a blog.