Lovefest in Ebert Comments

It's a lot of fun reading the comments over at Ebert's blog. I think the love on there is truly genuine. A lot of people (myself included), when they read Ebert, feel understood plus feel like someone is out there speaking for them. That is, they feel a connection with Ebert, and they feel like someone is an Advocate for them in the real world. It's hard not to sense the soteriological elements in that, but isn't that really ultimately what salvation is? A relationship with a person who both gets us and defends us. Of course, the Christian theory of salvation adds into that the idea of sin and forgiveness of sin, but even that seems captured by our desire to have an advocate. I have personally been heavily influenced by the Christian teachings on sin and forgiveness, but initially, it was the idea of a God who understood me and who advocated for me that really drew me in.