I’m Coming Out
So here we are. After eighteen months of anonymity it is time to come out of the closet. I guess the thing to do is just say it, so here goes.
My name is Gordon Atkinson. I live in San Antonio, Texas, and I’m the pastor of Covenant Baptist Church.
Yeah, Baptist. I know; I can hardly believe it myself. Real Live Preacher a Baptist? How can this be?
It be.
Our church is a part of a relatively new movement known as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. We’re the "Jimmy Carter Baptists," if that helps you make sense of things.
So there it is. Now you know. I have to say that it’s a huge relief to finally be done with the anonymity. It’s work to stay hidden, and I’m tired of it. I’m tired of never mentioning San Antonio, and I’m tired of changing the names of people and places.
I decided to go ahead and come out in my own way because the Eerdmans fall catalog is about to go online, and my book will be listed there along with my name. Once that happens, my name will be public knowledge anyway.
My security was never very good. I applied for the domain RealLivePreacher.com using a false name and and address. (123 Catch Me Lane - Nome, Alaska) I setup a hotmail account using the same fake name. The biggest challenge was trying to remember not to sign my real name when I replied to emails sent to Real Live Preacher.
Along the way a number of people found me. Here’s how they did it, in case you’re interested.
The biggest giveaway is that I use the same graphics for the blog and for our church. What can I say? I like Steve Erspamer’s work. A few people stumbled across our church website and recognized the graphics. Some other people came to suspect San Antonio for one reason or another and checked google for San Antonio Churches. Our church comes up on the first page, so it didn't take much work to find me.
At least one person traced the IP address of my sendmail server when I replied to an email. Even if you use hotmail, your sendmail IP address is listed in all the gibberish at the top of emails. Mine is traceable to satx.rr.com, which is Roadrunner in San Antonio.
I sent one person a Word document and forgot that my name was in the properties of the document. This tech-savvy guy checked the properties and found me. We chatted by email a few times, and he finally told me he knew who I was.
And one interesting woman sent me an email and told me that she was going to figure out who I was. It was like a challenge. She read everthing I wrote and gathered clues. This woman knows my writing better than I do. Then she fooled me with a clever email into admitting I was from San Antonio. Like I said, once you figured out the city, Google and five minutes was all you needed.
Then there are the people who know me in real life, found Real Live Preacher on their own, and figured out it was me because there is so much of my life in what I write. So you see, my anonymity was crumbling from both sides anyway.
It’s been fun, and I’ve enjoyed having a secret identity. In the early days I thought it helped me be more honest. Maybe it did help me back then, but I don’t need anonymity anymore. It served its purpose, but I think it has become rather silly and tiresome. At least for me it has.
My plan is to continue to write this blog as Real Live Preacher and not use my name around here unless there is some good reason to do so. This is Real Live Preacher’s domain, and I’d like to keep it that way.
BIG NEWS ABOUT THE BOOK
On Friday I will show you the cover of my book - which I just received yesterday - and give you the publication dates and some more information. The cover design was a bit of a surprise to me, but I have come to like it. It turns out that the author has very little say in the cover design of a book. It’s considered to be a marketing decision, not an editorial decision. That’s pretty much industry standard, as I understand it.
AND FINALLY
I can’t resist letting you in on two little secrets. I once wrote about a woman in our church whom I called “Chris.” Later I mentioned her in another essay but called her “Cynthia,” which is her real name. She is a poet and often leaves comments here. One of her poems is posted on the Covenant website. You should have no trouble finding it if you are interested.
Also, long time Real Live Preacher readers will recognize the names “Pepe” and “Evangelina.” They were among the first Covenant members to find me. “Pepe” leaves comments now and then with a variety of false names, including "Wayne." He is also the character I called “Robert” in the story "Main's Folly."
Anyway, his real name is Michael, and he has a blog of his own called “The Main Point.” Some people read both of our blogs but never made the connection because Michael was always careful not to mention my name or the name of our church. He did that to protect my secret. I guess he can say whatever he wants now.
I suppose that’s all I need to say. Just this once I will sign my own name here, which I think will feel good.
peace,
Gordon
8:11:09 AM 
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