My Christian Faith in a Nutshell, Starting With What I DON'T Believe
While I falter on the regular, I am deeply committed to my faith. I am an imperfect, flawed, enthusiastic, studied follower of Jesus.
I want to be clear about what I do NOT believe:
I do not believe that those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior are going to Hell
I do not believe, therefore, that people devoted to other religions are going to Hell
I do not believe, therefore, that agnostics or atheists are going to Hell
I do not believe, therefore, that persuading people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior is my top-most priority
I do not believe that homosexuality is a sin
I do not believe, therefore, that active homosexuals are defying God.
I do not believe, therefore, that members of the LGBTQ+ community and how/who they love are somehow flawed, wrong, or Godless.
I do not believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God.
I do not believe, therefore, that it is perfect or the final say on all things Christianity
I do not believe, therefore, that it was ever intended to be read as a literal nor complete nor legalistic instruction manual
I do not believe it should EVER be used as a weapon for righteousness, hate, or drawing lines about who’s in and who’s out
I do not believe that Satan is lurking around every corner
I do not believe, therefore, that the world should be divided into two groups: OF-GOD and NOT-OF-GOD.
I do not believe, therefore, that I ought to be scared of, anxious about, or separated from the secular world, nor should I assume God can’t be found there.
I do not believe, therefore, that we are headed towards Jesus’s second coming in the near future.
I do not believe that “anything goes.”
I do not believe, therefore, that God is pleased with all parts of us. That God is fine with our complacency, our impurity of heart, our cowardly refusal to stand up for what Jesus stood up for, our pride, our ugly behavior, our deceit, our sin.
I do not believe, therefore, that, just because God loves us unconditionally, God wants us to stay the same.
I do not believe, therefore, that extending Heaven to a bigger audience makes living the way of Jesus any less difficult.
If you’re still reading, let me now be SUPER clear about what I DO believe:
I believe that when Christ said in John 14:6 that “I am the way, the truth, the life” and that “no one comes to the Father except through me” he meant something entirely different than how we’ve interpreted it in modern evangelical Christianity. Many, many esteemed authors and theologians have helped me to see that “except through me” was meant to mean “except through my ways.” Jesus was saying “Hey peeps, try as you might through all these rules and sacrifices and laws to have a relationship with God… but watch me, learn from me, walk with me and - I promise - you’ll know God.”
I believe, therefore, that walking in the way of Jesus is how we reach our Maker. And that there are many, many, many spiritual leaders who have done this before our time, are doing it right here and now, and that there will be many more who do it long after our time. And (spoiler) I believe not-Christian spiritual leaders walk in the way of Jesus as well. Most have, in fact.
I believe that sexual immorality, not sexuality, is a sin. And that modern society has confused the two.
I believe, therefore, that the isolated few verses that speak about the sin of homosexuality are, in fact, giving us guidance about how not to be promiscuous, abusive, or immoral with our sexuality. I believe those sins run rampant in all forms of sex - the hetero- or homo-sexual kind.
I believe that the Bible is an extraordinary tool for my faith development. I have studied it at length (but I have poor executive functioning skills, so don’t ask me to quote on the spot!), and it is hands-down my favorite book.
I believe, therefore, that it ought to be consulted on the regular - when I’m sad, when I’m confused, when I’m discouraged, when I’m looking for answers. And I believe it is to be looked at from a position about 75,000 feet back - What are the themes? What are the messages? What was Jesus trying to tell us? I believe that zooming in too far and too literally is misguiding, short sided, and, worst of all, dangerous.
I believe this: there’s a little bit of God in all of creation, including us. And there’s a little bit of Satan in all of creation, too, including us.
I believe, therefore, that doing our best to turn towards God (unconditional love, justice, kindness) and turn from Satan (fear, doubt, hate) ought to be out focus, not separating out the Godly from the Godless.
I believe that serving God as a follower of Jesus is very, very, very hard.
I believe, therefore, that our call is one to be taken incredibly seriously.
I believe, therefore, that living life’s questions without black and white answers (see: JESUS) is far more brave and challenging than the alternative.
I believe, therefore, that being a dedicated follower of Jesus in this wayward world is about like fitting through the eye of a needle. But totally worth it.
As many of you know, right after our five-month-old son, Duncan, passed away, I found myself at home on a sabbatical from teaching with lots of free time, a product of Jackson’s, Duncan’s twin, nap schedule (dang, he was a good sleeper).
I spent six months wrestling with the following inquiry: “Am I a Christian?” I had been raised one, I had been drawn to Jesus ever since I learned about Him, and I was actively worshipping in a Christian church at the time. But I was on the STRUGGLE BUS about nearly everything I have written above about what I “don’t believe.” Could I not believe all of that and still call myself a Christian?
To be clear, this spiritual existential crisis wasn’t connected to my recent loss or my grief at the time; in fact, it had been a long time coming. But those sweet months, while my baby snoozed upstairs, were revolutionary in my faith, my outlook, and my world views.
What I thought my choices were at the time: double down and become an Evangelical Christian, be a fraud, an imposter, a hypocrite and continue going to church with all my doubts, or give Christianity up entirely. What I didn’t know until that 6-month “sabbatical” was that there was a fourth option: progressive Christianity.
And here I am, seventeen years later, still writing about my discoveries during that season. My prayer is that you may take a peek at the fourth option, too. It exists. And it is making waves. Quietly, gently, yet powerfully. Which is pretty much how God always woos.
