The most dangerous post I've ever written...

When I sat down to write this post, I was really concerned about it.  It seems like such a simple task, and yet I think it is in many ways a difficult and daring one.  How do I reveal my beliefs without stepping on others? how do I explain it without judging? what if people judge me? what if I decide later that I don’t believe that way anymore?…. I was then reminded of something I taught recently in a class, the three reasons why most projects  never get started: apathy, pessimism and despair.  I do not want to be subject to any of these.  So for that reason I am committed to initiating, to go forward, to take the risk.  I only will add one caveat: these are my thoughts and beliefs, today.

I believe that God is and that, as the Deuteronomist (author of Exodus) said, God will be who God will be.  I believe in God the Creator, God as Elohim (God of Gods) and God as Adonai, the holy YWH.  I believe that God is bigger than
any faith tradition can fully comprehend, explain, or understand.  I believe that God is aware of this.

I believe that God came to earth as the incarnate Jesus Christ, fully human and fully God.  I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  I admit that I do not understand this completely, but I believe it. 

I believe that scripture is the word of God, a product of inspiration, a process involving God and man.  I believe it tells God’s story, through the eyes of man, pointing us to the Word (Jesus).  I believe that anyone can read the Bible.  I believe that understanding scripture is not a passive act, nor is understanding it easy or it's meaning self-evident.  I believe that the Bible is one of the most complex and difficult-to-understand assemblies of books ever written. I believe that the books of the Bible were written to certain people at a certain place and a certain time.  I was taught this in my first day of NT at Columbia Christian College and I continue to believe it today.   

I believe that the Gospel story is simple.

I believe that sin separates us from the blessings of a life in the flow of God’s spirit.  I believe that scripture demonstrates that God judges evil in this lifetime and has provided a solution in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. 

I believe that Jesus died for everyone, all people, the entire world, past, present and future.

I believe that Jesus on the cross was God’s response to evil, that Jesus took the full force and brunt of the result of evil in this world, and exhausted it.

I believe that Jesus calls us to a way of life, an opportunity to reconcile ourselves to the creation God intended.  This is a practical, daily life that evidences the love, grace and mercy that we’ve received, demonstrated in our love for others and love for God.  This life is a response to the life we’ve been given today, the solution to evil, the healing of our brokenness in this world and the daily experience of salvation.  It is real, tangible, and present.  I do not live into the fullness of this understanding, but I work toward it.

I believe that baptism is a powerful, God-supported, life-changing experience in which we demonstrate our recognition of Christ on the cross, feel the cleansing of his sacrifice, and display our commitment.  I believe that Christ’s baptism, in it’s time and place, evidenced Christ’s implementation of a new path, God’s solution to evil, and God’s ordainment of his beloved.  I believe that this is consistent with scripture and a historic understanding of the act in that culture and time.  I believe that baptism is so much more than we have understood.  I do not believe that baptism is “the” salvation event.

I believe the church is here to minister to believers as well as the world, to provide a place for respite from evil, a community for fellowship and support, and a tool for discipleship.  I believe that the church is made up of many talents and abilities, each of which is necessary in its work.

I believe that men and women were both created in the image of God, equally, and each receive the same Holy Spirit.  I believe that biblical references to “women’s roles”, whether or not tied to the creation story, are a reflection of the cultural and historical time in which they occurred. I believe that no office, no position, no responsibility in the church is reserved for one sex.  I believe that men and women were created uniquely, to partner together in the raising of a family, recognizing the need for each other and submitting equally to one another.  I believe that my wife is the image of God, a partner uniquely created for me and I for her.  I believe that my children are also created in God’s image, entrusted to Erin and me for a time, for a purpose set not by us but by God.

I believe that we should read all the epistles through Jesus, and not Jesus through the epistles.  I believe there is a priority relationship for understanding, not an ignoring of one for the other.  I believe that Jesus is the answer that all scripture is pointing to.

I believe that each of us is individually important to God.  I believe that Jesus would have died if it had only been for just you.  I believe that you are the beloved.  I believe none of us is so small that we can’t partner with Jesus in this world.  I believe that God works through each of us, big and small, young and old, to heal this world, our friends and neighbors, our family, and ourselves.  For these reasons, I believe that each one of us is of ultimate importance to Elohim.

I believe that some will read this and cringe, others will smile, and some will wonder.  I believe that if you do not believe as I do then that simply shows that you are a living, breathing, thoughtful person.  I believe that we can still be friends, brothers and sisters in the faith, partners with Jesus in the restoration and reconciliation of this world.  I believe that God's grace is sufficient where my beliefs, and yours, are not.