Commone Sense, The Bible, and Suffering (Printer Friendly)

Can This Be Christian? (Chapter 5)

Can this approach be Christian?

That depends. What does it mean to be Christian?

Does being Christian mean believing certain things about the Bible and God and Jesus? Does it mean believing that the Bible is all literally true, and that God causes suffering? Does it mean believing in the Trinity and the Virgin birth? If so, then we can’t take my approach to being Christian.

But does being Christian mean believing those things? Or does it mean something else?

We must answer this question by looking to what Jesus said, not by looking to tradition, or theologians, or the church, or even to St. Paul. Because the question is, what does it mean to follow Jesus Christ -- not anyone else.

What Did Jesus Say?

Just look at these well-known passages:

* The Great Commandment: We are to love God and love our neighbor. (Mt. 22:35-40, Mk. 12:28-34, Lk. 10:25-28.)

* The Sermon on the Mount: He tells us how to treat each other, to be reconciled, to love even our enemies. And those who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who do God’s will -- not those who call Jesus “Lord.” (Mt. 5-7; see also Lk. 6:17-49.)

* The Great Judgment: Those who are going to heaven are those who fed the hungry, welcomed a stranger, and visited the sick and imprisoned. “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Mt. 25:35-40.)

Jesus taught us how to live, not what to believe. To try to accept this message, to try to live it, was to accept God’s messenger, and was to accept God.

The First Rule of Christian Belief

(1) A belief is appropriate for Christians if it is consistent with the Great Commandment taught by Jesus, and with Jesus’ central role in our faith.

Our common sense approach can do this -- I will show how later.

The Second Rule of Christian Belief

Many people would add to this. They want to require that we believe certain things about Jesus. But before anyone can require that we believe something to be considered Christian, it has to pass our Second Rule of Christian belief:

(2) A certain belief about Jesus can only be necessary for Christians, if it is necessary for following his teachings, with Jesus as our guide or focus.

Conclusion

This means that you don’t have to believe what other people say about Jesus. Within limits. To be Christian, we do need to make Jesus central to our understanding. But we have the same freedom in the New Testament itself, to explain his centrality in a way that works for us.

Being Right vs. Being Christian
- or -
The Distinction between Doctrine and Faith (Chapter 8)

Obviously, people who believe in the traditional “orthodox” doctrines think I am wrong. Of course, I think they are wrong. Can we discuss our differences without resorting to name-calling?

I believe so and hope so. I certainly do not think that they are not Christian. We disagree on how to explain such things as why Jesus is central to our religion. We agree on what is more important -- that he is central to our understanding.

So we can share the same faith, even while thinking each other is wrong about doctrine.

Jesus taught us how to live, not what to believe.

Christian faith is when we live that way, self-consciously based on the teachings and example of Jesus whom we call the Christ. Christian doctrine or belief is how we explain this faith, how we conceptualize God and the centrality of this Jesus.

So I can argue that you are wrong in your beliefs, and still understand that you share the same faith -- that you are also trying to follow Jesus in the way you live. I hope you can do the same for me, when you think I am wrong and misguided in my beliefs. After all, these beliefs are only our rational explanations of our faith, not the faith itself.