"My friend, are you a Christian?" to which the man answered "yes."
He exclaimed: "great, me too; what kind of Christian are you? Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant?"
The answer was: "Protestant."
"Me too; what kind of Protestant? Episcopalian, Baptist, Congregationalist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal?"
The answer was: “Baptist.”
The man got excited: "Me too! Are you a United Baptist, American Baptist, Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist, Cooperative Baptist?"
"Southern Baptist."
"Me too! What kind of Southern Baptist? Are you a Fundamentalist, Revivalist, Traditionalist, Calvinist?"
"Traditionalist."
Now, he got really excited: "Me too! Are you Premillenial, Post Millenial or Amillenial?"
The guy on the dam said: "Amillenial."
With that the passer-by, becoming very angry, screamed: "Die, heretic!" and pushed him off the dam.
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Who is a Christian? That’s the gist of our “Tough Question” tonight. “Can I Be Considered a Christian if I Don’t Believe in the Literal Resurrection of Jesus?” is the question posed by one of you. Let me address the person who posed this tough question for just a moment:
The answer quite simply is, “it depends on who you ask.”
If you ask the passer-by who pushed our friend off the dam, I guess he’d say, “No, you’re not a Christian.” He appears to be among those who define the word “Christian” quite narrowly, who have a checklist of beliefs one must adhere to in order to be counted among those who would be “authentic” Christians. One of the problems with that ideology is that the litmus test for what is considered “orthodox” belief varies widely between denominations, even between individuals in the same denomination.
Other Christians define the word “Christian” more broadly, and would be happy to include you in the fold. And since you asked this question of your pastors, we all agree that the definition of “Christian” is broad enough to include you.
But who cares about that? Perhaps we’ll be better served by going to the source. What does Jesus say about such things? What’s Christ’s litmus test for authentic faith? Does Christ demand that you hold certain beliefs in order to be counted among the faithful?
First, Christ never used the word, “Christian.” That designation, according to the book of Acts (11:26), first surfaced in Antioch, likely a derogatory term that outsiders used to label the followers of Christ. “Christian” literally means “little Christ.” The term eventually stuck, though Jesus himself never used it that we know of.
Second, nowhere in scripture does Jesus say that one must believe in his resurrection. He does talk a lot about belief. Let’s look at four “red-letter” examples of Christ’s comments about belief from each of the four gospels:
Matthew 21:22: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Mark 1:15: "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"
Luke 8:50: "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
What exactly does Christ mean when he uses the word “believe?”
He seems pretty pleased with Peter about a belief that Peter professed:
Matthew 16:13b-17: He asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”
Jesus nowhere spells out a theological formula that one has to accept to be a “Christian.” He simply called people to be his followers. However, he did have expectations of those who would follow him:
Matthew 16: 24-25: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
At times, even, Jesus seemed less concerned about what his followers believed than about how they lived:
Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus never spelled out a set of doctrines one must believe to be included among his followers. Nor did he pen a creed that we know of.
A couple of months ago, we recited the Apostle’s Creed as a part of our communion liturgy each Sunday at our 8:00 am service. Trained in the Baptist tradition, I’ve read and even studied the creed, but it has never been a part of my weekly worship ritual. I was amused one of those Sundays when I lifted my head from the bulletin as we were going through the litany, only to see a vast number of congregants reciting the creed from memory. The pastor wasn’t as versed as the parishioners!
I know many of you can recite the Apostles creed from memory. If you know it, say it with me:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
Our church isn’t a creedal church. We don’t require church members to sign off on this or any other set of doctrines. As an interdenominational congregation, we try to be “as inclusive as the love of God.” Before I came on board, the staff published a little piece called, “We Believe in Jesus.”
We believe in Jesus. We want to be like Jesus. We want to teach what Jesus taught and live like Jesus lived. We’re not much into doctrines and human-made systems of belief. Those mostly serve the purpose of dividing people into camps of right and wrong, acceptable and not acceptable. We don’t believe Jesus lived that way. Jesus found ways to accept and love everyone he came into contact with. We try to do the same, although we have to admit we’re not nearly as good at loving as Jesus was. But we’re trying! We call ourselves a “community” church because we believe Jesus made himself available to the whole world—not just a little group of select people. We’re not overly troubled by folks who come to us with different beliefs, ideas, or experiences. We find reason to “commune” with each other not because we all think or believe alike, but because we are all seeking the same thing—a Way to a better world, a Truth that sets people free, and a Life that is abundantly full and meaningful. We believe the Way, the Truth and the Life revealed in Jesus is worth discovering and sharing together!
“Can I be Considered a Christian if I Don’t Believe in the Literal Resurrection of Jesus?” Around here at least, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” But I wonder if there’s a deeper question here. I wonder if the person who posed this question is tempted to “throw the baby out with the bathwater.” To give up on Christianity all together in the absence of a literal understanding of the resurrection and likely, other stories from the Bible. That, to me, would be tragic. Here’s why:
The resurrection of Christ was a turning point in history, whether understood literally, spiritually, figuratively, or not at all. There is great consensus among Biblical scholars (even those who do not claim to be Christian) that “something happened.” Something happened to transform the terrified group of followers hiding out behind the closed doors of an upper room into the bold, courageous witnesses willing to die for the story they told. Something happened in those days following the crucifixion that turned the world upside down. Something happened.
More than that, to me the Christ event was the point in history where the divine broke through into reality in a way that has never been equaled. Christ arrived on humanity’s scene at the perfect time and place; he obliterated the social and religious order and opened the door for a deeper humanity.
“The call of Christ to me is an eternal call to love, to live, and to be. It is an invitation to work for those things that create life and to oppose those people, those attitudes, and those systems that distort life. It is to become aware of the freeing, exhilarating, consciousness-raising experience of the Holy God. That God calls me into ever-new possibilities. [When] I turn to the words of Scripture and to the phrases of the creeds I no longer find the sterile choice between literalism and nothing. I find rather an expression in dated words and time-warped symbols of the same reality that I am in touch with today at the edges of my human limits and in the dawning moments of a transcendent awareness. Then suddenly the ancient biblical story becomes my story, and its ancient symbols interpret my life. I know then that I have touched divinity, a divinity that is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Christianity becomes for me not an empty and outdated set of scriptural and creedal concepts but a new adventure in living as I walk side by side with the Christians of the ages who, with me, have journeyed into the meaning of God.”[1]
May we all continue our journeys into the meaning of God.
[1] John Shelby Spong, Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism, Harper San Francisco, 1991, pp. 243-244.
[1] John Shelby Spong, Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism, Harper San Francisco, 1991, pp. 243-244.
1 comments:
I came across this blog in investigating Tellico Church for my family's sake, who is possibly moving to the area and possible considering making Tellico Church their home church. While I cannot say I'm shocked, I am nonetheless scandalized. I write as one who has served as a pastor and feels again called to pastoral ministry.
The idea that Jesus' physical, bodily resurrection is even a remotely open question for Christ-followers is incalculably wrong.
You have the audacity to claim that it is not necessary for a person to believe that Jesus Christ physically rose from the dead, that among other things, Jesus never taught that a person has to believe this to be his follower. This is at best absolutely ignorant. At worst, it is a lie.
Consider Jesus' own words to his followers as recorded in the book of Mark: "Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke openly about this. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God's interests, but on man's'"
(NET).
As you can see, the idea that Jesus must die and rise again was essential to Jesus' teaching. Mark is quick to point out that he made the teaching public, nut just to the inner circle. So important was it that when one of his closest followers refused to believe it, Jesus calls him out for believing the lies of Satan. Strong words. But they are the words of the Lord and God, Jesus Christ.
As the book of 1 Corinthians so poingantly puts things: "For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received – that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures... And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty. Also, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified against God that he raised Christ from the dead, when in reality he did not raise him, if indeed the dead are not raised. ... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins. ... For if only in this life we have hope in Christ, we should be pitied more than anyone" (NET).
It is a pitiable thing, suggests Paul, to be "Christians" without a powerful, risen Christ. It is pitiable because it is useless and weak, unable to rescue anyone from their sins. And if we are dead in our sins, then we will be paid the "wages" which "is death".
I try to be a flexible person and accept my brothers and sisters in Christ despite minor differences in theology. Many things that divide are foolish and of little consequence. Some are even beyond human knowledge! But if GOD draws a line, I am arrogant if I erase it--or even smudge it. It will be bad for those who believe Satan's lies about God, but it will probably be much worse for those who teach them and persuade others that they are the truth.
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