Why I Call Myself a Christian
some heretical thoughts
Hey friends.
I shared this on Facebook the other day and it generated some interesting responses. Sharing it here in case you missed it.
One thing to note: this is what’s true for ME (right now, at this season of my life) … it does NOT need to be true for you.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Much love,
Glenn || SUPPORT THE PROJECT
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"I think that the only thing that can really raise Christianity is the Gnostic interpretation because we can never get back to the historical Jesus; that doesn't mean that the material of Christian belief and symbols and myths are by any means worthless, but we have to look at them in terms of their inner meaning and realize that there is a timeless and universal dimension to the Christian story. We must recognize that there is some sort of universal dimension and really look for that because a strictly historical interpretation of Christianity is going to lead you to a dead end."
- David Fideler, Voices of Gnosticism / https://amzn.to/47ot1wc (← it’s a GREAT book consisting of various podcast interviews about Gnosticism, the Gnostic Gospels, and more. Check it out!)
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Sigh.
I've taken some heat for still calling myself a "Christian". People wonder how I can call myself a Christian when I don't believe in hell or in the atonement or the Second Coming or inerrancy or even go to church anymore ... or how I can "label" myself with something that has caused so much harm in the world.
I get it.
But I continue to use the word in reference to myself because I believe that the Christian story taps into the human story - into a universal story. In other words, when I read the stories of Jesus and the writings collected in the pages of the Bible ... those stories do something to me, they awaken something in me, they make me feel some kind of way - a way that no other story has ever been able to make me feel.
If I'm being honest, I'm not all that interested in the person of Jesus or what he might have historically done or not done. I used to be fascinated by it and think there's some tremendous work out there, but it's not the thing that truly captures my heart.
What I am interested in, though? I'm very interested in how the stories of Jesus have layers and layers of meaning that speak so deeply to the human condition that they continue to find value in the world today.
Like, the other day - Jordan asked me if Peter REALLY walked on the water and if Jesus REALLY calmed the storm. She wanted to know if that was a historically accurate story.
How do you talk about that with a 6 year old?
I told her that some people believe it really happened, and that's fine ... but (for me) I'm not sure - "I'm not sure the writers of those stories were out to tell us exactly what Jesus did and said", I told her, "but maybe to share with us how much Jesus inspired them to live a life of love and kindness. I think the story of Peter walking on the water reminds us that when we keep our eyes locked on the love of Jesus, we can do hard things ... but when we look away and lock our eyes on our fears, we can drown in our worries. But even if we drown in those hard things - God is there to help us get back up again. Maybe the story really happened. Maybe it didn't. You can believe whatever you want! But whatever the case may be, I think that's why the story continues to be told 2,000 years later - to remind us that we can do hard things."
You see - for me, I can't experience God or the Divine or whatever without Jesus and all of these crazy stories about him. Even though that's true for me, though, it doesn't need to be true for you. I believe that you can experience the Divine apart from Jesus - that you can find God in nature or Islam or a good cup of coffee (hallelujah) or the eyes of a baby or in Tarot or Judaism or Paganism or Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Barbie. God, I believe, is found in the things that bring our hearts to life and awaken something in us that feels as if it's been asleep, that feels as if it's forgotten who it is.
The thing that wakes you up? That reminds you of who you are? Why you're here? That breaths life into your weary soul?
That's God.
For me, that's Jesus.
And that's why I call myself a Christian.
I suppose one could call himself/herself a Christian without believing in the fundamental beliefs now associated with Christianity. By that I mean the belief in the basic requirements outlined in the one of the three Ecumenical Creeds that have, over-the-years established the requirements for Christianity. These three are the Athanasian, the Nicene, and the Apostles Creed. But, saying that you are a Christian knowing full-well that you do not agree with the basic standards of Christianity as described in those Creeds is not really being truthful is it?
You may believe in the basic fundamentals of righteous living as taught by the person called Jesus according to the writers in the NT, in that sense I suppose you can call yourself a Christian. After all, you may believe that such a person could have existed in history. But, to be truthful, shouldn’t that require some kind of a “foot note” from you when writing or talking to someone about you being a “Christian”?
In other words, by saying that you are a Christian, it will be assumed that you are a believer in Christianity. However, I should add, that most who say they are Christians do not have a clue as to what is written in these Ecumenical Creeds, nor would most agree 100% with what is actually written in them as their fundamental belief. That is, if they were asked.