| twenty heresies |
Realizing that my beliefs have changed greatly from those I had growing up, or those I had when I emerged from seminary, or those I had during my battles with the bottle, and with a certain peace that my psyche will tolerate future changes, I sat down with pen in hand to answer the eternal question…
“Do I really, really want fries with that?”…
Sorry, I meant, “What is it that I really believe at this point in my life?”
So, without further ado, and with a silent but violent drum roll filling the air, let the announcer begin:
“SUNDAY… Sunday… sunday…
AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY… Speedway… speedway”
Sorry, uh, wrong announcer…
“First, there was Martin Luther and his ninety-five theses… Then there was The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and its nineteen articles… Now, just in the time of nick (actually, that would be Christmas, wouldn’t it? Hmmm…wrong holy-day – sorry, again.), is the world really ready for…”
Mike Rucker’s “What I Believe as of Easter 2006″ and its Twenty, uh, Heresies
Ahem.
One:
The Bible isn’t inerrant. It is myth in part, history in part (understanding that “history is recorded by the victor”), opinion in part, personal revelation in part, and evangelistic in part. We call it “the word”, but it isn’t on the same footing as the Word noted in John 1:1. Still, it is miraculous if for nothing more than the sheer beauty and coherence in its story.
Two:
God reveals his nature to me as much as He does to anyone. And He can do it through other people and through the events of my life. He probably talks to me a lot, but I doubt I’m ever listening as well as I could – or should – be. Bottom line: “revelation” is not “closed” just because the Bible is.
Three:
Jesus lived, died and rose from the dead. Something had to have happened to light – and keep lit – the flame that spread. And the story is particularly beautiful when looked at from all aspects, especially Jewish history and law.
Four:
Given Three, I do not believe Jesus died to pay a “debt” for my “sin”. He apparently had to come to earth for God to know what it meant to live as a human. His death was likely the natural outcome of the radical message he taught – a death just as likely if he came and tried to preach the same message today.
Four.1:
…and if he did come again today, I doubt he’d be a Republican.
Five:
Jesus may or may not have been “the” son of God. If he had a chance to live a perfect life, others must have that same chance today – perhaps even more so depending on what the nature of the “holy spirit” is. I believe I am a child of God, though I have lived a far, far from perfect life.
Six:
The Trinity is an interesting concept, but it’s no more interesting than the idea that a God exists that we can worship “in spirit”. To say we don’t “worship three Gods” makes no sense, since “one in three” and “three in one” makes no sense. No one can explain it, so get over arguing about it.
Seven:
There is no burning hell. No one will be punished eternally. Even Saddam. Even Hitler. Even Satan.
Seven.1:
There is no Satan.
Eight:
Somehow, people can choose to keep God out of their lives, but I don’t think they can thwart God forever – even if it means God must pursue them after death.
Nine:
Any religion focused on submission of human will to God’s will seems valid to me. Religions that focus on me becoming a “god” through my own achievements may be profitable for this life, but God will reveal himself – and the error of that kind of pursuit – in a loving manner to individuals within those religions at some point.
Ten:
God created the universe, and is likely still creating somewhere. Or everywhere. But He sets laws in motion that He does not – or rarely chooses to – violate. Life on earth probably evolved. It’s not that big of a deal – that life might have evolved, that is. The universe is, if anything, a pretty big deal.
Eleven:
Jewish law in the Hebrew scriptures is probably part revelation and part human committee BS applicable at a particular point in time.
Twelve:
Paul was a little wordy. What went from a great testimony and a desire to see lives changed as his had became another typical human control project – my way or the highway. More committee BS, but the committee chair published all the minutes.
Thirteen:
[EDITED] God works outside the church, too.
Fourteen:
There probably isn’t going to be a second coming. It may have already happened around 70 AD anyway, in some fashion. Without question, the New Testament authors expected the second coming in their lifetimes. And Jesus seemed to imply the same.
Fifteen:
There isn’t a sequence of world events as played out in the “Left Behind” book series coming. And I don’t really expect a rapture.
Sixteen:
John’s gospel is spiritual rather than factual. Mark is probably part legend. Matthew was lazy, but knew his Judaism. Luke probably did a lot of historical research, but his primary source was Mark, so history becomes relative, as it always does.
Seventeen:
Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and Noah’s Ark are mythical stories, almost Jewish campfire tales, if you will. Noah is likely based on something quasi-historical, but in a regional flood sense. But that’s just a guess.
Seventeen.1:
…as if all the rest of these weren’t.
Eighteen:
God is love. He is the prodigal’s father. He has a primary characteristic of forgiveness and not judgment, as demonstrated by Jesus in his encounter with the woman caught in adultery. He may be “just”, or a “God of justice,” but mercy and grace mean the “just” part is always secondary to love and forgiveness.
Nineteen:
God is working in every individual’s life. That should give everyone peace and help to reduce guilt for not being “the right Christian I should be”. No matter what we do, God can – and will – always do more. And better. “More better,” I guess.
Twenty:
But God does seem to choose to primarily work through people.
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