Skip to main content

The Kernel of the Christian Faith

The theological tradition of orthodox Christianity is imbued with excessive and unnecessary metaphysical baggage. So, I propose that Christians should consider what I call creedal minimalism in their formulations of their statements of faith. It is the view that ecclesiastical or academic Christian institutions should simply require the barest minimum set of theological beliefs for qualifying for membership. I call this set of beliefs the kernel of the Christian faith:

1. God, who created the universe, ultimately revealed God’s love and grace through the religious history of ancient Israel, the life and teachings of Jesus, and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in the history of the church.

2. Through God’s mighty acts in history, God is faithfully fulfilling God’s covenant to redeem God’s creation from its bondage to sin, suffering, and death.

3. The Bible, i.e. Old and New Testaments, is the most authoritative written witness to God’s creative, revelatory, and redeeming acts in human history. As critically interpreted within the community of faith, it serves as the primary guide in theological and ethical inquiries.

4. A covenantal relationship with God is possible through acts of faith, such as one’s voluntary acceptance of the calling to follow Jesus and voluntary submission to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Divine-Human Love Affairs

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, let me briefly reflect about love. What is the nature of God’s love for humanity? What is the nature of that love that has God as its object or the kind of love (directed to God) that the Bible demands from humans? God’s love and the love that is demanded from us are both intense and radical. God’s love for humanity is both intense and radical. Based on the theological narrative that developed through the spiritual insights of the early followers of Jesus (like Peter, John, and Paul), Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity. What does it mean? According to their theological narrative, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. God sent his only begotten Son to serve as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The religious frameworks of the ancient world, of course, shaped the formation of this narrative. In the ancient world, human actions that offend the deities require sacrifices that sufficiently appease the offended...
Post a Comment
Read more

Politicization of the Pulpit

After the death of Jerry Falwell and the declining popularity of Pat Robertson, surprisingly the legacy of the evangelical right persists in politically conservative media (like Fox News) and conservative evangelical churches (like some Southern Baptist and Assemblies of God churches). Equipped with sensationalistic jesters and political preachers, bearers of such legacy can pester the current administration. No wonder Obama and his advisers are launching an attack on Fox News, the main source of information for the evangelical right. Since the presidential campaign season for the 2008 election, I heard numerous anti-Obama sermons in a large congregation with a devoutly Republican pastor. A devoutly Republican pastor is one who cleverly subsumes the Christian message under the Republican agendas. Many conservative evangelical churches have devoutly Republican pastors, who regularly politicize the pulpit by unnecessarily turning congregants against Obama. In a subtle way, this is danger...
2 comments
Read more