A Christianity Worth Believing - Ch. 1-4

So far, CWB is a good read, but raises some interesting questions.

Question 1: Christianity as religion, relationship or something else?

Ch. 1, pg. 7 – “Religion by its very nature, tends to be conservative. Not just in the political or theological sense, but in the truest sense of the word–to conserve something. Religion is often a tool for preserving a set of beliefs, ideas, and behaviors. That preservation necessitates a stance of protection, of warding off any changes that threatens those beliefs.”

“The stickler is that Christianity doesn’t make a very good religion in this sense. Christianity is not a faith of conservation and preservation. It is a faith of creation, participation, and change.”

What are your thoughts on Christianity as a “conservative” religion in the sense Doug describes here?

Question 2: Do you have a “conversion” story?

Ch. 2, pg. 13 – Doug describes his “conversion” experience and relates, “I didn’t know the story of God, yet I had a gut-level understanding that God was involved and active in the world and wanted people to join in that activity.”

Question 3: Can we “boil down” the gospel into bullet points or tracts?

Ch. 3, pg. 22 – about booklet versions of the gospel, they “seem like a different story altogether, one with steps and stages rather than people and passions.”

Question 4: How do you define the gospel? Has your definition of the gospel been more influenced by booklets and “evangelism” training, or by Scriptures and your life experience with Christ?

Ch. 4, pg. 30

“… the gospel is to be told in a way that makese sense in our day and time so that we too can find life in it.”

About these ads