Wednesday, March 16, 2011

What's Important Anyway?

When it comes to beliefs, doctrines and rules, especially in the church, what's really important? I mean what are the bottom-line essentials. Everybody has their own list of what they think is absolutely necessary to believe in order to be called a Christian. I've got a list too, but mine's pretty short.
Like this week, I was listening to Rob Bell on Good Morning America. There's a big controversy about Rob because he has a new book coming out. I haven't read it yet although I intend to. Some people who have read it say Rob Bell doesn't believe in hell anymore. I don't really know whether he does or not. I've been to Rob's church and heard him preach. He didn't say anything about hell one way or the other. He did say an awful lot of good things about Jesus though. I think most days I rather hear about Jesus than hell, but that's just me.
Then there's John Piper. A lot of people don't like him because he's a Calvinist. I'm not a Calvinist either, well maybe a one-pointer, but I still like John. I think he's a good man who's wrong about the first four points of five-point Calvinism, but I'm pretty sure he loves Jesus. I'm pretty sure he'll be in heaven too, probably with Rob Bell, if Rob believes in heaven.
But then I was talking to a woman today who I've been sharing my faith with for a couple of years. She told me that at this point in her spiritual journey she's decided to become something like a Druid. She said there's just one god and that he or she reveals himself to people differently. She said that this kind of religion makes sense to her. She said all religions are good and really all the same. This I'm pretty sure is wrong. Somewhere between Rob Bell, John Piper and this woman a line was crossed. It's the one I think IS essential. It's the line represented by Jesus.
I've thought a lot about this kind of stuff. I'm sold on Jesus...not so much on Buddha and Druids. I guess everyone has a dividing line. For some people it's about being Baptist or Methodist. For some folks it's about being American or not. For some it's probably even about being black or white or red or blue (smurfs). For me the essential is Jesus, how He came, what He did, and how I let Him live in me now. Everything else...