Minimalist blogs are to blame. But what would it look like if we tried to put theology, christian worldview and christian living into a minimalist framework. For minimalists, it’s only about the essentials or “bare essentials.”
Scholars say Christianity has become about “theological purity.” What do you think? Is Christianity about a specific set of rules and doctrines one needs to believe? Judaism says that Christian is about what one must believe while Judaism is more about what the individual does. Islam says the same. Plenty of Christian scholars also note this reality.
A minimalist Christianity? Strange… someone say the whole law could be summed up in this, something about love for God and man. Love, what does that really mean? We might have different opinions on that definition and that’s okay, but what it meant to a first century Jew is what we’re after.
A few points about Judaism: not really a transcendent religion, very much concerned about what is just and right, believed in a creator God, never believed the world would somehow come to an end, among other things I’ll eventually discuss. Nevermind, just drive into a few more points.
I know I’ve gone of path with what I originally intended but that’s fine.
Judaism doesn’t have a place or system for personal salvation, at least how we express the need for it today. This isn’t a settled issue and is always open for debate. But it’s hard to argue that early Jewish Christians believed the entire point and kingdom announcement was about “saying a sinners prayer,” (asking Jesus into your heart) or about how one gets their personal sins forgiven.
Those things are necessarily wrong or bad, it’s simply not how first century Jewish Christians thought or believed. They believed their creator God, Israel’s God was strangely acting with time and space to put the world to rights, once in for all, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s messiah.
This kingdom announcement contains an aspect of one having their sins forgiven, including personal debts. Both words in the Greek NT overlap. The NT is highly political, which is neglected because of a focus on a tiny aspect of a much richer portrait. There’s a bigger story to the Christian message than what he hear today in most churches throughout America.
Remember, the Gospel isn’t about how one gets saved, instead, it’s about the kingdom Jesus announcement of Jesus’ lordship as the worlds true Lord, who is now claiming everything as his own via his death and resurrection. Or as I like to say, “putting the world back to rights.” Which means that individuals can participate in this kingdom project: of bringing hope, justice and a new way of love or what we call being “genuinely human.”
This is what the Gospels, and Jesus’ message are inviting us to learn and live. This may sound strange to some, as I’ve said before, when we learn to read the scriptures beyond the surface, realizing the story running behind the writings, and within their first century context, then we can better make applications to our day, as well do do justice to the text.
I don’t expect this to ease anyone’s concerns but that’s okay. Debates will continue and questions remain. For me, this is always a good thing. The more we interact, hopefully, the more we’ll all learn. That’s just the way I see it. 
-Miguel
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“The way I see it.” Miguel, I’m a little polarized on this new tagline. It’s the title of starbucks cup campaign. See here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/doubleshotcoffee/1409062276/
So you stole their line.
Anyway, I was listening to a preacher on the radio this morning and he was talking about the kingdom of god. He said that christians are aliens in this world. That they are just passing through. That this world is wretched and painful and they couldn’t wait to get to the other side. He referred to crossing the Jordan into Canaan. The promised land. And when they die, they will leave this world and ascend into heaven. He talked about how these old sayings had lost their luster in today’s church because people in the U.S. have so much stuff and live such comfortable lives. He said christianity is a religion for the suffering. People relate to the bible because they are in need; so when we are living in plenty, it’s difficult to identify with heaven. Here is pretty good.
I think it’s strange that god would create a place and a people to inhabit that place, and those people walk around thinking they don’t belong on that place god created for them. They look forward to the next life so much that they don’t tap into the riches here on earth. From the outside it sounds like a weird cult. And it makes the Heaven’s Gate seem… a part of the whole. See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven‘s_Gate_(religious_group)
How about that, I had no idea. Honestly, I saw that tagline in a Chicago paper last week during my visit back home, and thought I’d add it to the site. That’s funny, thanks for pointing that out.
As far as the rest of your comment. Ah, yes yes… those Sunday morning radio preachers and teachers. You gotta appreciate their sincerity, they’re doing the best with what they know. 
Yes, they mean well but they’re sincerely wrong. Ignorance is… not knowing. These guys don’t know, they think they know Christianity inside and out. If you notice, they tend to have an answer for everything. On the other hand, I’ve been studying Biblical studies and theology related topics for almost six years, and I don’t claim to know everything because I’ve learnt over that time, there’s actually a lot we don’t know and I’m okay with that.
Anyhow, I’ll spend some time writing up another post which will address the multiple underline thought-lines found in that guy’s teachings. Stay tuned.
Thanks for visiting and sharing.