Although 78% of self-identified Christians who were surveyed indicated that God is the “all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of the universe who rules the world today,” the remaining chose descriptions at variance with the Judeo-Christian teachings of our Old and New Testaments, i.e. “everyone is god, god refers to the realization of human potential, etc.”
More disturbing to me by far, though, is the finding that only a slim majority thought Jesus was free from sin while on earth., and that a majority of those surveyed do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living entity. Rather, these folks felt that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence”.
If these Christians do not believe in the divinity of Jesus or the existence of the Holy Spirit, I’m at a loss to explain how 59% of those surveyed indicated that their religious faith has significantly impacted their life.
According to the survey, a clear majority of those surveyed indicated that “the most important purpose in their life is to ‘love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul.’” But what God are they loving? Is it the God we find in Scripture, or is it distortion?
55% of those surveyed strongly agree that the Bible “is accurate in all of the principles it teaches”, but it seems a tremendous stretch for a similar majority to claim that the Holy Spirit is not a living entity. But let’s assume I’m confused about the core beliefs which MUST be held in order to be a “real Christian”.
Can you straighten me out?
What precisely must one believe in order to be considered Christian?
I used to think, in my naivete, that anyone who could say the Apostle's Creed was a Christian. I did believe that even Bible Christians would not have a problem here. That was before I encountered Facebook discussion groups!
ReplyDeleteOf course, a lot of people call themselves Christians when it suits them. There is the vast army of "I don't have to go to church to believe in God" people.
Having said that, perhaps the only judge of who is or is not a true Christian, is Jesus Himself, who sees into everyone's heart.
Wow. Well, to answer the question of what one must believe to call oneself a Christian? Apparently not much. Yikes.
ReplyDeleteTo be a Christian, I think you have to believe that Jesus is the Christ, that He died for your sins and rose again. If you truly believe that, and you choose to surrender your heart and your life to God, He sends the Holy Spirit to live in you, and that changes everything. I can't imagine not believing that the Holy Spirit is alive and powerful. The Spirit is what gives us power and authority, and what enables us to love as Jesus loves. Love is REALLY what it's all about--loving God and loving others as He loves us.
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