Martin Thielen - Whats the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?: A Guide to What Matters Most

W hen I first met Danny, he said, Preacher, you need to know that Im an atheist. I dont believe the Bible. I dont like organized religion. And I cant stand self-righteous, judgmental Christians.

In spite of Dannys avowed atheism and my devout Christian beliefs, we became close friends. Over the next year Danny and I engaged in numerous conversations about God, religion, and faith. During that time Danny softened his stance on atheism. One day, after a long conversation, he announced with a laugh, Ive decided to upgrade from an atheist to an agnostic. Several months later Danny said, Ive had an epiphany. I realize that I dont reject Christianity. Instead, I reject the way that intolerant Christians package Christianity. A few weeks after that conversation, Danny said, Martin, youve just about convinced me on this religion stuff. So I want to knowwhats the least I can believe and still be a Christian?

Whats the least I can believe and still be a Christian? What a great question! This little book represents my best effort to answer that question. presents ten things Christians do need to believewhat matters most, if you will. They need to believe in Jesushis life, teachings, example, death, and resurrection. A great benefit of these beliefs is that they provide promising answers to lifes most profound questions, including Where is God? What brings fulfillment? What about suffering? And is there hope? Like Danny, many people in the twenty-first century hunger for an alternative expression of Christian faith thats different from the judgmental and narrow-minded caricatures they see on religious television and in the news. This book offers such an alternative. It articulates centrist, mainline, and moderate Christianity in a way thats fresh and easy to understand. It also offers authentic Christian insights that speak to our deepest human needs. So turn the page, and lets begin exploring Dannys interesting question: Whats the least I can believe and still be a Christian?

Y ouve probably heard the old gospel song called Gimme That Old-Time Religion. The chorus says, Gimme that old-time religion, gimme that old-time religion, gimme that old-time religion, its good enough for me. Well, a lot of old-time religion is good and noble, and well explore much of it in of this book. But some old-time religion is neither good nor noble. Old-time religion gave us the Crusades, the Inquisition, and religious wars. Old-time religion oppressed woman, defended slavery, and stifled scientific inquiry. The fact is, some of that old-time religion is unhealthy and needs to be discarded. In the chapters that follow, we will review ten tenets of old-time religion that Christians can and should discard.

Those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on themdo you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you.

Jesus, in Luke 13:2, 35

O ne summer afternoon a country preacher went to visit a farmer in his congregation. As the preacher and farmer sipped iced tea and talked, the farmers son bolted into the house, carrying a dead cat by the tail. In his excitement the boy did not notice the preacher sitting on the other side of the room. He rushed up to his father, held up the dead cat, and said, Dad! I found this stray cat in the barn. I hit him with a board, then I threw him against the barn, then I kicked him, and then I stomped him. At that moment the boy saw the preacher. Without missing a beat, he said, And then, Pastor, the Lord called him home.