In its simplest form Christianity is the body of Christ on earth. It is the ongoing manifestation of Christ on earth in and through God’s people. It is the melding of individuals into institutions who proclaim and embody the Holy Spirit and faithful teaching of Jesus Christ. Is it limited to those who embody and proclaim Christ perfectly? No! Thank God. Does it include those who are full of doubt, fear, and trepidation? Absolutely! Thank God.
Atheists pose the question: Does God exist? And by asking the question, they set the ground-rules or the context to which the answer to the question must conform. The unspoken assumption of the question is the possibility that God does not exist. This means that there are two possible answers to the atheist’s question: Yes, God exists. Or no, God does not exist. If we compare the question (Does God exist?) with the question (Do I exist?) we see that they are the same kind of questions. But when I ask the second question (Do I exist?) there are not two possible answers. Why not? Because for me to inquire about my own existence is an expression of my existence. Therefore by asking the question I establish the reality of my existence. I may not know what it means to exist, but that’s a different question. …
The Bible alone is not the foundation of Christianity. The reality is God Himself in the world. The Bible is the story about God in the world. The Bible is not the happening; its the report about the happening. So, God Himself is the primary reality of the world. …
The difference between believers and unbelievers is not the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The Holy Spirit has always been present in the lives of people—all people. When God created Adam, He blew the breath of life into him. That breath of God is the Holy Spirit. The difference between the first creation and the second creation is not the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has always been with all people from the very beginning. The difference between the first creation and the second creation is the awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. …
