The questions of what do I believe and what must I believe often find their way into my thoughts. Belief is an interesting and sometimes conflict laden area. I have learned that people have no problem holding two or more beliefs that are diametrically opposed to each other. For instance one can believe that abortion is absolutely wrong in all instances and without exception based upon sanctity of human life arguments (I am one of those people) but can still manage to support a war built on shaky reasoning that sees thousands of those same human lives sacrificed regularly.

 

I look at belief like a shadow or an eclipse; there is an umbra (the deep defined central region of the shadow) and a penumbra (the much larger area of the shadow in the outlying surrounding region that is a less defined gray mix of light and dark).

 

In terms of my own belief it goes without saying that I believe what the Bible tells me (which is ironic because I am saying it). Of course this statement is vague and simplistic and does not come close to revealing the nuanced nature of my reading of scripture and all that has yet to be revealed to me.

 

If one were to ask me "what do you believe?" how do I tell them without keeping them captive for 72 hours while I explain it all? I don’t want to simply say "go read the Bible, this is what I believe" because there are many Christians who have read the Bible and still manage to disagree about things in spectacular fashion.

 

I could say however that they could read the following in order of focus as though moving from the centre of the umbra to the outer edges of the penumbra:

 

Umbra:

 

1. Acts 13:30-31

2. Apostles’ Creed

3. Nicene Creed

 

Penumbra:

 

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

2. Basic Christianity by John Stott

3. Simply Christian by N.T. Wright

 

If a person were to read all of these things they would come to a very good understanding of what I believe. At its core my faith is simple and unchangeable but it increases in complexity and flex towards the outer edges. If you have ever been confused or curious about what I believe – the above list is a good start…and if you disagree or agree maybe this is the beginning of a conversation we can have – who knows?

 

Cheers!