Refined to Its Essence

In recent weeks, I have been thinking about the essence of things. When you boil something down to its most basic component, what does it look like?

In religious circles, Presbyterian ones, at least, there has been a lot of discussion recently about "essential tenets." In other words, what are the basic beliefs and actions a person would have to have in order to be a Christian?

I can see the negative side to this: you can use a list like that as a whipping post or a wall to keep some people out and some people in, or maybe somebody wants to do the minimum required to achieve some sort of spiritual or ecclesiastical status. You do just what you can to squeak by, whether into the church or into the Kingdom of Heaven. It feels sort of like Abraham bargaining with God in Genesis 18. What will you do if I do this much, or just this much?

On a more positive side, it can be helpful to know what the rules are. My kids love to play a card game called Mao, in which the leader keeps on changing the rules of the game to suit his or her purpose. "I'm sorry, if you play a red 8 and are wearing a black shirt, you have to draw 5 more cards." You get the idea.

In the context of all the strife in the Presbyterian Church, I, for one, think it would be helpful to have some clear "essential tenets" so that we have some kind of ground rules. What is a pastor, elder, or even a church member, for that matter, expected to believe and how are they expected to live? What is out-of-bounds, and what is up for discussion? I am reminded of the way in which Jesus responds in John 8 to the woman brought to him who had clearly broken the rules. His response is both pastoral, "neither do I condemn you," and true to his tradition, "Go, and sin no more." I think those are both good lessons.

Those of us in the Presbyterian tradition seem to be in a crisis as to what our tradition really is and teaches. What do we believe? What should we believe? How should we respond to those who don't?

This fall, I am going to explore what I believe to be some "essential tenets", first of the Christian faith, and then of our reformed tradition. I am going to preach on subjects like, the authority of the Bible, God, Jesus, and salvation. Join us at the First Presbyterian Church in Mexia, TX each Sunday this fall, or check back here regularly for a summary. I hope this exercise will enrich us all.

God bless!