Martin Thielen: What’s the Least You Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?

Very interesting article from HuffingtonPost.com.

Click the link at the bottom for the full story…

When I first met Danny, he said, “Preacher, you need to know that I’m an atheist. I don’t believe the Bible. I don’t like organized religion. And I can’t stand self-righteous, judgmental Christians.”

I liked him right away!

In spite of Danny’s avowed atheism and my devout Christian beliefs, we became close friends. Over the next year Danny and I engaged in numerous conversations about faith. During that time Danny softened his stance on atheism. One day he announced with a laugh, “I’ve decided to upgrade from an atheist to an agnostic.” Several months later Danny said, “I’ve had an epiphany. I realize that I don’t reject Christianity. Instead, I reject the way that intolerant Christians package Christianity.” A few weeks after that conversation, Danny said, “Martin, you’ve just about convinced me on this religion stuff. So I want to know–what’s the least I can believe and still be a Christian?”

“What’s the least I can believe and still be a Christian?” What a great question! Danny’s provocative question prompted me to write a new book, using his question as the title. Part one of the book presents 10 things Christians don’t need to believe. In short, Christians don’t need to believe in closed-minded faith.

For example, Christians don’t need to believe that:

• God causes cancer, car wrecks and other catastrophes

• Good Christians don’t doubt

• True Christians can’t believe in evolution

• Woman can’t be preachers and must submit to men

• God cares about saving souls but not saving trees

• Bad people will be “left behind” and then fry in hell

• Jews won’t make it to heaven

• Everything in the Bible should be taken literally

• God loves straight people but not gay people

• It’s OK for Christians to be judgmental and obnoxious

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