What I Believe and Don't Believe ... In No Particular Order



I believe that hypocrisy is the perpetual shame of Christian churches.

I believe that I participate in the Church's hypocrisy, and that God calls me to work toward spiritual integrity within myself and my community.

I believe that trusting God is harder than believing in God.

I do not believe in a god that punishes people for their inability to believe someone else's creed.

I believe that some creedal formulations, such as "Jesus Christ died for my sins," help some people come into relationship with God.

I believe that lots of people make a grave mistake when they assume their path is the only path to salvation.

I believe that "salvation" is a word that describes a soul's connectedness to God in this life.

I believe that attempts to narrowly define the afterlife, or God's conditions for entering into it, violate its mystery.

I believe that God holds us accountable for our actions in this life, but I do not claim to make those judgments on God's behalf.

I believe that creedal or doctrinal litmus tests reflect a fear of diversity.

I believe that Jesus was killed for speaking the truth in a corrupt world, and that he calls us to do the same.

I believe that social justice is a dimension of spiritual integrity, and that spiritual growth is meaningless if it is merely self-serving.

I believe that the spiritual journey is a way of ordering one's life, not controlling one's thoughts.

I believe in prayer and silence as a path to God.

I do not believe that God can be fully understood by human brains, or adequately described by human words.

I believe in singing.

I believe in the transformative power of myth.

I believe that Holy Scripture is inspired by God and is "true" in much the same way that great literature, poetry, myths, legends, and oral traditions are "true."

I believe a historically reliable image of Jesus can be found in the Gospels, but it takes a critical mind to find it.

I believe that people use Scripture to oppress people they are afraid of, including gays and lesbians, and to manipulate others into conforming and giving money.

I do not believe that it is a sin to be a practicing gay or lesbian, when the relationship is founded on deeply committed, monogomous love.

I do not believe that it is a sin to be a practicing heterosexual, when the relationship is founded on deeply committed, monogomous love.

I believe in the healing and loving power of God, revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and revealed in the communities that serve that power.

I believe that God is revealed in the world.

I believe that we have much to learn from the wisdom of other cultures and religions, and that we are called by God to discover and reveal this wisdom.

I do not believe that one can find God through thinking alone -- we must have prayer and community.

I believe that God embraces scientific truth and reason.

I believe the Kansas School Board has lost its mind.

I believe that when we get trapped in our heads we can lose touch with God.

I believe God is best understood as a Verb rather than a noun.

I believe that Holy Communion helps me discover God.

I believe that many Christians put too much emphasis on beliefs.

I believe in the beauty of paradox.



The Rev. Matthew Lawrence
Chaplain, Canterbury House
Director, Institute for Public Theology