"Believing in Jesus does not mean believing doctrines about him. Rather, it means to give one's heart, one's self at its deepest level, to the post-Easter Jesus who is the living Lord, the side of God turned toward us, the face of God, the Lord who is also the Spirit."

Marcus Borg,
Meeting Jesus Again For The First Time

I get letters from critics asking me if I believe in Jesus. In particular they want to know do I believe Jesus is the Son of God? Do I believe Jesus is the Messiah? Do I believe Jesus died for my sins? Do I believe Jesus was God? Do I believe Jesus was fully human and fully divine? Do I believe that Jesus performed all the miracles that are recorded in the Gospels? Do I believe Jesus was born of a virgin?

My answer to many of these questions is yes, no, and I'm not sure. There are many doctrines about Jesus that I'm not sure about, and others that get my full assent, and still others that I will reject out of hand as years of Christian nonsense. Not surprisingly, my critics brand me something worse than a heretic.

What they don't understand is my deep and true belief in Jesus, despite any doctrine cooked up by the church in the past few centuries. I have seen and experienced the redemptive love and care of Jesus. I have met God on more than one occasion through the person and ministry of Jesus. I have given my heart to Jesus at a level much deeper than any doctrine can describe or hope to understand.

As Marcus Borg so eloquently points out, Jesus "is the living Lord, the side of God turned toward us, the face of God, the Lord who is also the Spirit." That's the most beautiful statement of the meaning of the trinity that I think I've ever encountered. His words touch me and show me that while I may not believe in the Jesus depicted in many of the Christian doctrines, I do believe, deeply and unashamedly in the Jesus that reveals the redemptive and loving power of the living Lord, God and Spirit to me in my everyday life.

Blessings,
Candace