{"id":1128,"date":"2013-04-09T17:31:17","date_gmt":"2013-04-09T22:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/fearofwhales\/?p=1128"},"modified":"2013-04-09T17:32:08","modified_gmt":"2013-04-09T22:32:08","slug":"the-centrality-of-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/fearofwhales\/2013\/04\/the-centrality-of-grace.html","title":{"rendered":"The Centrality of Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"It's<\/a>I have a big list of blog ideas. <\/p>\n

When I get an idea for a blog, I put it on the list. When I get time to write a blog, I open a list and write a page about the idea. Usually I add in some analogy to illustrate it or some argument for it\u2019s truth if it\u2019s controversial. Then I steak a picture and call it a day <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had one on that list practically since I started it. It\u2019s for a series about \u201cWhat exactly I believe\u201d <\/p>\n

See I understand that on this blog or in conversation, I talk more about what I don\u2019t believe, or what I\u2019m thinking about believing, rather than what I actually think is the case. And I\u2019m not being evasive, I just think that\u2019s more interesting. So I think it would be advantageous for posterity to have a series of articles about what exactly I think about Jesus, about the bible, about church. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been years. I haven\u2019t written that series. It would be long, and I wouldn’t know what all to include. But I still feel like I owe you, my audience, something of my credo. Just how liberal am I anyway? Versus just how far am I willing to take this radical Christian \u201cthang\u201d? Well here\u2019s what I can offer. <\/p>\n

If everything I believe took the form of a big ball. A Katamari of Christendom, with my tentatively held doctrines near the outside, and most important beliefs near the middle, the very center, the creedal core, would be grace. <\/p>\n

The extent to which a belief or practice is important to me corresponds to how connected it is to grace. The doctrines that are escaping to the outside, are those that conflict with it. <\/p>\n

I believe that you and I and everyone are and should be the recipients of unmerited favor, from god and everyone else. And I believe in believing that. I believe you should believe that. <\/p>\n

I believe grace before I believe evidence. I believe it before salvation, I even believe it before I believe the historical death and resurrection of Jesus.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s my blend. That\u2019s how I\u2019m able to stay so interested in Social Justice, and Equality, and interesting things form other religions or the secular world. That\u2019s how I\u2019m a leader in both a Presbyterian and a Baptist church. And still not fall off the cliff of anything goes and everything\u2019s a metaphor. <\/p>\n

Hate doesn\u2019t go. Lies don\u2019t go. Subjugation, and superiority, and guilt, and indifference can\u2019t come into the CredoBall because the CredoBall is made of things that are tied to things that are tied to grace. Things like Love, and Truth, and service, forgiveness, passion and Jesus Christ crucified.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a big list of blog ideas. When I get an idea for a blog, I put it on the list. When I get time to write a blog, I open a list and write a page about the idea. Usually I add in some analogy to illustrate it or some argument for it\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":391,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Centrality of Grace - A Fear of Whales<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/fearofwhales\/2013\/04\/the-centrality-of-grace.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Centrality of Grace - A Fear of Whales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I have a big list of blog ideas. 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