The qualification of a love for the Bible, brought about by a sound theological Bible-based education and sixteen years of Bible teaching and preaching

While not holding to an inerrantist view, I see the Bible as an amazing collection of divinely breathed writings. Taken as a whole, it is a history and account of God’s dealing with the men and women of its era and geographical setting. But, above all, it tells the story of Jesus the Christ, records his teachings and gives the history of the beginning of the Christian church.

Because I hold the Bible, and especially its record of the teachings of Jesus, in such high regard, I am grieved if I see what, after careful examination, I believe to be shoddy interpretations that ignore the overall biblical evidence, and in particular ignore or downplay the clear teachings of Jesus.

The qualification of spending the last fifteen years in the secular world of business

As a life insurance broker I am visiting and talking with couples and individuals at some depth several times a week, and ninety percent of the people I meet and mix with every day would not identify themselves as ‘religious’ or ‘Christian’. This has been an eye-opener, and more often than not a pleasant one. It has given me a window of insight into the minds and hearts of the types of people Jesus was most at ease with.

The qualification of spending the last five years meeting and sharing at depth with many wonderful and deeply sincere people best described as being of ‘alternative spirituality’

This has meant lengthy discussions and a chance for me to discover what these folk actually do believe. Often, as I have learned, this is very different from what we evangelicals think they believe. Most important of all, I have been able to look into their eyes and hearts and, as always, this changes everything.

Such people are clearly regarded by the evangelical church today in the same manner that the Jews of Jesus’ day regarded the Samaritans, as rejected heretics forever outside any possibly of a relationship with God. I certainly used to believe this, and preached vigorously against what I labelled as these deceived ‘new-agers’. I have now come to believe that Jesus is far less concerned with ‘correct doctrine’ as a necessary qualification for salvation than is the evangelical church.

In fact, I am more and more convinced that a real relationship with God has vastly more to do with the state of one’s heart and a lifestyle of ongoing heart-motivated genuine goodness than correct Christology or the finer points of the nature of God, or other Christian doctrines.

(For a discussion of The Broadness of Salvation see Inclusive Christianity)