What Does Christianity Mean?

What is Christianity?

What does it mean to be a Christian?

Most people, including many who claim to be Christian, simply do not understand the answer to this question. I’ve stated this before but it bears repeating: I’m not new to believing in God, but I am relatively new – within the last four years – to actually getting it, and asking Jesus to come into my life.

But I haven’t really answered the question, have I? Let’s go back a couple thousand years. The book of Acts explains the Apostles actions after the departure of Jesus. At this point, His followers were little more than an unorganized and frightened group of people. However, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, as Jesus had promised, they understood completely the importance of who they were and what they stood for. They were no longer Jewish, in a religious sense, but were followers of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It was during this time that the Christian Church began to form. Realizing the need for a cohesive and comprehensive statement of who they were and what they stood for, the early followers created a creed. The Apostles Creed, which dates back to a time period shortly after the ascension of Jesus, explains Christianity in perfect detail. It reads as follows:

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

The affirmation of one holy Catholic Church declares belief in only one true church. The word catholic comes from a Biblical Greek term, katholikos, which means universal.

That’s it. That’s what it’s all about.

At this juncture, I’d like to make an important point – real Christians are not self-righteous, holier-than-thou individuals. On the contrary, we battle with sin and our sinful nature on a daily basis. Accepting Jesus into our lives does indeed change us, but it does not take us out of the world. We are still very much in the game, susceptible to the same weaknesses, fears, and desires as everyone else. The only real difference is that we have realized this and have asked Jesus for his help.

So, what do you think? Did I answer the question?

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Do you believe in the existence of ghosts, spirits, – to slip into a cliché – things that go bump in the night?

While cruising the internet, I ran across several articles concerning the spirit world and the typical Western-World view of such things, and the process reignited a subject of interest that I had not given thought to for some time. People in the Western Civilization have a hard time thinking about, much less talking about anything that they – I want to say: Cannot see, hear, or touch, but reports of such sensory occurrences in the spirit world are not uncommon – cannot physically quantify. And yet, just about everyone I know, if I can get them to talk about the subject, admits to having had at least one supernatural experience.  Here are a few of my experiences:

http://bobavey.blogspot.com/2011/08/shape-shifting-rifle.html

http://bobavey.blogspot.com/2011/07/grandpa-lukes-final-visit.html

http://bobavey.blogspot.com/2011/07/guardian-of-route-66.html

This is an especially puzzling concept when it comes to Christianity. As Christians, we believe in the existence of God, and the fact that He, or a part of Him came to earth as Jesus to save us from our sins. And the Bible is full of references to the spirit world, and to its inhabitants, both good and bad.  However, any mention of ghosts or spirits among Christians is viewed with scorn and ridicule. In my opinion, the sole purpose of God’s Holy Word, the Bible, is to instruct us, to teach us how to live our lives in this temporary world, so that we can be on the right side of things – God’s side – in the eternal world of the spirit.

What caused this seemingly paradoxical Western-World view?

I believe it is due to the practical and pragmatic attitudes passed down to us by our ancestors.

What do you think?

I’d love to know your thoughts on the subject. Please leave a comment, or email me at bob@bobavey.com

Book Review -- My Imaginary Jesus

With My Imaginary Jesus, Matt Mikalatos composed a satire, which works to expose the fallacious attempts by Christians who, through mind games or denial, try to shape or manipulate God, Jesus, and even Christianity into something that better fits their lifestyle, or validates their worldview.

Matt’s unusual humorous style carries the narrative well for the most part. However, about one quarter of the way into the book this began to seem over-the-top, a bit too much tongue-in-cheek for me. Consequently, the book began to drag a little. Toward the end of the book, though, Mr. Mikalatos won me back, especially with chapters like The Center, and Craft Time with the Apostle John, which displayed a genuine belief in and knowledge of the Bible.

I enjoyed reading My Imaginary Jesus, and I walked away feeling that I’d gained something in the process. I would recommend the book to all Christians who have a sense of humor.

For purposes of this review, I was provided a copy of My Imaginary Jesus by the publisher, Barna, a division of Tyndale House. Hello – my

– Bob Avey, author of Beneath a Buried House

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