In a recent provocative book, however, Martin Thielen raises basic questions about faith, the church and the Bible that are often asked by prospective believers (“What’s the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian? A Guide To What Matters Most,” Westminster John Knox, 2011.) Thielen is senior pastor of Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, Tenn., and explores contemporary theological and social issues with intellectual honesty, clarity, bluntness and humor reminiscent of C.S. Lewis (“Mere Christianity,” 1943), Leslie Weatherhead, (“A Plain Man Looks at the Cross,” 1945) and Peter Marshall (“Mr. Jones, Meet the Master,” 1949.)
Thielen, of course, takes up contemporary issues that could not have concerned earlier writers. His book is divided into two major sections, perhaps with thanks to David Letterman. Samples from each section provide a taste of the concerns addressed:
I. “Ten Things Christians Don’t Need to Believe”
God causes cancer, car crashes and other catastrophes
True Christians can’t believe in evolution
It’s OK for Christians to be judgmental and obnoxious
God loves straight people but not gay people
II. “Ten Things Christians Do Need To Believe.”
Jesus’ identity: Who is Jesus?
Jesus’ priority: What matters most?
Jesus’ legacy: Is the church still relevant?
Jesus’ vision: What is God’s dream for the world?
In regard to the continuing debate about the places of gay and lesbian Christians in the church today, the author honestly admits that although many United Methodist churches welcome homosexual believers as individuals, they are not ready yet to become affirming congregations. With what appears to be real regret and sorrow mixed with practical knowledge of how long change takes (which may
discourage Presbyterians), Thielen concludes, “Fully welcoming but not fully affirming, imperfect as it is, describes many if not most mainline and modern Christians. We’re still talking about it and debating it. We’re still studying it and praying about it. So maybe one day our position will change. But for now this is where most of us stand” (p. 58).
Considering the question about God’s dream for our world, Thielen is not as interested in whether the world will end in 2012 or any other year as he is in Jesus’ teaching that the Kingdom of God is already among us (Luke 10:11; 17:21). In his own ministry, he reports, he regularly gets glimpses of the Kingdom. Asking what would happen if we took Jesus’ prayer “Your kingdom come” seriously, Thielen considers how a change in our expectations could make a tremendous impact in our jobs, our treatment of children and our commitment to peacemaking. “Because these kinds of social issues matter to God, they should also matter to the people of God” (p. 146).
The last question the author asks, somewhat surprisingly, is “Do mainline Christians believe in getting saved?” Perhaps it comes directly out of personal pastoral experiences and is one that inquirers wonder about in Tennessee. But many Presbyterians might find it more satisfying to end the study elsewhere. For committed Christians today, questions about eternal life may not be as critical as their concern about how they can serve God fully and abundantly in this world, one filled with poverty, inequality and violence, and to do so abundantly. Possibly the way we can move more easily from theological narcissism to worldwide service is something Thielen can take up more fully in his next book.
