What I Believe About Salvation

1. Salvation is not just the movement from death to life, but it is the state of living in God's life.

2. God made humanity as gaping holes of continuous need. Not only do we need food, water, sleep, clothing, hygiene, and health, but we also need a social context, security, contentment, purpose, respect and joy. Salvation is meeting all these needs, for all people at all times. Salvation is not primarily spiritual.

3. The means of salvation is Jesus. Not Christianity, not the Bible, not churches, not worship, not benevolence programs, not politics, not theology. The Jesus of real salvation heals the sick, feeds the hungry, comforts the outcast, teaches the ignorant, forgives the sinner, and brings all not only to God, but to God's power to enact salvation, not someday, but now.

4. Jesus uses the kingdom and the Spirit as the primary tools of salvation. The Kingdom is the realm in which Jesus alone is the Ruler, but is a community where all follow Jesus as Lord. This community uses all their resources to enact salvation to as many people as possible, but especially for those who recognize their need of salvation. The Spirit is the power of God to meet the needs of those who call upon Jesus.