Back to the Basics

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       Over the last 15 months, I've done a lot of reading and research. Since January 2017, I've read 36 books on Christian spirituality and church growth alone, some twice. I also read four different translations of the Bible. Since I've been on a quest to learn more about the Charismatic, many of these books deal specifically with that experience. However, several of the books that I've read, were about the basics of Christian belief. It sounds odd, even though I've been active in my faith life over the past 8 or 9 years, that I would go read a book of basics, but that's what I did. Actually, I read several, and they came at the recommendation of friends.


       The first back-to-the-basics book I read in 2017 was "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. I read this several years ago but chose to re-read it in anticipation of the April movie release based on the book.  How is this a basics book? I'm glad you asked. It looks at the arguments against Jesus as more than a man and provides a reasoned defense against each argument. In theological terms, this is a book of basic apologetics - or a defense for what we as Christians believe. I wrote a more detailed review of "The Case for Christ" in an earlier blog post. In addition to "The Case for Christ" I read two other books that I would consider to be foundational in nature: "Questions of Life" by Nickey Gumbel and "Foundational Truths For Christian Living" by Derek Prince.

        Before I go on, let me say this, "fundamental" has somehow become a bad word. I've heard it bandied about by various groups as though people who are "fundamental" are somehow less than the rest of us. But, as I've done with other words, let's look briefly at the definition. Wiktionary provides the following simple definitions for fundamental as both a noun and an adjective:

Noun - A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; an essential part

Adjective - Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation.
Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary.

How does serving as the basis or foundation for a belief, suddenly become a curse word? How does a leading principle which serves as the groundwork of a system equate to backward or simplistic thinking? I'm not a sports fan, but it seems to me that many powerhouse teams are exactly that, powerhouses, because their coaches focus on the fundamentals. The coach builds a solid foundation of the fundamentals which anchors the team¹. What I've learned in reading these "back-to-the-basics" books is exactly that - showing the reader the simple, foundation and groundwork that our Christian belief begins with. Most of us recite some form of creed or affirmation of faith - in other words, a foundational statement of what we believe - each Sunday.

       One of the earliest scriptural foundational statements for Christian belief can be found in Romans 10:9-13 which states that all we have to do for our salvation is to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and to believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. Books like "The Case for Christ", "Questions of Life" and others, explain basic questions like "Why did Jesus have to die?" and "Did Jesus really rise from the dead?"

       "Questions of Life" is the Alpha Course in book-form. The Alpha Course is a gentle introduction to the basics of Christianity and is normally done in community over the course of 15 weeks. The book addresses the following questions:

Is there more to life than this?
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus die?
How can I have faith?
Why and how do I pray?
Why and how should I read the Bible?
How does God guide us?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How can I resist evil?
Why and how should I tell others?
Does God heal today?
What about the church?
How can I make the most of the rest of my life?

       Why do I feel that answers to questions, such as these, are important? I've found that it starts to declutter many of the things I've learned or believed over the years when I go back to the basics. The main thing I've learned over this past year is that how Jesus taught us to be is often much simpler than we make it out to be. That said, simple and easy are not necessarily synonymous. When I say "simple" I mean without being overly complex, or a large set of rules and checklists that we have to fulfill before we can be successful believers. I think this is what Jesus meant in Matthew 11:28-30 when He said His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

       If you find yourself confused and jumping from Bible study to Bible study; if you find that you can't figure out what Sunday school curriculum to use; if you can't find that just-right devotional; may I make a suggestion? Go back to the basics. Find a creed, such as the Apostle's Creed, and analyze each statement. Ask yourself questions like:

"Do I believe that God is my father, and why?"
"Do I believe that Jesus lived, died and was resurrected?"
"Do I believe in the Holy Spirit?"

Look at your foundation and build on a solid rock. Use books like "The Case for Christ", "Questions of Life", or even "Foundational Truths For Christian Living" to help you find answers to your questions. Whatever you do, discover your foundation and then build from there.

~~Ken

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Notes:
^{1. This blog post talks about how Vince Lombardi took his '61 Packers back to the fundamentals after losing the previous season to Philadelphia. ↩}

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