Jack, who blogs at Atheist Revolution, recently wrote:
Suppose I woke up tomorrow morning and decided that I wanted to be a Christian. I realize that seems unlikely, but that’s not the point here. And because it isn’t the case that I want to be a Christian, we can set aside the “why” questions. What I’d like us to consider is the far more intriguing “how” questions. How would I become a Christian? Is there a series of steps I could go through that would get me there? If I got there, how would I know I was there? And if I thought I was there, would most Christians accept me as one of them?
What might be a good first step if I wanted to be a Christian?
Jack asks an excellent question, one I hope Christian readers will answer.
There are thousands of Christian sects, each with their own beliefs and plans of salvation. How can an unbeliever possibly know with certainty how to become a Christian? As a pastor, my understanding of Christian salvation changed over the years. As my theology evolved, so did my soteriological beliefs.
If you profess to be a Christian, how does one become a follower of Jesus? If you are a former Christian, what did you believe about salvation? Did your soteriological beliefs change over the years? Please share your experiences in the comment section.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
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Bruce,
Your inquiry is just too easy:
Answer:
For an American to become a Evangelical “Prosperity” Christian:
Wake up, one morning, say a prayer to the Orange God and commit to the 10 “Golden” Maga rules:
1) Sending all your disposable income to Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement, this of course includes and requires one to take a second Mtg. on their home, which will be included in the donation.
2) Construct a home worshiping center / alter to Trump re-pleat with Trumpy Bear, hats, tee shirts, trump steaks, trump watches and all the trump items for sale that the Orange God promotes.
3) Faithfully endorse, financially contribute to and vote for any and all Maga lunatics running for office.
4) Immediately report to ICE anyone that they encounter with brown, yellow or dark skin, immediately.
5) Invite little boys or girls into ones SUV walking to or from school for “a ride”.
6) Send donations to Putin, Rocket Man and Xi Jinping.
7) Burn and piss on the Constitution daily
8) Eliminate secular educational
9) Bulldoze all Public Parks, and Build Casino’s.
10) Buy more guns and shoot anyone wearing blue.
DONE!
I bet the actual, early church post- Jesus and his crucifixion, return to heaven would just be appalled at the behavior of Constantine, and the White Supremacy resulting from Rome, through the Pilgrims and Puritans on up to today’s MAGA cults. They don’t take Jesus all that seriously,or they wouldn’t dare do these things.