The title of this post is my favorite saying and if you've read the earlier post entitled Movable Quotes, then you know I don't like sayings very much. Even so, I couldn't come up with a more succinct statement of my own outlook on the spiritual life and theology. As a minister in one of the fastest shrinking denominations in the country, I wonder why we Christians believe we are members of an exclusive club determined to keep out gays, bisexual and transgendered folks or anyone who doesn't believe and think like ourselves.
Follow the traditional Christian thinking -- in order to be saved (in God's favor, go to heaven, etc...) one must "believe" in Jesus and accept him as "Lord and Savior." Under this formula, heaven is populated with Nazis -- many of them were good Lutherans and Catholics -- but minus Gandhi, the Buddha and Einstein. And since the greatest comedians have mostly been Jewish, what kind of heaven can I expect? One with no laughter. And a heaven without the pagans or the Wiccans? I might like dancing naked under a harvest moon.
Be careful who you want to exclude from God's love, it might just be yourself.
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