“Go on then Mike, tell me – what do Christians believe?”
This was the moment I’d been waiting for. After two years of youth work, relationally sowing into the lives of a particular group of friends, I’d finally been invited by one particularly earnest young teen to share something of my faith. They were genuinely searching and genuinely interested and genuinely hoped I might have some answers for them. The trouble was, as I opened my mouth to try to explain, I completely fumbled the moment. “Where on earth do I begin!?” I wondered?
In the end, my response was an unfortunate, garbled, inarticulate mess. I wanted to provide as full an explanation as possible, to artfully weave together what I saw as the various important strands of Christian theology, But, as I spoke (at length!), all I did was tangle us both up in the jumbled threads of my own fraying understanding. By the end of my sorry speech, my audience looked at me with a befuddled expression. “I don’t get it,” they said, and walked away. “I’m not sure I do either!” I thought.
The truth is, although I’d grown up in church, been surrounded by Christianity all my life, and even wound up in full-time youth ministry, I still had many questions myself about what it was I believed. I was no longer satisfied with the simplistic faith of my childhood and sensed there something more to be discovered: something richer, deeper and more compelling. Elements of what I’d been taught to believe were becoming increasingly uncomfortable or unconvincing. I’d also begun to want to understand why Christians believed certain things – where those beliefs had come from and how they had developed – and was beginning to realise that not every part of the church talked about or practiced their faith in the same way. But despite my desire to learn, I wasn’t sure where or how to start exploring things further for myself.
Maybe you can relate to this? Maybe you also have questions about your faith, or long to deepen its roots or broaden its horizons? Maybe you know someone else who wants to better understand what it is they believe or be better at communicating it to others? But maybe, like me, you’re not sure where to begin?
Thankfully, in the years since that awkward encounter, I’ve had the opportunity to discover quite a bit more about my faith. I am indebted to a host of fantastic individuals and communities – some ancient, some current – who have acted as guides and co-travellers with me on a journey of discovery that is still ongoing. They’ve taught me to not to resent the questions or seek out quick or perfect answers, but to be open to engaging the vast landscape of Christian thought, practice and tradition and delight in tasting the goodness of the churches multi-faceted, multiflavoured, multifarious witness to God. Along the way I’ve clarified my thinking, deepened my experience and broadened the practice of my worship.
And where did I begin in the end? With mere curiosity. I let my yearning to understand lead me in whichever direction felt intriguing or fruitful. My questions do the navigating. Sometimes I’m surprised by the twists and turns they take, but that makes for a far more fun and fascinating ride.
One such question I’ve found helpful to ask of late is a startlingly foundational one: What does it mean to be Children of God? It is one of those phrases that is used a lot, but what does it mean? How do different traditions understand it? What makes this familial connection possible? Are there responsibilities attached to this status? How does the notion of being God’s children help us live out our faith today?
Maybe these are questions you’ve asked or would like to explore for yourself? Maybe following your curiosity down this path might help you clarify your own thinking, deepen your appreciation and experience, even enable you to help others explore this facet of faith for themselves?
In the spirit of curiosity, a new Queen’s short course has been designed to help guide people on your own journey of discovery, following this line of questioning. It doesn’t promise quick or perfect answers, but it does lead down a variety of fascinating paths, exposing travellers to an array of different ways of thinking about what it means to be children of God, learning from the different Christian traditions and thinkers, the Bible, and even common church practices along the way. It also inspires and instils a yearning to learn and question, that can continue well beyond the confines of the course itself.
Maybe you want to explore more about Christian belief for yourself but not sure where to begin? Well, perhaps you could begin here?
Michael Wadsworth Tutor – Centre for Discipleship & Theology
