Minimalist Christianity

“I hope no reader will suppose that ‘mere’ Christianity is here put forward as an alternative to the creeds of the existing communions—as if a man could adopt it in preference to Congregationalism or Greek Orthodoxy or anything else. It is more like a hall out of which doors open into several rooms. If I can bring anyone into that hall I shall have done what I attempted. But it is in the rooms, not in the hall, that there are fires and chairs and meals. The hall is a place to wait in, a place from which to try the various doors, not a place to live in.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I’ve always been interested in those ‘minimalist’ hikers I’ve come across up in the mountains. Carrying only a water bottle and a protein bar, I find them hours away from help. Perhaps I just don’t have their confidence. When it comes to travel, hiking, biking or motoring, ‘minimalist’ does not describe my approach. For the most part, I prefer to be pretty self-sufficient so if I, say, get into a sticky situation while driving or motoring, or run into difficulties while hiking, I have a good chance of surviving with the least degree of discomfort.  Even when on a day hike in the mountains, I’ll generally carry a thirty pound pack with spare clothes, navigation tools, food, water, first-aid kit, etc. Crazy, right?  Maybe.

To the contrary, I discovered that carrying unnecessary baggage is not helpful to my walk with Jesus. As a result, I embarked on a quest for “minimalist Christianity.” 

In Mere Christianity, Lewis presents the essence of Christianity. As indicated above, he recognizes that there are many denominations to choose from, but he argues that most of them have shared core doctrines. It seems to me that much of the doctrinal difference between Christian denominations can be compared to ‘family traditions’.  They are not necessarily bad, and are often worth accepting for the sake of unity within a particular expression of the body of Christ. Of course, there are basic things that are required to believe in order for me to call myself a disciple of Christ, but I have found that there are actually relatively few.  We need to understand that many of the things we cling to are not so important as to divide over. Grace and humility should be the rule, not the exception, and careful examination of our foundational principles is important so we don’t become unnecessarily divisive.

I found it very challenging when I began to understand that not everything I had been taught must be defended to the death. How do you decide what is ‘core’? What do you do when your ideas differ from others? Must Communion be wine and bread?  What about unleavened crackers and grape juice?  What about cola and saltines? Our church serves Communion every week, but other places that I have attended only monthly. I certainly have a preference, but I don’t think a person is going to be cast into Hell for either philosophy. And that’s at the foundation, isn’t it? After all, Jesus said all the law and prophets was summed up in “Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” He then goes on and says “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:  just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)  So then, everything we do is in pursuit of loving God and loving others so that Jesus will be made attractive to others.

Does that mean there are no absolutes? Of course not. Where have I tumbled to? So far, I look primarily to Lewis to set a rational account of the fundamentals of Christianity, and the Apostles Creed to summarize the basic tenets.  I’m still sorting through many other doctrines I have been taught through the years, but I’m finding more peace of mind, humility about what I don’t know, and grace for others as I pare back the baggage I carry forward. This makes it easier to spend more energy developing my relationship with Jesus.