What Christians Believe: the story of God and People

Abstract

What Christians Believe: The Story of God and People aims to present the essentials of Christian faith in narrative form, in very simple words, without assuming any previous knowledge, and without using any specifically Christian vocabulary (e.g. words like “grace” or “salvation”). The purpose of using a limited vocabulary of simple and intelligible words is not to “dumb down” religious ideas and truths but, on the contrary, to elucidate them, and to articulate their components with clarity and precision. Furthermore, the words used in this “Story” are not only simple, but also, for the most part, universal: while “The Story” is written in English, it is not phrased in a “full English”, shaped by history, culture and tradition, but in “Minimal English”, in words most of which have exact semantic equivalents in all, or nearly all languages. While “The Story of God and People” presented here corresponds to the foundational Christian creeds (the Apostles’ creed and the Nicene creed) and has strong ties with one particular culture (from Abraham and Moses to Jesus), it can be understood by, and resonate with, readers of any cultural and ethnic background.

“The Story of God and People” starts with the concept of ‘God’, seen here as including love for people. It continues with the creation of the world, with God’s plans in relation to people; and with the stages of the realisation of these plans, with a focus on God’s special ‘covenants’ with Abraham and Moses. Then comes the culmination of the plan: God’s turning to the Jewish woman Mariam of Nazareth, the birth of Jesus, Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. The final chapters relate the sending of the Holy Spirit, the activities of the Apostles and the emergence of the Church. The last chapter echoes the theme of God’s love for people with which the story opens. Throughout, the focus is not only on the events, but also on their meaning. The interpretation of that meaning is nourished by Christian theology East and West, past and present, and is presented from the perspective of faith. Show more