I’m not a Bible-believing Christian.
There, I’ve said it. On the other hand: I believe the Bible. And there’s a difference.
Because ‘Bible-believing Christian’ has become not a harmless marker of a generous evangelicalism, but a slogan that increasingly defines hard-edged, ultra-conservative positions.
Here’s a characterisation of the Bible-believing Christian that I’ll try to keep on the right side of parody.
He or she is tough on gay rights and Muslims. Transgender people are wrong because Genesis says God made everyone male and female. Christians should be free to share their faith at work in any and all situations and should be allowed to discriminate against whomever they want. The penal substitutionary theory of the atonement is right. All non-Christians are going to hell forever. The world was created in six days a few thousand years ago.
It says so in the Bible, and if you don’t believe these things you aren’t a Bible-believing Christian.
Now, just to be clear: I’m not talking about the issues, I’m talking about the slogan and the way it’s been hijacked.
If you want to read the full article it can be found on Christianity Today. The article is Why I’m not a Bible-believing Christian