Regarding the Trinity/Christology. If Jesus is NOT God and we worship Him as such, should we not be pitied in the end? To me, this issue is as central to being called Christian as anything else. I won’t budge on that. Sorry.

Regarding the bodily resurrection, I’m with you. I think Paul states it as plainly as he can in 1 Cor. 15. Nonetheless, that is all but irrelevant to my #3. I’m not so quick to take a stance on what “sense” Jesus is alive. I’m content to simply settle for “Jesus is alive” because I know that He is at least that much.

My apologies if my previous post was a bit scatter-brained. I tend to be that way in writing sometimes. I have a terrible short term memory so I just write things as they pop up. If I don’t I’ll forget them. Sometimes I do in mid-sentence. It sucks.

I say that in response to your statement, “one of my main concerns in my original post was not just theological doctrine, but stylistic practice,” because I thought (at least I intended to) that’s what I was emphasizing. I tried to start with the theological and shift to the practical. For instance, my beliefs are different from most in my local church, but that does not stop us from doing things together, and how I would love for them to share those beliefs because of the practical implications they have had in my own life (prior to accepting open theism, christus victor, and an anti-dispensationalist eschatology I never felt like I truly loved anyone but my own family & friends). As far as the theology behind charismaticism, I believe it is solid (at least for the most part). There are people who go to the extreme in all things, but that is no reason to reject the thing altogether. That reminds me of one my favorite quotes: “Reaction to error usually produces error” (Bill Johnson - When Heaven Invades Earth).

Your statement, “for example, it is hard for me to worship as one body with most Pentecostals and charismatics because I prefer to worship in a different way, and disagree with the theological bases for some of the forms of worship they employ,” seems to say to me that it really does come down to theology for you. My advice is to find a non-denominational church like my own (of course I would say that) that tends to find balance in most things and is accepting of other non-essential POV’s.

Better yet…start your own church in your community.

Your question, “How can I reconcile my personal preference with the wider calling to be one body?”

Well, read about Jesus in Gethsemane and Philippians 2. He made sacrifices for the sake of others. In the end, I think the most important question to ask is, “Are you loving people like Jesus?”

in Him,
 >>zack