Can I Still Be a Christian?

I know this should be a blog about Thanksgiving since it’s only a week away; it should also be a lot shorter than it turned out, but I was asked an interesting question recently: “Do you believe the virgin birth and the nativity story actually happened and if not, can you still call yourself a Christian?”

To be honest, I hear questions like this a lot…especially around Thanksgiving as we begin to move into the Advent and Christmas season.  My answer, very simply, is no you don’t, and yes, you can.  I believe you can question the factuality of a biblical story and still be a Christian.  And, before you go calling the heretic hotline, let me explain why.

Biblical literalists and modern skeptics have 1 thing in common: both believe if a story isn’t factual, it isn’t true, which then means the Bible and Christianity aren’t true.  I believe nothing could be, well, further from the truth.

I believe how we understand and interpret the Bible, or a biblical story, doesn’t depend on whether it can be proven; it depends on how we define fact and truth.  The early church didn’t worry about whether a story could be proven factually in order for the story or Bible to be true…that’s what makes faith, faith.  It’s only since the Enlightenment that truth and fact have become synonymous and doubting whether a story actually happened means you lack faith and can’t be or aren’t a Christian.

Here’s why I don’t believe that.  Using the virgin birth and nativity story as an example, some Christians, especially those who believe in a literal-factual interpretation of scripture, believe if Jesus wasn’t conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, he isn’t really the Son of God.  If Jesus had a human father, that means he’s just like us and not very special.  “Do you believe Jesus was born of a virgin?” becomes a litmus test for orthodox faith.

But here’s the deal: the earliest parts of the New Testament, so the 7 authentic letters of Paul and the Gospel of Mark, say nothing about the nativity or the virgin birth.  Why?  Could it be that those stories developed later to explain where Jesus came from, what makes him divine, and why he could be the Savior?  Maybe the reason Paul and Mark don’t tell the story is because where Jesus came from or how he was born doesn’t really matter…it’s not a detail worth worrying about.  Maybe for them, who Jesus is, is what his followers need to understand.

There’s a curious passage in Acts 13.  In verses 32-33, the author writes, and this is Paul speaking, “³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors ³³ he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’”  Doesn’t it sound a little like Paul is saying God declared Jesus to be his Son when God raised Jesus from the dead?

This would also echo Paul’s words in Romans 1.1-4, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, ³ the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Talk about things that make a pastor go, hmmm.

This would also explain why the Gospel of Mark, the first Gospel written, begins with the baptism of Jesus and God’s words in Mark 1.11, “¹¹ And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased.’”

Could Mark and Paul be saying Jesus isn’t divine because of how he was born…he’s divine because of who he is?  There’s a prophecy in Isaiah 42 that’s often interpreted to be about Jesus: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.”

If you think you can’t be a Christian because you don’t believe Jesus was born of a virgin in a little town of Bethlehem, or if your faith depends on whether that part of the story is true, I would simply say, there’s a whole lot more to the story…and it’s much more important than how Jesus was born.

You can be a Christian and not believe everything you read in the Bible.  You can be a Christian and believe everything you read in the Bible.  What I hope you won’t do is think your way is the only way of interpreting and understanding the story.

Personally, after years of study, prayer, and contemplation, I have come to view the Bible as really one long metaphor…one long parable (story)…that helps to explain the divine-human relationship.  I believe Jesus is the Son of God.  I believe he was born, lived, died, and rose again.  He is my Savior, and I trust in him…even though I might have doubts and questions about some of the stories about him.

There is Truth in the Bible that is much more important than whether the stories we read in the Bible are literally-factually true.  Truth and fact and whether you have to interpret the Bible literally should never keep anyone away from the Christian faith or, more importantly, a relationship with Jesus.

So, let me offer a suggestion, stop worrying about whether the Bible and its stories are literally-factually true, and try reading it as if the stories are Truth.  A story can be true even if it didn’t happen when that story, like any good story should, teaches us something about how to live or who we are or, more importantly, how to love.  Because that’s what the story of Jesus is really all about, Charlie Brown.

As for me, I will celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus the way I do every year…with carols and Christmas trees and decorations of all kinds, but especially with the closeness of family and friends.  And I will rejoice that a Savior has been born for me…for us, “who is Christ (the Messiah), the Lord.”  May your Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas season bring you joy and happiness and a deeper understanding of who you are and whose you are.