Amos -
I think that if people want to understand Jesus, they need to read the four Gospels. Each one should be read in its entirety, from beginning to end, without stopping - and it should be read as a story, not as some sort of defensive document that's meant to prove something. They need to be read without preconceptions - just as a story to be enjoyed. When they're read that way, a person comes through - a person, Jesus, who was somehow able to make sense of a journey of life in a constant, intimate relationship with God.

I'd suggest that Luke or Matthew might be the best story to read first, and John should be last because it is a reflection on the meaning of Christ. Probably, it would be good to read Acts before John, to see how early believers responded to their reflection on the life of Jesus. Peter's statements in the first half of Acts are particularly powerful.

Now, there are lots of basic beliefs that I hold, but they're not things that was I want to defend or to preach or to force upon an unreceptive audience. I think that the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are full of wisdom for all - believers or not - just as I seek to explore and understand the wisdom and sacred writings of creeds that are not my own. For me, the Hebrew and Christian writings and traditions have special meaning, and I do teach and preach to those who share that meaning. I do believe in the power and love of God, and I do believe that Jesus was and is somehow divine - but don't ask me to explain or defend that to somebody who doesn't share that belief (and don't expect me to condemn or refute or to fail to respect anybody who doesn't share that belief). I also believe that when Christians receive communion, they somehow receive Jesus in a particularly intimate way - but please don't ask me to explain or defend that, or to think less of anybody who does not hold that belief.

Does any of that make sense? Faith is something I live, not something I preach. If the way I live makes sense to others, then maybe they'll explore what makes sense to me.

-Joe Offer-