Off the wall Christianity will examine many religious and spiritual topics from a unique perspective. This will not be to deny or confirm these topics but to examine them from a non-traditional point of view.
Whether or not you find truth here is between you and the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart can confirm truth. Many Christians seem to accept the traditional understanding of Christian beliefs provided by their church, pastor or their church creed without question. These are topics which are generally non-controversial within their particular community of belief. There is a wide range of Christian beliefs leading to thousands of denominations. Yet even within particular denominations there is an abundance of unique beliefs that vary between churches and also among individual members. Although the Christian community may seem homogeneous to many, every individual in this community has unique, deeply held personal beliefs and values that are strongly held.
Every person is unique and God made us that way. He treats each of us as the unique person we are meant to be. He loves diversity as his creation demonstrates.
The term, off-the-wall, refers to perhaps a minority view of perception of any topic. Off the wall, refers to anything that is not the normal majority view.
It is like any kind of ball that bounces in an unexpected way. It may be a baseball that takes a bad hop. It could be a football that springs off the ground at an unexpected angle. It might be a tennis or ping-pong ball with spin that takes the ball in a different direction than expected after it hits the playing surface. These balls come to the opposing player in an unexpected manner. They are, off the wall.
Almost everyone has beliefs that are, off the wall. They are hesitant to bring them up to their friends because they don’t want to be labeled as a strange person.
Jesus presented many strange ideas to his listeners. At least they were considered strange by the society in which he was born and worked. He was considered, off the wall, by the majority of the traditional Jewish community of his time. His ideas were strangely unique then and are also strangely unique today.
But many will be last who are first; and first who are last. (Matthew 19:30)
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:25)
But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:39)
He who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 5:39)
Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. (John 4:13)
my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom. (John 3:3)
These are just a few. There are many others. These sayings were difficult to understand in Jesus time, and they are still difficult today. The listeners of his time and now might consider these, off the wall. They are difficult to understand. They are not normal.
This blog will consider the things of our experience within this framework of an alternate view. It will be up to each reader to consider the views expressed here and decide for themselves.
All referenced Bible verses are quoted from the World English Bible unless otherwise noted.