DBC

Read the following set of belief statements and 1) think about whether you fundamentally agree or disagree with them, and 2) picture in your mind the church that has published them.

We believe that Jesus is the absolute Son of God and the only way to the Father.

We believe that his sacrifice on the cross is the perfect atonement and only atonement for the sins of mankind.

We believe that to receive this atonement or salvation from the penalty of our personal sins, each person must acknowledge their sins, repent and turn from their sins, and place their entire life in the hands of God through Jesus.

We believe that although we do take part in some basic Christian sacraments (water baptism, communion) these are not in themselves salvation from our sins, but merely physical expressions of an inward experience and relationship with God.

We believe that God's word, the Bible, is inspired directly from God and that although it was written down by men, these men were moved by God's Holy Spirit and with his words.

We believe the word of God, the Bible, is correct and historically accurate and without error.

I might not phrase everything exactly the same, but I don't really find anything to disagree with. When I read these, I could easily picture them coming from Skillman or any number of churches, and could imagine feeling pretty much at home there. They actually come from the Deliverance Bible Church, which was featured in a front page article in the Morning News this morning.

The Deliverance Bible Church is among a small but growing group of churches across the country whose focus is ministry to the "outcast" - the tatooed, pierced, dressed in black, body artists with strange hair and heavy music. The church hosts a weekly Bible study, regular street preaching, periodic 24-hour prayers and a children's church. The members have evangelized to the homeless in Los Angeles and are raising money for clean-water systems in the Sudan.

Frankly, they are people who would probably not feel comfortable at Skillman, and I'm pretty sure I would be uncomfortable at one of their services. I think that may be an indication that I've still got a ways to go in learning to see people through God's eyes.