I have come to reflect on my views on Christianity over the last few months. I have offered them up for discussion on Christian message boards.

Here is what I see as the fundamental problem with Christianity today. Too many Christians like to go around telling others how to live. This becomes institutionalized as churches, TV evangelists and the religious right get involved. They assume that they are speaking in Jesus’ name and with His authority and that we should all listen. If we do not they are quick to damn us to Hell.

It wasn’t like that in the beginning and it shouldn’t be like that now. Jesus did not condemn and He hung out with the worst sinners of His time. He was frequently denounced for the company that He kept. His reaction to sin was love and forgiveness, something that we hear little about today.

Jesus spoke with the authority of God, but did not lord it over the people. On the contrary, He was rejected because He refused to get politically involved and take on the oppressors (Rome). The Jews of his day expected the Messiah to liberate them from Rome. Instead, He liberated them from the cycle sin in the law.

When I look at what is happening within most churches, I am not surprised that people are turned off. Churches have overstepped their authority. They are not a political action group. They have no authority over non-believers.

The Church is a body of believers. Its role is to support believers and to uphold them in their daily walk with Christ. It does not exist to denounce non-believers and to try to get them to adopt Christians ways whether they like it or not.

I accept the fact that I live in a secular society. So did Jesus. He is my model. Things done in the name of the state do not reflect on Christ.

I personally do not believe in abortion. But that belief does not permit me to tell others that it is sinful and will send them to Hell (it won’t). It doesn’t mean that I should commit violence against abortion centers and doctors. Where is the love?

My role as a Christian is to help people understand Jesus. I should help the poor and the needy. My tools are love and compassion. I give what I can and should always challenge myself to do more.

I have no right to tell others how to live. If they ask for help then that is another story. Otherwise I lead by example and do not condemn. That is not my right. Only God sits in the position of judgement.

As a Christian, I am able to deal with gay marriages in this way. It is a state matter. If gays get married then it is a private matter and in no way affects me. It does not diminish Jesus and my relationship with Him and it in no way diminishes the relationship that I enjoy with my wife.

I don’t believe in gay marriage, but can understand their need to have their relationship given official recognition. I would be a fool to believe that without any law permitting gay marriages that there will be no gay relationships. That just isn’t so.

Do gay marriages mean that I as a Christian agree with them? No. The reality is they exist. I as a Christian have to come to terms with that. I cannot live in denial. As long as churches are not compelled to perform them, then I am not going to waste my energy fighting it.

The Christian right sees things differently. They feel that not only do Christians have to follow the Word of God, but so does everyone else. That is not Biblical. We are to lovingly correct each other but not correct those who are not Christians.

I think that taking on a political role points to the failure of the church. It is not devoting its entire energy and resources into getting out the message of Jesus.

Christianity is different from all other religions. It stands alone in the Judeo-Christian-Islam tradition. The Jews and Muslims are law keepers. Jesus came to do away with the law. All of God’s laws came down to a couple of principles. He taught that we could have salvation simply through God’s grace. It was free for the taking. All we had to do was to renounce our sins and believe in Jesus Christ.

God came to earth to bridge the gap. He was restoring the relationship that was broken. God the Father is unchanged. He is as righteous and good as ever. He can tolerate no sin. When we believe in Jesus, He stands as an intermediary between us and a righteous and Holy God. When God looks at us. He sees a Risen Christ instead of a sinful person. Jesus teaches that this is the only to overcome sin and be right with God.

If we are to do any good as Christians we have to get this message out. Being a Christian is all about having a personal relationship with Jesus so that we can be right with God.

Anything more than this complicates a simple message and puts needless barriers in front of people. No sin is too big and no person is unimportant. We all fall short of the glory of God, but through His grace, we can stand before Him in confidence.

You do not have to join a specific church. You don’t have to give money. You don’t have to get baptized. You don’t have to worship in a specific way. This is all fluff. There is no entrance exam. You don’t have to win any person’s approval. You only need to have faith.

Some of these things will come later as a natural expression of your faith. You will want to be baptized as a sign of your faith and committment. You will want to join a body of believers.

My faith is portable. It goes wherever I go. It is not limited to a building or certain days of the week or times of the day. It has nothing to do with following certain rituals. Here’s what it takes to please God, Gen 5:24 says, "Enoch walked with God , then he was no more because God took him away." Enoch did not die because he walked with God.

God walks with us every step of our journey through life. All we have to do is to fall into step with him and walk with God. Jesus has made it possible for us to walk with God. When God looks at us He sees the perfection of Jesus. As long as we have Jesus with us on our walk through life we will get to where we have to go.