I'm a church school teacher so I might be expected to have beliefs.

I believe that God is extravagant in his (her?) call to humanity, and that Christ wasn't the only example of that call. I believe that if you aren't a Christian, you're not damned because of that fact. I believe that if you're an atheist your not damned by that fact, either.

I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a radical. I believe he still is. Yes, I really believe that this guy Jesus actually existed, and no, I'm not so sure about the virgin birth. I believe that regardless of his divinity, his radical philosophy is one path to mankind's salvation. I'm not sure about heaven and hell, but wouldn't a world where most of the people followed Jesus' teaching be Salvation on earth?

I believe in the Bible as the wisdom stories of our people, not the word of God. I believe that the Bible is, to one extent or another, divinely inspired and that there is always more wisdom that can be gleaned from it, but that it is not an owner's manual or a FAQ, and shouldn't be quoted out of context. I believe that the bible should be take seriously, but not always literally.

I believe that the teachings of Jesus should form the basis of Christianity, not the teachings of Paul, nor the stuff in Leviticus. I believe in tolerance of people, intolerance of injustice, and forgiveness and redemption. I believe that when the teachings of Jesus conflict with other parts of the Bible, you go with the teachings of Jesus.

I believe that a great many people who call themselves Christians would not let me near a Sunday School class upon reading this. They can be glad I don't teach at their church.