“To believe in Christ is to give your heart to Christ, which means not to affirm things about Christ, but it's like what you mean when you say, "I believe in my friend."” GivingBelieveHeartMeanI BelieveChristMy FriendsI Believe In Author:Frederick Buechner
“Jesus doesn't say, "The religion founded in my name is the way, the truth, and the life, [and] what people say about me is the way." "Our way of worship, the Christian structure, is not the way," [he would say,] "I am. I am. If you want to know what life is all about, what it's supposed to be, where it's supposed to go, where it's supposed to derive its strength from, don't look at anything people say about me. Don't look at the faith that's been created. Look at my life, which is a life ultimately of sacrificial love."” PeopleIfsKnowsWayWantLooksChristianLife IsJesusNamesWorshipStructureSupposed To BeSacrificial Love Author:Frederick Buechner
“I don't think Christ would give a hoot whether you mentioned Christ to them or not. What matters - I'm speaking arrogantly and absurdly - to him is, are you living the kind of life that I embodied? Whether you believe in Christ or don't, who cares?” ThinkingGivingBelieveKindMatterCareChristWhat MattersWho CaresHoot Author:Frederick Buechner
“I'm not religious in the sense that I do not subscribe to any particular set of religious dogma. I don't go to church. I don't read the Bible. But I believe that the word "Spirit" with a capital S points to an ultimate reality which I give my heart to.” GivingBelieveHeartRealitySpiritI BelieveChurchReligiousParticularMy HeartUltimateDogmaUltimate RealityReligious Dogma Author:Frederick Buechner
“Becoming a Christian was terribly helpful to me. I can't imagine finding my way without it. I think it can be very crucially important to ally yourself with some religion.” ThinkingWayI CanImportantChristianImagineBecomingFindingsMy WayHelpfulAllies Author:Frederick Buechner
“I don't go to church all that regularly, and one reason I don't is very often when I go I am bored out of my wits. I find myself being addressed by preachers who, I assume, were led by some initial passion for Christ, for the truth, for God, for "the More." That's what got them there. But that has gotten buried under all the debris of having to run a church, of concerns.” ReasonRunningPassionChristChurchConcernAssumingWitBoredBuriedPreacherInitialsDebris Author:Frederick Buechner
“It's all so verbal in the Protestant church. You've heard these words a million times before. Maybe people are leaving the church because they find the church has nothing that they're looking for.” PeopleChurchMillionsHeardLeavingProtestants Author:Frederick Buechner
“I believe with the best of who I am in God, but I sometimes think if anybody would watch me and [they] didn't believe a damn thing, they would have a very hard time deciding which of us is which.” IfsThinkingBelieveSometimesHardI BelieveWatchesWho I AmDamnHard TimesWatch MeDamn Things Author:Frederick Buechner
“In New England, especially, [faith] is like sex. It's very personal. You don't bring it out and talk about it.” SexEnglandNew England Author:Frederick Buechner
“I think most people, if I asked, would say, "Yes, of course I believe." But I think for a great many of them it doesn't really make much difference in terms of either what they do with their lives or with their own inner well-being. They believe because so did grandfather, and that's the same church they've been going to all these years.” PeopleIfsThinkingYearsBelieveWellsCoursesI BelieveTermDifferencesChurchWell BeingGreat MenGrandfather Author:Frederick Buechner