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Protestant? What are you protesting against?
Being a Christian is complicated enough, why be Protestant?
Protestants seem strict.
Reason 1: The Radical Nature of Grace
• Protestantism was born from the discovery of grace as the foundation for our understanding of God. Luther said it this way: sinners are not loved because they are beautiful, they are beautiful because they are loved.
• In an age when I am judged and valued for my performance, God's grace sets me free and gives me a deep sense of peace. I don't have to prove anything to God. He welcomes me as I am.
• The apostle Paul said that God sees me as holy and above reproach. All that is left for me to do is become what I am. And one lifetime is not too long for that.
Reason 2: Love of the Bible
• I am a Protestant because I read the Bible. The Bible forms the foundation of a believer's faith and life.
• When Boileau said that every Protestant is a pope with a Bible in hand, he meant that with the Bible, he did not need any religious mediation.
• God calls us to love Him with our whole mind. A living reading of the Bible is open to different interpretations of the texts. God helps us cultivate our understanding of grace so we can learn to see the world as He sees it.
Reason 3: Freedom
• I am a Protestant because I can stand before God alone, without a mediator.
• I am a Protestant because no church or school of thought can dictate my morals and what I must believe. I alone am responsible for my own convictions, based on the Bible.
• Luther often said we must do two things alone: our own believing and our own dying.
Reason 4: Responsibility
• I am a Protestant because I believe that God loves minorities, those swimming against the tide, resistance fighters, in search of their own freedom.
• Of course, the church is important. We can always go further when we band together. But ultimately, as an adult, I am responsible before God and others.
• I am a Protestant because the church is a human institution. It is still fallible and in need of reform, in that it is subject only to the proclamation of the Gospel.
Reason 5: Diversity
• I am a Protestant because diversity is a blessing and a treasure. Throughout history, whenever religions have become hegemonic, they have developed totalitarian tendencies.
• In a world filled with diversity, why would there be only one way to be a Christian?
• The incredible diversity that exists among Protestants attests to their vitality. We are all seeking the same God of the Bible because no one has attained the definitive truth about Him.
Epilogue
Being a Protestant is a unique way of standing before God in freedom, responsibility, and solidarity with others.
Protestants are anarchists... who live by the book.