What Believers Don't Have to Believe - by Craig Payne (Paperback)

About the Book

What Believers Don't Have to Believe, author Craig Payne uses evidence from the Creeds, Christian history, the scriptures, and philosophy to establish what one is required to believe to maintain Christian orthodoxy, and how much one is not required to believe. This book focuses on five areas of disagreement: creation, biblical inerrancy, human nature, Christian political involvement, and eschatology.

Book Synopsis

Many books set out the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, the teachings regarded as essential to orthodox Christianity. However, can one be a faithful, biblical Christian and completely disagree with the doctrines that other biblical Christians regard as crucial? How much is one required to believe to maintain Christian orthodoxy, and how much is one not required to believe?

Christians often seem to use various doctrines as "litmus tests" to gauge the maturity and spirituality of fellow Christians. In What Believers Don't Have to Believe, author Craig Payne uses evidence from the Creeds, Christian history, the scriptures, and philosophy to argue for the invalidity of these "litmus tests." In particular, this book focuses on five areas of disagreement: creation, biblical inerrancy, human nature, Christian political involvement, and eschatology. In each of these areas there are equally biblical, logical, and faithful interpretive stances. What Believers Don't Have to Believe ultimately argues that these disagreements are non-essential and unnecessary, and should be set aside in favor of confessional unity.

About the Author

Craig Payne teaches at Indian Hills Community College in southeastern Iowa, where he lives with his wife and children. In addition to this work, he is the author of Where Myth and History Meet: A Christian Response to Myth from the University Press of America, and The Washing of the Word.