My Testimony

In 1987, while I was a member of a religious sect that does not accept the Bible as a complete inerrant scripture, I began to realize that the corresponding beliefs that I accepted contradicted the Bible rather than transcending the Bible. That discovery was not the result of contact with people outside of the sect, but simply the result of increased contact with the Bible in my personal studies. Over the following ten years I documented a careful analysis of the theology that I personally found in the Bible. I used the Bible (a KJV Bible published by the sect) because in order to maintain membership in full standing I was discouraged from viewing outside sources. Towards the end of that 10-year period after I had already formulated my personal systematic theology, I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, which I had received as a gift. Although an evangelical Christian, Lewis is an author who is approved by and often quoted by the sect that I belonged to at the time. My beliefs (my personal theology) that resulted from that period of personal study are exactly as presented in this web site.

As I read Mere Christianity rather than just hearing it quoted out of context, I was excited to learn that C.S. Lewis believed the same way that I did (or perhaps I should say that I believed the way that he did). In 1997 I decided to look at other sources of information, and I began to attend mainstream churches. I was amazed to find that doctrines that were being presented by evangelicals precisely matched those that I had found on my own from the Bible. Thus, my beliefs, which I have presented at this site, are not from influence or conditioning by any organization of people although they do align with evangelical theology. My only sources for my personal theology had been the Bible and personal inspiration (personal revelation). This web site does contain, however, quotes from and references to additional sources of Christian thinking that I have found since 1997.

Therefore, I would classify myself as an evangelical Christian. By "evangelical" I mean Christ-centered and Bible-based. Since most people who consider themselves to be Christians would probably describe themselves with this terminology, let me be more precise in my use of these terms in order to make them distinguishing characteristics. By "Christ-centered" I mean that Jesus Christ is the ultimate leader of my life, through his teachings and example in the Bible, and through personal revelation. Of course I seek counseling from Christian leaders and accept advice from other Christians. But if there is ever a conflict between church leaders and Biblical teachings, then Christ rules in my life through the Bible and through personal revelation. By "Bible-based" I mean that the Bible is the primary (or overriding) source of doctrine. Of course I respect and follow the laws of the land and the guidelines of church organizations with which I associate. But I do not accept the notion that the rules of modern society overrule Biblical doctrine or that Biblical teachings can be considered obsolete because they may have applied only locally to those in the vicinity of the Biblical writers. I also seek to learn through the doctrinal interpretations provided by Christian prophets and teachers through the ages. And I think that some of the traditional Christian "creeds" contain merit, but since I believe that creeds are fallible, I see no need to defend them. If there is ever a conflict between the Bible and any other source of doctrine, then the Bible is the authoritative source.

Therefore my personal statement of faith consists of two points. All of the rest of my beliefs, as contained in this web site, are derived from these two points:

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the promised Messiah, who atoned on the cross for the sins of people, and
The Bible is the inspired word of God, and is correct and reliable, and is currently the highest and final authority on earth regarding God's doctrine.

(Click Beliefs for my doctrinal statement of faith.)

There are countless web sites of individual evangelical congregations, whose statements of faith closely correspond to my own. By clicking on any of these links you will be connected to an example, which is a statement of my personal faith: Illinois, Minnesota1, Minnesota2, Michigan, Washington, Georgia, Texas, California, Hawaii, Utah, Australia, Korea.

The difference between true Christianity and all other religions (including many that call themselves Christian) is that all other religions teach that if you do certain rituals or live by certain rules, God will reward you with increased happiness, better health, or a better life after this one. However, Jesus and his apostles in the Bible gave the world something entirely different. They taught that because of our sins we are not able to achieve eternal life by glorifying ourselves through rituals or rules. Instead, we must recognize our sinfulness and recognize our need for a Savior, and then put our complete faith in Him. Through that, the Lord will lead us to repentance and transform us and make us one with Him eternally. The authors of the Bible taught that the purpose of our lives is not to exalt ourselves through rituals or piety, but to glorify God by allowing Him to do his work through us.

May God bless you!

Bill Hamer