Introduction
Authentic Spirituality
*It is my honor to give you this book. It has been long in the making, and it certainly has its flaws. The subtitle claims that this is an introduction to authentic spirituality. I don’t believe this to be an opinion, but instead a reality. The writing of this book came from a long dispersal from one denomination to the next, from one way of fellowship to another, and finding in them that they all have similarities.
*God has taken me from the dirt and mud and set me upon the rock. This book came from a severe heartbreak and being cast out of a congregation. There were many places where it is safe to say that the church didn’t act like the Church. As exacting as their theology was, it lacked the truth and authenticity to handle extreme scenarios.
*From there I started asking questions. I wasn’t the only one. There are only a handful of us from the over 2000 other members that have left, but we can’t continue to live in unreality. Questions must be asked. They aren’t the enemy. Jesus has never been afraid of the questions. I think people are afraid of the answers.
*So as an introduction, I asked myself what would be the best place to start? I think it is safe to say that all of the writings in this book came from one general statement: God has set up a certain way in which we should draw near unto Him. This is the way of the cross. You find in Leviticus 1 that God gives rule after rule after rule for sacrifices and offerings. We can’t tamper with this. He expects us to perform in a very precise way.
*It is my foundational belief that the cross is at the center of the faith. When we take everything else away, we still have the entirety of Christianity. This, of course, raises some questions. What does that mean theologically? What does this look like? How does this relate to all of that?
*This is where we begin: willingness. Jesus told His disciples that unless you take up your cross and follow Him, you couldn’t be a disciple. You can’t be a student. You can’t be a Christian. It all stems from the cross.