Image by The United Church of Canada via FlickrBall Bounces Paraphrase: You don't have to believe anything in particular to belong to the United Church of Pizza. If you show up at the restaurant, you're in!
It would be helpful if Mardi would define what she means by faith. Usual definitions of Christian faith include the following two ideas:
a) content-specific assertions about God and Jesus Christ, e.g., the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed.
b) belief, and more specifically, trust in a person, e.g., Thomas' "my Lord and my God", and Peter's "but we believe by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved".
You can contrast these beliefs with Mardi's. Mardi's expressed faith is largely contentless. No "no other name by which you must be saved" for Mardi! No "except you repent you shall all perish!"
She makes clear that, at the United Church of Pizza, Jews Muslims, and "persons of other faiths" are equally members. So, not only "Christians" belong to the United Church of Pizza, but also "persons of other faiths" who have "'entered' the faith". It's not even coherent. Does your house pizza come with pepperoni? May-be. If you like. How do you feel about pepperoni? Let's think deeply about this.
Well, it has something to do with Jesus. But not faith in Jesus per se; more like following his example, or, at least, engaging in practices that are consonant with his example, whether you've even heard of him or not. As an example of this liberal slipperiness, Mardi talks about following "the way of Jesus". Christians are not called to follow the way of Jesus. They are called to follow Jesus. There's a difference.
I have decided to follow Jesus, imperfectly, falteringly, yes, but, on this rock I stand -- all other ground is sinking sand.
And that's the way the Ball bounces.
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