In seminary, Albert Mohler Jr. had his first church history class with Professor Timothy George. George began the class with these words, “My name is Timothy George, and my responsibility is to convince you that there was someone between your grandmother and Jesus and that it matters.”
Evangelicals believe in a personal relationship with God through Jesus, but other spiritual relationships also matter. None of us comes to faith in a vacuum. Usually there were godly family members who influenced us. These relatives, and other Christian friends we have had, were themselves influenced by a long line of believers stretching back to a room in Jerusalem where Jesus sent his disciples into the world.
Christianity is more than “Jesus and me.” We have a heritage we are indebted to.
________
Adapted from Mohler’s article “Southern Baptists and the Quest for Theological Identity: The Collapse of Cultural Christianity and the Rise of the Baptist Moment,” August 3, 2016; < http://www.albertmohler.com/2016/08/03/southern-baptists-quest-theological-identity/ >.