More than fifty years ago a San Francisco longshoreman named Eric Hoffer wrote a book that is still in print and widely read today: “THE TRUE BELIEVER.” In his book, Hoffer describes the terrible consequences that can occur when “true believers” join together with other “true believers” in a mass movement led by a self-appointed charismatic leader to take power in a society and to change that society to fit their beliefs. Those who disagree with their totalitarian vision are considered fools, dupes or traitors who must be converted, controlled or destroyed. You may disagree with me, but I believe our country today is being pushed into becoming a totalitarian state by religious and political “true believers.” God help us as a nation, God help us who disagree with them, if they succeed.

        In my message to you this morning I will concentrate on religious “true believers.” Frankly, if they have their way they will exert such a powerful influence that political leaders will become their lackeys.

        But what is a “true believer?” The title has become so familiar that it has passed into common usage; but what does it mean? A “true believer” is someone who is absolutely convinced of the absolute truth of their beliefs, convictions and values. Their truth is the truth and there is no disagreeing with them. They live a life of total acceptance of all that is said in the name of religion by some local or national leader. This means a life of loyalty to a set of unexamined concepts, received from unquestioned leaders, who are blessed by God with the ability completely to understand the mind of the Almighty. They believe they have a special relationship with the Eternal that you and I do not have.

        To be a “true believer” means not to question any detail of a simple-minded literalist reading of the Bible even when that is contradicted by what we learned in high school biology. As a matter of fact, it means ignoring the discoveries of the past two hundred years of scientific and biblical studies. It means pursuing a tortuous reasoning to “prove” what they already believe. Such “true believers” believe their mission is to convince, coerce, convert, or conquer those who have a different understanding of truth. When challenged, “true believers” eventually resort to name-calling or ad hominem attacks. A “true believer” friend of mine, when I disagreed with him, ended our dispute by calling me not only one of those hated “Liberals,” but also that I was a socialist and a communist! Somehow I had always believed that I was a moderate Democrat! But “true believers” don’t have opponents; they have enemies who are lost both here and hereafter. For them, compromise is a dirty word.

                 “True believers” are sure that there was a mythic past of purity to be contrasted with the present which is irredeemably evil. If they can’t change this evil world they believe God will step into history to send Christ back to earth to destroy the evil-doers and this wicked world as well. As a matter of fact, “true believers” have no real interest in changing the world for the better since Christ is coming soon. Why waste time worrying about global warming or the pollution of our lakes and rivers and oceans or the rape of the earth’s natural resources? Earth is not our home, heaven is our destination.

        I think I have spent enough time describing “true believers.” We’ve all met some of them. The greatest problem I have with them is that their “truth” requires the destruction of true humanity as well as the reality that is God. They want us to be stupid, naïve and filled with prideful exclusivism, blindness, ignorance, hypocrisy, and conformism. It dehumanizes “true believers” into a sort of spiritual hypnotic state. Worse, this kind of stupid faith eliminates the possibility of any meaningful search for God.

        Now tell me. Does any of this true-believing nonsense sound anything like the Jesus we know and love and follow? I don’t think so. There has to be another way to believe that does not deny our doubts and despairs, a way to believe that does not claim the impossible or veneer over the unbelievable, a way to believe that does not eliminate the seeker-saint or the doubter saint. There must be another way. There must be a different kind of faith.

        As a matter of fact there is. All my life I have cherished this story of the man who was desperate to find a cure for his epileptic son. He was convinced – mostly – that Jesus could heal the boy. He had heard that Jesus could only perform such miracles if deep and sincere faith was present. In his anguish and despair he cried out to Jesus: “Rabbi, if you can do anything, help my son! Show him compassion!” And Jesus responded, “If you can do anything! All things are possible for the one who has faith.” And the boy’s father cries out in words that have been the guiding truth of my life, “I do have faith but I don’t have all faith. Help me where my faith falls short.” To me that is the mark of true faith. It is believing that all we can have as finite human beings in our search for the infinite God is partial and incomplete. True faith, honest faith, real faith means to believe that everything we have and everything we are are God’s loving gifts to us. True faith means we are to use those gifts in loving, compassionate, practical service to our fellow human beings. True faith is confident that while we may not have all truth, we have enough to follow our Master Jesus. It means we want to be as much like the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus. We know we will never be perfect in our lives but we believe that a forgiving God is still with us, today, tomorrow and forever.