To believe the Good News is a central part of being a Christian. Yet we usually treat it like a noun. Something that can be observed, quantified, or qualified.

We ask ourselves and one another: Do you believe the right things? Often the things spelled out in traditional doctrine or modern practice. The sort of thing I call “believing that rather than believing in.” Which means the only action required is agreement.

The message Jesus inherits from John the Baptizer is a message of activity. Turn away from the stuff that holds us back and believe in this Good News. That God’s dream for all of creation is freedom for everyone.

To believe the Good News is to understand what is asked of us. All of us. To live in ways that bring health to our neighbors, joy to our hearts, and hope for all. To live out our belief in the world.