--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Christianity was never meant to be a…" description: "\"Christianity was never meant to be a belief system, it’s meant to be an encounter with a person.\" — Mike Donehey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png" --- # Christianity was never meant to be a belief system, it’s… ![“Christianity was never meant to be a belief system, it’s meant to be an encounter with a person.” quote by Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png) > “Christianity was never meant to be a belief system, it’s meant to be an encounter with a person.” [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Christianity focuses on personal relationship with Jesus rather than abstract doctrine. **In simple terms:** Faith is about meeting a person, not just believing ideas. Key Takeaway Seek personal connection in spiritual practice. Themes faith relationship spirituality encounter personhood Mood intimate thoughtful Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - personal prayer - small group fellowship - mentor relationships Key Concepts theology personal experience relational worship Questions to Reflect On - What does a personal encounter mean to you? - How does this view affect church practices? A Different Perspective Some may view doctrine as essential for community cohesion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Belief Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-meant-3042813/) [Belief System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-system/) [Belief systems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-systems/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Christianity Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity-meant-230725/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Meant Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-belief-2616012/) [Meant to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-to-be/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [“Your plans can be cast in concrete, and you can carry an unshakable belief that you were meant to do one thing and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-platt/your-plans-can-be-cast-in-concrete-and-you-can-carry-an-unshakable/) [Sean Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-platt/) > [“Then in a moment, in that vast space of rocks and sky and scorching sun, I understood that he had not meant religious faith,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-torday/then-in-a-moment-in-that-vast-space-of-rocks-and-sky-and-scorching/) [Paul Torday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-torday/) > [Looking back, the way I see it, there was something slightly deluded about my belief - what that meant to me - but with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-coel/looking-back-the-way-i-see-it-there-was-something-slightly-deluded/) [Michaela Coel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-coel/) > [“Belief in God meant belief in the old tribal idol called Jehovah; and I would not pretend I did not know whether it existed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/belief-in-god-meant-belief-in-the-old-tribal-idol-called-jehovah-and/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Christianity was not meant to be a weapon or an argument or a show of force or a political tool. Or an act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-pura/christianity-was-not-meant-to-be-a-weapon-or-an-argument-or-a-show-of/) [Murray Pura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-pura/) > [“The contradictions were apparent to Makhaya, and perhaps there was no greater crime as yet than all the lies Western civilization had told in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-head/the-contradictions-were-apparent-to-makhaya-and-perhaps-there-was-no/) [Bessie Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-head/) > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I've got this theory that human beings are innately religious; we have a belief system. It doesn't have to be a theist form, necessarily.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/i-ve-got-this-theory-that-human-beings-are-innately-religious-we-have/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [My father is an atheist. My mother is Buddhist. They encouraged my siblings and me to take the best part of other religions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/my-father-is-an-atheist-my-mother-is-buddhist-they-encouraged-my/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [Inside we are all Golden Buddha's, but we grew to believe we were made of clay. Our ego's false perceptions led us to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/inside-we-are-all-golden-buddha-s-but-we-grew-to-believe-we-were-made/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [The issue is that if you hold onto the resentment against yourself, you're just going to recreate that destructive pattern in different forms because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/the-issue-is-that-if-you-hold-onto-the-resentment-against-yourself/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [I'm very, very suspicious of anybody that finds a belief system that they feel can explain it all, for themselves or for anybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/i-m-very-very-suspicious-of-anybody-that-finds-a-belief-system-that/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Everyone thinks they've won the Magical Belief Lottery. Everyone thinks they more or less have a handle on things, that they, as opposed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/everyone-thinks-they-ve-won-the-magical-belief-lottery-everyone/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [While 'Buddhism' suggests another belief system, 'dharma practice' suggests a course of action. The four ennobling truths are not propositions to believe; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/while-buddhism-suggests-another-belief-system-dharma-practice/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) ## More by Mike Donehey > [You can't live for God until you learn how to live because of God. And you can't go and make good choices for God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/you-can-t-live-for-god-until-you-learn-how-to-live-because-of-god-and/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [“We do battle with our minds and deceptive hearts, that we may might lay our souls down upon the grace of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/we-do-battle-with-our-minds-and-deceptive-hearts-that-we-may-might/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [You can’t live for God until you learn how to live because of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/you-can-t-live-for-god-until-you-learn-how-to-live-because-of-god/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [Anything that I want, I must also be ok with not having, otherwise it's idolatry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/anything-that-i-want-i-must-also-be-ok-with-not-having-otherwise-it-s/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [“There is no longer a fight between the secular and the sacred. If the Spirit dwells in us, then whether it be school or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/there-is-no-longer-a-fight-between-the-secular-and-the-sacred-if-the/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [Only when we try to love God will we see our utter inability to do so. And only when we understand that inability, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/only-when-we-try-to-love-god-will-we-see-our-utter-inability-to-do-so/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [Christianity is not about how much faith you have. It's about Who your faith is in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/christianity-is-not-about-how-much-faith-you-have-it-s-about-who-your/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [Never be discontent with the life you've been dealt, be discontent with the way you're living it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/never-be-discontent-with-the-life-you-ve-been-dealt-be-discontent/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [“Let yourself go. Let others in. This is the essence of being made in God's image.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/let-yourself-go-let-others-in-this-is-the-essence-of-being-made-in/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [“God's nature is love, because God is a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/god-s-nature-is-love-because-god-is-a-relationship/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [After all, it's me that needs to change, not my circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/after-all-it-s-me-that-needs-to-change-not-my-circumstances/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [Good Friday was the worst Friday until Sunday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/good-friday-was-the-worst-friday-until-sunday/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [“When we ask God to draw near, what we're really asking is for Him to make us aware of Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/when-we-ask-god-to-draw-near-what-we-re-really-asking-is-for-him-to/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) > [It’s not about what we do, or what we feel, it’s about what He did and what He felt. It’s about what Christ has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/it-s-not-about-what-we-do-or-what-we-feel-it-s-about-what-he-did-and/) [Mike Donehey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) [Explore all 15 Mike Donehey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Christianity was never meant to be a belief system, it’s meant to be an encounter with a person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike Donehey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-belief-system-it-s-meant-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-belief-system-it-s-meant-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a63/mike-donehey-33472_belief_christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-bel_1933886.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Christianity was never meant to be a belief system, it’s meant to be an encounter with a person.” — Mike Donehey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mike Donehey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-donehey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Christianity was never meant to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-belief-system-it-s-meant-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-donehey/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-a-belief-system-it-s-meant-to-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```