This is neither the time or place to pull the group into an extended theological conversation.    I freely say I am not driven by religious text although I've spent a lot of time with it.   Some find faith through text, service, nature,  worship activities (song, dance, art).  In a church introduction class my wife and I took a Spiritual Gifts class, both of us chose Nature as our primary source of God's revelations.   That's primary, but does not exclude the other choices either.


In my own church, an evangelical church in a small Iowa community, we were blessed with very well read pastor, with a wide life experience including his time in a poor section of LA, at his father's church.   His name is Kevin Korver, the church is Third Reformed Church in Pella, Iowa.    You can watch sermons on line if you want.   It took me a while to warm to Kevin, but I gained a lot by the experience.

Kevin suggested a book, A Generous Orthodoxy, Brian McLaren.  Try that to start.