Being Christian - A baseline?

As I start to engage with creationism and everything that it means to be a Christian, I thought I'd seek a datum to work from. So here's the key elements (but not a full list I'm sure):

Jesus, Truly God yet truly man goes to the cross for me. By accepting His death on the cross, taking my place and my sins upon Himself, personally - for me, I have the means by which God and I become one in relationship again.

Resurrection, In the resurrection Jesus breaks the power of sin, that is death, and sets me free from it. I am no longer slave to it (but that doesn't stop me doing it sadly).

Holy Spirit, The third member of the Trinity (along with God the Father and Jesus, the Son). Seeing how there is little ability in ourselves to keep the laws of God, the Holy Spirit dwells within us and provides the means by which we can do this inspiring our faith lives and enabling us to live out the reality of the kingdom of God being where we are.

Church, The people of God who, as living stones live in relationship and share good practice, bind up those who have stumbled and grazed their knees and live as family (which is a place of support, fun and fights don't forget).

Prayer, Talking to God formally and informally in services, when times get tough and when times are good too that the people of God do with God all the time because we're in a relationship and not a religion. We aren't in the blind and dumb obedience business - we're in a relationship and communication is key.

in a nutshell:

God made man to be His friend, to walk with him,in the cool of the evening and to enjoy creation with him. Man disobeys God and God, being fair, boots Him out of His presence. But being compassionate seeks ways by which the relationship can be mended (prophets, signs, etc.) and when all other means fail, comes to earth as man (Jesus) and takes our place (for there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood) on the cross. Dying and rising, Jesus removes the penalty for sin (that is death) and renders sin powerless. Those who accept Jesus' death as such are given the ability to enter into a renewed relationship with Him and the power of the Holy Spirit enables them to live a life that pleases God and see them walking in the right way with Him.

This is the baseline - that which adds to, or support this is, in my opinion, excellent - that which merely distracts and sees me entering into useless and unprofitable dialogue is exactly that - useless and unprofitable and to be avoided.

Now I see no requirement to believe in a literal acceptance of what is in the Bible, especially where such has no merit outside a limited intelligence approach to God and His word. Belief is good and right, but why struggle to believe in things that take time and energy to prove and uphold and yet offer nothing to our relationship with God or our own intellect and offer nothing in terms of salvation? I believe everything that is in the Bible using 'faith' and 'trusting' God, I don't need to have the Red Sea crossing re-enacted (for either way - Red Sea or reed Sea - it's still a bit miraculous and stands as it is) so why do I need to 'prove' anything. Can I prove the existence of God? I think so, but as I'm not looking to do so I leave it to those who seek to disprove God's existence to demonstrate the reality of their views. Me? I'll just continue to enjoy the reality in which I live and leave them to it ;) .

Seems to me that this 'literal' stance seeks to invent means by which some of the Bible stuff can be supported and that these inventions actually limit God rather than remove constraints or questions from Him and about Him. It's all a bit too desperate and actually (I reckon) God limiting.

Mind you, I am struggling with the 'fundamentalist' thinking because I thought I was a fundamentalist, believing that everything that was true in the days of locusts and honey and travelling by camels is as true today in a time of McDonald's and fast jets! Apparently not  - seems I am a limpid liberal because I struggle with the concepts surrounding young earth - seven literal days of creation - evolution rather than find ways of 'proving' God exists - thought that was His job . . . . . .