"I read your first paragraph and believe I've got the answer."

Well, I hope you read the whole thing :-)

" Christianity without the baptism in the Holy Spirit as illustrated in the Book of Acts has been brushed aside and Christians have turned their eyes - not on Jesus - but on intellectual buffoonery. "

Quite often the case, yes.

But beliefs do matter. We are to love God with our minds too.

"The Apostles battled with the wiles of the Devil back then, and so, what makes today any different?"

Agreed. The Enemy is still at work today.

" Christianity as a religion is no more transcendent than any other religion... "

If you said "Christianity as just a religion...," I would agree 100%. But even James, the half-brother of Jesus, used the term "religion." I have an article coming out on that this coming Sunday.

"...and it seems to me ,religion is what your essay is all about."

My essay emphasized the beliefs part of our faith, but I don't believe Christianity is or should be all about beliefs.