Patience.

When we begin to see we are impatient with others who don't see or enforce a false mental position (usually by the book).
This can be a faith in scripture which is not according to understanding.

But life is a process of learning.
We make mistakes and learn from those mistakes.

So people will come to see in time.

We must be patient with them.
Even as we are patient with ourselves.

We cannot know everything at once.
But if we pray we will come to see in time.

And then we will understand.

Violence.

The bane of our world is violence.

From the violence of wild beasts to the torture chambers of the Middle East violence rules.

But what is violence but fear?
The fight or flight adrenalin rush of fear.

Why do superpowers build nuclear missiles that can destroy our whole world?
Because they are afraid of being attacked by their enemies.
So they deploy a deterrent.

What is war but fear of attack?

Empires are monuments to fear.
Fear of being displaced as the dominant power.
So they oppress foreign powers.
And threaten them with violence.

The fears that rule our planet speak of a lack of faith.
"God has forsaken the earth" is the cry!
"We must defend ourselves"

If we truly believed in God we would know that there will always be enough.
God provides.

If we loved God we would lose our fear.
And we would love our neighbor.

Gentle Light.

The darkness is not dispelled by violent explosions of light.
There is not a battle between light and darkness.

The darkness is penetrated and dispersed by a gentle light.

Violent, spectacular displays can inspire fear.
And fear can inspire violence.

So God is gentle with us that we may not be afraid of the light.

Many passages in the Bible say that the prophets and disciples were terrified of God.
This is not helpful.
Fear begets fear and leads to violence, aggression, and force.

It is not God's will that we be afraid.

It is God's will that we show respect out of love.

Another Way.

When we are in darkness we believe that we have to be stronger than evil and ignorance.
We believe that superior violence wins out.

When we are in darkness we are afraid.
And our fear makes us violent.

But if we can pray in faith to God He will show us another way.
A non-violent way of light and love.

We are born into darkness.
Life is a process of learning.
We make mistakes.
We learn from our experience.
The teacher is God.

When we draw close to God through love we begin to see another way.

We do not have to beat our opponents.
We can help them (non-violently) to see - through love.
We can pray for them.

And they will be opponents no more.

Fooled.

He who deceives the whole world.

Rather than by some supernatural power or magic we are merely deceived by Satanists in our popular culture.

Their so called spells act more like subliminal propaganda than magic.

We are hooked, led astray, perverted, cursed, and corrupted by our rock stars, movie stars, and sporting heroes.

They distract us from any idealistic endeavor with dark entertainment and violence.

They subtly divert our philosophy to winner takes all and the idols of the world: fame, status, money, power, possessions, privilege, and pleasure, in the hope that we will go to hell.

But there is no hell in reality.

In the end we have all been fooled.

Three Aspects.

The message has three aspects:

1.  The World:  the conservative establishment which usurped the message of Jesus and turned it to their own advantage.  Taking Jesus' message of love and forgiveness and turning it into an absolute payment for our sins.
And the corporate plutocrats who rule through brutality, fear, and violence.

2. Satanism:  the rock musicians, stars, and sportsmen and women who have sold their souls to an imaginary devil and practice Satanism and black magic in their art.

3.  God:  the author and creator of the universe is not some violent, vengeful, accountant waiting to punish us.  God is all good, benevolent, understanding, compassionate, and merciful.
Above all God is Love.

Bad Friday.

Jesus was the light of the world.

When he was crucified and died the light went out of the world.

As with modern assassinations - Gandhi, J.F.K., Martin Luther King Jr., and Bobby Kennedy - the light is not replaced.

We return to the darkness, limited vision, and interpretation.

What is left is the record of what they said when they were alive.
And this is open to interpretation and manipulation.

So instead of calling this Friday Good, because of some fanciful ransom paid by Jesus, we should call it Bad Friday because this is the day that the light went out.

And while the resurrection is a reality, it has no implications for the world or creation.


Photo Credit: lluisribesmateu1969 Flickr via Compfight cc

Dominus Sanctus.

The characteristics of a national language are reflected in their actions.

When the Latin language was used for Christianity it displayed the characteristics of Rome.

One of these characteristics is domination of others which comes from the Latin Dominus which means Lord.

Had Christianity stayed a Hebrew or Greek concern the characteristics of these languages would have created a quite different Church.

The English God of power and might reflects the attitudes of the British Empire, which conquered other nations.  This was translated from the Latin.

The German Language of Martin Luther was abstract and philosophical. Consequently Protestantism is more intellectual and arid.

So what characteristics does modern, international English lend to Christianity?

Progressive Christianity is democratic, liberal, and altruistic.
It concerns itself with social justice, environmentalism, and unconditional love.

These aspects of Christianity come largely from modern, international English.  

Improvement.

God is looking for improvement.

It is not enough just to sit back and stay within our comfort zone.

If you "'greet only your brothers and sisters'"  Matthew 5:47a (NRSV), only those you are comfortable with, "'what more are you doing than others?'"  Matthew 5:47b (NRSV)

In many cases people outside of the Church are doing better than those within the Church.

Church people seem to think that greeting you on a Sunday morning is enough, perhaps 30 minutes of fellowship.  Then they ignore you during the week.

And they pressure you to be like them and do good works our of fear.
Mostly to do things for them.

It is not good enough.

Jesus exhorted us to love one another.
To be brothers and sisters in Christ.

Not acquaintances in Christ.

If it was good enough people would come.
If they experienced Love.

But they experience pressure and disapproval and manipulation and neglect..

And they stay away.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

Surrounded.

It seems to me that God is surrounded by people who don't understand Him.

As Jesus found with the Pharisees, the places of worship are full of people who are governed by fear.

When we attempt to make contact with God independently we are overpowered by the evil influences around us.

When we join a religious community we are confronted with fear.

So the struggle continues with bullies and devils on one side and fear-ridden bigots on the other.

That is not to say that there are no good people in the Churches, there are many who follow the Gospel of Love, but they find it difficult to escape the fear that surrounds them.

Why is it like this?

Perhaps Jesus holds the key when he says, "' Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'''  Matthew 24:28 (NRSV)

Where the Christ is - i.e. the absolute power - there those who seek power will gather.

And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Labels.

It is easy to label people as good or bad.
Usually, of course, we are good and they are bad.

We write people off.
We label them bad and thus abrogate any responsibility to care for them or help them.

But God's way is different.
God does not reject the bad.
He loves them also and helps them if they call upon Him.

There is no class of human being that is lost or damned.
God loves us all.

That is why we are to love our enemies and pray for our abusers.
Because no one is condemned.

So, instead of writing people off as bad, we should be helping those who do not conform to our idea of goodness.  We should give them aid and pray for them.

Who is to say that we know what is good in any case.
Quite often our ideas of moral superiority are unfounded.
We are no better than sinners.

Each human being is worthy in his or her own right.

"'there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.'"  Luke 15:7 (NRSV)


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

Sons and Daughters.

We do not seek to replace C.E.O.s but merely to change the way they operate.

In keeping with the principle of Love C.E.O.s can open their hearts to their workers and employees as a father does to his sons and daughters.

If God is our Father then everyone is our family.

What a difference this would make.

No longer would there be this conflict between employers and employees.
No longer would trade unions need to force employers to negotiate.
No longer would workers live in fear of losing their jobs.

The purpose of business would change from the relentless pursuit of profit to the provision of employment for the community.

This would change the whole of our society.

I pray for that.

Sexual Orientation.

When liberal Christians talk about social justice their words go as far as gender issues but never include sexual orientation.

They seem to think that gay rights are somehow too risky, too political, and beyond the scope of Christian compassion.

Although many may privately support equality for gay and lesbian people their support never extends to the public arena.

This is noticeable whenever gay issues arise in public.
Christians always take the anti-position and condemn us outright.
You never see Christians supporting gays and lesbians in the media.

The liberal Churches seem to think that accepting gays and lesbians is enough.
They never extend their hand to active support.

Considering Jesus' Church is exhorted to speak for the voiceless in society it is disappointing that they are unable to speak up for gays and lesbians today.

Apart from the issue of same sex marriage there are many gay rights issues today that could be supported by liberal Christians.

It is not enough to just sit on your hands and be silent.

I call on all Christians to overcome their fear and actively support sexual orientation as a human rights issue.

White Out.

How can we counteract the Satanic curses and spells that are in our music and entertainment?

1.  Eliminate all negative input: rock music, horror movies, violent sports etc..

2.  Substitute positive imagery: white, light, life, angels, doves. flowers, spring, heaven etc..

3.  Listen to classical music: sacred choral music, Gregorian chants etc..

4.  Pray.

5.  Worship God.

6.  Sing hymns with positive imagery.

7.  Talk about it.

Spread the word.

Raising the Dead.

When confronted with the knowledge that rock stars sell their souls to the devil and practice black magic and Satanism in their music most people's initial response is disbelief.

This is because people no longer believe in the devil as a supernatural being.
And if there is no devil how can there be any devil worshipers?

The fact that their rock stars and sporting heroes do exactly that is beyond belief.

Most of this is done covertly.
Negative massages and curses are hidden in the music, often recorded backwards.
This works on the unconscious level.

Our task is to bring these things to the surface - up into the conscious mind where they can be confronted and recognized.

Mostly we are talking about Death.
Death is the basis of black magic and Satanism.
It is a spiritual state in which the person is separated from God.
St. Paul says that the power of Death is in the hands of the devil.

Any references to death, funerals, decay, black, corpses, skulls, graves, tombs etc. are black magic spells designed to kill you spiritually.

This is often associated with sex or erotica.
As if it was sex that separates us from God, as Augustine thought.

You will find many references to such things in your rock music and videos.

Any references to the devil, hell, flames, horns, demons, ghosts, vampires, werewolves are all Satanic spells.

Other symbols they use are: spiders, spider webs, insects, worms, apples, temptation, hate, violence, darkness, madness (crazy), drugs, tattoos, and dogs (gods backwards).

They will not always use these symbols openly.
Often they will produce a song or a video with positive symbols in it.
This is done deliberately to disguise what they are doing .
Sometimes these things will be hooks to lure you into their web of evil, torture, and madness.

So when these things are brought to the surface we can see them for what they are - Satanic curses.

And we can leave rock music behind.

AIDS.

When the facilitator at a recent conference of Progressive Christians asked the group to vote on the issue of gay marriage there was 100% approval.

This was extremely significant.

It seems that the development of Progressive Christianity was triggered by the AIDS crisis.

When AIDS struck the gay community in the 1980's the overt reaction of the Churches was to say that God was punishing us for the abomination of homosexuality.
They quoted the Bible and threatened us with hell.

But.....

Within the western Christian Churches there was an undercurrent which was uncomfortable with the official reaction of their Churches.

This group of Christians were moved to reconsider much of what they had been taught in the light of the treatment of homosexuals by the Churches.

It stemmed from this basic conflict - how could a loving God punish one group of men for something which was not within their control - i.e. homosexuality?

It called into question many of the orthodox doctrines of the Churches.

Once this process was begun it progressed to other issues and has resulted in what is now a call for a New Reformation of Christianity.


Photo Credit: AIDS Services of Austin via Compfight cc

Strong.

What is it that makes a person say, "I will make myself strong."

Once again it is fear.
Fear of being overpowered, fear of being bullied, fear of going under, fear of humiliation.....

During the 1980s it was noticeable that many men in the gay community practiced bodybuilding.
This was to make themselves strong.
They felt so threatened by AIDS and the community's reaction to AIDS that they felt they had to be invulnerable.

This at first seems a kind of answer to life.
But it leads to tests of strength and power struggles that are counter-productive to our development.

The better response is to open your heart to those around you.

To do this you must overcome your fears.
Your fear of strangers, your fear of sickness, your fear of commitment.....

And in doing this we develop our hearts and increase our capacity to love.

It is this Love which is the purpose of life.

Celebrity Satanists.

It has been said that there are only two things in the world - Love and Fear.

So could it be that those rock stars, movie stars, and sportsmen and women who have sold their souls to the devil were motivated by fear?

(a)  There is a fear of failure which motivates people to cheat in this kind of way.
The idea of a contract with Satan lends a sense of certainty to the transaction.
They seem to prefer this to the uncertainty of faith in God.
They ignore the uncertainty of the devil's existence.
They rely on reports of what has gone before.

But if they tell you to lie the chances are that they are lying to you in the first place.

(b)  The major fear that motivates them, however, is the fear of punishment and judgment by God which causes them to turn away in the first place.
Believing the negative theology of the Church and internalizing it, they may feel that they have been rejected by God and thus go to the opposition - the devil.
So the fear of God, which is everywhere in the Church, may kick start Satanism and cause people to prefer the devil to God.

Fear is intimately involved in this process.
It affects their decision both directly and indirectly.

The News.

Where does our fear come from?

Mostly it comes from the television news.

We hear of people being raped and murdered and our reaction is to be sensible about it and steer clear, not take any risks, and stay safe.

This combines with our instinctive fear of strangers to create the society that we now live in.

Many people in church will act according to the news rather than the Gospel.
That is why it does not go past the church's door.

Unless, of course, our fear of God is greater than our fear of others.
This is hypocrisy.

Greater fear is not the answer.

It is the absence of fear in the presence of God which will open our hearts to others.

Then we can love God and love our neighbor.

The Good Samaritan.

In the story of the Good Samaritan the priest and the Levite pass the bashed and bleeding man on the other side of the road.

What is it that makes them behave this way?

It is fear.
Fear of being attacked and robbed.
Fear of being ambushed.
Fear of blood (impurity).

It is the despised Samaritan who has the courage, or perhaps the lack of fear, to help the injured man.

We see this in our society today.
People who have been attacked in the streets are ignored by passers by and good Samaritans are often attacked.

So, instead of making moral judgments about who is charitable and who is not, we should be addressing our fears.

What is it that makes us overcome our fears and act in a loving and charitable manor?

Compassion for another's suffering can help us overcome our fears.
Tears melt the heart.
Then we can feel love for our neighbor.

Who is my neighbor?

If God is our Father then all men and women are our neighbors.

Back to the 50s.

Many people in the Church are nostalgic about the 1950s - the time when the churches were full.

But my recollection of Church in the 1950s is that it was dead.

The Anglican Church used a set service in which we repeated the same words every week.  It seemed to me that people were just reciting the words by rote and not thinking about the meaning at all.

Apart from that the Churches were teaching Fall/Redemption Christology.

And it was made perfectly clear that obedience to God meant obedience to those in positions of worldly authority - namely the rich conservative establishment.

There may have been bums on seats and money in the coffers but in my experience no one was practicing Christianity even as it was presented.

So there is no point going back to the 50s.
It wasn't any good then.

What is needed is a New Reformation - a total overhaul of the Churches' teachings.

Church theology should be purged of the negative ideas that have grown up like weeds around the figure of Jesus and they should be replaced with positive ideas like Original Blessing and Unconditional Love.

The First World.

Why is it that we in the First World allow the inequalities and injustices that plague our world?

We work long hours and are on call 24/7.
This occupies a lot of our mental panorama.

We are obsessed with sports and celebrities.
This distracts us from any idealistic endeavor.

We rely on shopping and expensive holidays to compensate for overwork.
This is very good for the economy and ensures that we have to work hard to pay for it all.

The media is controlled to such an extent that we seldom see what is happening in the Third World.  There is no news of exploitation or land grabs because the media is owned by those who exploit and grab.

All financial information is private.
This ensures that no one ever finds out who is perpetrating injustices in our world.

We sit back and take our dividends and never ask any questions.
Our questions would not be answered if we did ask them.

The occasional begging letter registers as a minor irritation.

So everything is geared towards the status quo.

In fact the gap between the world's rich and poor has increased since the free-market economy became our god.

We are just now beginning to see that we have been deceived.
But we were willing participants in this deception.
We deceived ourselves.

We readily accept our First World moral ease.
We are so good.

But this is a veneer which hides what our companies and governments do.

No one wants to question the status quo.

We blame refugees and immigrants and ignore the poor and hungry.

Is it any wonder that Third World countries resort to violence and civil war?

We oppress them indirectly through our companies and corporations.

And no one asks any questions.

Unconditional Love.

It may be said that the concept of unconditional love is not an immediately apparent aspect of Aquarius, which is ruled by Uranus and Saturn.

But; apart from the fact that the spiritual knowledge, which the water in the jar is said to represent, is all about love; there are several aspects which relate to the planet Venus, which represents love.

In the myth of Uranus (father sky) he is married to his mother Gaia (mother earth) and is castrated by his son Saturn who conspires with his mother Gaia as revenge for burying her children deep in the underworld.

Gaia is represented by the astrological sign of Taurus, an earth sign which is ruled by Venus.

Aphrodite (Venus) was said to be born, like the foam of the sea,  from the severed genitals of Uranus.

It may be said that Uranus regains his power (his severe genitals) through love (Aphrodite/Venus) and is thus re-united with his wife Gaia (Taurus/Venus).

So the philosophy of unconditional love gives power to Aquarius and harmonizes with the other aspects which relate to love in the symbolism of Aquarius.

15 Crosses.

When Greg Zanis, a carpenter from Illinois, made crosses for the young people who were killed in the Columbine High School massacre he included two for the gunmen who died along with the 13 victims.

This was controversial at the time but perhaps it is closer to a true Christian approach than screaming for harsh penalties or hoping they burn in hell forever.

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies as well as our friends.
We are also told to visit criminals in prison.

So perhaps the picture is not so black and white as some would have us believe.

The young gunmen may also be forgiven.

What was done to them to make them act the way they did?
What did we do to them?

It is worth thinking about.

Some have been influenced by Satanic entertainment - rock music, movies, video games etc..

They have also been bullied and rejected.

May they also partake of the healing love that God provides.

Drunkenness.

Why is it that there is such peer pressure to indulge in alcohol while we are socializing?

It cannot just be because alcohol lessens our inhibitions.

Of course I know why the powers that be don't oppose drinking culture - it is very good for the economy - a lot of money is spent on alcohol while people are socializing.

But why does a man think that it is preferable to have a drink with his mates after work rather than going home to his wife and children?  As if intoxication is a substitute for the love and affection of his family.

It is like the work hard/play hard ethos of the corporations and hard-nosed businessmen which has suffused the whole of our society, especially the young who have no other mentor.

These are myths.

Drugs are overrated.
They have mild effects but they cost a lot of money and they're addictive.
The side effects can be disastrous.

Peer pressure once again!
And messages in rock music!

It is time to explode the myths and show young people that drinking and taking drugs does not lead to happiness.
More like a headache and a red face.

This is no substitute for real relationships and the thing that we are all seeking -
Love.

An Unholy Alliance.

What is it that drives the conservatives and plutocrats to take over and control everything, even religion and , if it were possible, God Himself?

It can only be fear.

Mistaking the actions of men and women and the indifference of nature for the nature of God they develop a tough philosophy that is realistic and pragmatic.

In fact they see no evidence that there is a God at all.
So they pursue purely worldly goals.

The fear that you feel in the schoolyard is the fear that drives them.
Everyone will pick on me.
Everyone will spit on me.
Everyone will reject me.
Everyone will take advantage of me.

So, out of fear, we act first.
Get the other guy before he gets you.
Dog eat dog.

He has no idea that he can appeal to God for help.
He has no idea of God other than the purely reactive nature of his life.
Life is tough.

He is hard , he is cold, he is merciless, he is violent, he is hypocritical, he is brutal.

He blames God and crucifies Jesus.

All out of fear of what everyone will do to him.

He dare not show a weakness.
He dare not show mercy or compassion.

Business is business.
Everyone will take advantage of me.

So we are locked into this grid of fear.

Why are financial arrangements always kept secret?
Because the rich are afraid of what will happen if people find out how much they have and how they make it.

We fear losing our riches - our money, our possessions, our privileges.....

Our fear is so great that it overrides our principles.

It's sink or swim.

And they impose these conditions on everyone.

The board of directors.  The C.E.O..  The shareholders.

They report the bottom live.  The Profit.  Not how they made it or how they treated their employees.

And if someone does find out that they exploit child labor, or steal third world land, or avoid billions in tax havens there is always the fall guy - the one who acted independently, and of whom the executives and the board of directors had no knowledge.

As if they did not know what was happening in their own companies.

This tough philosophy finds a companion in fundamentalist religion.
The severe and stingy God.

As if we make God in our own image.

Driven by their fear of God they restrict freedoms and resist change.

How could this happen?
How could they be in a Church and worship God and still be ignorant of His nature?

What is their motivation?
Why are they there?

"'Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'"  Matthew 24;28 (NRSV)

Does he want power?
Does he want authority?
Does he want a throne, or a crown?
Does he want magnificent robes, or pure gold candlesticks?
Does he want a palace?

These are the things they are reluctant to relinquish.

And perhaps this is why Jesus said to them, ""you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.'"  Luke 11:52b (NRSV)

This is the unholy alliance of the religious conservatives and the plutocrats.
A pact that worships money and power.

Their fear of poverty is so great that it overrides their principles.

The rod has flourished.

And the key is lost.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

Isaiah 61.

"'The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
"'He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'"  Luke 4:18,19 (NRSV)

When these words, which Jesus spoke at the beginning of his mission, were read out in Church we were informed that some passages from Isaiah 61 were missing.

When I got home I looked it up.

Apart from some paraphrasing the obvious omission comes from the end of the reading.  Isaiah 61 has "'and the day of vengeance of our God'" after "'the year of the Lord's favor.'" Isaiah 61:2 (NRSV)

Could it be that, like myself and other Progressive Christians, Jesus did not believe that God was vengeful and punishing?

The overwhelming spirit of Jesus' mission was love, forgiveness, compassion, and generosity (abundance).

It has been demonstrated elsewhere that the writers of the Gospels put words retrospectively into Jesus' mouth.

Could it be that we are being given justification for our practice of removing from the end of passages (mostly from the Old Testament) about God's nature the additional lines of vengeance and punishment?

This occurs elsewhere in the Bible.

Jonah's declaration of the nature of God (Jonah 4:2b) which refers back to Exodus 34:6,7 omits the last lines about guilt and punishment (later revoked in Ezekiel 18).

Could it be that later writers discerned more clearly the nature of God?
The image of God evolves in the Bible from a primitive, tribal God to be appeased to the benevolent, loving Father of all which Jesus showed us.

I am prepared to say that the Old Testament prophets were wrong when they spoke of vengeance and punishment from God.

God is all-loving, all-forgiving, all-compassionate.
His nature is the abundance of life.
His light is without shadow.
And His heart is full of Love.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

The Ways of God 3.

A third reason why we do not see the ways of God in the world is that Satanism in the entertainment industries hijacks any cause that has popular support and drives it to ruin.

This can clearly be seen with the sabotage of the human rights movement of the 1960s.  Rock stars took over the reins and ruined a whole generation of idealistic people with drugs, divorce, hedonism, and anti-Christian propaganda.

This continues today - most of our entertainment, including sports, is directed (overtly or covertly) towards this end.

They are the enemies of God and they work to undo His works in the world.

This is why the presence of Satanism in our entertainment must be exposed.
Otherwise they will take over any new religion or idealism and wreck it completely.

What is left of the idealism of the 1960s and 1970s?

They will betray you, distract you, and reverse whatever you try to do to make a difference.

So this element must be addressed if we are to move towards a better, more loving world.

The Ways of God 2.

Another reason why the ways of God are not followed on earth has to do with the power of the corporations.

Because the corporations own everything, not only do we encounter them directly as our employer, but we also encounter them indirectly through the media.

And because everything in the corporations is geared to making more and more money the values of Mammon are universal.

How can this be addressed?

The only institution which has more power than the corporations is the government.

If we elect a government which is prepared to regulate the corporations we will be taking the first step towards changing the values we encounter in the world on a daily basis.

Were the state to regulate work place relations, tax evasion, unfair dismissal, media ownership, corporate bonuses, shareholder rights etc. we may be able to narrow the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

Anti-discrimination, gay marriage, asylum seekers, immigration, disability insurance, and other social issues can be legislated to create a fairer, more compassionate world.

But it is up to us to overcome our fears and open our hearts to those around us.

Then we may begin to see the ways of God in the world.

The Ways of God 1.

 "In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
"Many people shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths.'"  Isaiah 2:2-3a (NRSV)

The main reason why this has not happened in the past is because the Churches were not teaching the ways of God.

The Christian Churches preached a version of Christology which did not reflect the pacifist, forgiving, loving nature of God.

How could the nations learn the ways of God if His own Churches did not teach them?

As I have said elsewhere, this is because the conservative establishment usurped the absolute power of Christ and modified Jesus' message of love and forgiveness to suit their own power and position.

We are only now beginning to see the true nature of Jesus' message as Progressive Christianity deconstructs the scriptures to reveal the true ways of God: unconditional love, forgiveness, benevolence, and equality.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]