Dr. Jay Forrest

“There’s happiness in having less.” – Fumio Sasaki We live in a consumer society. We are told to buy, buy, buy. The more you have, the happier you will be. You don’t want to be a “have not.” But it is a lie. More does not lead to happiness, but to unhappiness. I define minimalism as a spiritual practice of reducing your possessions to a minimum. It is also called voluntary simplicity, and it goes back way before the Japanese minimalism wave started in 2009. Minimalism is more than a practice, it is a mindset and way of life. Rabbi Hyman Schachtel once said, “Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.” Like so many things in life, it comes back to the mind. Our mind is our greatest asset and our greatest source of unhappiness. It all depends on how you use it.

Since Gnostic Christians are not Fundamentalists, they do not believe what the Roman Catholic Church or the Conservative Protestant Churches believe. For example, Gnostics would not accept the infallibility or inerrancy of Scripture. Nor do Gnostic Christians usually take the Nicene Creed literally. As you can imagine, this makes finding a church home difficult, especially when accepting a Creed is required. For example, Gnostics would not accept the infallibility or inerrancy of Scripture. Some Gnostics do not go to church. As Willis Barnstone noted, “The Gnostic can go it alone, without clergy.” They simply practice their spirituality by themselves like the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Others just gather with friends in their home. Others Gnostics are looking for community. For those, I offer three possibilities. These are churches where you could be a Gnostic and be a member. I have been a member of all of these churches, except the Quakers. Definitely my loss. I have list...

Eschatology deals with the last things. This includes such things as the second coming, the millennial reign of Christ, and the end of the heaven and Earth. Individualized eschatology says that the second coming is not an event in the future, but the end of each individual person’s life. Jesus Christ comes for that person on their deathbed. That is the second coming of Christ. Many will argue against this viewpoint, saying that that’s not the natural reading of the scriptures. I will agree, but that is an allegorical reading of those same scriptures. Think of it this way, when I die is when I will be with the Lord. As Paul. The apostle said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. That means that the second coming of Christ for me takes place at my death. Individualized eschatology solves a lot of the problems and difficulties that the church has had over the years. Everybody is always trying to predict when the second coming will take place. I predict it ...

This may seem strange to people who have followed my blog. I am a big fan of minimalism, so why would I advise people not to become minimalists? The answer is simple. Minimalism is a great tool, but a poor identity. A minimalist is simply a person with few things. Not much to get excited about, not much substance. Flourishing should be the goal, not minimalism. Minimalism is a tool to help eliminate the obstacles to flourishing, but minimalism is not the goal. Confusing the tool with the destination is not wise. Furthermore, becoming identified with a tool will result in being measured by the tool. For example, some people will claim because I have over 30 books that I am not a minimalist. But since I never claimed to be a minimalist, the criticism is hollow. My goal is not to have fewer things, my goal is to make sure things support my personal flourishing rather than hinder it. We own things, but we need to make sure that things don’t own us. Nonattachment is the key, and that has mo...

Wisdom has two eyes, in order to see reality truly as it really is. One eye is humility, the second eye is benevolence. By benevolence I mean volitional love. This is, willing the highest good of another without selfish intent. Wisdom must see with humility in order for self not to blind it. Wisdom must see with benevolence in order that ill-will may not blind it Humility and benevolence, these are the secret ways that wisdom sees through the illusions of self and conflict and gazes upon the true nature of things. If you are to see with wisdom, you must seek to see with humility and love with unselfishness. These are the ways of wisdom, the path to the true.

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived in Athens, Greece from 470 BCE to 399 BCE. Although not the first philosopher, he is credited as being the founder of Western philosophy and the first moral philosopher. Since he is the ideal of what a philosopher is, I thought it would be interesting if we followed Socrates’ example today. What would happen if we lived like Socrates? Well, firstly, we would not get a degree in philosophy. Socrates did not go to a University, rather he learned his father’s trade and became a stone worker. He was tutored in reading and writing. He served in the military and served in three campaigns. And after his father passed, he inherited part of his father’s estate. With the idle time, he started hanging out with some friends and started asking citizens of Athens questions to see if they were wise. He would pop their intellectual ego by showing they were unwise. Eventually, this would contribute to his trial and death sentence. Socrates was notoriously ugly...

“If a person is really involved in a religion and really building his life on it, he better stay with [it]…. You can keep an old tradition going only by renewing it in terms of current circumstances…. When the world changes, then the religion has to be transformed.” – Joseph Campbell Many are leaving Christianity because it is no longer meeting their needs. They see it as out of date and out of touch. The overwhelming evil in the world doesn’t make sense if there is an all good and all powerful being in charge. Gnostic Christians deny that God is in charge. Rather, Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4). The good God entrusted Adam with dominion over the earth, and he surrendered it to the devil. In this and many other ways, Gnostic Christianity improves on Catholic Christianity. As more and more of the Bible is questioned as to its historical accuracy, Gnostic Christians have always maintained that it is primary myths, metaphors, an...

How do you relate the Bible and the Valentinian writings in the Nag Hammadi Scriptures? First, what authority do the Valentinian writings have? Second, what authority does the Bible have? Third, how do the Nag Hammadi Scriptures and the Bible relate to one another? These are difficult questions and little consensus among Gnostic Christians. But more importantly, this has to be answered before we can even talk about beliefs. Unfortunately, there is a lot of ungrounded talk under the banner of Gnosticism. Most talk past one another. Everything strange and weird is found under the banner of Gnosticism. That is why these three questions have to be answered for the conversation can even begin.

How do you know that what you believe is true? That is the question known as epistemology or the “theory of knowledge.” I don’t think we can know very much for certain. We have to give up that search. But I do think we can discover how probable a claim to truth is. I will make a complex issue simple. You can tell whether a claim is probably true by applying the three C’s: correspondence, consistency, and consequences. Truth is the correspondence of a claim with reality. If what you claim matches reality then what you claim is true. If your claim doesn’t match reality then it is false. The important question is how do you tell whether or not your belief matches reality? By the objective and verifiable evidence for or against the belief. So the correspondence is mostly about a belief matching the available evidence. The next test of truth is the consistency of the belief with one’s whole worldview. Contraction is a sign that something is wrong, either the belief is false or part of one’s...

Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36). When Church and State join forces you know that bad things are about to happen. This is not theory, this is history. When the Roman Empire made Catholic Christianity the religion of the state, soon after the persecutions followed. When Jesus was offered by the devil “all the Kingdoms of the world,” he refused (Matt 4). Now the Church in the United States is being made the same offer. Unfortunately, it is Boeing the knee to glory and power to a kingdom that belongs to this world. Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” Then why do some Christian want to create a kingdom on earth? This is against the wishes of Christ. And so we now have Christians who are willing to “fight” and kill for God. The sad part is th...

I am in pursuit of wisdom, because wisdom leads to flourishing, and flourishing leads to serenity. But what is wisdom? I don’t think we really know for sure. I have tried a number of times to define it, so here goes another attempt. Wisdom is the overall perspective from which one sees the true nature of reality and thus correctly interprets humanity’s relation to it. Many people mistake a set of virtues for wisdom. Prudence, for example, seems like a part of wisdom. But so does justice, courage, moderation, and humility. I think wisdom is the garden, while the virtues are the fruits. The virtues, like fruits, show evidence of the health of the garden, that is wisdom. But the fruits are not the garden, and the virtues are not wisdom. You cannot separate them, but you can distinguish them. So the question is, if you take away the virtues, what is wisdom? It is the overall perspective from which one sees the true nature of reality and thus correctly interprets humanity’s relation to it. ...

Gnostic Christianity began as one of many kinds of Christianity. It followed the teachings of the apostles Paul, Thomas, and John. Unfortunately, the organized institutional Church joined up with the imperial Roman Empire and decided that only one form of Christianity would be tolerated. Therefore, gnostic Christianity became a persecuted group, and eventually died out or merged with the Catholic Church. But Christians are beginning to stir. They’re beginning to wonder if a great mistake was made by marrying church and state. And the resulting Christianity has tried to control the hearts and minds of the entire world. It’s in the midst of this inner questioning, that gng Gnostic Christianity is beginning to have a revival. That is not a bad thing, that’s a good thing. Is not a heresy, it is a better way of being Christian.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “Unless you are reborn, you can’t experience God’s kingdom.” – Jesus Christ (John 3:3 FBV) In Buddhism, people are reborn into five realms. There is the earthly realm, the animal realm, the ghost realm, the hell realm, or the heavenly realm. Each transition is a rebirth. When you die, you are reborn into another bodily manifestation. So Jesus makes perfect sense to a Buddhist. In order to go to heaven, you have to be reborn into a heavenly body. Even the Apostle Paul realized that our body “is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:44). That is, in order to go to heaven you have to have the right kind of body. Physical bodies don’t go to heaven, only spiritual bodies do. As Paul Said, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor 15:50). The problem is that even a heavenly existence is temporary. It is still part of an existence that is impermanent, defective, and without an independent entity....

I am a student of Gnosticism because I am a specialist in Christian mysticism. The Gnostics were among the first mystics. This is important to remember, because later mystics had to distance themselves from the Gnostics in order to survive. And even now, telling you their secret, could cast the heresy label on them. But the Gnostics were not heretics, they were lovers of God and seekers of union with God. It was the institutional church that went astray seeking power and control through their union with the Roman government. They rendered to Caesar what was God’s. Or you can see it as a repeat of Israel’s reject of God as their King and the election of a human King (1 Sam 8:7-8). The Roman Church replaced Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church with a human Pope as the Head of the Church (Eph 5:23). But there are a bunch of different groups calling themselves Gnostic, and many varied beliefs. And modern scholarship is still confused about the whole subject of Gnostics and Gno...

I am afraid that any guidance I give you here will be misunderstood unless I first define what I mean by a philosopher. There are at least two kinds of people that are called philosophers, the academic professor of philosophy and the lover of wisdom. To be honest, it is only recently that lovers of wisdom are again being called philosophers. I am not sure all the academics are happy about this. But it is not like most academic philosophers were pursuing wisdom anyway. They weren’t. The fact is that in the hands of academics philosophy has become irrelevant, boring, and neglected. There was a time when philosophy was a way of life, a heroic quest for wisdom, and the doorway to the good life. Now that the pursuers of wisdom are reclaiming their title of philosopher, some are stepping forward to put barriers between the lover and the beloved. In answering the question “How to Become a Philosopher”, one University answers, “Going to an accredited university to earn your BA in philosophy is...

It is interesting, in fact, fascinating, that those who are interested in Gnosticism tend to speculate all over the place. They bring in occult ideas such as alchemy, Kabbalah, and astrology. But their interests and mine are different. I’m in a quest to discover the historic Christianity. I want to understand the early Christian background, so that I know what Christianity was like in the first and second centuries. And from that Christianity, draw out the best version of Christianity to confront the modern world. I’m calling that version of Christianity, “Gnostic Christianity.” Because the only type of Christianity that can survive the modern era, is one that embraces myth and science, but doesn’t confuse them The context of early Christianity is Judaism, the Essenes, Greco-Roman philosophy, and the Mystery Religions. Religions. These are the areas of study that I’m interested in and that have relevance to the formation of early Christianity.

You can certainly leave Christianity but it does not leave you. Your liberation from it is delusion. Christ is the way. You can certainly run away, but then you are no longer on the way. – Carl Jung (Red Book) Christianity is the foundational myth of Western civilization. Myth is what provides context and perspective to our lives. They create the interpretation of consensus reality we live in. Christianity is the myth we are given. The Bible is, with its many myths, the foundational document of western civilization. “For a while,” notes one psychologist, “literally, there was only one book and that book was the Bible.” But the Bible and its story formed the lexicon out of which all others books emerged. The Bible was the fundamental text, for upon it most other texts were dependent. The psychologist cited the work of William Shakespeare as one of several “texts that influenced more other texts” before identifying the Bible as the ultimate source of all “lin...

Abortion is a tough subject to address, with a lot of disagreement. I believe that the Episcopal Church has taken the wisest position on the subject. I agree with them when they state the following: All human life is sacred from its inception until death. The Church takes seriously its obligation to help form the consciences of its members concerning this sacredness. Human life, therefore, should be initiated only advisedly and in full accord with this understanding of the power to conceive and give birth which is bestowed by God. It is the responsibility of our congregations to assist their members in becoming informed concerning the spiritual and physiological aspects of sex and sexuality. The Book of Common Prayer affirms that “the birth of a child is a joyous and solemn occasion in the life of a family. It is also an occasion for rejoicing in the Christian community” (p. 440). As Christians we also affirm responsible family planning. We regard all abortion as having a tr...

I find I have a malady of the mind. Call it regret or a desire for a do-over. Here are the symptoms. I realize that my choices have limited my options and I think, I should have done such and such. If I knew then what I know now, I would have done such and such. Then I could have done such and such. Sometimes there is regret, sometimes it is just a wish to do things differently. But the could of, would of, should of scenarios play on and on. I know, as the Stoics would point out, the past is not under my control. And if it is not under my control, drop it. Let it go. These could of, would of, should of scenarios are a waste of time. As I write this, I wonder if this is where belief in reincarnation gets some of its support. It would be nice to redo my life and correct my mistakes. I have made more than my share. Many of my mistakes have hurt other people. How can I not have regrets? But the Stoics are right, of course. I can’t undo the past by running improvement scenarios in my head. ...

Gnosticism is not a single thing. It is not a belief system at all. Rather, it is an orientation towards religion. So in Gnostic Christianity, the orientation is Gnostic, but the belief system is Christian. In other words, it is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ as taught by Paul, John, Thomas, and Valentinus. In order to help the reader understand what I mean by Gnostic Christianity, I offer the following definition, taken from my book Understanding Gnosticism : Gnostic Christianity aims for salvation through mystical knowledge (gnosis) of God through Christ. approaches Scripture as primarily myths, though they contain some historical facts. interpret Scripture allegorically, though some things might be literally true, the deeper truths never are. seek new revelations from God, and therefore is open to further Scriptural works. reserve secret truths for the initiated. follows the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Prophet, Priest, King, Messiah, Savior, and God in the flesh. It appears to...

As a Christian mystic and Gnostic sympathizer, how much of orthodox doctrine can I affirm? Here is what I agree with. I believe that the Holy Scriptures are inspired by God. I believe that God created all things through the Logos and the Holy Spirit. I believe in the Holy Trinity, that God is both one and three, known to us as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins. I believe that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. I believe that Jesus Christ was God incarnate in the flesh. I believe that Jesus Christ will come again. I believe that salvation is gained through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and Friend.

Simon Peter said to them, “Mary should leave us, for females are not worthy of life.” Jesus said, “Look, I shall guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter heaven’s kingdom.” (GThom 114). If you read this with a literal interpretation, you will misinterpret it. This does not mean what it appears to say, as any Gnostic will know. This is a metaphor. A man is a symbol of the educated, a woman is a symbol of the uneducated. It has nothing to do with changing genders. It has to do with the fact that in this historical context, men were given an education and women were not. Simon Peter, the spokesman for the patriarchy, says that Mary isn’t worthy of spiritual life. Jesus responds by saying, in effect, “I will make her educated. This will make her equal to you men. For every woman who makes herself educated will enter the kingdom of heaven.” Of...

“It is easier not to speak a word at all, than not to speak more words than we should.” – Thomas a Kempis I have found this true so often that I think it is something to be aware of. We can get so carried away talking that our talk turns frivolous and even harmful. We can wax elegant on how much we don’t like our job, a co-worker, or a family member. But how does such help others or ourselves? “It is easier not to speak a word at all.” This may be true for some people, but there are many who would find silence unbearable. They just have to open their mouth. I wish I could claim innocence. I remember recently talking to a friend and got carried away at correcting his misconception of a topic of discussion. I am afraid I gave off more heat than light. I need to remember, “It is easier not to speak a word at all, than not to speak more words than we should.”

A Gnostic Christian approaches Scripture as myths, interprets Scripture allegorically, has mystic secrets reserved for the initiated, aims for salvation through mystical insight (gnosis), is open to new revelations from God, and follow Jesus as the Messiah, God, and Savior. A Christian Mystic may or may not approach Scripture as myths and interprets Scripture allegorically. They usually do not have mystic secrets reserved for the initiated. The Christian Mystic does not aim for salvation through mystical insight, but seeks salvation through faith. The Christian Mystic also is not open to new revelations from God. But they do follow Jesus the Messiah, God, and Savior. Mystics tend to follow church Creeds and obey the Church hierarchy. Although there are, of course, exceptions. The problem is the deeper you go into mysticism the closer you get to Gnosticism. And the closer you get to Gnosticism the further you get from the institutional Church. Spiritually speaking, mystics and gnostics ...

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone” (1 Tim 2:1). When you are asked to pray for someone, how often do you wonder what to say? If you are asked to lead in prayer, it can be stressful. The usual guidance is to just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. This usually ends up with us saying whatever comes to mind. Often we are at a loss for words. Let me help you get a grip on prayer. By that I mean that you will pray for five things for the person. To help you remember them, we will visualize them on the fingers of our hand. The thumb will stand for the word HELP. This is a catch-all word. If you know what the person is struggling with, we ask God to help them in the situation. The index finger will stand for the word SAVE. That, after all, was the whole point of Jesus coming and dying on the cross. If they are a Christian, we can pray that God saves them, or work out their salvation, or preserve them i...

The Congress of Messina, meeting in 1966, made a huge mistake by defining “gnosis” as “knowledge of the divine mysteries reserved for an elite.”[1] Following their lead, many have continued to repeat this mistake. Gnosis, writes Elaine Pagels, “is not primarily rational knowledge.” Rather, it is “an intuitive process of knowing.”[2] It is, in the words of Bentley Layton, a “personal acquaintance with an object.”[3] In other words, gnosis is a mystical experience. As such, it is ineffable, that is, it is “more like states of feeling than like states of intellect.”[4] It is not the knowledge of anything, it is rather a direct encounter with God. But, gnosis also has a noetic quality. As William James rightly states, “Although so similar to states of feeling, mystical states seem to those who experience them to be also states of knowledge.”[5] They produce intuitions, a knowing beyond knowing. Two others things about gnosis. First, such experiences cannot be sustained for long. And second...

Subject: Therapeutae and Therapeutrides Author: Philo Judaeus Date: 30 CE Editor’s Introduction As is evident from the writings of Seneca, Epictetus and others, philosophy in the West ceased to be purely speculative, and dealt with moral and religious questions. This tendency toward the moral and religious was strengthened by the spread of Jewish and Christian teachings, together with the development of the Neo-Platonists toward mysticism, and the consequent mingling of western and eastern thought. Philo Judaeus lived in Alexandria, Egypt, from 20 B.C. to 40 A.D. He was a Jew in religion but a Greek in philosophy, and did much to promote this fusion of thought. The selection below describes the pre-Christian ascetics of Egypt. lt is important because it shows that asceticism was common in the deserts of Egypt even before the Christian monks and thus by no means peculiarly Christian. Therapeutae and Therapeutrides I. Having mentioned the Essenes, who in all respects selected for th...

There are a number of people beginning the awakening process. This is a painful process of deconstruction of old belief systems. The story your parents, church, or society have told you begin to fall apart. It is helpful to know this is normal for those awakening from the Matrix. There are four stages of faith. First is simplicity, here everything is right or wrong. The main motive is about being right. The world seems simple, there is us who are good and them that are evil. The second stage is complexity. The clarity has blurred, and the focus is now on success and failure. The world is divided between winners and losers, and we are the winners. There is also an increasing independence. Doubt is a problem to be solved. The third stage is perplexity. Honesty opens one up to the complexities of the faith. One begins to see their own bias, and begin facing inconvenient truths. Black and white has blended into shades of gray. Life has now become a quest for the true and the real, with an ...

Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue. (Proverbs 11:12) The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. (Proverbs 17:27-28) Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23) “Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly.” —Epictetus “Speak only if it improves upon the silence.” —Mahatma Gandhi “Once you’ve matured, you realize silence is more powerful than proving a point.” —Unknown “Silence is the best answer for all questions. Smiling is the best reaction to all situations.” —Unknown “LAW 4: Always Say Less Than Necessary. When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if...

A popular meme says: So if guns kill people, I guess pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons make people fat. Guns are designed to kill, pencils are not designed to misspell words, cars are not designed to drive drunk, and spoons are not designed to make people fat. But guns are designed to kill. That’s their purpose. These things are not equivalent. When guns are used to kill people it is a crime. When a pencil is used to misspell a word it is a mistake. When cars are operated by drunk drivers it’s a crime. And when spoons are used to overeat it’s an unwise choice. Notice that only two of these things kill people, and therefore are crimes. But only one of these things is designed to do so Just as you need to have a license to drive a car, you should need to have a license to own a gun. And for the same reason. Both can kill people if they are misused. And just as drunk drivers lose their license if they drive drunk, people who are mentally or criminally d...

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). Most Christians don’t understand grace. Grace is not unmerited favor. You can’t grow in unmerited favor, you either have it or you don’t. Grace is the special influence of God upon a person.. You can grow in the special influence of God in your life. The more you surrender to God, the more you die to self, the more God fills your life. You cannot reap a harvest if you don’t plant seeds. And the seeds won’t grow if you don’t water them. But if you plant and water the seeds, they will grow and produce fruit. The seeds are your resolutions, the water is the spiritual disciplines, and the fruit is the result in one’s life in the form of thoughts, words, and deeds. The sun is God’s grace, it is his influence that works in and with you, enabling you to live a holy life. God’s grace is already given, it is in the very presence of God as the Ground of Being. We are God’s offspring, our existence is a d...

You are born alone, and you die alone. Yet, how we fight against this reality. Before you begin a deeper walk with God, know that that walk will be a lonely one. The closer you get to God, the further you’ll be from people. Leonard Ravenhill said it well: Great eagles fly alone; great lions hunt alone; great souls walk alone-alone with God. Such loneliness is hard to endure, and impossible to enjoy unless God accompanies them. Prophets are lone men; they walk alone, pray alone and God makes them alone.

Before we talk about Gnosticism, we must define it. But defining Gnosticism has become one of the leading problems in the field. Whole books have been dedicated to the subject (See books by Karen L. King and Michael Allen Williams). The problem is that Western scholars see religion as something dealing with beliefs. So, naturally, they think that Gnosticism should have something to do with doctrines and beliefs. I think this is a mistake. In fact, I think it is the mistake. Gnosticism, in my opinion, should refer to the orientation by which groups deal with their religion. Not the content of what they believe, but how they believe. Not concepts in the mind, but practices and actions in dealing with living their religion. In a recent book of mine, I gave the following definition: Gnosticism is an orientation towards religion that approaches Scripture as myths, interprets Scripture allegorically, has mysteries (musterion) reserved for the initiated, aims for salvation through mystical in...

The four gospels of the New Testament were originally written anonymously. They were only later given the names: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Scholars do not believe that these are eyewitness accounts. And the gospel of Thomas, which is not included in the New Testament, maybe the oldest of all of them (60 CE). The first time we have a list of the four gospels is in the Muratorian Canon that was written as early as the late 2nd century or as late as the fourth century according to Helmet Koester. The earliest fragments exist from about the middle of the second century. So the gospels must have been written before then. Most scholars date the gospels from the end of the first century. But this is based upon the presupposition that they are historical biographies. As the search for the historical Jesus demonstrates, they are not historical biographies. They are either elaborations of a historical Jesus or a allegorical myth. Now if we lay aside the presupposition that they are historica...

This is the oldest creed of Christianity. It is recorded in the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians (15:3-8). For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the [Jewish] scriptures And that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the [Jewish] scriptures And that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.  

Chapter 17. Philo’s Account of the Ascetics of Egypt. 1. It is also said that Philo in the reign of Claudius became acquainted at Rome with Peter, who was then preaching there. Nor is this indeed improbable, for the work of which we have spoken, and which was composed by him some years later, clearly contains those rules of the Church which are even to this day observed among us. 2. And since he describes as accurately as possible the life of our ascetics, it is clear that he not only knew, but that he also approved, while he venerated and extolled, the apostolic men of his time, who were as it seems of the Hebrew race, and hence observed, after the manner of the Jews, the most of the customs of the ancients. 3. In the work to which he gave the title, On a Contemplative Life or on Suppliants, after affirming in the first place that he will add to those things which he is about to relate nothing contrary to truth or of his own invention, he says that these men were called Therapeut...

I believe in God the Father almighty. And in Christ Jesus, His only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried, on the third day rose from the dead, ascended into the heavens, he sits at the right hand of the Father, from which He will come to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit, the holy Ecclesia, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the body (the life everlasting). ____________ This is an early version of what later became the Apostles’ Creed, called the “Old Roman Creed.” It was in use as early as the second century (Kelly, Creeds, 101). It was the only doctrinal requirement in the early church. It was confessed before baptism. Translated from the Latin by Jay N. Forrest

“We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us.” – Pogo (Walt Kelly) As an Evangelical Christian, I was warned about liberal theology. It was of the devil. I am told that the enemy is the Liberal. I have met the enemy and it is me. When you actually look up the word liberal, you find out it is not a bad word at all. The Oxford English Dictionary defines liberal as “relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.” What’s so bad about that? Maybe because it interferes with big money, political power, and corporate greed. John F. Kennedy once said, “But if by a ‘Liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate a...

The most common translation of 2 Timothy 3:16 is similar to the King James Version, which reads, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV). But is this really correct? The English Revised Version of 1885 corrected this to read: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” The American Standard Version of 1901 did the same: “Every scripture inspired of God [is] also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” Because of the fundamentalist backlash, the Revised Standard Version of 1952 decided to return to “All scripture is inspired by God.” They moved the correct translation to the notes, where it reads: “Every scripture inspired by God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in right...

By calling ourselves Progressive Christians, we mean we are Christians who: 1. Believe that following the way and teachings of Jesus can lead to experiencing sacredness, wholeness, and unity of all life, even as we recognize that the Spirit moves in beneficial ways in many faith traditions. 2. Seek community that is inclusive of all people, honoring differences in theological perspective, age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, class, or ability. 3. Strive for peace and justice among all people, knowing that behaving with compassion and selfless love towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe. 4. Embrace the insights of contemporary science and strive to protect the Earth and ensure its integrity and sustainability. 5. Commit to a path of life-long learning, believing there is more value in questioning than in absolutes. Source: https://progressivechristianity.org/

“Ever since the creation of the world God’s eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been seen and understood through the things God has made. So they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20). First, lets defines two terms. The first term is materialism. Materialism is “the doctrine that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications” (OED). This term has gone out of favor with many others because it also means “a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.” And this latter definition is what people usually think of when they hear the word materialism. The second word is naturalism. Naturalism is “the philosophical belief that everything arises from natural properties and causes, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted” (OED). This has become the more common word for this belief system. Of course, they try to hide the fact that it is a belief system by adding the ad...

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8). I’m afraid that most people have been told a lie. God’s plan is not to make you happy and healthy. God’s plan is to test you and form you into the image of Christ. God’s plan is to give you the tools and then let you learn to apply them yourself. These tools include a Divine purpose, Divine principles, and a Divine prototype. I might stop to emphasize this again. God’s plan is not a ready-made path. God wants you to make your own path. God wants you to walk your own way. God wants you to live your life according to his principles. Many people mistakenly think God has a ready-made plan for them. And all they need to do is discover that plan, and walk that path. That is false. God wants you to take his Divine purpose, his Divine principles and his Divine prototype and apply those to your life. He wants you to learn to live godly. He wants you t...