New Book: TOTAL APOSTASY

A new book has just been published- Total Apostasy: The Hopeless State of Christendom. Below is an excerpt of Total Apostasy, which has been published in both paperback and Kindle formats.

"Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"   Luke 18

Jesus: Looking for Faith in All the Wrong Places

So, right after the “importunate widow” finally gets justice, Jesus assures the faithful that they will be avenged speedily.  No delays.  Justice will happen quickly for his own.

But then he asks this question:

“Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”   Luke 18

And the grammar, Greekishly-speaking, expects a negative response.  That is, Jesus is saying that the Son of Man may not find any faith anywhere when he returns.  In fact, the form of the interrogative is actually a prediction: I’m not going to find any faith!

Now fast forward a couple millennia.  We’ve got thousands of different forms of Christianities.  In some forms, God knows all and predestines all.  In others he knows all, but doesn’t predestine it.  And in yet others, he actually doesn’t really know everything.  He’s sort of self-lobotomized.

And that’s just one aspect of one doctrine.  After all those doctrinal issues are debated, there’s the lifestyle questions.  Do I have to live like a good person?  And to what extent? What does it mean to be good?  Like: Can I get divorced?  Does God monitor my sexuality?  Should we push our government to monitor everyone else’s sexual practices? Do I have to give a damn about the poor?

Not so wonderful works

What about Jesus’ teachings?  What about some of the wild claims he made:

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity”.   Matthew 7

So, we have people doing lots of wonderful things as followers of Christ, but they weren’t paying attention to what he had just said in the three chapters preceding this statement.  Or if they did pay attention, they still decided not to live that way: the Sermon on the Mount WAY.

But to make up for not living the way Jesus teaches, they decide that they can make up for it by prophesying and preaching a lot.  And by causing spiritual renewal, casting out the demonic forces and being a missionary.  Lots of wonderful salvation ministry.

Missionaries for Christ

Except they don’t live the Jesus’ Way.  Just not interested.  Much more exciting to travel land and sea:

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”    Matthew 23

And that’s a hell of thing, to travel land and sea to convert others…while not living the Jesus way of justice and peace.

Too often, the desire to bemission others is a sad effort to obviate one’s own boredom.  It’s an attempt to overcome my own ennui.

Apostasy is literally “from-standing.”  It’s staying away from the vital message of how Jesus teaches us to live, while focusing instead on side issues.  When the time comes to give an account, how will we answer?  What will we hear spoken to us?

Apostasy (Part 4) The Apostasy Subset and the Truth of the Gospel

The Apostasy Subset and the Truth of the Gospel

For before certain came from James, [Peter] did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.

 And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.

 But…I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel  [Galatians 2]

If you were asked to define “the truth of the gospel”, how would you answer?  Because of the modern apostasy, too many of us would answer in doctrinal language. It is striking that, as Paul recounts this personal story, he clearly has in mind a completely different kind of ‘truth of the gospel’ than is current today.  For him and ‘primitive’ friends, the truth of the Gospel is a way of relating to others, not a doctrinal formulation!  When Peter got up from eating with ‘outsiders’ and went and sat with the ‘insiders’, strict law-followers (who were part of James’ party), he was denying the Truth of the Gospel. The essential truth of the Gospel is to be inclusive of others in our fellowship.  Though he knew better, the power of the strict religion group was overpowering to Peter.  He was close to going from apostle to apostate!  And, the danger is very real for all of us today. None are exempt.

We can recap the steps away from the truth:

First, claim the printed text is the Word of God. [The real living God is too hard to control!]  Second, claim that it is a lie that all people on earth have the Light: only a small subset.  Third, no eating with outsiders: that is, no fellowship with those who do not meet our strict outward rules.

That’s how we get to this point of apostasy.  I ask again, “What is the Truth of the Gospel?”  It is the inclusion of all who have the light: that is, it is to include all whom God includes.  The only unforgivable act is to deny the truth of the Gospel: to become a judge over another human being and arbitrarily exclude them from fellowship. Apostasy is characterized by ‘subset thinking’ rather than ‘full scope’ thinking. 

Apostasy (Part 3) The Exclusivity of the Apostasy

The Exclusivity of the Apostasy

That was the true Light, which lighteth every human that cometh into the world. [John 1]

 

The root cause of the falling away is a basic confusion as to what constitutes the authoritative divine word.  The Bible as a written, printed document states within its own pages that one must have a spirit of revelation to grasp its knowledge!  That is, by its own testimony, it cannot be understood apart from a spirit of revelation and of wisdom. [Ephesians 2]  When spiritually quickened, genuinely made alive; then it can be the living word of God to a person or meeting. But, to state that the printed book equals the divine word is a fatal departure from the primitive faith.

 

The antichrist spirit is further demonstrated in its restricted, elitist doctrine by its denial of a fundamental fact of genuine spirituality: that the Light is within every person in the world.  To miss this fact is to miss the foundation of true religion.  To say that only a subset of humanity (my kind of people?) have the Light is a critical error.  It is to depart at the most basic level from genuinely walking in the spirit.  If we misapprehend the divine goodness and witness at this critical juncture, then we will end up wandering very far from real faith.  We make ourselves susceptible to preachers of hate and division.

The Teaching of Immanence: Now Published

Have we missed the point?  After all, Jesus did repeatedly encourage those "who have ears" to really "listen deeply."  We speak almost glibly of God.  And of what God wants. And yet we seem unaware that it is within this Presence that "we live and move and have our being."  What a shame to miss out on having lived...


The book The Teaching of Immanence as found in Koheleth and Jesus is now available.  The essential teaching passages of Jesus are featured, but the first portion of the book is from Koheleth. This combination of Koheleth and Jesus, in fresh translation, may help the reader to grasp the power of Immanence in our lives.  In subsequent posts, we'll look at a few passages from The Teaching of Immanence as found in Koheleth and Jesus.

John 1 The Theology of Apostasy (part two)

The Theology of Apostasy

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

[John 1]

 

From the Gospel of John to the Revelation of John, the phrase ‘Word of God’ is identified with a person.  The ‘word of God’, the divine logos in the verse above became flesh in the anointed one, Jesus.  But, throughout the biblical record, the ‘word of God’ is a broader concept: the person and presence of the Spirit speaking to those who are listening. To grasp this, is to understand the primary theological root of our 21^st century apostasy from the faith.  The cause of our following after ‘the doctrine of devils’ is a basic category confusion.  We do not know who the word of God is.  When we hear the phrase, “Word of God”, do we think biblically?  Or do we already have the seed of antichrist beginning to grow?

To be as clear as possible: the beginning of our corporate departure from the faith is to be found in identifying the ‘word of God’ with the Bible.  The impulse to speak of ‘the Word of God’ as precisely equal to the written biblical corpus is to start down the road to complete apostasy. 

The irony is obvious.  Those who speak of apostasy most often are those who claim that only the Bible is the Word of God…meaning pragmatically: their interpretations of a printed document.  There simply must be no confusion on this point: the word of God is primarily the light of the world. The ‘word of God’, though a phrase, is theologically speaking, a verb!  When we listen to the Spirit, as we sense the light within, as we center down into the divine presence, then God’s Message is quickened, made alive to us, the living and powerful Word.

1 Timothy 4: Apostasy of Christendom (part one)

The Apostasy of Christendom

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; [1 Timothy 4]

 

 

As the Pauline team expressed it above, it was sensed through the Spirit that there was a time coming of departure from the faith; a time of apostasy; a future time of seduction from faithfulness to Jesus’ spirit. The ‘antichrist spirit’ is, of course, always present.  Too easily we are tempted to call fire down from heaven ‘even as Elijah did’ not knowing what manner of spirit we are of. John noted in his first letter that there are many antichrists even now present. Seeing antichrist at work was a common experience of first century ‘primitive’ Christians.  But, there was also a sense among early believers that the developing future trend line for the faith was toward a narrowing, partisan, controlling spirit to come over the friends of Jesus.

The examples of apostasy that are recorded immediately following the 1 Timothy verse quoted above are those of a false spirituality: one that seeks to impose outward rules on someone else’s eating (the details of living) or in restricting marriage (becoming a judge of what kinds of persons we allow to be married). The essence of apostasy is to be found in the need to assert one’s own status and hierarchy through controlling others.  The spirit of apostasy is the need to exclude others from the pale.

By the writing of the third letter of John, the problem of apostasy was continuing to develop. Note this verse:

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.

 

Diotrephes was unwilling to recognize the full fellowship of the Johanine team of believers.  The motivation was his own preeminence: status, hierarchy, self importance.

After several decades of being involved in evangelical, charismatic, Anabaptist, and Quaker streams of the catholic (universal) church, I have felt some openings of insight into the problem of apostasy within Christendom.

Matthew 5:4 Standing With Those Who Mourn

I wonder which feels better? To have a friend comfort me or having a friend stand with me?  Is there a difference? In the verse below, Jesus teaches about mourning.  More specifically he notes that there is at least one blessing that we can find as we mourn: there are others present with us.

      Blessed are those who mourn, for others
            stand with them.

Most translations translate the word as "comfort."  And they are right.  But PARAKALEO very literally means to "call alongside" of someone.  Depending on the context of the passage in which it occurs, it is translated a variety of ways: comfort, encourage, exhort, etc.  In order to bring out the sense that it always involves having someone "alongside us" as they call, The Immanence Bible translates as "stand with them." 

The most comforting (or encouraging) thing about someone "calling alongside" me is that they are there to begin with. They have my back...and my side.  We are intimate friends even as we mourn together.

Matthew 5:1 Not Disciples: Jesus Wants Us To Think

The verse below, as found in The Immanence Bible, is from what is now called Chapter Five of Matthew.  Of course, Bibles did not have verse numbers until more than 1,000 years after Jesus' appearance on the planet.  Humans did divide the writings into chapters early on.  But verse numbers came much later. In TIB we go back in time: there are chapter numbers, but only subsections of 10 verses per unit within each chapter.

So, the first verse of Matthew 5 in TIB is this one:

Seeing the multitudes, he goes up
      onto a mountain. When he sits down.
those who are thinking
      come to him.


Mountains are good places to learn and think.  And a good place leave the multitudes behind. When Jesus goes up onto a mountain, those who wanted to engage with him, as they thought things through, headed in his direction. It is an interesting commentary on our culture that most of our Bibles translate the Greek word MATHETES as "disciple."  That is not necessarily a bad translation.  The problem is that this Greek word comes from the root sense of "learning."  Not from "to discipline."  TIBIV tries to reflect that etymology a little more clearly and perhaps let us hear Jesus in a fresh way.

That's the point of this new translation, The Immanence Bible Book of Matthew, Compact Edition.  Jesus was not dictating precisely how a human life is to be lived. He was thinking through the idea of "the kingdom of heaven."  Or, as TIB translates (very literally), "the realm of upward vision."  Jesus wants us to think about life: about how we all might live in accord with the highest vision we have of human society.  That's the point of this challenge/teaching as found in Matthew 5.

Matthew 3:3 Listening in the Wilderness

"The voice of one crying, 'In the wilderness make ready the way of the Presence.
      Make the paths straight.'"

Part of the mission of The Immanence Bible, Book of Matthew is to allow the reader to think a little less anthropomorphically while reading the story of Jesus.  One way to accomplish this mission is by translating KURIOS by a variety of words (as all English Bibles do).  The primary translation used here is "Presence."  It is this Presence that guides and leads us in our lives.

In the verse above, John joins with Isaiah in calling for a wilderness experience that makes way for the Presence.  Sometimes it takes a less familiar, more 'primitive' setting, for us to hear the inner voice.  And as we listen, we make ready the way for this Presence.  And then as we live our guidance, we are making the paths straight (even if they take a very winding way!). 

And sometimes it takes a different setting, in the area of Bible translation, to help us listen to the inward voice.  Enjoy reading of Immanence.

The Immanence Bible

Here's a verse from Matthew 3 about the new translation, The Immanence Bible, Book of Matthew, Compact Edition.

"In those days, John the Baptizer came, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,
      "Change your thinking, for the realm of upward vision is so close!"

John's message was "in the wilderness."  It was a primitive call, stripped of all theological embellishment.  It cut to the quick. The crying need, from his perspective, was for all of us to "Change your thinking..."  The Immanence Bible (TIB) translates the Greek word in a non-traditional way.  Usually "repent", the Greek word comes from a two-part word, literally "after-mind."

The word repent is a good one, but has acquired too much theological baggage.  John's call was for our minds to be renovated.  The need for clarity of thought is still obvious in our day.  It is our thinking process that lies at the root of many of our problems.  We need to reorient our brains!  The impetus for John's call was the realization of just how close this new realm was.

In the TIB, the literal translation of "realm" is used rather than "kingdom."  And, the more literal "upward vision" is used as the translation for OURANOS, usually "heaven" in most versions.  It is important, in this 21st century, that our thinking begin to be revived.  We need to be able to hear Jesus (and John the Baptizer) as clearly as possible.  TIB intends to help us think through our faith as we do some deep listening to Jesus' teaching. Yes, The Immanence Bible is definitely a supplemental version to use along with other translations.  But, it remains an essentially literal Bible, even as it strives to remain faithful to the spirit of Jesus' Way. 

Enjoy reading!  And may you be driven back to the message of well-being that Jesus proclaimed.

Matthew 18:15

"And if thy same-uterus un-mark against thee, under-lead, expose his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained they same-uterus."

On the back cover of the Etymological New Testament we read this sentence, "The ENT can feel both didactic and literary; stilted and lovely."  In the verse above, the language definitely tends toward the stilted and didactic!  But the purpose of the ENT is provide information while encouraging us to slow down as we read the text.

In this case, the etymology of the word "brother" is from two words.  The ENT hyphenates to show that they are one word in Greek.  Our brother or sister is ultra-literally from the "same-uterus."  While this feels very strange to the ears of an English reader, the information can be helpful. 

Rather than the common word "sin", the ENT uses the very literal "un-mark."  When our family member misses the mark in their relationship with us, we are then to "under-lead" (go) and "expose" their fault.  The literal sense of the word typically translated "rebuke" is simply to make clear, or expose, in what way there has been a missing of the mark.  Human relationships can easily malfunction.  And it is good to make the nature of that "miss" very clear.  The word rebuke can be a good translation, but in this context, may be a little too emphatic.

If we under-lead and expose the un-mark AND if our same-uterus truly hears us, we have gained back our family member.  If they do not hear, then there is a further step to take, which will be covered in the next post.

Matthew 18:8

"And if thy hand or they foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee; it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into a fire of unconditional-being."

Much of the Bible is not literally true. That sounds like an odd thing to say. "God is Light." Literally true? Of course not, God is not a set of photons (or particles, depending on your theory of light).  We know that God is spirit (or "wind" as in the Etymological New Testament). But we still speak of many of his bodily parts in a very anthropomorphic way.

But some readers of the NT tend to miss the point of this figure of speech, above, as Matthew quotes Jesus. Yes, Jesus is using hyperbole to make a very clear point about offending other human beings.  And about the importance of life and entering into it as freely and gracefully as possible.

To become a stumbling block in the way of others is to find ourselves "cast into a fire of unconditional-being."  Another figure of speech to help us grasp the importance of his teaching.  As noted earlier, the family of words typically translated as "age" or "eternal" or "everlasting" stem from the literal three part word UN-IF-BEING.  Or, unconditional-being.  We can find ourselves growing into this "life without limits."  Or spiraling downward into a fire of our unconditional being.

Matthew 18:7

"Woe unto the system because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come; but woe to that human through whom the occasion cometh!"

The Greek word KOSMOS indicates an orderly or systematic arrangement.  It is translated most frequently as "world" in conventional Bibles. But they also translate this word as "jewelry" and "order" etc.  The Etymological New Testament consistently translates with the ultra-literal English word "system."  In the verse above, the system is the culturally organized system of human beings. Too often this system works against human life.  The structures of our society can become our enemies if they become an end unto themselves.

Jesus pronounces a woe upon the type of culture, or system, that harms children. Because of the way society is structured, this occasion will come, but woe to the particular people who implement the harm to others.  Just because the system is evil, we are not innocent in our participation within it.  To listen to Jesus' teaching is to feel the imperative to challenge the system within which we find ourselves.

Matthew 18:1,2

"In that hour came the learners unto Jesus, saying, Who then is greatest in the realm of upward-vision?  And he called to him a little girl, and set her in the midst of them,"

Those who travelled with and followed Jesus were not called "disciples", but "learners."  That is, the Greek original stems from the word for learning rather than from the word for discipline.  Our attitude toward life is to be one of learning.  And part of this learning involved the understanding the essential nature of greatness. At least in the "realm of upward-vision", this openness to life, that every child begins with, is the hallmark of greatness.

The Etymological New Testament twofold purpose is to provide literal etymological information concerning the Greek text AND to cause the reader to think a little more deeply of Jesus' message. In this passage, the Greek word means a boy or girl.  Virtually all English translations imply through male pronouns that the child is a boy.  In order to convey the possibilities, the ENT opts for the feminine sense. Thus, Jesus calls "a little girl" to himself and "set her in the midst of them."

May our hearts and minds continue to be open to Life.

New Lower Price

The price for the complete Etymological New Testament has been reduced for the paperback edition to $18.60.  The price for the Kindle edition remains the same at $2.99 each. This is effective immediately, August 6th.

Matthew 5:48

"You therefore shall be mature, as your upward-vision Abba is mature."

The Etymological New Testament consistently translates the Greek "TELOS" family of words by the root sense of maturity.  The basic meaning is that of full grown, perfect, ripe, etc.  It is striking to see the various contexts in which this word is used. In this verse, we are to grow into maturity in the same way our "upward-vision Abba" is mature.  Rather than a call for religious perfection, Jesus' concern if for grown-ups: people who are mature and ready for living life to the full.

Matthew 5:45

"that you may be children of your Abba who is in upward-vision: for the same maketh the sun to rise on the misery-gushing and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust."

After teaching us love our enemies and to "toward-good-have" those who persecute us, Jesus make clear the result of this non-violent love: we are then children of our Abba who is in upward-vision.  And this is the same One who oversees the indiscriminate sunlight.  Rather than "the evil and the righteous", the Etymological New Testament has more literally "the misery-gushing" and "the just."  There are those humans who are passionate about justice/righteousness.  And there are those who gush with misery/evil.  Yet, upward-vision's sunlight blesses all.  And so should we.

Matthew 5:43, 44

"You have heard that it was said, Thou shalt  love thy neighbor, and hate thy enemy; but I say unto you, love your enemies, and toward-good-have for those who persecute you."

There had been a time when Israel understood that they were to kill their enemy without pity: men, women, children and suckling babe. 1 Samuel 15.  Nursing children were to be exterminated for what their ancestors had done almost four centuries previous.  Now Jesus brings a new message and increasing light.

Part of this new message is that we are to "toward-good-have" for those who persecute us.  This three part Greek word is translated with hyphens in the Etymological New Testament. Typically "prayer", this word indicates that we are to hold others (even those who hate us) in goodness or well-being.  This is the concrete practice of loving one's enemies: the willingness to pray or hold them toward the good.

Matthew 5:40, 41

"And if any human would go to law with thee, and take away thy tunic, from-let to him thy cloak also.  And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, under-lead with him two."

Jesus had already taught that, as we resist evil, we are to resist it non-violently.  And now he gets specific.  If any human (the Etymological New Testament differentiates "male" from "human" in the Greek text) uses the law to take your undergarment, then "from-let" to him your outer garment.  The Greek word often translated "to forgive" comes from a two part word meaning literally "to let go from." Whether it is someone else' wrongs or our own outer garment, there are times to "from-let."  In this verse, it is a way to resist evil without employing violence.

In the same way the ENT translates ultra-literally with the word "under-lead."  By acquiescing to being compelled to go a mile, we begin to transform the relationship from victim/abuser to something new. 

In addition to providing interesting information about etymologies, the ENT also allows the reader to see how the same word is uses in a variety of passages where it simply cannot be translated by the same English word.  It is fascinating to read the New Testament and see the number of things that we are to "from-let." 

Matthew 5:38,39

"You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, resist not violently the misery gushing: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

Occasionally, very literal translation requires an additional word to clarify the meaning of the original one.  In the passage above, the Etymological New Testament makes the meaning clear with the translation "resist not violently."   Jesus' point is not to forbid all resistance to evil (gushing misery), but that we not employ violence as we resist.  To miss this sense of the original can make a critical difference in how we engage society around us. In this way, the turning of our cheek is not mere passivity to evil aggression, but a strategic part of our resistance to miserable evil around us in this world...as followers of Jesus' way.