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In his important book, “Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes”, John Shelby Spong pointed out that the followers of Jesus who wrote about his life were all Jews

I was brought up to understand that we meet God in church. What is it supposed to mean when people say that God is within me? I don’t think I’ve found that to be true.

Resurrection is not about the physical resuscitation of a corpse. Resurrection is about the wisdom and the courage to proclaim with our lives that Jesus’ vision of the Reign of LOVE continues to rise in us.

How can Christians get a firm foundation with scripture that has been influenced by the spirit of political influence by Kings and Popes and transcriptionists who were influenced by governments? A bit of a crisis of faith here. Can there still be a Divine Jesus without true historical knowledge of Him?

The practice of contemplating the Stations of the Cross, depicting the final hours of Jesus’ life, is a very old one. Many Catholic churches have gardens or sanctuaries in which the stations are situated.  Each of the 14 stations marks a point along the way to Jesus’ death.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus did to deserve being tortured and crucified to death? How could someone so good be treated so inhumanely?

Accepting that the Gospel accounts of events in Jesus and the disciples’ lives are nonhistorical creations intended to reach Jews in a traditional Jewish liturgical framework,  what *did* Jesus do and say that made the God’s presence in human life so clear to his followers?

As I reflect on my journey with Jesus, My commitment to follow him has grown, but one particular teaching impressed upon me in my youth and perpetuated by the church ever since has restricted me.  I have come to the conviction that teaching that “the Bible is the Word of God and truthful in all its writings” has served as a roadblock to prevent the church from becoming the culture changing force which Jesus imagined.   

Even 150 years ago, it would appear the question of how much freedom was too much freedom was a debate with which our forebears had to wrestle. Their assertions were based on their divergent understandings of what the notion of freedom accorded them under our national constitution.

If Jesus did not die on a cross to cover our sin, then what was the purpose of him dying? What was the purpose of his life? Was it to show us how to simply be “good people?”

It ends with this sentence:  “Even on the days when I’m not sure I can believe it wholeheartedly, this is the story I’m willing to be wrong about.” And that humility suffuses the whole book. 

It was the rich and powerful who had Jesus killed. His brand of socialism was not good for business or politics. To their chagrin, his death did not end the movement he had begun. In fact, it spread.

This morning, I preached at Platte Woods United Methodist Church in Kansas City. They’ve been doing a sermon and education series on Freeing Jesus – and they asked me to come and finish up their study of the book.

Some orthodox believers argue that the flames of hell should not be taken literally since hell is also described as a place of utter darkness. The point is, they argue, hell is a bad place, a place where God is not to be found, and a place where there is no hope. Literal flames or not, the traditional doctrine of eternal punishment should be an unacceptable belief for followers of the one who ate with sinners, blessed little children, and forgave his executioners.

It’s a tough task to be spiritually mindful in the midst of the chaos in a world where most of our moments have been seized by a mindless environment. A framework is needed to accomplish purposeful mindfulness throughout the day while attending to our necessary obligations, ideally leading to mental, physical, spiritual health.

We are in a time of transition, the midst of a cultural shift—what some have called “The Great Turning.”

Are you curious why the church is “way out of tune” with today’s times?
…how a 21st century None, Done or Discouraged might be attracted to a 21st century understanding of church and Jesus??

Saving Jesus Redux Home Editionis a 12-episode video exploration of a credible Jesus for the 21st Century. Join 25 experts for a conversation around the relevance of Jesus for today.