BASIC JESUS

 Basic Jesus

Don’t confuse Christianity with Jesus. Much of Christianity is encumbered with anti-sexual bias, bureaucracy and Biblical literalism. Many of us are followers of Jesus. He focused on feeding the hungry, healing the sick, radical forgiveness and seeking justice for all.

The basic message of Jesus was ignored from early on in controversies. St. Paul asserted that Gentiles did not have too become Jews in order to get baptized. Battles over the nature of Jesus raged for centuries. Was Jesus a man, a spirit, half man half spirit? It was settled that Jesus was truly man and truly God. Jesus was God incarnate.  That did not settle anything giving the church a conundrum instead of clarity. Really, truly God and truly man? Indeed. The basic message of Jesus was ignored except in the local church communities.

Then Emperor Constantine made Christianity a state church in 325 A.D. The church became an arm of the state. The church leaders then followed the orders of the state. The basic teachings of Jesus gave way to struggles for power in the empire. History shows the bishops grew to tremendous political power to where bishops crowned kings. Bishops waged wars, crusades and inquisitions. They fomented anti-Semitism, sold indulgences and made non-Biblical doctrines necessary for salvation, like proper belief in the mass.

The religious orders tried to follow Jesus. The Jesuits, the Franciscans and Dominicans made attempts to care for the poor and the sick and a follow a simple life. They too became caught up in power and wealth in their churches and monasteries. 

The Reformation brought doctrinal changes but also deep church connections to the state. The Calvinists in Switzerland, the Lutherans in Germany, Sweden and Norway became state churches. The emphases of those churches were doctrine and power. The basic teachings of Jesus were ignored but carried out on the local level.

Too much of the church has been consumed in anti-sexual issues. Birth control, abortion and homosexuality (anti-). I have long believed it is a deep fear and ignorance about pleasure. We know it comes from the disconnect between spirit and body. Body bad, spirit good.

I skip to the Episcopal and most churches today I’ll write about the Episcopal Church that I know today. At St. John’s were we attend, where does the money go? We support a part time Vicar who spends the bulk of his time working on Justice issues for immigrants, stopping police from killing youngsters of color. A few neighborhood and church members give food away on Saturday mornings. There is good liturgy for the worship of God. But large amounts of money go for buildings and grounds. A chunk of money goes to the Diocese.

I don’t think most local church do much reflecting the basic message of Jesus. Roman Catholics spend lots of money on education. That helps people rise from poverty, that’s for sure. But a lot of money goes to the education of wealthy families.

I do not despair that the gospel of Jesus will die out. There will always be gatherings for worship, the sacraments but the forms will change and keep changing.