INTRODUCTION:

Writing a book about Jesus Christ and His message for humanity is indeed fraught with many perils. However, I do feel there is a great need for us to reexamine the message of Jesus Christ, specifically as it relates to our current times. If we will open our eyes and take a penetrating look at our world, we will immediately discern the importance of understanding a message of hope and love such as the message taught by Jesus Christ. We live in a world beset by many problems and most of these problems are of our own creation. If we have created these problems, this means that we can solve these problems. And the Christ message is offering us the solution we need for improving our human condition by providing us with the instructions for the spiritual growth of mankind. But if we are to understand what Jesus Christ was—and is—teaching us, we will need to take a new and courageous look at what His message really means for us today. In our renewed pursuit to understand His message, we shall strive to extricate our thinking from the orthodoxy that permeates conventional thinking about the message of Jesus Christ. Long before men created the religious creeds and doctrines of the early Church, Jesus of Nazareth lived amongst the people of His day. His mission was to teach a ministry of love—not one of condemnation. We will not find any examples of Jesus Christ defining creeds or doctrines within any of the Gospels. There is no condemnation in the message of Jesus Christ. The Christ message is all about love. This is the love that God has for man—and this love was made manifest by the appearance of the Christ Spirit in our human world. Unfortunately, by missing this message of love, institutional Christianity is failing us.

This current work constitutes a major revision to my previous book, A New Age of Vision. In this new book, I have kept the basic structure, but I have revised every chapter by changing the structure and adding new material. I was able to learn much in writing my previous book. Mostly, I have learned that you must be very careful in choosing your title. The title must reflect the essence of your book, but you must be careful not to turn people away by what you choose. I have chosen the current title, Why Christianity is failing, with the goal of indicating that institutional Christianity has not been able to help us in preventing man’s inhumanity to man such as we see manifested in our wars, famine, and poverty. On the contrary, we have seen the greatest examples of these transgressions in countries that claim to be Christian societies. In addition, the Roman Church, which held sway over the western world for about fifteen-hundred years, has been one of the most persistent violators of the principles espoused by Jesus Christ. In seeking to establish their ecclesiastical authority over all other institutions, the Roman Church ignored the simple words of love spoken by the man from Galilee. Also, the very same omission of love from the Gospel of Jesus Christ has occurred in our other forms of Christianity such as Protestantism and Evangelism. Because of the greed and corruption in the Vatican, the Protestants would separate from the Roman Church during the sixtieth century, but, unfortunately, they would carry out their own policy of brutal subjugation too.

The Christ message is about how we are to love God and love one another. It is a message of peace, hope and brotherhood and, as such, it is not a message of judgment and condemnation. But the early Church opted for the creation of institutional authority and worldly power. The early Church leaders would literally go from being persecuted to being the persecutors. Consequently, the message of love taught by Jesus of Nazareth has been unable to take root and, by writing this follow up book, I sincerely hope that I can, in some small measure, assist in correcting this egregious error. Mohandas Gandhi once asked why Christians “are so unlike your Christ?” In finding a reasonable answer to this query, we will need to make a thorough investigation into the religious institutions that claim to espouse the message of Jesus Christ. Because we have been given a distorted expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been unable to discover the real Jesus Christ. And these distortions have helped us create perceptions of Christianity as something that is antagonistic to our lifestyle. If ever a spiritual journey was needed, it is now that we should undertake our most important journey. It will be our journey to discover the truth about our existence. While traveling on our journey, we shall also discover our true self and our rightful home.

I would also hasten to add that my understanding of the Christ message, as expressed in this book, is not a new understanding. The Christ message was a new Gospel for humanity at the time when Jesus Christ expressed it two thousand years ago. Since the time of Jesus Christ, various individuals have made progress in understanding the Christ message—and this understanding will form the basis for this book. Unfortunately, their voices have been unable to rise above the din of orthodoxy. I am not quite sure why I think this current work will fare any better but, with the many problems we are experiencing, I feel the time is now right for us to revisit the message that Jesus Christ brought to earth. My extensive research into the history of Christianity and my background in the formal studies of world religions, psychology and philosophy have provided me with an unique ability to offer a comparative view of Christian theology. I have spent a number of years in the pursuit of understanding the history and development of Christian theology—and I have studied the various philosophical schools that have exerted their influence on the development of Christianity such as Platonism. A few Church Fathers, including Saint Augustine, were avid students of Plato’s Philosophy.

The Christ message offers us the truth we need for our tumultuous times and this truth has been largely ignored and, subsequently, lost. If we are to pursue our spiritual development, our materialistic pursuits must eventually be supplanted by spiritual learning and the message of Jesus Christ will provide us with the instructions for our spiritual growth. While our technological gadgets provide us with a false sense of security, our souls languish in a place of spiritual desolation. And with technology about to overtake our humanity, we must at last return to our true purpose: the care and development of our spiritual being. My sincere desire is for this book to be of assistance to all seekers who are interested in finding the spiritual path to truth. I wrote this book so that we could search for the truth as we journey together. In the final analysis, only the person who is willing to take this journey will be in a position to render their judgment on how helpful this book was for seeking truth in his or her life.

First and foremost, this is a philosophical book about unconditional love. As most of us know, Jesus Christ never wrote a single word of script. We only have second-hand accounts of His life and His message to rely upon for our understanding of His ministry here on earth. However, because of recent discoveries, we are now in possession of Christian Gospels that were excluded from the New Testament Canon and these Gospels, along with the New Testament Gospels, will provide us with a good understanding of His ministry. As we shall see, the central theme in all of the Gospels is a message of love: loving God and loving one another. There are no examples or quotes in which we find Jesus Christ creating creeds or church doctrines. The function of creating Christian theology would be completed by Church leaders many years after the death of Jesus Christ. In so doing, these men laid the foundation for modern Christianity. Although the central theme of the Christ message is all about love, we will need to develop a new understanding of how Jesus Christ envisioned the concept of love. And we can do this by understanding how the word love is used in the Gospels. To do this, we will have a look at the oldest surviving Greek Gospels.

Originally written in Greek, the New Testament writers actually used several different Greek words for the concept of love, depending on the context in which they were being used. Most of our English translations of the canonical Gospels translate all of these expressions as our English word love. One of these Greek words for love, used in conjunction with the Gospels, is the Greek word “agape.” In understanding the message of love in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, it will be important to understand the meaning of the Greek term “agape.” Agape is a higher form of love. It is unconditional love for a person or object because we realize that this person or object is very precious to us. Agape is unselfish love and its meaning is nearer in meaning to our English word altruism. The type of love alluded to by Jesus of Nazareth is the highest expression of love. To a certain degree, the love expressed by Jesus cannot be defined. It is the love that characterizes God’s relationship with humanity and, like the concept of God, it is an inexpressible idea. The meaning of love, as used by Jesus Christ in his Gospel of Truth, has a dynamic nature to it. This kind of love is evolving as we evolve. The potential of this love is unlimited. True Christianity is to be founded on this kind of love and it will have no need for anything else because this love is the power of God. In the journey that we are about to undertake, it will be our goal to travel as far as possible in comprehending the ultimate expression of love. It is my sincere hope that we will realize our goal and, thusly, we will find a more spiritual method of living and loving.

On our journey, I will explore the history of the Christian religion, and offer specific examples of how men created the Christian doctrines that are now the core of Christian theology. With this information, we may better understand why the Christian religion has failed us. I will accomplish this investigation by referring to the canonical Gospels found in our current Bible. And I will also explore the other Gospel books that were excluded from the New Testament Bible Canon. While these excluded gospels were extremely popular amongst the early Christians, they were unfortunately excluded from the Christian Bible Canon largely due to the politics and personalities of the early Church Fathers. Many of these non-canonical Christian Gospels were discovered at an Egyptian site near the village of Nag Hammadi in 1945. I will also rely on ancient texts that would have been known to, and read by, the people who lived during the time when men were creating the Christian religion. Some of these ancient texts will come from a body of literature known as the Corpus Hermeticum. As we shall see, these Hermetic books would influence some of the leading Christian thinkers throughout the ages. I shall also utilize concepts from classical literature, as well as ideas from science and philosophy. In so doing, I hope to weave together an exciting exposition of what Jesus Christ was really teaching us. We will travel together on what I hope is a spirited journey—a journey that is both personal and meaningful for all who are courageous enough to undertake it.

Although it will be necessary to include a brief discussion about early Christian history, this book is not intended to be an academic history book of Christianity. There are many scholastic books on this subject available for anyone seeking a formal study of Christianity. Some of these academic studies of Christianity are very good, and some are a bit arid and tedious. However, it is my intention to take us on a personal journey of discovery. This will be a journey of discovery to find the purpose for the appearance of Jesus Christ in our physical world. And it will provide us with a re-interpretation of His message. It will also be a journey about us—both as individuals and as a society. It is a journey into the nature of truth: truth about the reason for our existence. In consideration to the extremely daunting obstacles that are inherent in such a journey, I humbly hope that I have achieved some of my goals. In my mind, I cannot envision any valid reasons for why the greatest message of hope for humanity should be lacking in excitement and joy. In fact, this joy of life is the essence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Any discussion about finding a path to peace, love and joy is certainly a discussion of the greatest importance for us in our time—or at any time. The path we seek is nothing less than a path to heaven. By “heaven,” I mean—as Jesus Christ meant—a spiritual paradise here on earth and beyond. My sincere hope is to explore the message of Christ by having a lively, provocative, and enthralling discussion about the most important truth that has ever been revealed to humanity. Jesus Christ taught us that our human spirit is the divine spark from God and this is our true self. Jesus Christ expressed this reality when stating that “God is within us.” Because we are so preoccupied with the demands of a modern materialistic world, most of us have neglected or have been unable to learn about the true purpose for our existence. Our true purpose for descending into the physical world is for the spiritual growth of our human spirit. Our spiritual growth is our raison d’ etre for our existence. Our journey in this book will be our exploration into the spiritual realm of the human spirit, and we will base our conclusions upon the wisdom of Christ, as shared by Jesus Christ Himself, the real founder of Christianity.

The major impediment to understanding a book of this type may be found in our attitudes. There are typically two attitudes that a person may bring to a new book, especially a book that hopes to explore something as controversial as the message of Jesus Christ. One of these attitudes is characterized by having a closed mind. This person will immediately put the book down as soon as they encounter an idea or a concept that they do not agree with. If our minds are closed, there is indeed very little we will ever learn. The second type of attitude is displayed by the person who looks for any kind of evidence in the new book that will confirm their existing beliefs and opinions. This person is at risk of missing new and vital information because their only objective is to confirm what they already knew. Both of these attitudes will keep us from learning new information—and this new information could possibly help us to achieve elevated spiritual awareness and thereby save our lives.

In His Gospel, Jesus Christ provided us with the best possible insight for understanding His message. He tells us that we must attempt to understand His message with a childlike mind. The childlike mind possesses the openness and trust that are necessary for apprehending His truth. A child’s mind has not yet developed prejudice. With a receptive and willing attitude, we will be able to learn the spiritual lessons that Jesus Christ is revealing to us. If we actually listen to His message with “new” ears, Jesus Christ is truly revealing the instructions for mankind to enter the kingdom of heaven. Could we possibly ask for more? An attitude of openness and willingness will also allow us to discern the difference between dogma and enlightenment. Attitude is our mindset—and our mindset dictates the direction in which we will move. Our attitude is the mainspring for our actions—and our thinking will determine our attitude. If any individual, with an open mind, honestly weighs this book and finds that it is deficient, I can readily accept this result. However, the importance of our attitude cannot be over emphasized. And if we are to learn how to develop an attitude that allows us to be teachable, we will need to understand the instrument that creates our attitude—and this instrument is our mind. With the interplay between thoughts and emotions, we establish our own attitude toward our inner self and the outer world. Everything we do in life starts with our attitude (mindset). Developing an attitude that is conducive to learning is our first lesson in our search for spiritual growth. We will explore the subject of attitude and mind in greater detail in our upcoming journey.

I would also like to add a few words about language. When attempting to understand God’s purpose for us—as we will attempt to do on this journey—we will be inevitably confronted with metaphysical and spiritual matters. Unfortunately, English is ill-equipped to express such matters. I have tried to render our subject with as much clarity as is possible. When a new term or concept is introduced, I have tried to define this new term or concept at the time of its introduction. I have, as well, attempted to maintain a consistent definition with the future use of these terms and concepts. My fellow travelers on this journey will be the final judges of my success or failure. We may be well served if we remember that we are dealing with abstractions—and sometimes the best method for understanding these abstractions is to reread difficult sentences and paragraphs. Heaven knows, I frequently went back to rewrite many of these descriptions in the hope of finding consistency and precision.

The Christian religion was created by men in the first few centuries after the death of Jesus Christ and, as such, it is heavily stressed with male dominance. I cannot, in good conscience, write about God using male pronouns. The use of such male pronouns only adds to the already existing obscuration that surrounds the nature of the Great Spirit, our Father, who has created all we see and all we will ever know. But finding a suitable term to refer to God is impossible. So, when referring to God, I have simply chosen to use a combination of the male and female pronouns, such as “His-Her,” where possible and when they make sense. However, I have kept the tradition of referring to the Christ Spirit as a male entity. This makes sense in my mind because He lived amongst us as the man known to us as Jesus of Nazareth, the male child of Mary and Joseph.

Our journey will begin with a very brief history on how men created Christianity. This history will allow us to understand how we have arrived at our current interpretation of Christianity and how His message has become distorted. This historical perspective is necessary for understanding how the Christian creeds and doctrines, which are now central to current Christian theology, were created by men for the incipient Church. But I must stress that this history of the early church is very brief and for those individuals desiring greater details, they will find some excellent histories of Christianity in the bibliography at the end of this book. I found it exceedingly fascinating to learn about the process of how this religion was created. It is vital for us to understand how important a role personality and politics played in the formulation of doctrines for the new Christian religion. I think the individuals who are undertaking this journey will be as fascinated as was I to learn that most of these doctrines are not found in the Christian Bible, the New Testament. And they most certainly do not find expression in the words of Jesus Christ.

A few words of caution may be appropriate for understanding why chapter 2 has been included. In this chapter, our journey takes a turn into a discussion about the nature of our mind. At first, this may appear as though the chapter is a digression from our topic. However, in order to answer such questions as “How are we to understand the Christ message?” and “What did Jesus Christ really mean to tell us?” we will need to have a deeper understanding of the instrument that performs the function of understanding. And this instrument is our mind. Our mind is responsible for understanding the truth of Jesus Christ. Understanding the nature of our mind as a vehicle for thought that is separate from, but connected to, our physical body is fundamental to our spiritual journey. We will begin to know ourselves, as Jesus Christ knows us—as beings with both a human spirit and a physical body. And our mind provides the connection between the spiritual and physical realms.

In an attempt to explore the nature of our mind, chapter 2 will include different concepts that have been derived from the study of science, psychology and philosophy. In addition to our exploration into the mind and into human consciousness, we shall also explore the fallacy that Christianity is in opposition to modern science. If the Christ message is about the truth, this opposition should be resolved. The fallacious notion of opposition has been artificially and arbitrarily introduced by men of both the Church and science. And the apparent antagonism between Christianity and science has been created by the ignorance of the true message of Jesus Christ. Again, I hasten to add, this is not a technical textbook about scientific concepts. When it became necessary to investigate some of these formal scientific concepts, my overriding concern was with clarity and brevity. While I attempted a distillation of these complex concepts, my true goal was to capture their essence and their relevance for our spiritual journey. Again, the journeyer will be the final judge of my success or failure.

After we explore historical Christianity—and after our investigation into the world of thought—we will spend the remainder of this book on our journey to find the path of truth, wisdom and love, as found in the Christ message. It is my hope that we will investigate His message as though we are spiritual archeologists, digging for the truth that has remained buried under two-thousand years of obfuscation. Regardless of our religious background—and in spite of its resulting religious bias—may we all agree, at this early stage of our journey, that the appearance of Jesus Christ in our human world was indeed a very special event in the history of man? Whatever our thoughts are about Jesus Christ, we may find that His message of absolute love is unique in the annals of mankind and it may be our only path through all the worldly madness that we now experience on a daily basis. If what renowned psychiatrist Thomas Szasz says is true when he asserts that “There is no such thing as insanity, there are only people half adjusting to an insane world,” then we are again reminded of the importance of finding a path that will lead us to our psychological and spiritual growth. And, in the journey that we are about to undertake, we shall discover that these two aspects of human growth are actually one and the same. Truthfully, we will discover a new understanding of Christ. Our new understanding will radically change our perception of ourselves and our world. Our journey will follow the spiritual path that leads us to the truth of Jesus Christ. His truth includes all the other diverse variations of truth that have been splintered throughout our world in various forms. We may all travel different roads but if the road you are travelling on does not lead to “agape,” you are most likely on the wrong road. As Jesus Christ said, “The truth shall make you free.” If our journey yields no results other than our development of Christian mansuetude, it will have been well worth our time. May your journey be blessed with the love of God and the truth of Jesus Christ!

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