The Eye Of The Needle

[Liberal Crozier]

The Christian faith emerged with the Resurrection and Pentecost - when men fearfully huddled in an upper room - witnessed the fearlessness of the women who loved our Lord and did not hide or publicly deny Him.

Then came generations of persecutions - with hideous methods of murder by the institutional secular governments since the faith system was inclusive of "Gentiles" and threatened allegiance to the exclusivity of certain pagan religious faith systems.

Eventually, Christianity was emancipated, and more, Christianity was institutionalised, and eventually became the official religion of the State. More, the emperor Constantine gave the extensive resources of the former pagan religions to the Christians....called the Constantine Donation.

This thread suggests that this Donation has provided the Church with two millenia of accomodation to economic, political and theological systems that have blurred the message of love, compassion and justice that Christ came to impart.

Anyone who has pastored, or more administered many parish churches, knows that certain powerful persons are often engaged in " conditional Christianity". They will support the essential and inclusive gospel of love ON CONDITION that we codify their prejudices and more, we exclude and label as sinners and theologically disordered those practicing Christians who reject their theocratic impulses.

It is best described by one of the oldest jokes that I know. A small town had two (name your denomination) churches who obviously divided the community, and who disagreed with each other theologically. " Why two churches?" queries the visitor, " Well, it's quite simple", says the host, this church says " There ain't no Hell, and that one says, " The Hell there ain't."

The pastor informs all about the inclusive gospel of Christ. The ecclesiastic mechanic compromises the message, and dependent upon which caucus controls the purse and the culture, the ecclesiastic mechanic finds a solution between exclusion and condition and qualified acceptance.

Again, most Christians worship in small congregations. Yes, true the multi-thousand-a-service megachurches have currency with groups whose only common truths are what they do not believe, but they are exceptions. The statistics suggest smaller units of worship. When we speak about the changes from the grassroots, this is what we mean.

Imagine the courage of an ecclesiastic mechanic who morphs into a Christian pastor who imitates Christ in his/ her words, behaviour, and inclusion??
We have seen it happen. It is miraculous. It is electric. The one anecdote that comes to mind will be generally described as one who actually looked into the very eyes of power who insisted upon the uberconservative right wing theologies to define their faith community, and reminded him that it was his immortal soul in peril, and that he would provide him with the truths of Christ's gospel and allow him to make up his mind whether to stay or to migrate elsewhere. He and others left, and the faith community was reduced initially to near poverty and the threat of loss of property including the church building. But, and this is crucial, the parish grew as those excluded individuals found them, and truth and justice shines in that part of Christ's Mystical Body.

Also, and beyond before, they live the Beatitudes, and feed the sick and elderly - both their souls as well as their bodies. They seek justice for all oppressed and they pray together and worship together, and together they now know and love the true Christ of the gospels.

[Liberal Crozier]

The United Church of Canada are receiving candidates for their three year programmes leading to an M.Div. degree and therefore permission to receive ordination from the Christian body.

This is the first time that both singles and couples are coming True North to attend graduate theological schools. Singles live in dormitories along with heterosexual singles and are integrated in order to better coalesce as a faith family.

American couples who attend MUST be married in the UCC Chapel - with the six months banns read in Church prior to the wedding. They are housed in apartments also integrated with similar couples with young children.

From freshman to middling to senior year, these seminaries are preparing both opposite and sex same singles and families to live together in a free and integrated Canada.

Interested, then please google the UCCanada website in either French or English, and read and then write for more information. It is indeed time....though time is getting late.....to be considered for entry into the freshman class or to transfer from another institution in the States.

Student visas are not difficult to obtain if the request for seminary entrance is based upon the evidence of a ministerial vocation, within that denomination.

[Liberal Crozier]

Have you read the second posting on this thread ?

[NathanATX]

Originally Posted by Liberal Crozier

Have you read the second posting on this thread ?

I'm going to go check the websites!
Nate