CHALLENGING TODAY'S CHRISTIAN CONSCIOUSNESS

As Christians we sometimes forget or fail to recognize our position within the universal warfare we are apart of.  As the "salt of the earth" our work of seasoning is never done.  The combination of spices used in preparing different plates varies from cook to cook, culture to culture, and dish to dish.  The task of making a meal which is nutritious and palatable is one of life's greatest responsibilities. Proper sustenance supersedes every other bodily need in this lifetime. Jesus knew that physical nourishment went hand in hand with spiritual enlightenment. The feeding of thousands added a sense of physical well-being as he taught the lessons of life.  A master chef knows how to work with any available source of nourishment. Too much or too little of any spice can change the allure of the food digested by the masses. ​Feeding and eating are daily necessities and must be managed by choice or it will be filled by default. The world needs a respected voice of moral authority. Are there any better qualified candidates than those whose creed is defined by how they treat their neighbor? Isn't the mission of Christ's followers to (feed) teach all nations?  Proclaiming the good news (gospel) of our reconciliation with God provides the consolation that we can be reconciled with one another.  The simple formula that measures the effectiveness of our relationship with God is found through the love we show towards our neighbor.  And who is the neighbor of a good Samaritan?  Is it not "all nations," the rest of the world?

As believers, we must face the dilemma of representing "The Truth" in every aspect of our lives. Our personalities, posture and positions we take depict the culture and consciousness of Christianity. To deny our obligation to speak truth in love makes us irresponsible believers, converts, disciples or followers. Our calling rests in balancing the actions that define what we do for ourselves in light of what is in the best interest of our neighbor.  We can chose to follow the letter of the law as the Pharisees enforced but could not fully observe themselves; or we can apply the spirit of the principle that the law represents as Jesus emphasized at the Sermon on the Mount.  There is a plant (planet) called earth that needs sunshine, water, and weeding. There is a balanced between feeding the plant (planet) and maintaining the soil (environment) that must be sustained. Without the proper cultivation, crops can become crap. Who will take the lead in doing what's best for the planet (plant)? Who will plow the ground (environment) for taking root? Farming is a thankless and risk filled profession. Seeds in and of themselves do not guarantee a harvest.  Farmers exercise faith. Faith has an element of applied effort.  It is the harvest that makes farmers genuinely thankful for those efforts. Yes, even our plants silently appreciate the tilling, weeding, mulching and feeding we give them.  With no guarantee of yield, we simply sow in faith, care in hope and reap in expectation. Which country, culture or consciousness will take care of this plant (planet)?  We all require daily subsistence to survive.  One earth (source) provides sustenance for us all.  If we poison our soil (consciousness), we simultaneously poison ourselves (thinking).  The scope of our gospel is comprehensive including all (we), not exclusive just for some (us).  Does making us first make U.S. worse?  The manna (mind) that we need comes from seeking it.  However, we must realize that the human race has evolved mentally, scientifically, technically, and consciously. The mind set (manna) people have now is light years ahead of the competency people had in the past.  In our unenlightened past, women weren't even considered to be intelligent enough to make the simplest decision and were traditionally suppressed.  We wasted half of our available resources in the name of misogyny. Jesus spoke about the level of consciousness relative to the time. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed thinking, interpretation and understanding.  He referred to this by saying in past times ye were told such, but now I tell you thus.   The momentum of scientific and medical advancement seems to have outpaced the demonstrations of our religious beliefs. The truth of the matter is that technological advancements have confirmed the predictions Jesus made saying, "greater works than these shall ye do." There were no x-rays, radios, guns, airplanes or pills at that time but there was rudimentary science. Every generation applies the technology of their day to the best of their understanding at that time.  Remember that principles are eternal but are practiced in conjunction with the understanding of that day and time.  "Think not that I have come to do away with the law, I have come to fulfill the law."  Jesus never taught misogyny it is perpetuated by the limits within our thinking. Sometimes, to move forward, we need to look in the mirror and face the ugly truth of discrimination, bias and prejudice.  We are born male and female and become men and woman.  We start with a clean slate but muck it up over time.  Life starts as an experience and is composed of such. We accumulate experiences and fill our lives with them.  The interpretation of experience molds our character and consciousness.  When our interpretation align with universal principles, we will discover truth.  If we embrace tradition or our personal feelings above truth, we simply make our judgments right by our own standards.  It is ironic that some of the teachings and practices embraced by our institutions are steeped in many old and outdated traditions. Our spiritually must grow, evolve and progress in step with technology and all other human advancements.  The only thing that hinders us from applying age old principles in ways relevant to present times is  misapplied beliefs and strongly held traditions.

Traditions should guard the principles that guide our decisions.  We should celebrate and honor traditions but only selectively follow them. The amalgamation of fresh concepts, new ideas and evolving technologies are better understood in light of the traditions they replace. Learning from the past is critical. Old traditions are the windows we study and understand the past through. The policies, laws and beliefs that were espoused and practiced formerly teach us the lessons of progress. Old traditions are generally replaced by new traditions. Some call it "radical grace" to challenge traditional teachings and interpretations. But thank goodness for the grace to be so radical that it promotes the true changes progression demands. Living in the past is counter-productive. Jesus responded to the followers of tradition emphatically. The traditions of the "elders" of that day conflicted with what Jesus taught albeit even the scriptures themselves. Jesus violated "the traditions​" the priests had elevated to the status of scripture.  Although they were not authoritative, disregarding them was equated with sin. This is the same problem repeated historically to this day within many of our religious institutions. To violate religious doctrine or rules has and still can result in ostracism, expulsion and even execution. From the old Crusaders to the modern day jihadist, tradition misapplied is justification for judgement. The Galileo's of today face the same type of persecution from multiple sources but that doesn't keep the earth from rotating around the sun.

---