Love - The Religion of Jesus

Recently, I read an article which was shared on Facebook about a Baptist church in Texas who, after months of in-depth research, education and prayer, made the decision to openly welcome gay, lesbian and transgender persons as full members. Not surprising, they experienced some backlash from the Southern Baptist Convention and from some of their members. In fact, they lost some members over the decision.

I commented that I was thrilled to see the leadership of this church open to revelations of the truth in Scripture and willing to stand for what is in alignment with the fundamental teaching of Jesus - Love. I further commented that I hoped other conservative churches would follow their lead.

In response to my comments, a Facebook “friend” replied that I had no right to think that an institution with centuries of tradition based on Biblical teaching should change its stance on homosexuality just to suit me and help me feel better about myself.

I tried to explain that I believe that some of the tenets of traditional Christianity are based on misinterpretation of Jesus’ teaching and that the church has changed its position over the centuries on some issues. After several exchanges and rather than continue to debate, I realized that we were not going to agree, so my final response was, “You could be right.”

Last week, I attended the Unity Annual Summit, a gathering of ministers and other church leaders as well as representatives from Unity Worldwide Ministries and Unity World Headquarters. I was surprised when, during the open dialog session, one minister asked how others respond when the question, “Is Unity Christian? “comes up. Various opinions where expressed, both in favor of and opposed to Unity continuing to call itself “Christian.” It amazes me that we are still grappling with this question in 2018.

This past week I attended a funeral in a Baptist church. As I sat there listening to the sermon, yes, there was a sermon, but thankfully not an altar call, I was dismayed by some of the things I heard. No, they were not new to me, just reminders of what I have done my best to leave behind. I was reminded once again of some of the foundational doctrine of traditional Christianity that I now find absurd and often damaging.

All these experiences, while stimulating in their own way, provided the much-needed inspiration I was seeking for my lessons during Lent. I feel guided to do a series of lessons based on the teachings of Jesus, titled “Love - The Religion of Jesus.” 

This series will be based on interpretations by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, cofounders of Unity; Eric Butterworth, Unity minister and author; Emma Curtis Hopkins, founder of the Christian Science Theological Seminary and teacher of the Fillmores and others; Emmet Fox, author and philosopher; other leaders in the New Thought movement; and me, based on my own contemplation and discernment.

I invite us to explore what Jesus taught, not through the lens of Christianity, but with open minds and hearts ready to receive the truth. Christianity was not the religion of Jesus; it is the religion about Jesus. Love was the religion of Jesus.

In preparing for Easter, we will explore the Jesus teachings and how they call us up to a higher expression of love for ourselves, each other, and the One Life that lives as all.

Join us on Sunday at 10:00 as we explore the depth of teaching in the story of the Good Samaritan. I will share a lesson entitled, "Who's Your Neighbor?"