Updated April 26, 2008

Christianity Reformed from its Roots

A life centered in God, like Jesus’s

“I must be about my Father’s business” (Luc 2.49)

by Jairo Mejia

 

Important Notice

Responding to the request of many visitors, this Page is now available as a book. The format has been restructured, and the text has been thoroughly edited and updated from the beginning to the end. (Please see Table of Contents, below). New essays on important topics have been added as well as some prayers.

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Table of Contents

 

 

Foreword

 

Introduction

 

Part One

 

Critique and Commentary about Traditional Teachings

 

Chapter I: Revelation

 

  1. Presuppositions of faith
  2. Revelation as experiences of the divine
  3. “Revelations” are to be experienced
  4. “Revelations” of the Bible must be scrutinized
  5. “Revelations” outside Christianity
  6. Living in peace and trust in the love of God

 

Chapter II: Meaning of Being a Christian

 

  1. What being a Christian means, in simple terms – Subject A
  2. What being a Christian means, in simple terms – Subject B
  3. What being a Christian means, in simple terms – Subject C
  4. Christianity seen from its roots

 

Chapter III: Religion

 

  1. Un-Christian pressure from organized religion
  2. Religion is a commitment with God, not a ritual or external vow
  3. Globalization of religion – Subject A
  4. Globalization of religion – Subject B
  5. Globalization of religion – Subject C

 

Chapter IV: About Jesus

  1. Is it possible to know who Jesus really was?
  2. Jesus, the Redeemer
  3. A deeper reflection on Jesus
  4. Intimacy with Jesus
  5. The glorified Jesus. How he might be
  6. The glorified Jesus. His roles
  7. The glorified Jesus. A conflict with God?
  8. The pain of changing the image of Jesus
  9. Could Jesus be called Christ?
  10. "Koinonía," Communion with Jesus
  11. Christian faith: the preeminence of Jesus
  12. Is communion with Jesus part of Christian life?
  13. Is Jesus the necessary Mediator for mankind?

Chapter V: About God

 

  1. Can we please God?
  2. Worship one God, purpose of religion
  3. The “God of the gaps”
  4. The being of God
  5. What it means to communicate with God
  6. Demands of worshipping God and its consequences
  7. Action and Providence of God
  8. Is God really a “father”?
  9. Is it possible to communicate with God?
  10. Prayer “Our Father”
  11. “Let your kingdom come”
  12. “Give us our daily bread”
  13. Presence and action of God in us by grace

 

Chapter VI: Christian faith

 

  1. Christian faith: Facts and Consequences
  2. Reflections about Christian faith
  3. Christian faith and churches in crisis
  4. Paradoxes of Christian faith

 

Chapter VII: The Bible

 

  1. Bible and Revelation
  2. The Bible, a book of inspiration
  3. A Dilemma: Science or the Bible

 

Chapter VIII: Life after death

 

  1. The new creation
  2. Communication with the afterlife

 

Part Two

 

The new vision

 

Section One

 

Schema One under the New Vision, and Reflections

 

Chapter IX: The New Vision

 

  1. Schema of interpretations about God, the world, mankind, and religion
  2. Reflections on Schema One – Subject A
  3. Reflections on Schema One – Subject B
  4. Reflections on Schema One – Subject C
  5. Reflections on Schema One – Subject D
  6. Reflections on Schema One – Subject E
  7. Reflections on Schema One – Subject F

 

Chapter X: Development on the Reflections – Part One

 

  1. Being, Presence and Action of God in creation
  2. “Identification” with God
  3. Reflections about the Being of God and creation
  4. Fundamental points of spiritual life
  5. God in Space and Time perspective

 

Chapter XI: Development on the Reflections – Part Two

 

  1. Experience of the infinite Being of God by limited human beings
  2. Faith, Grace and Supernatural
  3. From Reason to Faith, to “Amen” and Eternity
  4. My Name is Existence, To Be, “I Am”
  5. The Meaning of God
  6. Eternal “Ideas” in God

 

Section Two

 

Schema Two under the New Enlightenment, and Developments

 

Chapter XII: The New Enlightenment

 

  1. Schema about the Nature, Attributes and Communication with God – The presentness of God
  2. Schema Two – Subject A
  3. Schema Two – Subject B
  4. Schema Two – Subject C
  5. Conversation with God about his presentness

 

Chapter XIII: Development of Schema Two

 

  1. Evil – In which sense we may say that evil is good
  2. Presence of God in space or his presenceness
  3. Presence of God in evil
  4. Is God out of the world? He must be!
  5. Everything is in God: the Giver, not the Receiver

 

Part Three

 

My Prayers

 

Chapter XIV: Early Prayers

 

  1. Prayer for openness to new beliefs
  2. Who is and who is not our God
  3. The whole creation is in God and we in Him
  4. God, by his grace and kindness, is pleased with us
  5. Your will be done!
  6. Eternal life in God
  7. Hymn of thanksgiving and unconditional trust
  8. Action and Providence of God
  9. Song of praise to Jesus
  10. Intimate conversation with Jesus
  11. Prayer of hope and confidence

Chapter XV: Later Prayers

  1. Prayer of submission
  2. Conversation with God about his presentness
  3. The meaning of God as a prayer

 

Chapter XVI: Personal Prayers

 

  1. Reflections about real life
  2. Prayer of Submission and Thanks to God
  3. Hymn

 

Index of Names and Places

 

Bibliography

 

Subject Index

 

Jairo Mejia – January 12, 2008

To know about the author, please read first the Personal note, below, and then click here. It is very convenient that you see the historical context and perspective of this Page; please click here.

 

Why the title "Christianity reformed from its roots"

I will respond to this question throughout the whole work on this internet page, but I want to give a brief answer at the beginning, in order to put things in perspective.

The dictionary defines reform as a verb saying that it is "to improve by alteration, correction of error, or removal of defects;" and as a noun as "a change for better; a correction of evils or abuses." Revise on the other hand is defined as "to change or modify." This definition of change is so generic that it does not recognize the facts of the errors or defects that must be corrected; it seems to me this would be too lenient for what Christianity needs. That is why I used the word "reformed."

I do not pretend with the title of this work to be a second Martin Luther, or a third after the Episcopal bishop John S. Spong, who wants to be a second Luther; I just want to give the proper name to a fact, that is, that Christianity needs a deep reformation, in my opinion. Reformation is reformation, regardless who is the reformer, or what the reformation is about, but it means that it is something radical. This is the point. Christianity does not need "reformations," palliative revisions, but a real reformation, a reformation from the roots.

Personal note

Six years have elapsed since I wrote four books, Step by Step with the Bible. These books present the central traditional teachings of Christianity, today. I tried then to present the Christian message to the best of my knowledge.

Being too busy with my ministry I didn't give sufficient time to study the scientific, historical and biblical advances of the last decades, and what I read or studied was always writings that reinforced my own beliefs and opinions. It was after my retirement in 1994 that I gave more time to prayer and also ample time to the study of contemporary science as well as to biblical and historical investigations.

I must confess that I was behind in all these fields of science, history and biblical investigation. I am afraid that many pastors and most Christians do not devote sufficient time to the study of these disciplines. As a consequence, the relevance of Christian teachings diminishes every day and the breach between religion and science is larger daily. This is fatal for religion, and its relevance or life in modern people.

And then, what happened to me because of my "discoveries"? What must happen, happened, if I wanted to be honest: to confront myself about my own beliefs, recognize my errors and misunderstandings, and revise all my beliefs from the roots. I have believed all my life that there could not be opposition or contradiction between religion and science. When science tells me something about a certain fact, religion must accept it.

I had to "reformulate" my credo. I did that initially through a series of prayers that I composed for my daily prayer, and later through a series of documents or essays, according to my daily discovering and deepening; but my present mind is better reflected in my Page's Directory, "Most recently released documents," starting with the series The Schema of interpretations about God, the world, mankind and religion. (You may see it, here.) I do not think that any of my prayers or essays is final, and probably they never will be.

I am going to share this work with you. Why? Because I want to share what I have learned, and perhaps some of you will find some light among all your uncertainties too. Perhaps also some readers will find that Christianity is compatible with modern science, not the traditional teaching I must say, but a reformed Christianity, reformed from its roots.

Please look at the Directories of the Page to find any document or prayer.

Originally written on July 11, 2002 and updated March 21, 2005.

 

Directories

For a detailed subject directory, click here; for main topics only, click here

Introductory Directory

 If you are looking for communication with God, look for Prayers, at the end of Directory

If you want to start with a positive note, click the following title, or rather, the Alternate version, which is an update:

Who is Jesus - Song of praise to Jesus

Song of praise to Jesus - Alternate version

You may want to start with a document about: What being a Christian means, in simple terms

If you want to start with a critical note, click the following title: Christian faith: facts and consequences

If you become angry reading this page, you might read: Reflections for angry readers of "Christianity..."

If you feel hurt reading this page, you might read:  The pain of changing the image of Jesus

Abuses of some churches, the Roman Catholic Church included: Un-Christlike pressure from organized religion

It doesn't have to be "your" way to have peace and salvation. See this: Living in peace and trust in the love of God 

It is a fact that religious faith is based on many unproven presuppositions. Read this: Presuppositions of faith

Do atheists have reason to scoff at religion? - Failure of churches; Religion is a commitment with God, not a ritual or external vow

 

Most recently released documents

My latest reflections. Comprehensive and updated review. Does not include the revision, additions and updates of the book.

 

1.   Schema of interpretations about God, the world, mankind, and religion  (6 Themes)

2.  Being, Presence and Action of God in creation     Under the light of the law of Energy equal mass

            by speed of light square (E=mc2)

3.  “Identification” with God  - Jesus, Prototype of identification with God

4.  Reflections about the Being of God and creation (Complement or continuation of previous ones)

5.  Fundamental points of spiritual life   -  (Complement or continuation of previous ones)

6.  God in Space and Time Perspective  - Time and Eternity

7.  Experience of the Infinite Being of God by Limited Human Beings

 

8.  Faith, Grace and Supernatural in a World of Science

 

9.  The Paradox of Some Christian Teachings  -  "Personalities" in God - From Reason to Faith, to "Amen" and Eternity

10.  My name is Existence, To Be, "I Am."  -  God, the "Personification" of Existence. Elucidation of the Experience of God

11.  The Meaning of God

12.  Eternal "Ideas" in God   -  How we may see Jesus, the Word, and ourselves on this vision of the mind of God

13.  Schema about the Nature, Attributes and Communication with God   " of God (Three Themes)

 

        See the Prayer Conversation with God about his presentness, below. (This is not a link.)

14.  Evil – In which sense we may say that evil is good

15.  Presence of God in space or his presenceness

16.  Is God out of the world? He must be! -  The spiritual order

17.  Everyone of us, and the universe, are in God -  God, the Giver, not the Receiver

 

Other most recent documents

"It was revealed," what does this mean?

1. Revelation as experiences of the divine - God does not talk to humans but humans may experience God

2. "Revelations" are to be experienced - Beliefs about God through other people's experience or through our own experience

3. Bible's "revelations" must be scrutinized - The quintessence of Christianity is to experience God as a father

4. "Revelations" outside Christianity - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism - "Revelations" on the internet

 

What being a Christian means, in simple terms - Part 1 - What the initial followers of Jesus thought and did

What being a Christian means, in simple terms - Part 2 - The teachings of Jesus were not kept untouched, but evolving, even altered

What being a Christian means, in simple terms - Part 3 - Jesus' dedication to God - Worshiping is the same in all traditions

Paradoxes of Christian faith - What God's grace is and what does and creates

Presence and action of God in us, by grace - What God's grace is and what it does and creates

Globalization and religion - Part 1 - From Judaism, to Christianity, to Islam

Globalization and religion - Part 2 - Religions opened up

 

Globalization and religion - Part 3 - The hegemony of some religions - Recognizing the real Jesus

 

 

 

Titles of documents, by topics - Truth "hard to swallow" - You might wish it were not so

 

About Jesus - See also the Prayers, below.

 

Is it possible to know who Jesus really was? - Probably no

Jesus, the Redeemer - Problems with the doctrine of redemption

A deeper reflection on Jesus - Light on a difficult matter

Intimacy with Jesus - The uniqueness of Jesus

The glorified Jesus - 1. How he might be - New Testament writers contemplated the glorified Jesus

The glorified Jesus - 2. His roles - Jesus as the Prototype of the new creation

The glorified Jesus - 3. A conflict with God? - A religion without Jesus

Could Jesus be called Christ? - What the "divine" being of Jesus may include

"Koinonía," Communion with Jesus - Communion is an act of faith

Christian faith: the preeminence of Jesus - The apostles and the communion with Jesus

Is communion with Jesus part of Christian life? - The experience of Jesus

Is Jesus the necessary Mediator for mankind? - The doctrine of salvation must be universal

 

About God - See also the Prayers, below.

 

May we please God? - It depends on the kind of God we are talking about

Worship one God, purpose of religion - The Trinity, a dogma that might be reformulated

The "God of the gaps" - Why we should believe in Jesus

The being of God - A transcendent and impassible God or a loving and caring God

Prayer about the Being and Will of God - New version

What it means to communicate with God - Does God hear? have feelings? can be pleased?

The demands of worshiping God and its consequences - Action of God upon us

Concepts about God - Is God really a Father? - Use of analogies, symbols and metaphors to call God

Is it possible to communicate with God - Risk of distortion with the use of "Abba," Father

Prayer "Our Father" - "Paulinity" versus Christianity - "Idolaters" of the Bible - Jesus' dedication to God

"Let your kingdom come" - The kingdom of God as social justice and loving care for one another

"Give us our daily bread" - Transcendent God, Immanent God and Providential God

 

Providence of God - See also the Prayers, below.

 

Action and providence of God - A personal way of praying

Prayer about the Providence of God - New version   

 

About the Bible

 

Bible and Revelation - Revelation is not yesterday's but today's

The Bible, a book of inspiration - And also of disillusion - Why?

 

About Christianity

 

Christianity seen from its roots - Gap between Jesus' mind and later "enlargements"

Reflections about Christian faith - Manipulation of faith by churches and teachers

Christian faith and churches are in crisis - Specific changes in Christianity which are overdue

Presuppositions of faith - It is a fact that religious faith is based on many unproven presuppositions

 

About Redemption

 

Jesus, the Redeemer - Problems with the doctrine of redemption

 

About eternal life - See also the Prayers, below.

 

The new creation - Life after death

Communication with the afterlife - Since there is none, why should we believe in eternal life

 

Titles of Prayers - Affirmative and directive prayers with comment and explanation.