Dark Brightness

This is a time when the persecutions begin. I note that South Park can be blasphemous about Jesus, but not Mohammed. Because they are afraid of their skins. I see that the left is afraid that there will be a winnowing of them, while accusing their opposition of being genocidal racists, perverts, and worse.

I’m not that courageous and I prefer to be in comfort. Yet I claim to follow this person>

Matthew 4,

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he cured them. 25And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Jesus was a healer and preacher. He attended to the needs of people who came to see him. But does this mean, to be like him, we have to remove from the rich to give to the poor? In Acts a couple came to Peter saying they had sold all to give to the church but had held some back. They were killed (without a hand on them) and Peter commented that their property was theirs, they could choose to keep it, sell it, and give what they wanted. Their crime was claiming to what they are not.

Colossians 3:1-17

1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things – anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

via PCUSA – Devotions – Daily readings for Saturday, April 24, 2010.

From this: we must be truthul, pure, not jealous of other’s blessings — instead be happy for them.

• We should neither demonize or praise the rich. I note that both occur far too often in our political discourse.
• We should be honest. If our brother is struggling, he needs help, but if he feels he has to pretend to not have problems… how can he get help.
• We should resolve our differences in house.
• We are all one. There is no place for playing the politics of colour.
• We are one. We should not encourage the lords of this earth to steal from us.
• We should do good. One could argue that the state is not the means for this: for it is not sustainable in times of poverty. Families should look after their own and we should then provide for those who do not have. If we don’t have a few homeless people coming in for the food we are not doing our job.
• In the end, we are hidden in Christ. We have to account to him. Each day we can do good, or not, and that is our responsibility, And if we were not hidden in Christ, it would be our condemnation, for each day we do not meet these standards.

So moving to a social gospel, to a gospel that proclaims and ruminates on imagined oppression and the need for some authority to punish, is not a gospel.  If one preaches this, one ins against Christ.

The Gospel needs to be available and understandable by a child — and the current neopagan gaiaist syncretic liberalized faith ain’t that.