The Bare Bones of Christianity
What doesn’t Jesus want of us? When we think of Christianity, we usually think of church. If you’re a Christian, you have to attend a church. So >>> three hymns, announcements, offering, and a long sermon. Or >>> a strict liturgy loosely based on Catholic Mass. Or >>> high church liturgy as in the Mass, the Episcopalian service, the Orthodox faiths with their garments, incense, and chants. Then you might think about the abuse scandals, gay priests, evangelists begging for a bigger jet, the hypocrisy, the lackadaisical way many Christians live, the egregious use of religion in politics, and last but not least, the restrictions. Can’t do this, can’t do that. The gender hierarchy. Worldly pastors. Hurt people. Well, if that’s what you think, you’re not wholly wrong, but you’re not even close to right. To understand the kind of religion Jesus Christ established, read the four Gospels. It helps if you love history and can grasp what the first century mind