Jesus rather than Christ, ova legislation, and semitism, February 2024

Feb 4, 2024 It’s a mystery: Each week, Ken Tipton chooses scripture that thrills me. With Nomads’ amazing scholarship and consideration, Exodus 3 became vital for understanding: Elijah unintentionally broke the chain of kingly and priestly hereditary-leadership. My comments are attached and posted on my blog understandtheknowledge.blogspot.com. Topics in the sharing below include: the year 2024’s unfathomable threats, John 9’s sight metaphor, Jesus versus Christ, Jesus’ civic influence, Paul vs James turned to Paul vs Jesus pointing to Semitism vs anti-Semitism, U.S. states’ rights to prevent illegal entry informed me about Acts 15:19-20, Nomads’ exciting opportunities, and taming the abortion issue. UBC worship service was especially meaningful, because Pastor Eric Fulcher, under sermon title “Things You Can’t Unsee”, expressed a flip side of epiphany: once you perceive actual reality, you cannot go back to false senses. Eric shared a nature metaphor to help us consider church. Topics in the writing below include: the year 2024’s unfathomable threats, John 9’s sight metaphor, Jesus versus Christ, Jesus’ civic influence, Paul vs James turned to Paul vs Jesus pointing to Semitism vs anti-Semitism, U.S. states’ rights to prevent illegal entry, and Nomads’ exciting opportunities. Eric listed some of the “million” threats we share in 2024, then spoke of tradition that needs to be relinquished, change we’d rather not make, and better future we’d like to pursue, if not achieve. I relate to Eric’s concerns. A key verse in the sight metaphor is John 9:22, complete Jewish Bible, “. . . they were afraid of the Judeans, for the Judeans had already agreed that anyone who acknowledged Yeshua as the Messiah would be banned from the synagogue. “ Jesus’ civic influence is obscured first by the Judeo-Christian debate: Messiah or Christ? I have no stake in that debate. My world changed when, at age 6, Mom and Dad bought my first pair of glasses. Somehow, they perceived I did not see what they saw and did something about it. So I related to Eric’s video with hearty man who received color-blind-corrective glasses from 30 friends. Similarly, I acquired precious doubt when I read the threats in Revelations 22:18-19. TheGod does not feel so weak as to question my humility to the entity, whatever it is. I am committed to Jesus’ civic influence, which can be seen in the faces of people who image him, whether aware or not. Some of you know the recent story of Rev. Keith Holmes awakening me to the fact that my Dad taught me Jesus, and therefore, I never shared Christ with anyone. I shared with Keith my epiphany then that teaching Christ unfortunately lessens Jesus’ civic influence. Mary VanRheenen, Keith’s wife, suggested that people are different and Christ appeals to some. How does Jesus respond to that idea? Billy King said he could understand my preference for Jesus yet considers Christ and Jesus the same. That’s OK to me for Billy and others who choose equivocation, but I could not, would not, witness to that acceptance before Jesus. Jesus is ever present to the good in my life, and that epiphany brought me back to UBC after 27 years withdrawn to private study. I think the salt of the earth pervades UBC. Nomads class educated me to James’ advocacy to Jesus 15 years after Jesus died versus Paul’s advocacy to the Gentile church, starting 30 years later. Last week, in studying Rob Natelson’s opinion about states’ right to stop illegal entry, I discovered Acts 15:12-17, which suggests that James was a Semite and Paul an anti-Semite. I Googled “Bible: Paul’s salvation versus James’ salvation” and skimming lots of apologetics, I eventually discovered “Jesus v Paul” at https://doctrine.org/jesus-vs-paul. It asserts that Paul opposed Jesus but under the Lord God’s control. The author seems to use “Jesus” and “Christ” indiscriminately yet argues that Jesus was for the Jews and Christ is for receivers of grace, then concludes that Jesus Christ is the Lord God’s intention: “The Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth, Israel and Church. God is sovereign over both His earthly people, Israel, and over His heavenly people, the Church, the body of Christ.” A more balanced review that nonetheless suggests Christianity is anti-Semitic is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism_and_the_New_Testament. Online literature is available to everyone. My epiphany may reflect my gullibility. That is to say, I may be stupid to think people haven’t considered the issue, chosen Jesus rather than Christ, and decided to not reform the church. That’s what’s been happening throughout history: people are reluctant to practice Jesus’ process for forgiveness (Matthew 18:15-17), which is a process for reliable responsibility. I think the tradition of not reforming the church is the cause of chaos so evident in the year 2024. UBC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the U.S., and the earth need Jesus’ civic influence. I think Nomads class inspires necessary reform. I wrote my sixth letter to Speaker Mike Johnson since Thanksgiving. In the 6th I suggested lessening the abortion debate by legislating protection to ova – to encourage and facilitate physical and psychological wellness to women and commit to protect ova to men. The authentic person is dedicated to ova for their brief opportunity and to fetuses, newborns, and children for life. Some people think I should not try to aid Johnson. I think the civic Jesus influences me to aid any political leader who might listen. I hope to see you next Sunday, Feb 11, 2024 Hello, Nomads, Happy Mardi Gras. Today's sermon on applying the light was good. Sam will receive medical attention next week. In David's class, we pondered Jesus's unimaginable experiences at the cross -- at once divinely forgiving and humanly suffering, then asking, why am I forsaken? David shared Aaron and Kim's remarkable understanding that Mother Teresa, struggling with the mystery of theGod (a singularity I hope humbly expressing whatever constrains the consequences of human choice), found comfort in Jesus. I want to understand, because that is how I feel about my life, except that I express it as Jesus' civic influence, which I see in your faces and hear in your voices.. I finished my study of Semitism and think Paul was an antagonist. The study is attached (semitim vs anti-semitism) and posted on my oldest, best blog, https://promotethepreamble.blogspot.com/. I hope you'll comment. i hope to see you next Sunday, Phil

the civic Jesus and Courage Class April 2023

 Sunday Morning Greetings 3/29/23

 

 

Good evening, Nomads,

     I forgot today was Missions Sunday, could not risk the cold-wind, so returned home.

     My pursuit of the-civic-Jesus, springing from Genesis 1:26-28 NIV, continues to unfold with wonderful input from fellow-citizens. Kenneth's weekly choices seem to dovetail with other developments to me.

     John 9, today, prompted my thought of the authentic Jesus recovering from Christ. My concern about Christ-bemusement occurred during Keith Holmes recent visit and increased.
     During the last couple weeks, Barry Baker, of Courage Class, informed of 1998 Frontline scholarship, "From Jesus to Christ". The counterpoint is "from anointed one to Christ", which makes Jesus-slight more obvious.

     It follows that for me, 2023 is the year the-civic-Jesus has risen from Judeo-Christian debate. Of course, this is a shocking thought. However, psychological movement that increases humility to Jesus seems good to me. I look forward to your consideration and comments.

      My consideration of John 9 is attached, including URLs to the Frontline scholarship. It's also on my blog.

Have a good week,

 

Phil

Introduction to a civic plan

 

Hello, Nomads,

This is to introduce a plan for mutually sharing heartfelt United States thoughts stemming from the Bible then collaborating toward an achievable better-future. Nomads who participate will discover common words& phrases which traditionally mislead& divide human-beings. Participants will help replace dividers with expressions that relate to the-good citizen’s experiences& observations and motivate dependents to reform. For example, below, I suggest “appreciatively caution” to replace Old Testament (OT) instruction: "rebuke" a fellow-citizen. 

The collaborative-purpose is to establish the Genesis-1 civic-intentions reflected in the 1787 U.S. Constitution, responsible-human-independence (RHI), without lessening even one person’s spiritual well-being. I think UBC Baptists are best capable for this 2022-needed evolution. Consider the divergent chaos the U.S. has come to under Anglo-American tradition.

I promise:  Future messages will not attempt to cover as many issues as this one poses. Henceforth, I will post my study-essays on my blog, understandtheknowledge.blgospot.com and will also share posts by email. Please take time to comprehend this introduction; talk to me when you have questions/suggestions, and read blog messages that interest you. You can visit the blog in its new function anytime. I have moved previous posts to "archive" and will add to it posts I want to copyright to protect my opportunity to publish original ideas.

Let me review some key phrases I’ve used in class. On December 26, 2021, Kenneth finished his advent series on the fabulous four: fellowship, fear, forgiveness, and faith. When he asked for our faith-stories, I mentioned faith-in independent literature-study, including the Bible.

After 27 years’ self-directed study, I returned to UBC on October 17 to share with fellow-citizens a message:  Civic-citizens can& may benefit more from the-metaphysical-Jesus than from his body& blood. The consequence of my return is a flood of response, seen& unseen, informing me at an exhausting pace beyond Sunday morning class-time. That is, I maintain several other conversations that continually open my mind and my heart. I appreciate Phillip Chialastri, the manager at my auto mechanic shop for the events that led to my return to UBC. Recently, Charles "Chas" Kennon helped me perceive that Paul promoting understanding, as in Ephesians 1:8-10, addresses the-metaphysical-Jesus. Quoting, "With all wisdom and understanding, [God] made known . . . the mystery . . . to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."

I can now articulate what I mean by the-metaphysical-Jesus: the collective civic-integrity among considerate fellow-citizens, including Jesus, in evolution’s civic-journey to discover the-ineluctable-truth. We are at the leading-edge of 300,000 years’ homo sapiens’ psychological journey. Yet we discovered only about 5,500 years’ grammar to study. 

Please note “ineluctable” means: not to be avoided, changed, neglected, or resisted. Its usage empowers fellow-citizens to state “I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth”, when that is so. For example, to the question, “Will my soul live during my afterdeath?”, it’s prudent to say “I don’t know”. To the question, “Will my person live during my afterdeath?, the human-being is too powerful to pretend and can& may respond: “Each person’s death is ineluctable, yet their achievements live on”.

The civic-citizen neither compromises nor subjugates their personal-God, yet, in humility-to the-ineluctable-consequences-of-personal-choice, does not probe/question a fellow-citizen’s private spirituality. We see personal-accommodation regularly in Nomads and can share this civic-privacy with others.

I cannot solve the mystery of Jesus’s reported expression (“I shall lose none . . . he has given me”) and accept that no person, Jesus-contemporary or modern, can witness for Jesus. Yet, I think there is much to gain by considering reports-about-Jesus that seem validated by human-kind’s journey toward accepting the-ineluctable-truth. Progress can be journaled with a view to civic-integrity.

The recent literary-discovery that motivated my return to UBC is the perhaps 5,500 year old civic suggestion I glean from Genesis 1:28. With a view inspired by humankind’s technological progress (we plan to place a nuclear reactor on Mars within 15 years yet are in social chaos) we can& may reform civic-integrity.

So far, it seems humankind has ignored the Genesis-1 message, I think:  The species female&-male-human-being, each and together in the-God’s image, can& may provide order& prosperity to the lesser species and to the earth. So far, it seems humankind has both regressed order and increased chaos. For example, in Protestantism alone there are some 45,000 sects.

Returning to recent Nomads topics, Kenneth Tipton’s series that preceded the fabulous four included the Luke 17:1-19 spiritual formula: rebuke, await repentance, forgive, then expect to continually repeat the cycle. Sidelining my old policy, forgive& forget, I recently experienced the divisiveness of the parallel civic-formula: perceive wrong, rebuke, await repentance and if forthcoming, forgive (yet expect unlimited offense-repetition). That is to say, when I tried rebuke, I received silence, reminding me to forgive& forget. What the Old Testament taught and the New Testament mimicked makes no civic sense.

I reject the OT rebuke-suggestion and weak NT affirmation. I propose, under Genesis 1:28’s modern message, an alternative formula: appreciative caution, self-interested consideration& response, necessary& just reform, and mutual gratitude. In this mutually-appreciative process, the accuser, upon listening to the accused-person's view may discover ineluctable self-interest-reform. That is to say, the accuser may emerge surprised& grateful to reform a personal error. In other words, the accused may prove that the accuser is in error.

A plan for appreciative collaboration

In order to develop such deep thoughts without burdening Nomads, I re-dedicated my existing blog, understandtheknowledge.blogspot.com to journal reflections on Nomads-discussion, without copyright; your witness that words& phrases came from Nomads will be sufficient, along with the journal, to defend our future use of the ideas. If needed& wanted, we can add authors to the blog. Some members won’t have time or inclination to read the posts, and that is OK. I consider all of my communications an appeal to fellow-citizens to improve civic expressions, a clearly self-interested work. And the blog enables me to update posts for clarity and new perspectives.

Only a dreamer would think essays to develop a civic-glossary could improve this world; I am a dreamer. In my extreme dream, Nomads will induce UBC to accelerate an achievable better future. Beyond that, UBC may influence its Baptist-convention to join the evolution. UBC could form a team to journal, practice, facilitate, and encourage Genesis 1:28’s RHI or better. The blog’s name can be changed in order to accelerate essential reform. 

In the dreams’ dream, the U.S. will establish the 1787 U.S. Constitution’s intentions to fulfill Genesis 1:28: constrain chaos on earth. The intention stated in the preamble is 5 domestic disciplines --- integrity, justice, peace, strength, and prosperity, “in order to” practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI “to ourselves and our Posterity” including legal immigrants. Spirituality is not among the disciplines, in order to hold religious practices private rather than civil.

Vaughn Crombie convinced me to try UBCCourageClass, and I am participating while commenting on Nomads' scripture selections.

Phil

Updated on October 16, 2022