The Kingdom of God can be established on earth--after 2 thousand years!
There's only one institution that needs to be in place; and that Jesus would have agreed to, but not St. Paul.
That's the role of the mediator in the Kingdom. What is that role? I've wrestled with understanding the Gospels; and I know what it is and I know how important it is, but I know I've convince very few Christians.
You have to be a mediator among your community; and that means you have you to defend the Faith when dissension breaks out. It may seem a small matter. St. Paul says some say you are this brother; others say you are that brother; but the importance is you are both of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection.
In the Kingdom of God we are each and every Godlike. And that means we carry with us the sign of the Cross, that we are dedicated to the Kingdom; and will excel in doing what we have to do to keep the Kingdom of believers together. If there's ever a moment of dissension, each of us must bear the burden of squashing it. We must not allow any dissension--I know we like dissension for reasons of debate--but there's no debate here; we must help our brethren.
The role of the mediator has been developed in the social sciences; and it is not my stay to lecture about it. That is all that Christianity is about to keep the Kingdom alive and well. You will see the value of Christian love in the community, if only you do as told, as your plan given by God directs you to live.
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This concludes the Christian Pragmatics (CP) theme. It is offered as a sketch of Christianity's importance to Western Culture today.
.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
(CP-8) The Christian Mission Today
I can't tell the fortune of Christianity tomorrow. I can only tell what Christianity means today.
Apart from its marvelous works in Africa, South America, and Asia to heal the wounded soul, there is a balm in Gilead that is from the Lord God. People across the continents are welcoming Christian missionaries who carry the Gospel that God loves them.
I'm have been in contact with NGO's all over the world; and I know what greatness they are doing. Particularly, I want to mention the Carter foundation that has done so much to rid children of diseases I don't want to describe. But of course the Bob Gates foundation with his wife have done so much greatness words can't describe, either!
I am predicting a revolution in thought about Africa about the time of 2230. By then all the work of the NGOs will have come to fruition. But it is important to realize that Christians have had so much influence in these activities of the NGOs.
But you don't know the starting point. In the 1990s, I was attending conferences that predicted the Third World countries would revolt and stage a giant rebellion against the forward-advancing countries. At that time, I was so concerned that I sided with the African and Third World Countries. At once, I visited China and assured myself they would prosper.
Praise God, for the USA.
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But there's a bite to this. What have the Islamic countries been doing for their people? How could they allow Palestine to waste away for decades? What is happening in Africa that only Uganda seems to come out ahead? Are these Muslims crazy? Look how Iraq has turned out. Look how Syria has come apart, so much so that Israel has had to bomb installations in the Golan Heights. Are Muslims capable of self-governing?
I don't know; and that's why I'm embracing Christianity to further the good of humanity.
Apart from its marvelous works in Africa, South America, and Asia to heal the wounded soul, there is a balm in Gilead that is from the Lord God. People across the continents are welcoming Christian missionaries who carry the Gospel that God loves them.
I'm have been in contact with NGO's all over the world; and I know what greatness they are doing. Particularly, I want to mention the Carter foundation that has done so much to rid children of diseases I don't want to describe. But of course the Bob Gates foundation with his wife have done so much greatness words can't describe, either!
I am predicting a revolution in thought about Africa about the time of 2230. By then all the work of the NGOs will have come to fruition. But it is important to realize that Christians have had so much influence in these activities of the NGOs.
But you don't know the starting point. In the 1990s, I was attending conferences that predicted the Third World countries would revolt and stage a giant rebellion against the forward-advancing countries. At that time, I was so concerned that I sided with the African and Third World Countries. At once, I visited China and assured myself they would prosper.
Praise God, for the USA.
---------------------------------------------------------------
But there's a bite to this. What have the Islamic countries been doing for their people? How could they allow Palestine to waste away for decades? What is happening in Africa that only Uganda seems to come out ahead? Are these Muslims crazy? Look how Iraq has turned out. Look how Syria has come apart, so much so that Israel has had to bomb installations in the Golan Heights. Are Muslims capable of self-governing?
I don't know; and that's why I'm embracing Christianity to further the good of humanity.
(CP-7) Christianity thrives in Western Culture
Christianity in its earliest forms thrived amid calls for austerity and this-world denial. People embraced the movement to lay up treasures in heaven where moth and dust doth not corrupt. And so the monasteries thrived as Christians became part of the world to come, not the world that is. They would rather rejoice in the Christian message of purity of spirit rather than the Christian desire to better mankind. The great monasteries of the Jesuits, the followers of this or that saint became bulwarks of isolation from this world, culminating in St. Thomas Aquinas' tomes hallowing the great works of the Greeks who lived long before did he in the Middle Ages. He could look back to any age because he did not belong to any age, living as he did in a monastery. Poverty, chastity of spirit, longing to be not of this world but of the world to come became the hallmark of Christian charity and love for centuries.
Girls were called to the convent to live a life of purity and isolation. Oh yes, they would venture forth to teach little children how to play with one another under supervision, but the idea ingrained through the Christian message was self-denial of worldly pleasures, because these were the result of one's sinful nature--even as St. Paul had warned in his Epistles.
1. The First Awakening to Christians that they could be of this world
I think the greatness of Max Weber in his epic-changing The Protestant Ethic early in the 20th Century was to point out that Christianity could alter its message to accept the ethos of the day such as capitalism and permit the making of lots of money for purposes to benefit those engaged in commerce and trade. Capitalism could be a worthy Christian endeavor. That is to say, the Protestants were prepared to become entrepreneurs and managers of businesses and stewards of the Christian message. The melding of the two was possible through the concept of hard labor for the sake of godly, Puritanical living. Ever since the 17th Century, Christian Bible-touting businessmen have become rich while extolling the virtues of a saintly existence on earth!
The change wrought in the Christian message has become enormous. No longer was the Kingdom of God a promise of the world to come. It could exist through human effort on this planet. They took as their motto according to Weber Proverbs 22:29 "Seest thou a diligent man to his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." I take it that capitalism is so worthy as to command the audience of the most respected of mankind and not be concerned with what the trifle of men think about such labor and reward.
2. The Second Awakening of the Christians that as to their human condition and existential situation
This movement in Christianity starting around WWI is known as the Rise of the Social Gospel, and it has occurred in the US primarily. It is a major change in Christian thought that not only are we are brothers keeper, as the Old Testament hinted at, but we are in charge of each other's welfare!
This movement among Christians has meshed with the blacks fight for equality, the women's emancipation from household drudgery, and the Third World insinuation into world politics. The results are unfathomable. It has led to programs to end discrimination in housing, in education, and in the workplace. Of course, social programs of this dimension take centuries to achieve their end results, but it is important to realize that people like Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm-X initially led the way.
The basis for Christian involvement in social amelioration is John Locke's philosophy that all men are created equal. In the Bible, we are exhorted to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Everyone is worthy of salvation by God and should abide by God's plan for his life. So it is natural to assume that we are our brother's keeper.
Homelessness, poverty, and conditions of servitude have always been with us; but with Christian charity, we reach out to improve the social conditions of our brethren.
Because this feature of Christianity is really new, one cannot speculate what its ultimate effect will be. I can only say that Christianity is moving ahead with these projects to end poverty. Now it is true that the only weapon so far advanced to achieve the goal is re-distribution of wealth, which the wealthy do not accept as a vehicle for social change. There should be other means available, not yet advanced, that will achieve this end, too.
You can see that changes in Christian living take centuries to happen; and this not without human agony over the changes. But I am sure they will take place as society and culture accept better living conditions for people.
The remarkable feature of Christianity is that it is at the forefront of social amelioration!
3. Society's response for equality of peoples
In every case, I believe, society exacts the same from every group desirous of equal treatment under the rule of law: CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!
That means each group or sect or race must measure up to the standards the society sets for participating membership. They are living in a mess; and society insists the group clean it up in order to maintain a measured amount of influence and control over the entire social entity.
For the women in search of equality, it has meant getting a good education in order to compete in a man's world and playing down the impediments of being a woman on earth.
For the blacks it means, establishing a rule of law in their neighborhoods, so that gangs do not go rough-shot over the old and the feeble. They must do that in their neighborhoods, nobody is going to do it for them. They need local leadership that enforces quiet and peace in their neighborhoods. Got it? At that moment in history, they'll achieve equality.
Then, and only then, the Kingdom of God will be established on earth.
Girls were called to the convent to live a life of purity and isolation. Oh yes, they would venture forth to teach little children how to play with one another under supervision, but the idea ingrained through the Christian message was self-denial of worldly pleasures, because these were the result of one's sinful nature--even as St. Paul had warned in his Epistles.
1. The First Awakening to Christians that they could be of this world
I think the greatness of Max Weber in his epic-changing The Protestant Ethic early in the 20th Century was to point out that Christianity could alter its message to accept the ethos of the day such as capitalism and permit the making of lots of money for purposes to benefit those engaged in commerce and trade. Capitalism could be a worthy Christian endeavor. That is to say, the Protestants were prepared to become entrepreneurs and managers of businesses and stewards of the Christian message. The melding of the two was possible through the concept of hard labor for the sake of godly, Puritanical living. Ever since the 17th Century, Christian Bible-touting businessmen have become rich while extolling the virtues of a saintly existence on earth!
The change wrought in the Christian message has become enormous. No longer was the Kingdom of God a promise of the world to come. It could exist through human effort on this planet. They took as their motto according to Weber Proverbs 22:29 "Seest thou a diligent man to his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." I take it that capitalism is so worthy as to command the audience of the most respected of mankind and not be concerned with what the trifle of men think about such labor and reward.
2. The Second Awakening of the Christians that as to their human condition and existential situation
This movement in Christianity starting around WWI is known as the Rise of the Social Gospel, and it has occurred in the US primarily. It is a major change in Christian thought that not only are we are brothers keeper, as the Old Testament hinted at, but we are in charge of each other's welfare!
This movement among Christians has meshed with the blacks fight for equality, the women's emancipation from household drudgery, and the Third World insinuation into world politics. The results are unfathomable. It has led to programs to end discrimination in housing, in education, and in the workplace. Of course, social programs of this dimension take centuries to achieve their end results, but it is important to realize that people like Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm-X initially led the way.
The basis for Christian involvement in social amelioration is John Locke's philosophy that all men are created equal. In the Bible, we are exhorted to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Everyone is worthy of salvation by God and should abide by God's plan for his life. So it is natural to assume that we are our brother's keeper.
Homelessness, poverty, and conditions of servitude have always been with us; but with Christian charity, we reach out to improve the social conditions of our brethren.
Because this feature of Christianity is really new, one cannot speculate what its ultimate effect will be. I can only say that Christianity is moving ahead with these projects to end poverty. Now it is true that the only weapon so far advanced to achieve the goal is re-distribution of wealth, which the wealthy do not accept as a vehicle for social change. There should be other means available, not yet advanced, that will achieve this end, too.
You can see that changes in Christian living take centuries to happen; and this not without human agony over the changes. But I am sure they will take place as society and culture accept better living conditions for people.
The remarkable feature of Christianity is that it is at the forefront of social amelioration!
3. Society's response for equality of peoples
In every case, I believe, society exacts the same from every group desirous of equal treatment under the rule of law: CLEAN UP YOUR ACT!
That means each group or sect or race must measure up to the standards the society sets for participating membership. They are living in a mess; and society insists the group clean it up in order to maintain a measured amount of influence and control over the entire social entity.
For the women in search of equality, it has meant getting a good education in order to compete in a man's world and playing down the impediments of being a woman on earth.
For the blacks it means, establishing a rule of law in their neighborhoods, so that gangs do not go rough-shot over the old and the feeble. They must do that in their neighborhoods, nobody is going to do it for them. They need local leadership that enforces quiet and peace in their neighborhoods. Got it? At that moment in history, they'll achieve equality.
Then, and only then, the Kingdom of God will be established on earth.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
The American Rich and Famous
I've been watching programs, like "E!News," that I don't usually watch. My tastes in fashion and design are more plebian.
Anyhow, what impressed me was how stilted they conduct themselves, relatively little spontaneity; and how sterile and picture-book their houses and ballrooms and cars are, as if they were simply living in a hotel or in a hospital room! Or, driving a taxi. You don't see magazines thrown about, hair a bit messy; and houses that are in need of some repair!
I recall going to a Japanese art exhibit a few years ago. The artist was also a student of culture. He claimed that the essence of good art is in the idiosyncratic mars and mistakes retained in a work that adds character and charm to it. I personally believe his philosophy is profound. We want to be remembered as an individual human being with all the peculiar faults and idiosyncrasies that we personally have. And we want to enjoy them and want our friends to know us as individuals!
I feel sorry that our culture wants stilt men and women to model after--and model homes that don't look lived in; have no distinguishing features aside from their being mausoleums. I don't think it really does. The emotional blah kids their raising is proof that this isn't the best of all living styles.
Anyhow, what impressed me was how stilted they conduct themselves, relatively little spontaneity; and how sterile and picture-book their houses and ballrooms and cars are, as if they were simply living in a hotel or in a hospital room! Or, driving a taxi. You don't see magazines thrown about, hair a bit messy; and houses that are in need of some repair!
I recall going to a Japanese art exhibit a few years ago. The artist was also a student of culture. He claimed that the essence of good art is in the idiosyncratic mars and mistakes retained in a work that adds character and charm to it. I personally believe his philosophy is profound. We want to be remembered as an individual human being with all the peculiar faults and idiosyncrasies that we personally have. And we want to enjoy them and want our friends to know us as individuals!
I feel sorry that our culture wants stilt men and women to model after--and model homes that don't look lived in; have no distinguishing features aside from their being mausoleums. I don't think it really does. The emotional blah kids their raising is proof that this isn't the best of all living styles.
Monday, June 9, 2014
You don't understand the Ukrainian Crisis
When I was in Russia, Moscow, in the late 1980s, I help found the Russian Federation of Independent States. I understood then that some would have financial problems in order to exist, but after all that's what international banks are for. Moreover, I saw the amount of corruption going on and still exists to this day in every one of these satellite countries and in Russia. But that's politics.
The IMF has been delegated to help clean up the corruption mess of the Russian satellites. Of course, it has no jurisdiction in Russia. If the corruption isn't cleaned up, everyone of the satellites will go under, I can guarantee it. Nonetheless, the US has been working with Georgia; and has taken a leadership role in Moldova and of course, in the Ukraine.
I see this as an opportunity to reform the satellites for the sake of democracy and for their own independence. Yes, maybe, I did see how to create this opportunity when I was in Russia working on their new Constitution.
Let me get to the situation today. The Ukrainians are bankrupt. I would hope the IMF would go in there and clean up. Short of that I have no solution. Let them go to Russia, whose own corruption far excels anything the world has seen since the Middle Ages.
There's some satellite countries who are running to Russia. The Armenians won't be accepted into the EU ever, so I understand their plight. I'm not against the Customs Union, but each nation must remain independent. Being a member of the Customs Union does not preclude this.
Then, there are a few satellites who have run to Russia because they are insolvent. Russia ought not to serve as a banker, any more than should the US. I understand the EU bank is doing fantastic.
But now we come to the globalization part. I won't allow the satellite Russian countries to fall into the hands of Russia. Try me. I'll annihilate you. You say to me you can play the oil hand; and I'll show you what the international community will do to someone who holds it captive. They will destroy your fields; they will do whatever to bring Russia in line without a President Putin. I won't see the Russian people suffer anymore but I won't have you. You want more suffering of the Russian people, President Putin?
Anyway, I've decided to remove you from the Presidency of the Russian Government with every strength I have, not for my sake, but for the concern I have for the independence of the Russian Confederate Republics.
So, you say, I'm a lowly person in the USA complex. No, dear President, I'm with the globalization project that is in control of getting order in this world. You can contact me in Germany. You are ancient history.
The IMF has been delegated to help clean up the corruption mess of the Russian satellites. Of course, it has no jurisdiction in Russia. If the corruption isn't cleaned up, everyone of the satellites will go under, I can guarantee it. Nonetheless, the US has been working with Georgia; and has taken a leadership role in Moldova and of course, in the Ukraine.
I see this as an opportunity to reform the satellites for the sake of democracy and for their own independence. Yes, maybe, I did see how to create this opportunity when I was in Russia working on their new Constitution.
Let me get to the situation today. The Ukrainians are bankrupt. I would hope the IMF would go in there and clean up. Short of that I have no solution. Let them go to Russia, whose own corruption far excels anything the world has seen since the Middle Ages.
There's some satellite countries who are running to Russia. The Armenians won't be accepted into the EU ever, so I understand their plight. I'm not against the Customs Union, but each nation must remain independent. Being a member of the Customs Union does not preclude this.
Then, there are a few satellites who have run to Russia because they are insolvent. Russia ought not to serve as a banker, any more than should the US. I understand the EU bank is doing fantastic.
But now we come to the globalization part. I won't allow the satellite Russian countries to fall into the hands of Russia. Try me. I'll annihilate you. You say to me you can play the oil hand; and I'll show you what the international community will do to someone who holds it captive. They will destroy your fields; they will do whatever to bring Russia in line without a President Putin. I won't see the Russian people suffer anymore but I won't have you. You want more suffering of the Russian people, President Putin?
Anyway, I've decided to remove you from the Presidency of the Russian Government with every strength I have, not for my sake, but for the concern I have for the independence of the Russian Confederate Republics.
So, you say, I'm a lowly person in the USA complex. No, dear President, I'm with the globalization project that is in control of getting order in this world. You can contact me in Germany. You are ancient history.
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