Translating God into a New Age

I started off with some sermons/talks on major themes in the Bible and got to thinking that these essays would make good chapters for a book or series that extracts the universal and still-applicable messages out of the mythological narratives in this fascinating history of the Jewish people and the melding of those themes with the Greco-Roman world in the form of Christianity. Unlike other interpretations I've seen that have a new thought perspective, I am taking a comprehensive approach. I never like it much when some Christian groups just picked out what they liked and ignored things that seemed to contradict what they were saying. I am, bravely or foolishly depending on your perspective, going through to discover both the particular cultural/historical context and the universal messages still hidden in all the stories, not just a select few. My goal is to continue to touch both mind and heart (this is not just an intellectual exercise) just as I did when these essays began as talks. Following are abstracts of the chapters I've worked on so far, along with links to the essays for you to try out:

• In the Beginning--What are the lessons to be learned about humans and their relationship to both the earth and the divine from the biblical stories of creation? I don't take any kind of literal meaning from these ancient mythological stories (there are at least two separate creation stories in the Bible), but in this essay, I look at what cosmic message may be hidden in the symbolism of things like, "Let there be light." For a poetic version of my conclusions, check out In the Beginning, my poem on the same subject, or if you'd like to read the entire essay, download the PDF.
• The Ten Commandments in a Postmodern World--Are there universal messages in the ten commandments of the Old Testament/Torah that are relevant in today's so-called rational and definitely skeptical world of cultural relativity? I've taken another look at the original texts on this subject (the commandments appear in more than one place in the Old Testament) and have found continued wisdom in a broader interpretation of their underlying meaning for the relationship between humans and the divine, as well as among humans themselves.  The world really would be a better place if the underlying messages of these commandments were followed. Go to my own "ten guidelines" for an idea of what I took from this lesson, or if you'd like to read the entire essay, download the PDF.
• Job: A Conversation with God--I created a poetic dialogue to form the basis for an emotional and rational exploration of the timeless human questions raised by this most ancient of biblical stories. I reflect on why the innocent suffer, whether Job was, in fact, as innocent as he claims, and how God as creator of all that is remains the master of both good and evil. Go to the introductory poem for this essay to get an idea of the themes, or if you'd like to read the entire essay, download the PDF.
• A Christ for the Third Millennium--Jesus: God or man?  At the start of this third millennium, we would do well to reflect on the role of Christianity in our increasingly diverse spiritual world. In this essay, I return to the ancient debate on the nature of Jesus, comparing the traditional Christian mystery of the god-man with both the Gnostic Christ consciousness and the Unitarian view of Jesus as human teacher. I favor a new synthesis of the human and divine that we can all use for both intellectual and emotional inspiration. For the complete story, download the PDF.
• Grace: A New Role for the Greatest Gift of All--Christians claim that good works are not enough, that we can't earn our way into heaven, and many liberal religionists, as well as some non-liberal ones, would disagree with this.  In this essay, I explore the debate between grace and good works in relating to God, and propose a more down-to-earth, human role for the work of grace that will empower us all. For the complete story, download the PDF.
• On Being Christ-Like--Although grace is a good starting point, I believe that the Christian call is primarily one of emulation of Jesus. I see a combination of following what he said and following what he did that makes for being truly Christ-like. Looking at the Gospels, it seems that he was compassionate, healing, forgiving, not afraid to speak the truth to power, peaceful, spiritually connected, and disciplined in his spiritual practice. Sounds like good stuff to copy. For the complete story, download the PDF.