new bible cuts out difficult stuff: so what's new!

Dodgy bible that cuts out difficult passages that mention political, economic or social justice stuff -  eg. sermon on the mount, just been released in netherlands - the ecclesia think tanks  has a piece on it :: here

So what's new! - this has been going on for years:  uk modern christianity: ie. the mainstream- has a pair of scissors -
eg. it cut - 'snip': 'gospel for the poor' down tae: 'gospel'. 

Did you notice?

Och! well I'm glad!

It may force christians in europe to come face to face with what is happening to them for a long time.

the politics, economics  and social justice of Jesus - strewn all over the new testament: have been 'snipped' from christian imagination and practice today.. and it has left christians in europe and US

helpless, blinded, and confused before the powers of a global age!   (war, greed, injustice)

the politics, economics  and social justice of Jesus - aren't plug-ins, something on the side of the main dish: worship services/church meetings

It is YOUR survival!
It is your tools to resist evil!

an ancient...

An ancient strategy has been in operation for killing the life-force of christianity - it has been underway for a long time (from early gnosticism to 21st century sectarianism) - it aims to do it real slow so that noone notices:

This transgenerational influence beheaded the economics and justice and politics of Jesus - from christianity -leaving us with the 'worship service' and a gaffer-taped jesus - treating the creator- like a nice but mute doll - an i-doll.  A million miles from a brazen upstart from nazareth who taught the poor that they were the centre of God's world and stirred up a whole nation so much that it brought the wrath of the church and empire of his day down on his head..

The dark side of christianity is rarely understood and therefore has power to operate at will (we don't like to think of the biblical figure of satan is being 'inside christian cultural landscape of church buildings, services and christian festivals and organisations' - biblically speaking that's its best hiding place - who would think of looking there)

because it has hidden itself within the christian animal in europe- and few christians critique or challenge it - (except as a vague puzzling 'cultic, sectish or institutionally dehumanising force where 'leaders' go a bit funny or where we stumble on to the church finances and wonder why most of it is going on our gang's building/thing and not the dreams of the saints for transforming their city or town.

many turn a blind eye to 'use of covert power to maintain positions and reputation' too - even chronic and severe abuse (US, UK and Ireland: catholic/protestant child abuse cases - church leaders using those in high places to protect 'their' reputation, maintain secrecy, discredit the abused and block their claims)  I know personally several violently abused in an infamous convent kids home in aberdeen.  We are not talking about a few but thousands of destroyed lives...

Anyway - the point is

the politics, economics  and social justice of Jesus - isn't a plug-in, an extra thing that might help others a bit - something on the side of the main dish: worship services/church meetings

It is YOUR survival!
It is your tools to resist evil!

to be a christian AND depoliticised is a dangerous thing to be - you have enough christian identity to be noticed by the powers but completely disarmed and unable to discern, resist, fight evil when it comes.

(depoliticised = a private christian - a cabbage head christian: where 'worship' is disconnected from the politics, economics and social justice of jesus - and becomes a fluffy bunny narcissism - just an experience - worship of worship )

interestingly - the thing that really puzzled the romans/greeks when seeing early christians is the fact that they didn't look like any religion that they understood religion to be.   

(the idea that religion was about helping the poor and sharing goods and resisting dehumanisation of those in authority (bowing to caesar) - ie social justice, economics and politics -  WAS COMPLETELY ALIEN to them.  Everyone in the roman empire knew that religion was about WORSHIP ONLY - their worship involved 3 things: priests, tithes and temples for worship - to the gods of course (ie your own personal experience of god) and the city was packed with them - BUT and this is a big BUT...

it had absolutley nothing to do with the poor or the conditions of the city they lived in.  This was a completely alien idea - The torah which diaspora jews brought into roman cities before christ - was incredible enough - the law: is about social, economic and political relations - Jesus used 'the torah'
to resist satan in the desert - when satan tried to tempt Jesus to just get into 'worship' - never mind all that other stuff.   What did Jesus say: (paraphrased) Get out of my way you liar - your not worshipping God - that's about 'you' - I'm going to worship God ..in helping the poor, getting the people to share their goods and heal each other, and in NOT BOWING TO YOU OR YOUR WAY OF WORSHIP that you've fooled the whole world with...

so now - I know what I have to do - not go to jerusalem; to the temple worship in-crowd- but to the outcasts of galilee - that is how I'm going to worship MY father..

satan leaves.. angels (powers that be in galilee) welcome him and support his incredible message to the poor (gospel to the poor)

This is God's world: and he announces to you: you are not the outcasts - they are! (pointing to the religious leaders and temple-goers)

that would be like God saying to searching hungry folks in a housing estate or dodgy underground arty activist area of the city - you are not the outcasts - they are (pointing to the churches and christian organisations)

hard hitting eh?  why was John the baptist and then Jesus so hard on this.. (brood of vipers - ouch!, hypocrites to leaders and 'your real father is the devil' to some temple/churchgoers ?)

if you don't diagnose accurately - the sickness can't get healed!
By putting worship at the heart of jewish life (leaders, tithes and temples) they in effect sold out to the powers that be - and cut the social justice, political and economic aspects of the torah - leaving the people helpless and vulnerable, sick, dying and (apart from violence) were unable to stand up to evil effectively - because their leaders had sold out to the spirit of the roman empire - the fight was against themselves - few knew how to begin to do that -how do you fight yourselves?

jesus first job - was to start healing this mess that was created by this separation - bodies, minds, villages, economies (tax, poverty), by modelling how heal each other, share goods, how to resist evil even actively push it back without doing violence to people.

   The Greco roman city - many of which appeared in NT - were full overcrowded streets and buildings, massive poverty, sex and work slavery, infant mortality (baby-tips were common), diseases,  broken bodies, limbs and minds from violence at home and endless wars abroad -

would hear this message from paul and his friends years later - like Jesus..

and begin to heal the mess, help share, to name and stand against and even push together against this idea (by example, word and by deed) that worship - is separate from- the poor

the good news they brought was that GOD of JESUS CHRIST LIVES HERE and he is all about the politics, economics and social justice of their city - those that do something about these things are really worshipping the creator of the universe and your city...