Christianity or Churchianity

Has the Christian Religion remained true to the Founder's intent? Did the early Church Fathers really capture the truth as expressed by Jesus Christ in His Gospel to humanity? This book is my effort to take us on a personal journey in finding the truth in the message of Jesus Christ. The Christ message was given to all of humanity, and we all possess the capacity to learn this message. His message was never intended to be in the sole domain of only a few clerical middle-men. This book is my attempt to reveal the truth and the wisdom of the Christ message. Because of the personal, social and political considerations made by the early founders of the Church, we have been given a Christian theology that does not reflect the real truth of the Christ message. If we are to experience the truth of Jesus Christ, we must re-visit the actual words that were attributed to Jesus Christ so that we are able to apprehend His message. It is my hope that we will become as spiritual archaeologists, digging for the truth that has remained buried under two-thousand years of obfuscation.

With this book, "Christianity or Churchianity: Finding the Lost Message of Christ," it will be our time to understand the true meaning of Christianity. We will investigate the Christ message by utilizing the canonical gospels to explore the words of Jesus Christ. We will also refer to other Christian Gospels that were very popular among the Christians of the first and second century but, due to the social and political conditions of the time, these Christian Gospels were not accepted into the New Testament Canon. We will further explore other ancient texts that were influential in the early development of Christian theology such as The Corpus Hermeticum. Our journey will take us to unexpected and exciting insights. We will discover why our religious institutions are failing us. The truth, as expressed in the Christ message, is to be found in the recorded words of Jesus Christ. This truth was lost in the abstruse creeds and complicated doctrines that were created by the early Church Fathers in their attempt to establish and project their authority over all other religious and political institutions.

True Christianity has yet to appear. It is our responsibility, as individuals, to discover the new reality of Christian kinship, and it will be our task to practice what we learn. True Christianity is universal brotherhood, and the words of Jesus Christ, as recorded in both canonical and non-canonical sources, will be used as our spiritual road map. In the early years, after the death of Jesus Christ, men created the Christian religion, and this creation has resulted in the Christian institutions that we see today. Unfortunately, we have inherited "churchianity." And true Christianity is yet to be discovered.

This is to be our spiritual journey in finding the truth in the Christ message. It is our journey back home to our Spiritual Garden of Eden. This is the truth of Jesus Christ, and He never intended for this truth to be locked away by men who are mainly interested in the growth of ecclesiastical power. The Christ message belongs to all of us, and it is our responsibility to understand this truth. The future is ours, and "A New Age of Vision" awaits us.

About the Author

As a Baby Boomer, I was a young man during our turbulent 1960's, and this experience has been instrumental in shaping my development as an individual. After fully exploring the youth culture of the 1960's, I enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the early 1970's, and lived in Japan for several years. After my discharge from the Navy, I attended the University of California on the GI Bill where I majored in psychology and philosophy. Upon completion of my academic studies, I worked within the mental health field for a number of years. My early interests were mainly centered on the health of the human being.

With the decline to our mental health system during the 1980

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