Universal Life Church - The Four Gospels

Essay for The Four Gospels Course, By Stuart J. Malkin, D.D., Ph.D.

So much of the story of Jesus and Christianity is known to the world

that it is difficult to write a short essay. Mostly, it is a matter of

detail, and there is plenty of detail in the Four Gospels. And I had

never read them in their entirety, and doing so created in my mind some

“camera angles” which I relate here. Some of this is material that I

captured from earlier studies and resources.

Jesus only had a three year ministry. He was baptized at 30 and died

at 33. Women held an unconventionally high place in his following, and

not all of them were very respectable. His disciples only dimly

understood him. He was tried on a charge of blasphemy and executed by

crucifixion, the barbaric method reserved for slaves and rebels. On his

death, the belief was that Jesus made the sacrifice and the system of

animal sacrifice was no longer necessary.

The Christian faith is directly descended from the religion of the

Jews. The following are the original characteristics: Belief in the

existence of one God, human beings are made in the image of God, God is

gracious and merciful, God revealed himself to the nation of Israel,

God would someday establish His rule in a sinful world, and, the

practice of a moral life.

The earliest church, for about 40 years, was essentially a Jewish sect.

The church is a school for sinners rather than a club for saints. One

of the strengths of the church has been the capacity for repeated

renewal and revival.

The doctrines of the Trinity and the incarnation have caused

difficulty. The nature of God lies beyond the scope of our finite

understanding. This leads to a variety of attempts to simplify the

doctrine of God by restricting full divinity to the Father or by

regarding the three persons simply as three different aspects of one

God.

Christian history is full of religious tribalism. Because people were

unwilling to believe anything good about other faiths all sorts of

inaccuracies and distortions became accepted as fact. The depletion of

financial resources available to churches has diminished because of the

growth of parachurch organizations. The loss of church members in many

Western nations is also causing financial pressure.

I will add that the current difficulties in the Catholic church over

the conduct of priests with sexual perversions has caused both

administrative and spiritual questions. And documentaries such as the

“Magdalene Sisters” reveal that the church has had some practices which

were contrary to the Teachings, if not actually criminal. The

Inquisition is well known as a black time in the church’s history, but

there have been other events as well. It is not surprising that New Age

religions flourish in this environment.

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