I’ve been having some interesting discussions with my son Braun lately. Always an honest questioner, as he moves into the realm of fatherhood, he is trying to zero in on just what he wants to pass along to his child as a spiritual legacy. He is put off by all the wars and ugliness Christianity has promoted in its expansionist efforts. Sure, lots of good too, but why all the bad? Not convinced he wants to go there with his kids. In response to his legitimate concerns, I have been retracing the evolution of the Christian church to understand where we went off the rails of Jesus’ original plan for his followers. The problem consistently has been related to preempting Jesus’ teachings with quests for power, control and the establishment of human hierarchies to achieve that control. Jesus not only refused Satan’s temptation for instant earthly power, but side-stepped any human efforts to force Him to take political stands on non-eternal issues. Even power-grabbing efforts among His disciples were met with harsh reprimands to let go of those hurtful human measures of success. His Great Commission call to share the gospel had NOTHING to do with political or military power, nor the acquisition of territories or holy wars! It was simply, “Go out and share the life-changing experience you have had in knowing Me and let people decide for themselves.” Like the “telephone game,” Jesus’ words and intent have gotten terribly distorted! Thus the very erratic historical track record. So, my advice to Braun, and any honest seeker, is to go back to the Source. Read Jesus’ own words. Search out your own understanding of His intent, and bypass ALL the middlemen’s distortions of His message. The New Testament is as close to the beginnings as we can get. So, if your questions are honest, start there. God, I am thankful You moved those earliest believers to capture Jesus’ words from the Source! They are life-giving to me as You use them to whisper in my ear.