We are living in a time of tremendous religious awareness when
both believers and nonbelievers are engaged by their different religion and traditions. People are seeking to understand the violence
perpetrated in the name of God.
Being a spiritual person, raised in the Catholic faith, I
find myself asking some of the same questions. I decided to read a book by
Diarmaid MacCulloch, the son of an Anglican clergyman. He writes with deep
faith and feeling. His last book “The Reformation “won many awards.
I decided to read his new book “Christianity” in order to
learn how the message of Jesus’ spread and how the New Testament was
formed. This book seeks to fill in all
the blanks many Christians have about their religion.
It fills in often neglected accounts of conversations and
confrontations in both Africa and Asia. It
explains how the message of Jesus spread to and through Europe and the United States. It
covers the roots of the evangelical movement, the Crusades,heritics, among
other historical and religion facts. It explains how books of the bible, were selected and
by who, and why they were selected to be put into the New Testament while others were not.
It is 1000 pages plus book that seek to teach and enlighten a
true Christian believer. It is not an anti-Christian book and was written to
bring believers out of the dark and impart an educated understanding of their
faith.
Yet when I posted some facts and explanations on
Facebook I lost many of my Christian friends. They seemed offended by the
history and facts about their own religion. This confused me to no end. Why
would so many want to live in ignorance and fear? Sometimes I worry about my fellow man.” Seek
and the answers will appear. Stick your head in the sand and the truth will
pass you by" Gary Andres.
