Part 1: The Rise of Evangelical ChristianityAs the director of The Alchemy Institute, David Quigley is less well known for his degree in Comparative Religion from Duke University, one of the world’s top centers at the time for the fact based study of the origins and meaning of the scriptures. So he is singularly well qualified to provide accurate knowledge of Gospel truth…and falsehood. DISCLAIMER:
PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING! This article is not about Alchemy specifically. The Alchemy Institute is not a Christian organization and does not preach or advocate for any particular religious organization or doctrine. I’m writing this in the wake of the lies being told about Jesus in the time of Trump. We are open to your feedback. And hope you will share its wisdom with friends and family. Especially any who are calling themselves Christians in this day and age. These days many true Christians like myself find ourselves appalled by the apparent selfishness, racism and cruelty of the so-called Christian Evangelical movement. We are horrified by their embrace of the serial rapist, molester, and self-absorbed dictator Donald Trump. How, we ask, is he delighting his Evangelical followers by locking thousands of children in concentration camps who are legally seeking asylum in this country? All while trying his best to fatten up his billionaire friends at the expense of our government’s obligation to help the poor, the sick, and the homeless, by gutting social welfare programs.
What kind of Christians, one might ask, are these? This is of course the exact opposite of the compassion that Jesus tells us to observe if we wish to follow him. It would be valuable to study from the point of view of a religious scholar like myself what Evangelical Christianity is all about, and how it got to this terrible slavish devotion to evil. The words “Evangelical Christian” is based upon the Pentecostal gathering after Jesus’s death and resurrection when his disciples spoke in tongues and all received the dramatic message “tell everyone the Good News!” (Gospel in Greek). It is there that the spirit of bearing witness, in word and action, to the living presence of Jesus began. Good news? What good news? 40 days after His death, this bunch of terrified former fisher folk, farmers, and lowlifes, now sought after criminals, were still hiding out in some upper room. Seriously! Their so called “messiah”, which means military leader/conqueror for God’s chosen people, was dead. And his mission to free Israel from the Romans? Jesus had promised…they believed… to return in glory at the head of a heavenly army to destroy the Roman armies. Remember the old Christmas carol? “Oh come, oh come Emmanuel”? This song was an ancient call to a dream of a divine military intervention. Emmanuel, sometimes called Messiah, was the promised General, the promised savior of the nation, leading a host of angels. But instead of being a conqueror of the Roman armies to free Israel, we get this: first that mess with the Temple staff. Shame! And then a crucifixion. In other words, zilch!! What could possibly inspire these frightened revolutionary outlaws, renegades hated by both Roman and Jewish authorities to share what good news? It was embarrassing enough that this King/warrior/savior enrolled and hung out with revolutionary peasants who hated Rome, But He kept talking about forgiving your enemies! He even let Romans in on his teachings! WTF is that! In rural Galilee, the center of the Jewish insurrection!! He was crazy!! The only news that could have saved their cause, as the Jewish Revolution marched its way to the complete destruction of Israel as a nation.... That this man had returned from the grave with a message about the soul’s immortality. And this the message was heralded by a host of angels and spirits, reminding the Apostles that their savior was a spiritual Guide. The soul could find forgiveness, unconditional love, and guidance by calling upon this messiah, this Savior from the Spirit World and his hosts of angelic friends If you wonder why I am a Christian, This is why I have to believe...no other explanation works. I’m a research scientist of Religion. And I know he’s back. He is still here. I know him. He has travelled with me for years as a healing guide and friend. And He wanted me to tell you these messages. I am, as it happens, one of those Evangelical Christians in the Pentecostal tradition. But Evangelical Christianity today? Their message is contaminated by some strange and evil beliefs that have nothing to do with my friend Jesus. Such as…
2 Comments
10/2/2019 12:53:20 pm
This is just the info I've wanted to know, but didn't know who to ask. I should've known!
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Jayne McPherson
1/23/2020 09:41:03 pm
Hi David:
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