Essays Advocating Christ-Centered Reform
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These essays have been written and compiled to challenge the leaders, theologians, and students of the Christian church with new ideas about some very established traditions. Some of these ideas might be provocative or disruptive.
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The essence of the Christian faith is that God has offered us His grace, which is both His free gift of love without limit and His free gift of salvation, no matter what we have done, without the requirements of judgment, restitution, or atonement. No payment (the meaning of redemption) is needed, and God does not judge us. The gifts are free for each person.
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This answer is found in the second half of the Great Commandment of Jesus, where in order to complete our response, we must love our neighbors as ourselves. Traditionally, the church has emphasized charity, which means a bed, food, and attendance at worship services. Rather, the meaning must be that we will share with our neighbors the most important aspects of our lives, more important than food or housing or wealth, and that is our faith. We must share with and teach our neighbors how much God loves us, how much He loves them, and what He has done for each of us. This is how we participate in God’s continuing creation. His creation depends upon us doing our part and sharing our faith.
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During these final years of preparation for His ministry, Jesus understood that God wanted Him to become His own answer to the centuries of prayer by the Hebrew prophets and people for a messiah to restore Jerusalem. That prophetic vision was not God’s choice. Jesus was and is the Messiah, as He revealed the true nature of God to all of us. God is the loving Creator of us all, and with His grace He desires to be reconciled to His creatures as they exercise the free will that He has given them.
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Jesus was trying to reform Judaism from proclaiming a God of laws, justice, punishment, and anger to a God of grace.
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About the Book
The Christian church is increasingly less relevant and less influential in modern culture. As a result, Christian leaders are no longer important to the dialogue of culture, and the message of Jesus Christ is now presented in a sterile and non-offensive manner. What the church is doing is not working, and a reform is imperative.
Essays Advocating Christ-Centered Reform offers seven individual essays that have been written and compiled to challenge the leaders, the theologians, and the students of the Christian church with some new ideas about some very established traditions. Some of these ideas might be provocative or disruptive, addressing topics related to the essence of the Christian faith, the church and contemporary culture, the nature of worship, and other important theological concerns about the Bible and the traditions of the church.
If we permit Him, then God does intervene in our lives with revelations and inspirations anew each day. Without reform the church will continue to decline. Each of us needs to be inspired to fully commit ourselves to the reform of Jesus and his unchangeable gospel. The desired goal is that these essays might initiate a dialogue in the church about reform.
About the Author
Calvin L. Keeler Sr. is retired and currently divides his time between writing, teaching in a church setting, and being an active minister of visitation for his church, visiting with those who are seriously or terminally ill. Calvin received his bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in 1951 and his master’s degree in mathematics from Harvard University in 1953; he then spent two years in divinity school, with the goal of teaching theology. Family illness required a change, and he spent fifteen years as a professional mathematician before going on to spend twenty-seven years in information processing systems, though his lifelong avocation has always been the study of theology and church work.