We are all familiar with the very first words recorded in the book of Genesis:, “In the beginning…God created.” From the very first moments of existence, Divine creativity was at work, and we are the products of that divine imagination. But more than that, as Divinely created beings we are endowed with creativity and this means that we are designed to carry on the creative abilities of our Creator. If we believe that each of us is created by a... Read more
Chapter 26 “Each one will speak about the place he came from, and will hurry to return again to the place he was made to stand, and to taste from that place, receiving nourishment and growth. This place of rest is his fullness [pleroma].” [26:1-2]
It’s not every day that someone responds to a divisive political statement with the kind of precision and fire that Bishop Talbert Swan recently delivered. When Pastor Donnie Swaggart, son of famed televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, attacked Black leaders and accused Democrats of being “anti-God,” Bishop Swan wasn’t about to let it slide. He unleashed a series of critiques aimed not only at Swaggart but at the long history of hypocrisy embedded in white evangelicalism. Swaggart had opened the floodgates by... Read more
Steven Hassan, who was in a mind control cult himself, and who now speaks often about how to escape cults, understands what it’s like to be bamboozled by cult leaders. Here’s what he says in a recent Instagram post about what NOT to say to people who are in the cult of Trump: Condescending or Judgmental Things Calling them names Calling them stupid Or anything that doesn’t take a respectful, curious, or open tone or establish a warm connection As... Read more
There’s a scene in the first Matrix film where Neo awakens on board the Nebuchadnezzer in his real body. He asks, “Why do my eyes hurt?” and Morpheus says, “Because you’ve never used them before.” That’s a great metaphor for learning to be your own spiritual advisor. Literally, learning to see for yourself with your own eyes and not relying on others to see for you. I was listening to someone on YouTube a few days ago talk about the... Read more
Chapters 24 and 25 “He gave a name to himself alone, because he alone saw him and because he alone was capable of giving himself a name.” [24:1-2] The Father alone is the only One with the ability to name himself. As the Ultimate Consciousness,
“And the name of the Father is the Son.” [23:1] Long before any concept of the Trinity entered the human consciousness, Valentinus reflects on the mystery of the relationship between the Father and Son and deftly explores the paradoxical nature of how they can
Chapters 21 and 22 Anointed by the Anointed One “For this reason, they said of Christ the Anointed One, in their midst, “Seek, and those who are troubled will return and he will anoint them with ointment.” This ointment is the mercy of the Father,
As novelist and comedian Mark Twain once said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” Today, in the world of social media, the lie can travel around the world twice before the truth even wakes up to check their email. That’s even more true when it comes to political polarization on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Misinformation is everywhere. People believe things that have been debunked months or even years... Read more
Chapter 20: The Hope That Stretches Out To Us “This is the word of the good news of the discovery of fullness [Pleroma] for those who await the salvation coming from above. Their hope, toward which they stretch, is stretching toward them – they whose
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