The Course Author's Purpose

"Under no circumstances would I ever become a Christian!"

In America today, this is the mantra of many Muslims, Buddhists, atheists, left-wing ideologues, and more surprisingly ... many students of A Course in Miracles.

Yet A Course in Miracles is the heart and essence of Christianity. Never mind that the Course was first given by Jesus to Jews and was first taken up by inquisitive non-religious truth seekers. It's still true that the Course is the teaching of Jesus revealed not only for wandering searchers, but for all of twenty-first century Christianity. The Course is a device given by Jesus to raise Christianity out of the age of fear, guilt, and pain ... and into an age of unspeakable joy, love, and inner peace.

Because the three books are relatively new and offer a viewpoint which is in one respect radically different than traditional ways of seeing things, the Course in effect confronts Christians and thereby challenges them to surrender the concepts which are keeping them stuck, much the same way as Jesus or any master teacher would personally confront those who are so imprisoned in a booby trap of their own making that they can only break free as the result of some form of confrontation.

Since traditional Christians in the twenty-first century are suddenly challenged with something not until now experienced, and therefore secretly terrifying no matter how wonderful, we can certainly forgive them if it takes a while for them to release their resistance, wouldn't you say?

Nothing can be more certain than the truth that traditional Christians will eventually embrace A Course in Miracles if for no other reason than resistance to one's holy spirit is no fun.

But what about those who call themselves students of A Course in Miracles yet refuse to consider themselves Christians and resist joining with Christians? What is so terrifying to them?

The fact is, the field is white for A Course in Miracles and the field is Christianity. After all, the Course is the teaching of ... Jesus!

"But traditional Christians will not accept Course teachings when I try to mention them!"

Really? Will they accept you if you do not resist them? Will they accept and welcome you if you are not pushing your own theological agenda but simply offering them love and joy and peace?

Do you really believe the Course needs to be taught verbally?

In future messages we will share the total success some have had bringing the Course into Christian churches, but first let's address the main obstacle to the joining of Miracles students and traditional Christians: the belief that theology is important.

What if theology is totally unimportant?

We all tend to believe the Course is Jesus saying: "Here is my true teaching!" So the Course presents a seeming theology. But what if this theology is offered in the Course only as a temporary device to help step us up out of theology altogether? What if lessons which basically say "nothing is as it seems" apply to the Course's apparent theology as well as every other perception?

Again, listen to the words of the Course itself: "A universal theology is impossible, but a universal experience is not only possible but necessary." (Manual for Teachers) If Jesus knows that a universal theology is impossible, then he must be offering an apparent theology for reasons we do not at first readily see and certainly not to be used as an excuse for holding ourselves apart from our fellow Christians just because they temporarily believe a different theology than our own temporary beliefs.

So the situation is this: most traditional Christians are theologizers until they finally realize that theology does not make them joyous and happy, while most Miracles students are theologizers until they finally grasp that the theology aspect of the Course is a temporary device not to be used as their newest addiction.

Ask yourself: "What if I walked into a traditional Christian church and I had no theology?" Without concepts getting in the way, you would simply be able to join in oneness with these Christian brothers, true or false?

If in your mind theology is considered utterly unimportant, their theology and your theology, then joining takes place easily and automatically. And if joining takes place, then as Jesus tells us in His Course, only Truth will be shared.

"God creates only mind awake. He does not sleep, and His creations cannot share what He gives not, nor make conditions which He does not share with them." (Lesson 167)

" ... and when you place no value on it (body, ego mind, theology thoughts, etc.) as a means of getting anything, then there will be no interference in communication. All truth is here." (Text Chap. 15 Section IX)

Do you see that the Course does get shared when we join wordlessly?

"His creations cannot share what He gives not." Theology could never be shared, but what is shared is who you really are and the truth you have opened to. Christians do not need to hear from your intellect. They need to experience your spirit, which is Divine Intelligence, the one and only Master Teacher.

In joining with you and experiencing your holy spirit, traditional Christians find the truth awakened within them. Suddenly you can turn on your car radio on a Sunday morning and hear a mainstream Christian minister explaining that one cannot gain the experience of heaven by "doing the right thing" according to some theological or religious rules. Suddenly you can listen to a Christian brother on TV saying that heaven is here and now, to be experienced by letting go of religious, theological, and all other structure.

Our dear Miracles brothers from Endeavor Academy have worked tirelessly to speak to students of the Course everywhere and invite them into an experience that is so big and powerful and glorious that it cannot possibly be imagined. The call has been universal among Miracles students, yet there have been fewer takers than the Author of the Course would prefer because so many have been more interested in the seeming theology of the Course.

Meanwhile in mainstream Christianity the addiction to theology has been steadily breaking down and a hundred thousand traditional Christians are making themselves ready to answer the call. What if Endeavor brothers two by two started attending mainstream churches to which they might be guided and began sharing not their theology, but their light?

What if Endeavor Light Teams began to attend Pastors' Conferences such as the one recently hosted by Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, not for the purpose of arguing theology, but to extend the Light Team's unbelievable love and light to Christian pastors ... and see what happens?

Could it be that the Author of the Course does not want us hiding in our little Miracles groups and neglecting to bring our light to all the widespread churches and congregations which gather in His name?

One teacher of the Course tells how he totally loved Hinduism and asked his inner spiritual voice with all his heart if he could continue to attend Hindu chants and meditations. His inner voice answered clearly and unmistakably: "You were born in a Christian culture. You have work to do in a Christian culture! Go and purchase A Course in Miracles!"

Maybe the Author of the Course is telling all Miracles students pretty much the same. Perhaps we need to step forth and stand tall, and be willing to say: