A Course in Miracles in Churches
A Course in Miracles in Churches
Anyone who has attended a modern praise and worship church recently has heard a great deal of teaching which sounds very much like A Course in Miracles. Jesus is "coming through" wherever people are lifting their hands and eyes to God and praying with all their heart and soul to hear the divine voice and feel the divine presence. Obviously what they hear inside is the Course given by Jesus.
This is not to say that you will not also be aware of contradictions in such churches. We are witnessing a major transformation of consciousness which Jesus is bringing about for the twenty-first century. A little resistance here and there to such thoroughgoing change is expected in heaven's plan. That people might want to hold on, at least somewhat, to their old ways of thinking is understandable.
So the question arises: those who have used the Course as a device to open up spiritually beyond the far reaches of the universe ... how do we help these dear brothers in praise and worship churches to go the rest of the way, to release their last vestiges of resistance to the entire message of Jesus and the entire experience Jesus wants for everyone?
Will it work to go into these churches and start preaching and teaching the Course as we have intellectually or conceptually learned it?
Or are we being guided to use a more subtle approach?
In the first place, it might be a good idea to remember the words of the Course: "This is a manual for a special curriculum, intended for teachers of a special form of the universal course. There are many thousands of other forms, all with the same outcome." (A Course in Miracles: Manual for Teachers)
In other words, nothing is lost and everything is gained by using for as long as it takes their language ... the language of the churches we have been sent out to help.
One of the most fundamental spiritual principles is "resistance creates resistance." So when you attend a praise and worship church and resist some of the language they are accustomed to using, or resist some of their focus because it's not the focus you have learned with the Course, then you are automatically going to experience equal and opposite resistance to anything you have to offer. After all, you started the resistance.
So maybe the first principle of Course evangelism is: "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil." (Matthew 5:39) Be willing to let your defenses down and be in rapport with these dear brothers who somewhere inside themselves seek the same experience you have already found. "Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him." (Matthew 5:25) Be willing to speak their language, not insisting on using specialized Course language, therefore teaching that language does not matter.
Regarding the golden rule that language doesn't matter, we are reminded of the important spiritual principle that true communication (and therefore true teaching) takes place non-verbally and does not even require verbalization:
"Yet it is impossible not to use the content of any situation on behalf of what you really teach, and therefore really learn. To this the verbal content of your teaching is quite irrelevant. It may coincide with it, or it may not. It is the teaching underlying what you say that teaches you." (A Course in Miracles: Manual for Teachers)
So if we are to enter praise and worship churches with no addiction to using specialized Course language, or any language at all, how are we to teach?
The Course answers that we teach with our heart and soul, by opening up and joining with these dear brothers in love and respect. "Agree with thine adversary quickly," because it is the agreement that is all important, it is in the agreement that the joining takes place ... and the joining is all.
"But I can't agree when I hear them voicing certain ideas!"
Then you are not ready to go out and teach the Course. You yet have too much to learn from the lessons of the Course.
For those who are ready to help our dear brothers in praise and worship churches, a valuable aid is the process of shape-shifting concepts. This involves re-referencing concepts in our mind. Here is a list of concepts which might be heard in praise and worship churches, along with their Course counterparts:
The "enemy" can be seen as the "ego" ... not to be feared or paid extra attention to, but only to be loved. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies." (Matthew 5:44)
The "war in heaven and earth" can be seen as the "conflict in your mind." "The Soul has no levels, and ALL conflict arises from the concept of levels. Wars arise when some regard others as if they were on a different level. All interpersonal conflicts arise from this fallacy. Only the levels of the Trinity are capable of Unity. The levels which man created by the Separation are disastrous. They cannot BUT conflict." (A Course in Miracles: Unedited Text Chapter 3 Section V) In later edited editions this section reads: "Spirit has no levels, and all conflict arises from the concept of levels. Only the Levels of the Trinity are capable of Unity. The levels created by the separation cannot but conflict." (A Course in Miracles: Text Chapter 3 Section V)
"Angels" and "demons" can be shape-shifted to "God-thoughts" and "ego-thoughts."
The concept of "sin," not very often mentioned in praise and worship churches, can be gently shape-shifted in mind to "error," which was the original meaning of the word anyway. "The Son of God CAN be mistaken; he CAN deceive himself; he can even turn the power of his mind AGAINST himself. But he can NOT sin. There is NOTHING he can do that would REALLY change his reality in ANY way, nor make him REALLY guilty." (A Course in Miracles: Unedited Text Chapter 19 Section II)
It is not hard to stay in rapport with praise and worship Christians (which means stay in agreement with, stay joined with) if a little concept shape-shifting is used when necessary. The goal is to say a resounding "Yes!" to these Christian brothers because you want to be saying "Yes!" to their spirit much deeper than any surface appearances, which really means saying "Yes!" to your Self.
But lo and behold, what happens when you stay joined with your brother?
"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19-20)
Oops! Suddenly your praise and worship brother or sister is hearing the Course with more clarity than ever because you are of one mind, and the Course is heard clearly in your mind.
There are also many concepts of the Course to which your Christian brother would easily agree with if their importance is emphasized:
"There is nothing to worry about or fear because once Jesus set into motion the salvation of the world ... it's a done deal. So all that is left to do is rejoice and feel gratitude."
"The 'enemy' is powerless in the presence of God, so we need only keep all our attention on God and on feeling God's presence."
"Nothing is as it seems. We cannot judge by surface appearances because 'God is at work in mysterious ways' and we have no way to judge."
Well, maybe it's not so mysterious any longer to users of the Course, but the idea is that language can be found which boosts rapport, and the value of rapport is the facilitation of real teaching and learning.
Some might argue that starting up Course churches in every city and town would be a better way to bring the Course into mainstream Christianity than Course users attending praise and worship churches ... and they might have a point if such Course churches were energetically charismatic (such as might be established by graduates of Endeavor Academy) rather than narrowly intellectually oriented or work-on-yourself oriented (such as might be set up by those who like the ego-safety of "studying" the Course without losing their identity in a holy light experience).
On the other hand, fear of holy experiences has never held back praise and worship churches, which have recently been hearing bits and pieces of the Course but have always had something very wonderful to teach. They teach the experience of tremendously opening your heart and soul, raising your arms in the air and allowing your crown to explode into light, surrendering into an almost overwhelming connection or oneness with God, and loving God with all your heart and soul and being ... which lifts you into an altogether out-of-this-world experience, the experience Jesus wants for everyone.
Is Jesus sending you to help bring the Course more fully into a praise and worship church? If so, you may begin to know inside with certainty the real goal of the Course.
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