The Enduring Power of Christianity: A Testament to the New Testament

By Ken Kapreilian

Newly revised for 2023.
Since Jesus Christ has chosen not to over-come conflicts during his time on earth. Then the following question must be asked;

“Is it realistic to think that we can over-come conflict during our time?”
No it is not. But still, there is such a thing as the desire for order and retribution, as we have seen (over the past 2000+ years). This is a Testament to the New Testament. As such, we understand that there is the undeniable power of Christianity, even with all its associated conflicts (both internal and external).

Listed below are some of areas of Christianity will be explored;
1. The origin of all conflicts
2. Theology, is it discovered or invented
3. Building Relationships
4. Christ and secular governments
5. Christ and the Jewish Religion Leaders
6. Christ and Satan, Spiritual warfare
7. Christ and his disciples
8. The life and death of Christ.

This exciting book explores how Christianity has endured for 2000+ years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387182336

Book preview

The Enduring Power of Christianity:

A Testament to the New Testament

covercross-

Ken Kapreilian

Copyright by Kapreilian Publishing on Thursday, February 23, 2023

All rights reserved. No portion of this book can be reproduced without prior written authorization from the author.

ISBN: 978-1-387-18233-6

The Enduring Power of Christianity:

A Testament to the New Testament

Preface

Overview

The Role of the Church

Obstacles for the Church

Summary

Chapter 1 - Understanding the Origin of Conflict

Good and Evil are Multifaceted

Sin Blinds Us from Our Own Sins

Summary

Chapter 2 - Understanding God’s Relationship to His Universe

God’s Relationship to His Universe

The Circle of Time

The Multiple Dimensions of the Fabric

The Fabric is Complete

Thinking About How an Angel Can Appear

How Do Events Move From One Realm to Another?

Conclusion

Understanding God’s Relationship to Theology: Is It Discovered or Invented?

Introduction to Theology

Once Upon a Time

The Metaphysical Aspect of Theology

Theology (which is Scholarship) Vs.  So What?

Different Perspectives on Theology

New Perspective

Resistance to Telos and Presupposition

Summary

Chapter 3 - The New Testament Era

Understanding the Life and Death of Christ

How can we remember Christ?

Chronological Tables

Summary

Chapter 4 – Building Relationships

Introduction

Knowledge of Evil Is One Thing, Fault Is Another

Understanding the Geopolitical Relationships in the Middle East

Summary

Chapter 5 - 500th Anniversary of the Reformation,  (A Tempest Arrives)

Who Were the Actual False Teachers?

The Ego

Understanding the Two Components of Hope

Summary

Chapter 6 - The Local Church

The Needs of the Few Outweigh the Needs of the Many

Satan Is Exposed Within the Church

I Got a Raw Deal

What Exactly Defines a Church that Operates Without Transparency?

The Board of Directors

Resisting Evil in the Church

Is This The World in Which We Live?

Summary

Chapter 7 - Having the Courage to Fight Injustice in a Church

Justice in the Local Church

The Paradox of Revenge

Greed

Fraud within the Church

These People Are Pillars of the Community

Summary

Chapter 8 – Searching For Truth Hidden Within All the Lies

The Role of the Church is diminished by Lying

They Will Hit Back First and Hit Back Hard

Behold the Lord High Executioner

A Local Church Does Not Just Die, It Gets Killed

What Does Transparency Look Like In A Church?

Shorthanded Really Means Under-Brained

Failure Is a Virtue

The Key to Successful Reformation is Readiness Matched with Opportunity

Summary

Chapter 9 – In Search of a Rainbow Colored Unicorn

(The Fallacy of Unity and Church Mergers)

Introduction

There Is Not One Biblical Example of Any Church Mergers

A house of secrets and lies

What does failure look like?

We will stay the course

Impunity Hidden Behind Lies

Artists, Politicians and the Clergy Who Operate Without Transparency

Will You Weep For Me?

Summary

Chapter 10 - Destiny

The Sickness Unto Death

Decisions, Decisions,  A Time for Everything

Summary

Chapter 11 - The Universal Church

The Church in Jerusalem (Church of the Holy Sepulcher)

Where do we go from here?

Chapter 12 - Final Thoughts

The Disillusioned Every-man

Where Does Christianity Go From Here?

Conclusion

Acknowledgements:

Preface

Premise

Since Jesus Christ had chosen not to over-come conflicts during his time on earth. Then the following question must be asked:

Is it realistic to think that we can over-come conflict during our time?

No, it is not. But still, there is such a thing as the desire for order and retribution, as we have seen (over the past 2000+ years). That is why this book is titled, The Enduring Power of Christianity: A Testament to the New Testament. As such, we understand that there is the undeniable power of Christianity, even with all its associated conflicts (both internal and external).

The following areas of conflict regarding Christianity will be explored:

The origin of all conflicts

Theology, is it discovered or invented

Building Relationships

Christ and secular governments (think Pilate)

Christ and the Jewish Religion Leaders

Christ and Satan, Spiritual warfare (Matthew 4)

Christ and his disciples (think Judas)

The life and death of Christ.

The early church in Jerusalem and the other churches (issues regarding how Christianity should be practiced and interpreted).

The New Testament era

The 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.

The three branches of Christianity (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant)

The Local Church

Destiny

Overview

A careful reading of the Bible will reveal that God is tribal and always takes sides. Hence, we come to understand there is no such thing as remaining neutral when people are suffering and being oppressed. Even though the argument is that, power without principle is more desirable than chaos. This mode of thought is one in which believes all which proceeds from power is good and then alternatively all that proceeds from weakness is bad. When the desire for power by one person becomes out of control, then the will of that one person can become greater (for a limited period of time) than the will of many people. The reason this is a limited period of time, is that this type of power and oppression can only occur for so long as the people allow it to occur. The only action that one person in power will respect is action. It has been said that;

"There are times when we make history."

Alternatively;

"There are also times when history makes us."

The New Testament is a story about when Jesus Christ came for us.

The Role of the Church

For more than 2000 years the role of the New Testament church has been to provide sanctuary. This sanctuary has been instituted so that those seeking refuge from the secular society have a place to find solace, are accepted and hear the Good News. People need to believe in something greater than themselves and find their faith in God.

The need for people to find their faith in God is because many people believed that they were living in a world that was out of control. Beginning with the era of the New Testament and going forward in time, this world can be an undesirable and frightening place. Thus it is easy to understand that there can be corrosion of the human spirit.

Obstacles for the Church

The primary obstacle for the church has been between the powers of the Holy Spirit vs. the spirit of man (the human spirit or the flesh). These following verses help to illustrate those obstacles;

For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. (Galatians 5:17)

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:19) 

9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:9-10)

19This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. (John 3:19-21)

Therefore, we come to understand that lives can be destroyed when evil activities do not see the light of day. Why do these evil activities occur? They occur because we live in a fallen world that is flawed. So then by extension, we must acknowledge that the practice of religion is flawed because humanity is flawed. But even within this flawed and fallen world, we see that such is the way of life and death and there will be trouble;

Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. (Job 14:1)

No one gives up power, it has to be taken, there has to be a struggle.  How can anything ever be made better if we do not struggle?

If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without demand. It never did and it never will. F. Douglass

There is a lack of critical assessment of the past. But you have to understand that the current ruling elite are actually the old ruling elite. So they are incapable of a self-critical approach to the past... People are not hungry because there is no food in the world. There is plenty of it; there is a surplus in fact. But between those who want to eat and the bursting warehouses stands a tall obstacle indeed: politics. Ryszard Kapuściński

There is a price to pay for perceived power, but those with this perceived power seldom pay the price, that is left to others. Therefore when those who are in power (for the moment) would have you believe their version of the truth. But if what they believe to be true is a lie? Their version of truth is unless it is consistent with the truthfulness of God's word and why people are suffering.

Because with every lie they tell, who they once were gets buried a little deeper and deeper, until who they once were disappears into a web of lies. When this happens, they have to pray that an old friend will come to them and say,

"Even though you don’t remember who you once were, I do."