Jesus as Guru
Jesus as Guru

Author: Jan Peter Schouten

Publisher: Rodopi

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 9042024437

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People in India form images of Jesus Christ that link up with their own culture. Hindus have given Jesus a place among the teachers and gods of their own religion, seeing in his life something of the wisdom and mysticism that is so central to Hinduism. Christians in India also make use of the concepts provided by Hinduism when they wish to express the meaning of Christ. Thus, in any case, Jesus is--for Hindus and Christians--a guru, a teacher of wisdom who speaks with divine authority. But for many Hindu philosophers and Christian theologians there is much more that can be said about him within the Indian framework. He can be described as an avatara, a divine descent, or linked to the Brahman, the all-encompassing Reality. This study looks at both Hindu and Christian views of Christ, starting with that of the Hindu reformer Rammohan Roy at the beginning of the nineteenth century, as well as those of the first Christian theologians of India. The views of Mahatma Gandhi and the monks of the Ramakrishna Mission are discussed, and those of influential Christian schools such as the Ashram movement and dalit theology. Five intermezzos indicate how artists in India portray Jesus Christ.

How God Became Jesus
How God Became Jesus

Author: Michael F. Bird

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2014-03-25

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0310519616

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In his recent book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee historian Bart Ehrman explores a claim that resides at the heart of the Christian faith— that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. According to Ehrman, though, this is not what the earliest disciples believed, nor what Jesus claimed about himself. The first response book to this latest challenge to Christianity from Ehrman, How God Became Jesus features the work of five internationally recognized biblical scholars. While subjecting his claims to critical scrutiny, they offer a better, historically informed account of why the Galilean preacher from Nazareth came to be hailed as “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Namely, they contend, the exalted place of Jesus in belief and worship is clearly evident in the earliest Christian sources, shortly following his death, and was not simply the invention of the church centuries later.

The Universal Christ
The Universal Christ

Author: Richard Rohr

Publisher: Convergent Books

Published: 2019-03-05

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 1524762105

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From one of the world’s most influential spiritual thinkers, a long-awaited book exploring what it means that Jesus was called “Christ,” and how this forgotten truth can restore hope and meaning to our lives. “Anyone who strives to put their faith into action will find encouragement and inspiration in the pages of this book.”—Melinda Gates In his decades as a globally recognized teacher, Richard Rohr has helped millions realize what is at stake in matters of faith and spirituality. Yet Rohr has never written on the most perennially talked about topic in Christianity: Jesus. Most know who Jesus was, but who was Christ? Is the word simply Jesus’s last name? Too often, Rohr writes, our understandings have been limited by culture, religious debate, and the human tendency to put ourselves at the center. Drawing on scripture, history, and spiritual practice, Rohr articulates a transformative view of Jesus Christ as a portrait of God’s constant, unfolding work in the world. “God loves things by becoming them,” he writes, and Jesus’s life was meant to declare that humanity has never been separate from God—except by its own negative choice. When we recover this fundamental truth, faith becomes less about proving Jesus was God, and more about learning to recognize the Creator’s presence all around us, and in everyone we meet. Thought-provoking, practical, and full of deep hope and vision, The Universal Christ is a landmark book from one of our most beloved spiritual writers, and an invitation to contemplate how God liberates and loves all that is.

Hindu View of Christ
Hindu View of Christ

Author: Swami Akhilananda

Publisher: Literary Licensing, LLC

Published: 2014-03-29

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9781497827080

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This Is A New Release Of The Original 1919 Edition.

The Tantric Jesus
The Tantric Jesus

Author: Robert H. Stucky

Publisher:

Published: 2017-03-30

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9781544662190

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The Tantric Jesus is a fascinating examination of a living master of flesh and blood, a guru, guide, and exemplary role model- and of the impact that example has on those who aspire to emulate it. It explores the universal spiritual practices Jesus espoused and encouraged others to practice. Through the lens of the various accounts of Jesus' life and teachings, from both East and West, it touches on the challenges of reconciling our inner and outer realities, embracing our sexuality as integral to our spirituality, and discovering and embracing the divinity that lies within each and every one of us. Here, through his humanity and the practices he embodied, we see Jesus as a portrait of divinity- but it is a self-portrait of the imago dei, reflecting not only all spiritual masters, but in fact, the true nature of every human being. The credibility of this analysis is greatly enhanced by the author's own experience of having studied under a Hindu guru for many years, and having served for sixteen years as an Episcopal priest dedicated to putting the teachings of both traditions into practice. It has inspired one best-selling author, Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, to comment, "While organized religion in our post-Christian era is in notable decline, Jesus' popularity is not. Robert Stucky helps us understand why. He probes Jesus to discover the universal truth. He takes Jesus out of orthodox boxes and lets him live in new places. He elevates Jesus to a dialogue, first with the Gnostic Christians of Antiquity, and then with Eastern thinkers, both ancient and modern. The Jesus I find in the pages of this book is fresh, provocative, powerful, and welcoming. It may well be that Stucky has discovered a path to a believing future."

Jesus the Great Philosopher
Jesus the Great Philosopher

Author: Jonathan T. Pennington

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2020-10-20

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 149342758X

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Many of us tend to live as though Jesus represents the "spiritual part" of our lives. We don't clearly see how he relates to the rest of our experiences, desires, and habits. How can Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity become more than a compartmentalized part of our lives? Highly regarded New Testament scholar and popular teacher Jonathan Pennington argues that we need to recover the lost biblical image of Jesus as the one true philosopher who teaches us how to experience the fullness of our humanity in the kingdom of God. Jesus teaches us what is good, right, and beautiful and offers answers to life's big questions: what it means to be human, how to be happy, how to order our emotions, and how we should conduct our relationships. This book brings Jesus and Christianity into dialogue with the ancient philosophers who asked the same big questions about finding meaningful happiness. It helps us rediscover biblical Christianity as a whole-life philosophy, one that addresses our greatest human questions and helps us live meaningful and flourishing lives.

Putting Jesus in His Place
Putting Jesus in His Place

Author: Robert M. Bowman

Publisher: Kregel Publications

Published:

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 0825497450

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Putting Jesus in His Place is designed to introduce Christians to the wealth of biblical teaching on the deity of Christ and give them the confidence to share the truth about Jesus with others.

Tantric Jesus
Tantric Jesus

Author: James Hughes Reho

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2017-01-13

Total Pages: 488

ISBN-13: 162055562X

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A guide to the history and modern practice of transformative Christianity • Reveals the original tantric wisdom of Jesus and the early Church and its resonance with the tantric yogas of India and Tibet • Explains how tantric Christianity views the human body as the primary “temple” of the Holy and erotic energy as the signature of indwelling Divine Presence • Provides step-by-step instructions for a series of Christian tantric practices, including a partnered sexual practice, mantra and energy work, eye gazing, and work with icons Unbeknownst to many, the original Christian spirituality as practiced in the early church and by Jesus himself was a tantric spirituality. In the West, Tantra often evokes images of arcane rituals or acrobatic sexual positions, while in reality Tantra is a holistic transformative path of life, love, and being--grounded in practice. Offering a new understanding of Jesus as guru and master of left-handed Tantra, James Reho, an Episcopal priest and tantric initiate, reframes the Christian story and restores to modern Christianity the tantric wisdom practices that were edited out of church tradition and forgotten over the centuries. He explains how tantric Christianity views the human body as the primary “temple” of the Holy, with erotic energy as the signature of Divine Presence within. Rev. Reho reveals the similarities of the earliest Christian practices to the tantric yogas of India and Tibet and explores the role of Kundalini and the chakras. He details how to work with mantras, icons, and pranayama breathing exercises, as well as with gazing as a spiritual practice. Informed by the insights of ancient texts and early masters of Christian spirituality, the author provides step-by-step instructions on how to practice Christian tantric sex with a life-partner of the opposite or same sex. Rev. Reho reveals how these heart-opening practices are rooted in eros, the life of deep desire, expressive of God’s grace within us, and are still alive in monastic practices in the Christian East. Integrating his personal spiritual experiences, years of study of ancient Christian mysticism, and an expertise in yoga and tantra, the author shows how we can re-engage the original truths of the early church to affirm the body as a holy vehicle and to utilize the energy of the erotic to achieve ecstatic union with the Divine.

Jesus
Jesus

Author: Bart D. Ehrman

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1999-09-23

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0199839433

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In this highly accessible discussion, Bart Ehrman examines the most recent textual and archaeological sources for the life of Jesus, along with the history of first-century Palestine, drawing a fascinating portrait of the man and his teachings. Ehrman shows us what historians have long known about the Gospels and the man who stands behind them. Through a careful evaluation of the New Testament (and other surviving sources, including the more recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Peter), Ehrman proposes that Jesus can be best understood as an apocalyptic prophet--a man convinced that the world would end dramatically within the lifetime of his apostles and that a new kingdom would be created on earth. According to Ehrman, Jesus' belief in a coming apocalypse and his expectation of an utter reversal in the world's social organization not only underscores the radicalism of his teachings but also sheds light on both the appeal of his message to society's outcasts and the threat he posed to Jerusalem's established leadership.