The Words of the Barlow Family
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The Words of the Barlow Family |
Since Jack and Gladys Korthuis have begun leading Los Angeles Center, they have emphasized the relationship of Christianity to the Divine Principle Movement. Recently, I have been appointed Director of Church witnessing, and this has inspired me to think more seriously about the following question: "What role does Christianity play in producing the Kingdom of Heaven now that the Divine Principle Movement is God's direct instrument?" We know that it is essential for Christianity to come one with us in heart and purpose, but we must logically plot how we can effectively bring this unification to pass in the shortest length of time.
Let us begin by observing the state of Christianity today. To do this, we have to look at the state of the individual Christian today. By conventional definition, a Christian is a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ and in the teachings of Jesus. A true Christian, however, has the responsibility of not only professing belief, but of striving to fully realize the teachings of Jesus in his life. To fulfill this responsibility completely, it is essential to know what the ultimate mission of Christ was, what tree true purpose of mankind is, and what is the cause of man's separation from God. Each individual must bring about his personal restoration by applying principles of truth that answer these questions, and at the same time, he must contribute to the restoration of the whole human race by spreading these principles as quickly as possible.
Christianity today lacks the total answer to these questions. Thus, it is in an unfulfilled state. Specifically lacking is the thorough understanding of exactly how man was separated from God. Because of this, it is impossible to understand the plan God has been using to restore His Kingdom on Earth. This is one reason that Christianity has not succeeded and cannot succeed in reaching its goal.
Because God has at this time given man the Divine Principle to guide him in the final leg of his journey to the Kingdom, and because we are among the first to be receptacles for this truth, we have the responsibility of applying it to restore all relationships, including those between churches to reflect the harmony and unity of God's nature.
In restoring all relationships we must understand the Cain-Abel relationship as it operates on all levels: individual, family, governmental, religious, etc. This is because the Cain-Abel relationship is the primary strategy through which restoration takes place. Restoration is accomplished as the Cain faction serves and cooperates with the Abel faction. However, this can only occur if Abel treats Cain in such a way that it is easy for Cain to cooperate.
We know from the Principle that Cain represented to God the fallen Archangel Lucifer, and Abel represented Adam. Going against the order of dominion in the universe, Lucifer deceived and dominated Adam. In this way he became Satan, meaning "enemy". Through the Cain-Abel relationship, God wanted the faction representing Satan to be in a position to be jealous of the Abel faction just as Lucifer was jealous of Adam. But instead of Cain killing Abel, God wanted Abel to show enough love for Cain so that Cain's heart would be melted and he would cooperate Abel by offering his works and sacrifice through Abel, as his mediator.
If Abel had served Cain and demonstrated love to Cain, Cain would not have felt animosity toward Abel and killed him. Abel should have made it easy for Cain to offer his sacrifice through him, by his attitude of humble service toward Cain. So Abel was in a position of either hastening or regarding the dispensation, depending on the attitude he took toward Cain. Thus, Abel was partially responsible for his own death, because he lacked wisdom in dealing with Cain and lacked understanding of the responsibility of his position.
On the other hand, the Principle shows how Esau and Jacob carried out Cain and Abel's mission successfully. When Jacob realized Esau was angry with him for having stolen the birthright, he did not further inflame Esau's anger by being arrogant. Instead, Jacob served Esau by sending gifts to him as he was returning from Haran. Consequently, Esau was pleased and forgot his anger. In this way he could welcome his younger brother in love. By taking an attitude opposite to that of Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau restored relationship of brotherly love that God had been seeking to establish, and in this way the dispensation of restoration could continue on a higher level.
Prior to the arrival of Sun Myung Moon, Christianity was in the Abel position to all other religions. Today, however, it is in the Cain position to the Divine Principle Movement. This does not imply anything negative. Rather, it describes the position that we should take toward Christianity, and they toward us. If the Fall had not occurred, religions would not have been necessary. Because of the Fall, religions have come about and existed in a state of conflict and rivalry with one another. Now, we must unite them under one central truth.
The question is, "How?"
Today, God's dispensation can be either prolonged or hastened, depending on how we relate to the Christian Church. We must take the attitude of Jacob and serve the Church with love, demonstrating the Principle to them, rather than taking the attitude of Abel, frustrating and antagonizing Cain by our arrogance. Humble service will provide an avenue for Church to cooperate with the Divine Principle Movement more willingly and will cause them to think twice before accusing and criticizing us.
One vital point in relating successfully to the Church is to avoid conflict bases. For example, we should not confront Christians outwardly on the basis of our knowledge of Jesus' mission because this could destroy or prolong any possibilities of uniting with them in the future.
When Our Leader was in Washington in 1969, a woman who was unfamiliar with the Principle questioned and criticized what Our Leader was saying. Rather than argue with her, he briefly explained what he had said and spent only a little time on it because she was not willing to accept the proper answer. This is an example of foreseeing a potential conflict base and avoiding it by directing the conversation to a more positive base.
When 1 was in Washington in February 1969, I had the privilege of attending the first New Life Workshop there. Phil Burley was directing the question-and-answer period after lectures had ended and was asking for comments on the Principle. One person responded by saying, "I don't believe any of it.' Rather than spending a great deal of time trying to prove to the person that he was wrong Phil answered by saying "Are there any positive comments?" This immediately directed the discussion to a more positive course. This is also an example of foreseeing a potential conflict base and avoiding it by defeating Satan's opportunity to invade the conversation.
In Los Angeles, we have had great success with the Christian Church by keeping this valuable principle of communication in mind. We have been keenly aware of the Cain-Abel relationship with the Church and how this teaches us in what manner to relate to them. Ernie Stewart is teaching the principle to members of the First Baptist of Church Hollywood in their homes. Others are in positions of being trusted. From these positions, we can accomplish more for the Principle than we ever could have if we had spontaneously confronted them.
We must remember that we stand on the foundation of indemnity paid by the Christian Church. If it were not for Christianity, our Leader could not have come. So we are really indebted to Christianity and owe it our respect and love. Let's really work hard in this area and show our Leader we are truly capable of revitalizing the Christian faith so that God's dispensation can be hastening to fulfillment.