Jim Stephens is the former Director of ICC Conferences in Korea. He is now living with his wife, Hiromi, and 5 children in his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois. This article appeared in the local newspaper, The Pantagraph, in a weekly column titled "From The Pulpit" on February 18, 1995.

Just as America is beginning to see sweeping and perhaps revolutionary changes in the political arena, Christianity too is due for similar drastic change at this end of the millennia.

I believe the mission Jesus gave us was to transform ourselves into likenesses of Christ and our society into the kingdom of heaven. We have failed to do that. For Christianity to keep on going the way we are going is pointless. We need to change.

The spearhead of wholesale change is always revolutionary and heretical ideas. New ideas bring new hope. Also, they bring turmoil as they compete to replace the discredited ones. Therefore, Christianity is due for some turmoil as new ideas are sifted through for truth.

Throughout the Bible, God revealed new truth through prophets whose words were first considered extreme heresy, absolute falsehood or nonsense. With time, persecution and much faith by zealous "heretics", the ideas became accepted doctrine.

So let the dialog begin for Christianity. Let the turmoil of new ideas begin.

The Rev. Sun Myung Moon founded the Unification Church in Korea in 1954 after being rejected by the established churches. He claims divine revelation from God and direct communication with Jesus Christ. His teachings are a never- ending geyser of new ideas for those who know him. He is arguably the most controversial if not heretical religious figure in the world. Few people, though, have actually read any of his new ideas because of shallow and sensational journalism.

Here is just a sampling of new thoughts from Rev. Moon. Challenge yourself to think upon some of these.

Nature of God. Rev. Moon says God can best be described as having the complementary natures of both male and female. (Formerly heresy, but gaining acceptability). However, God is not just male and female. "He" is Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, perhaps better understood as Heavenly Parents. We people, being the children, are created in the divine image of male and female. Our potential in life is to become divine. (Heresy!) It is therefore our purpose in life to become divine man, divine woman, divine father, divine mother, divine parents, divine families, divine grandparents, divine aunts and uncles, divine bosses, divine Senators, Congressmen, and President of the United States. (Very heretical, but a nice thought.) We are also to be Lords of Creation, i.e. true environmentalists.

Evil, Sin, Fall of Man. The misuse of love was the original evil out of which all other evils have come. The misuse of love, and in particular sexual love, continues to be the fundamental problem of every society. The substantial action which was the beginning of sin, the Original Sin, was a sexual relationship between man and woman before they had become divine. (A theological heresy, but a recognizable truth in our society. Every parent of a teenager can empathize.)

Mission of Jesus. God's primary will in sending Jesus to earth was to fulfill the original purpose of creation, i.e. divine people and the kingdom of heaven on earth. God's circumstantial will, if the people did not have faith in Jesus, was Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. God and Jesus wanted the kingdom and not the crucifixion. (Extreme heresy but emotionally very satisfying.)

God's primary will involved Jesus taking a literal bride in marriage and producing children. Those children would grow in Christ's image, spread throughout the world and bring the kingdom of heaven on earth. (Extreme of the extreme heresy, but worth pondering as a practical plan of salvation.)

The Second Coming. God's original plan for creation is still the same. He still intends a literal Adam and Eve created in His image and the literal kingdom of God on earth. The Second Coming will be a man "in the spirit and power of Jesus" along with a comparable woman. That role is called "True Parents". The Second Advent, therefore, will be a Messianic couple. (Outrageous heresy, but monumental ethical, religious and social ramifications.)

I look forward to the debate. May the truth of God prevail. Let the dialog begin!

Download entire page and pages related to it in ZIP format
Table of Contents
Copyright Information