Saturday, October 27, 2012

Soteriology and Bilocation: Perspectives on Salvation

Soteriology and Bilocation: Perspectives on Salvation
by: Ber Stackhouse, MBA    October 27, 2012
SOTERIOLOGY
The concept of salvation, or eternal salvation, can sculpt the perspectives of living on earth and provide a backdrop for the activities one chooses.  Within Christianity and within religion generally, many question existence and what, if anything, is beyond this present existence.  Often, in an attempt to know oneself, examples or ideas of others are sought in framing a self-concept and worldview.
In discussing soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, Professor Van A. Harvey states,
“There have been two basic perspectives in the history of Christendom so far as conceiving of salvation is concerned, one of which is characteristic of Roman Catholicism and the E.O. [Eastern Orthodox] churches, the other of which is more characteristic of Protestantism generally.  Each perspective has certain presuppositions, leads to certain emphases, and casts up a certain kind of language.  In the former, salvation is basically regarded as the deification of man by participation in supernatural grace.  In this view, man’s destiny is nothing less than participation in the divine life….In Protestantism, salvation is conceived basically in terms of a restoration of a broken personal relationship.  In this view, man’s true destiny is not so much deification as the forgiveness of sins and personal communion with God.  Grace is not thought of as a medicine so much as the divine favor.”[1]
Further stated is that, “In the Catholic churches, the monastic tradition represents one extreme, a life ordered around prayer and the sacraments.  In the Protestant tradition, the moralization of all belief and the reduction of faith to moral conduct constitute an extreme.”[2]
ORIGINAL SIN, ORIGINAL BLESSING
In addition to those assenting to original sin, are those that affirm original blessing.  In this belief, one would therefore see to the Reality of the inner self, reminding oneself of the good and from such awareness, living affirmatively.  “The doctrine of original sin—that all humans inherited both the guilt of Adam’s sin and a corrupt nature—was one of the chief points on which eighteenth-century Calvinists were at odds with their optimistic era.  The emphasis on human freedom and innate capacities for virtue reflected growing modern tendencies toward views that men, or at least gentlemen, could control their own destinies.  Further, as ideas spread that even kings and queens must be bound by higher rational principles of morality and justice, the Calvinist system—which asserted that God’s sovereign government was by definition good, even when humans could not fully understand God’s ways—seemed increasingly out of step.”[3] Sin as defined in the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary is “Meta.  Missing the mark; falling short of the divine law.  The divine law is the law of God, the law of Being; it is the underlying principle of every man’s being and of the universe.”[4] “Neo-Reformed theologians were more appreciative of the doctrine (of original sin), although agreed that it had to be disentangled from what they believed to be its literalistic absurdities.  Reinhold Niebuhr (1892- ), for example, argued that the doctrine cannot be fully rationalized but that it preserves better than any alternative the paradox of the inevitability of sin and man’s responsibility for it.  It should be called, therefore, a myth, which though not literally true, expresses a truth about human existence.”[5]
SPIRITUALITY AND LIVING
            Many concepts about moral precepts or the relation of mind-body-spirit determine the expression, and often self-worth of humanity.  Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet says, “Your daily life is your temple and your religion.  Whenever you enter into it take with you your all.”[6] Consciousness is the force within the realm of life activity.  At times some people may be quite confident in some “saving” experience in the future yet may not realize a “saving” experience in the present. Thought Pioneer, Charles Fillmore mentions, “We…know how states of consciousness are formed and how persistent a certain mental state is after it has once crystallized.  We see this in certain social states among the people.  No matter how miserable and degraded their state, people get so accustomed to it that they do not aspire to anything higher.”[7] Gibran emphasizes, “Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations?  Who can spread his hours before him, saying, ‘This for God and this for myself; This for my soul, and this other for my body?’  All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self.”[8]
CONSCIOUSNESS
As discussed in the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, “Any failure of our part to exercise this (Genesis-referenced) dominion (in consciousness) is a falling short, or a ‘sin.’  The ‘eternal sin,’ or unpardonable sin, referred to by Jesus in Mark 3:28-30, is the belief that God is the creator of disease or inharmony of any nature.  This belief is called an ‘eternal sin’ because that which is eternal is abiding.  So long as man abides in the conviction that God causes him to suffer, he closes his mind against the inflow of God’s gifts of health, peace, and harmony.  Man’s sins are forgiven when he ceases to sin and opens his mind to the fact that he is heir only to the good.”[9]  
In life and with interactions, being open to releasing and receiving good takes awareness.  Fillmore proclaims, “We shall come into conscious recognition of the Christ mind, effecting the junction between our mind and God’s mind just as soon as we let go of the limitations of mortal sense.”[10]  “Jesus Christ broke through the crystallized thought strata and opened the way for all those who will follow him.”[11] Many have provided opportunities for new thoughts that resulted in spiritual growth and the ability to imagine new, beneficial ways of living.  The teachings of Jesus Christ have made great impact on the world.  Yet we see that anyone who appropriates Divine Ideals can demonstrate peace and harmonious conditions. “He (Jesus the Christ) became the way by which all who accept Him may ‘pass over’ to the new consciousness.”[12]
NOTIONS OF SALVATION AND A SAVIOR
The Revealing Word defines Savior as, “The Christ Mind is our Savior.  Through the Christ Mind we find salvation from poverty, sickness, sin, and death.”[13] Charles Fillmore discusses how some view Jesus as their Savior,
“By believing that Jesus was more divine than other men, the church has assumed that He had certain privileges that the Father does not extend to all; that in a superhuman way He made good all our shortcomings; that we are saved from suffering for our acts simply believing on Him and accepting Him, in a perfunctory way, as our Savior.  Paul is responsible for a good share of this throwing of the whole burden upon the blood of Jesus—doubtless the result of an old mental tendency carried over from his Hebrew idea of the blood sacrifices of the priesthood.  In order to show the parallel in the life of Jesus, Paul preached to the Jews that He was the great once-for-all blood sacrifice and that no other blood sacrifice would ever become necessary.  But Jesus went further than this.  He said: ‘Come, follow me.’ ‘Keep my sayings.’  He meant: Do as I do.  I have overcome; now by following in my footsteps you shall overcome.  We all recognize the advantage of thought co-operation.  It is much easier to hold ourselves in the true consciousness when we are associated with those who think as we do.  It was the work of Jesus to establish in our (human) race consciousness a spiritual center with which everyone might become associated mentally, regardless of geographical location.  He said to his disciples, ‘I go to prepare a place for you….that where I am, there ye may be also.’[14]
BILOCATION, UNITY, AND SUPERPOSITION
            One may ask, “How can there be a place be where Jesus the Christ is and  humanity can also be simultaneously?”  A definition of bilocation is “the capability of being in two places at one and the same time.  This idea was sometimes resorted to in the Theology of the Sacraments to explain how the body of Christ could be present in many places at one time.  Some R.C. [Roman Catholic] theologians believe this capability to have been granted to a few saints at specific times.”[15] Writer, Jeremy Hsu, presents information about technology showing how particles can exist simultaneously in multiple locations or states.  Hsu writes that gravitational wave detector “technology would enable scientists to detect gravitational waves related to events such as a black hole or two stars merging in a distant star system….NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program takes advantage of quantum mechanics, the physics theory that describes how matter behaves at the tiniest scales.  Researchers would (perform procedures to) put the atoms into ‘a superposition of states,’ which allows them to exist in multiple states simultaneously.”[16]                                                                                                                               Dr. Stuart Hameroff further explains consciousness and superposition.  He illustrates that, “A century of experimental observation of quantum systems have shown that, at least at small scales, particles (mass) can exist in two or more states or locations simultaneously (quantum superposition). Penrose takes superposition (e.g. a mass in two places simultaneously) to be simultaneous space-time curvature in opposite directions - a separation, or bubble ("blister") in underlying reality.”[17] If taking the premise from the Revealing Word that, “The Christ Mind is our Savior, the relevance of Christ-Consciousness is understood.  We may see bilocation, unity, or quantum superposition in scriptures such as Matthew 18:18-20, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Charles Fillmore describes this relation with the Christ and the connection of humanity with Jesus.  Fillmore notes, “That place is a state of consciousness right here in our midst, and we can at any time connect ourselves with it by centering our mind on Jesus and silently asking His help in our demonstrations.  It is not the prayer of a ‘worm of the dust’ to a god, but of one who is on the way asking the guidance of one who has passed over the same road, and who knows all the hard places and how to get through them.”[18]                                                    The nearness or being in the midst of the kingdom, the realm of embracing Oneness, and the ability to appropriate Divine Ideals that save one from life circumstances are a saving science to some.  Others may see salvation in just a future sense.  I affirm Blessing at birth, and Blessing in life – as Heaven right now, through a personal, faithful and active appropriating of good - and through the awareness of allowing God to be.  Aspects of Self, whether in mind, body, or spirit are good as I take on the consciousness of Eternal Living, knowing Love in the unified Field.  This centering and positioning of Love is described in the Book of Mark 12:28-34:
“One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, ‘Which commandment is the first of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the L-RD our G-D, the L-RD is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.’ Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and to ‘love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.”  
Biblical references are from the NRSV (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2008) unless otherwise noted.


[1] Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms (New York: Touchstone, 1997), 225.
[2] Ibid, 226.
[3] George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2003), 451.
[4] Charles Fillmore, Metaphysical Bible Dictionary (Unity Village, Missouri, Unity House, 2007), 620.
[5] Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms (New York: Touchstone, 1997), 222-3.
[6] Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010), 78.
[7] Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth (Unity Village, MO: Unity Books, 2011), 165.
[8] Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010), 77.
[9] Charles Fillmore, Metaphysical Bible Dictionary (Unity Village, Missouri, Unity House, 2007), 620.
[10] Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth (Unity Village, MO: Unity Books, 2011), 167
[11] Ibid, 166.
[12] Ibid, 166.
[13] Charles Fillmore, The Revealing Word: A Dictionary of Metaphysical Terms (Unity Village, Missouri: Unity Books, 2006), 173.
[14] Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth (Unity Village, MO: Unity Books, 2011), 167-8.
[15] Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms (New York: Touchstone, 1997), 45.
[16] Jeremy Hsu, “Spooky! NASA Hunts Gravitational Waves on the Atomic Level,” NBCNews.com, Oct. 22, 2012, Technology & Science section. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49501852/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and _gadgets/t/spooky-nasa-hunts-gravitational-waves-atomic-level/ (accessed October 27, 2012).
[17] Stuart Hameroff, “Quantum Computing and Consciousness,” Quantum Consciousness,  http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/presentations/whatisconsciousnes.html (accessed October 27, 2012).
[18] Charles Fillmore, Talks on Truth (Unity Village, MO: Unity Books, 2011), 168.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Awareness in Myth Surrounding Jesus

Awareness in Myth Surrounding Jesus
by: Ber Stackhouse, MBA   October 23, 2012
A demythologizing of Jesus is quite important to personal awareness and to allow growth and introspection.  Much of life is lived in the story about the story, or the biases of certain people.  The stories humanity creates are not necessarily “wrong” in all instances.  Yet, for one to be aware of impacts of religion (Influential Religious Stimuli) on one’s life leads to the ability to discern and value self.  Many people may have a religious perspective based on experiences, lore, or other influences without ever taking time to take ideas unto a “high mountain” and to live from an inner knowing.
Many may see Jesus as so far from humanity that following him or gaining insight seem to be left to chance or if, “maybe, someday, and if it is the will of God I may get to the sweet by and by after much suffering and poverty and disavowing my body.”  One may decide in life that such a belief system is personally beneficial and find some good in such a system.  Yet to see the person, Jesus, whether historically or in the teachings, would show a deep connection with the human condition while transcending any error thought to truly have life here.  It can be seen that beyond just being helpless humans, life can be enjoyed with the revealing of the Christ-nature in everyday affairs. Unity visionary, Eric Butterworth notes that “When Jesus says, ‘Follow me,’ He is referring to our acceptance of the high level of consciousness that He achieved.”[1]
To dwell in suffering and sin-consciousness may not be what this life is all about.  In his book, The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore, author Deepak Chopra says, “Jesus the radical went to the root of the human condition, and his approach to suffering was to eradicate it, literally to tear it out by the root.”[2]  Could one consider developing Christ-consciousness - seeing good, being empowered, and speaking affirmatively or just connecting with diverse groups of people to experience Life and Wholeness?   Lack of awareness in myth can become burdensome and keep one in certain areas of limitation.  Chopra observes, “A mythical Jesus has grown up over time.  He has served to divide peoples and nations.  He has led to destructive wars in the name of religious fantasies.  The legacy of love found in the New Testament has been tainted with the worst sort of intolerance and prejudice that would have appalled Jesus in life.  Most troubling of all, his teachings have been hijacked by people who hate in the name of love.”[3]
In the Christian Scriptures, having a focus on what is always wrong with the “other” often causes some type of inner turmoil;  this focus  is often likened to casting stones, having an impediment in the eye, or forgetting the now-harvest or paradise-of-today.  Knowing this, in the holistic teachings of Jesus, if one becomes aware of practicing these behaviors, change can take place.  One can move forward without having to stay in paralyzing fear, guilt, or sin-consciousness.  As elucidated by Butterworth, “The great problem of today lies not in getting religion into business and into human relations, but in getting life and light into our personal religion….The Christ standard is not a series of hard and fast rules for behavior, not simply an analysis of what Jesus did for men to see.  It is, instead, a principle that Jesus revealed through His discovery of the Divinity of Man.”[4]  In awareness, incorporating aspects of human-living as well as the infusion and effusion of Divinity are affirmed with faith; Life is demonstrated with the single eye of Spirit.


[1] Eric Butterworth, Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within (New York: HarperOne in partnership with Unity House, 1992), 9.
[2] Deepak Chopra, The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2008), 4.
[3] Ibid, 7.
[4] Eric Butterworth, Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within (New York:   HarperOne in partnership with Unity House, 1992), 18.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Trinitarian Thought and Panentheism – Christ-Consciousness as Teilhard’s Omega Point?

by: Ber Stackhouse, MBA     October 19, 2012

The Church, the reflectively christified portion of the world, the Church, the principal focus of interhuman affinities through supercharity, the Church, the central axis of universal convergence and the precise point of contact between the universe and Omega Point.”
-Teilhard (My Fundamental Vision, 1948, XI, 191-192)[1]
Trinitarian thought holds that there are three aspects within One.  To assert that panentheism is Trinitarian would require the premise that there is some aspect of interrelated action and unity within such aspects and within the dimensions of such aspects.  Therefore, defining the terms trinity and panentheism is important.
TRINITY
The doctrine of the T. states that in the BEING of the one eternal deity there are three eternal and essential distinctions, traditionally named Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In Western Christendom, the classical formula has been ‘three persons in one SUBSTANCE’ (una substantia et tres personae); in Eastern Christendom, ‘three HYPOSTASES in one being’ (treis hypostaseis, mia ousia).  The doctrine did not crystallize until the 4th century, although Trinitarian language is found in the N.T. and in the primitive CHURCH.[2]
[T]here was no fixed terminology in either Greek or Latin.  Men first had to agree what they meant and then to translate that into terms which were themselves not agreed upon.  The aim of the orthodox party in the East [Greek vocabulary], led by Athanasius (c.295-373), was to preserve the unity of God and the coequal status of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  For years this party was unable to agree on the precise terminology until a reconciling formula and interpretation were provided by the Cappadocians.  It was ‘one ousia (or being) in three hypostases’ (distinctions in being).  This formula appealed to the Western theologians because it seemed parallel to Tertullian’s (150?-225?) earlier Latin formula, three persons in one substance.[3]
PANENTHEISM
Panentheism is the view that attempts to reconcile the insights of PANTHEISM, on the one hand, and of DEISM on the other.  If pantheism identifies God and the world taken as a whole, and deism insists that God and the world are separate entities, P. argues that the world is included in God’s being something as cells are included in a larger organism, although the world does not exhaust God’s being or creativity.  Just as a PERSON is both the sum of all his experiences and parts and yet more than they, so God has all of finite being as part of his being and experience but transcends it.[4]
            Trinitarian thought also relates with notions of Self.  Imelda Shanklin describes notions of Self in her book, What Are You?.  She observes, “You know your starting point for a better manifestation when you see that in your present status or being you are triune.  You can observe the three-sided aspect of your being by noticing the ways in which you think of yourself.  The following points approximate your thoughts concerning your individuality:”[5]
1.       ‘I feel the assuring presence of a vast good, a something indefinably but infinitely desirable’….As spiritual being you have identity with God, and because of identity you feel the presence of God as vast good.
2.      ‘I know.  I think.  I understand.’ These declarations are evidence that you have a mental character.
3.      ‘[M]y body’; ‘my circumstances’; ‘my life.’  These phrases show that you recognize a third state of being.  This state is the physical you.
Thomas Shepherd, D.Min. describes an incarnational monism[6] as a form of panentheism. Characteristics of Incarnational Monism are:
·         Biblical
·         Metaphysical
·         Panentheistic
·         Expansive
·         Traditional (Eckhart, Teilhard, etc)
·         Head-Heart Cooperative
·         Fillmorean
Shepherd describes this view within Christianity.  He states, “the tradition of mysticism insists that God can be known directly.  One such form is Christian monism, which recognizes only One Presence/One Power [OP2] in the cosmos.  Add to this a belief in spiritual evolution, which discovers this Presence and Power at work within every sentient being to transform human consciousness into Christ consciousness, and the result is a creative process that moves from Divine Mind to a self-perfecting expression in sentient beings like humans.”[7]
            In recognizing the triune aspects of Self, one can consciously effect personal situations and be an active part in creation.  French philosopher, Jesuit priest, and paleontologist, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin surmised a connection of science and creation. “[His] thought and works represent the widest and deepest attempt to reconcile Christian theology and the scientific worldview of biological evolution. Arguing that evolution moves toward complexity and consciousness, he noted that the order implied by creation is in the future and is achieved as a result of both the mechanisms of evolution and the action of humankind.  The theological vision of the movement of creation toward unity, redemption, and salvation is now referred to as the evolutionary universe.”[8]
Through knowing the aspects of Self and aspects of God, we can effectively see the representation of the Son in and through our lives.  With Christ-Consciousness, that divine within us and realization of Divine Ideals, we can express in profound ways.  Then we can contemplate, are we moving toward the Omega Point or do we become aware of the Omega Point in the now moment?


[1] Teilhard’s Quotes, American Teilhard Association, http://teilharddechardin.org/index.php/teilhards-quotes (accessed October 19, 2012).
[2] Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms (New York: Touchstone, 1997), 244.
[3] Ibid, 245.
[4] Ibid, 172.
[5] Imelda Shanklin, What Are You? (Kansas City, MO: Unity School of Christianity, 1928), http://www.truthunity.net/texts/books/what-are-you-5-21 (accessed October 19, 2012).
[6] Thomas Shepherd, “The Trinity Part II God as Father & Mother” (presentation, Unity Village, MO: Unity Institute & Seminary, October 17, 2012).
[7] Thomas Shepherd, Jesus 2.1: An Upgrade for the 21st Century, (Unity Village, MO: Unity House, 2010), 65.
[8] Teilhard de Chardin, Study Guide & Homework Help, eNotes, http://www.enotes.com/teilhard-de-chardin-pierre-referene/teilhard-de-chardin-pierre (accessed October 19, 2012).

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Perspectives of Holiness

by: Ber Stackhouse, MBA  October 17, 2012
Biblical passages from the NRSV (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1989).
Many consider holiness and its application in life.  Holiness is often connected with the Divine.  When moving from objects to the term’s relation with humans, how is this applied and what does this lend to self-concepts and theology?
Van A. Harvey in A Handbook of Theological Terms explains Holy as, “In the Book of Leviticus men are commanded to be H. because God is H., and it is understood that this includes being just, truthful and merciful.  So, too, in so far as the moral commandments are fused with ceremonial ones, objects like the temple, the altar, the Holy of Holies can also be called H.  Holiness has traditionally been regarded as one of the NOTES OF THE CHURCH.”[1]
There are perspectives[2] that may provide context to the paradigm one has of being holy. 
1.      Holiness from recognition of weakness or limitation.
2.      Holiness from an awareness of innate goodness.
A perspective on holiness is to see it as wholeness.  For example, if one is holy, one can experience the awareness of being whole and complete.  Rev. Thomas Shepherd, D.Min notes that holiness is “a positive move toward wholeness, not just avoiding mistakes.”[3]
The framework may cause difficulty if left solely in either perspective.  Someone that continues in declaring limitation or weakness may not see the ability for resolution or life improvement.  This person may think to be holy is to not do certain things in which harm, shame, or paralyzing fear is at the forefront in thinking.  Someone that sees the good within, or in relating with being made in the image of God may get disoriented in external images, doubt, or lack initiative in certain practical life activities.
For consideration:  Embodying this wholeness is signified by becoming aware of being whole and to take up realization and to put down striving.
In the Book of Exodus 3:4-5, “God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’  Then he said, ‘Come no closer!  Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’” This holiness, or wholeness can be found in knowing the I AM, striving has ended and awareness and groundedness through realization is achieved.
From the Book of Genesis 2:1,3, holiness can be discerned from the verses stating, “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished….So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”  In looking within these verses, one can see that creation has taken place in thought (heavens) and manifestation (earth).  Understanding can be found in not just seeing some particular day, rather seeing that time in general, or the now moment, is whole.  Awareness is achieved as realization is taken up and striving is put down.  This creation of life experience takes place as one can determine many circumstances through pervasive limitation or through embracing goodness.
The Magnificat shows an example of affirmation, awareness, identification with weakness and putting down striving, and identification with goodness and taking up realization. 
“And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.  Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly…” (Luke 1:46-49, 52)
The affirmation takes place with recognizing and rejoicing in God.  Lowliness is released and a conviction of perpetual blessedness is received.  The name, or nature, of this One Mighty Presence is the state of being whole, of being holy.  Through this awareness, exalted thoughts of being lowly are put down and transmuted into thoughts of blessedness which are then taken and lifted up.
The perspective of holiness in one’s life has a large impact on the thinking-feeling state and the creation of many experiences of life.


[1] Van A. Harvey, A Handbook of Theological Terms (New York: Touchstone, 1997), 122.
[2] Rev. Thomas W. Shepherd, “The Trinity, Part I – God as Spirit” (class presentation, Unity Institute & Seminary, Unity Village, MO, October 16, 2012).
[3] Ibid.