The Tao of Christ

The New Pilgrim’s Progress is a modern retelling of John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress.” It is an allegorical pilgrimage through the landscape of 21st century American spirituality.In this first chapter Seeker decides to leave his home in the Shadowlands. He meets Campus Crusader on his university campus. The evangelist instructs him to begin his journey by entering through a gate illuminated by lamppost, which strangely resembles the one at the boundary of Narnia. Along the way he meets Tolerant and Intolerant and falls into the Bog of Existential Angst from which he is rescued by Prozac. He meets Psychologist who directs him to the Town of Therapy where he stays for a while before continuing his journey.  View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

Patterned after John Bunyan’s 17th century classic “Pilgrim’s Progress,” The New Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegorical pilgrimage through the landscape of 21st century American Christianity.This is not your grandfather’s Pilgrim’s Progress! In this retelling of the beloved allegory, Seeker (who later changes his name to Pilgrim) meets Campus Crusader on his university campus. The evangelist instructs him to begin his journey by entering through a gate illuminated by lamppost, which strangely resembles the one at the boundary of Narnia. Instead of the Slough of Despond this modern Pilgrim falls into the Bog of Existential Angst, and then stays in the Town of Therapy for a while. Where Vanity Fair used to be, now there is Prosperity Gospel Ministries. Pilgrim visits the City of Megachurch where he meets people who suspiciously resemble Robert Schuller, Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, and Benny Hinn. Pilgrim visits Theologian’s house and First Baptist Church. He meets famous preachers like Calvin, Arminius and Billy Graham, as well as familiar characters like Apollyon, Judgmental, Bored, and Spiritual but Not Religious. These are just a few of the adventures that Pilgrim and his companions have on their journey from their home in the Shadowlands (shades of C. S. Lewis) to their Destination beyond the river. This is a romp through contemporary American Christianity that I hope will get you thinking deeply and laughing out loud.View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

This is the final episode of “Experiencing God Directly: The Way of Christian Nonduality.” It is the epilogue to my 2013 book by the same title. In “The Story of Me,” I give a brief personal account of how a Baptist preacher came to the nondual awareness of God and how I interpret it within the Christian tradition. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

"The wayless way is where the sons of God lose themselves and at the same time find themselves." Meister EckhartSo far these episodes about Experiencing God Directly have been an attempt to describe the nondual Christian experience of God. In this episode entitled “The Wayless Way,” I go beyond description and point the reader directly to God. I make this as personal as I can and describe my own practice of abiding in God. Section headings are:God as Wholly OtherGod as Eternal One View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

"Emptiness, emptiness, all is emptiness." Book of Eccleciastes In this episode I explore the teaching of nonduality in the Wisdom tradition of the Old Testament, particularly in the Book of Ecclesiastes and the Wisdom psalms. It is represented in the concept of “emptiness.” It is also present in the New Testament teaching about Christ, especially how God emptied himself in the Incarnation and the Cross of Christ. I explore the nondual concept of afterlife and consciousness after death in the Western tradition. Chapter sections are “The Emptiness of Christ,” “Eat, Drink, Chop Wood, Carry Water,” and “Don’t Take Your Self Seriously.”View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

"I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you!" - JobThank God for atheists! Atheists have taught me more about God than any preacher or seminary professor. They have shown me what God is not, and thereby pointed me toward who God is.  I credit the books of the so-called “New Atheists” with helping me identify and reject false gods and thereby redirect me to True God. Especially former Christian preachers who became atheists have deepened my Christian faith by pointing out the weaknesses of traditional understandings of God.My inquiry into God – like my inquiry into the nature of the self – has led me beyond the human conceptions of God to what Christian philosopher Paul Tillich calls “God beyond God.” The God of religion is nothing more than an idea in the mind. It is a construction of the human mind, a mental image. To worship a mental image of God is just as idolatrous as worshiping a graven image, and it is just as much a violation of the first and second commandments. The God of most theists is an idol. But God is real. The One God that Christian doctrines, icons, scriptures, and words point to is Ultimately Real. But ideas about God are not. We must not mistake the words used to describe God for God to whom they point. There is an old saying: Do not mistake the finger pointing to the moon for the moon itself. We must not mistake doctrine that points to Truth for Truth Itself. Road signs along the spiritual path are not the destination to which they point. In this chapter I explore those Christian doctrines that point us beyond ideas and bring us into the presence of God. I call them paradoxical pointers – doctrines like the trinity, incarnation, and theodicy – also known as the problem of suffering and evil. When allowed to fulfill their purpose these doctrines bring us into an experience of God. I also explore the ideas of whether True God is personal or impersonal.  View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

"It is not I who live but Christ who lives in me." - Apostle PaulIn this episode I continue reading from my 2013 book “Experiencing God Directly: The Way of Christian Nonduality.” Chapter 3 Self-InquiryBefore one can seek God, one must know who it is who seeks God. When one knows oneself, everything else becomes clearer. Discovery of our true nature opens our eyes to the true nature of God and the world. In this episode of the book “Experiencing God Directly” I explore the differences between the traditional dualistic concept of human nature (derived from Greek philosophy and imported into Christianity) and the holistic concept found in the Christian scriptures and experienced in nondualistic Christianity. Section headings include: “The Cross of Christ as the Door to the Real” and “The Role of Faith.” Popular highlights: “The spiritual quest is to realize through direct experience who we really are and who God really is.”“Humans have mistaken their psyches for their real self, and consequently remade God in their own image. Man’s self pictures God as a supreme Personal Self. Man’s mind imagines God as Divine Intellect. God is seen as Super Man. As Rousseau said, "God created man in his own image. And man, being a gentleman, returned the favor."  God made man as spirit in his own image as Spirit. But man has mistaken himself to be psyche and reimagined God as a Super Psyche. That religious image of God as a Big Self is no more real than the human psyche it was patterned after. It is nothing more than an idol. Consequently most theistic worship is little more than idolatry, the worship of man’s own persona projected upon the fabric of the universe.”“The way of salvation is the death of the self and the release of the spirit.”“Spiritual inquiry is the search to discover our real self and the Real God.”View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

"I and the Father are One." - Jesus of NazarethIn this episode I continue reading from my 2013 book “Experiencing God Directly: The Way of Christian Nonduality.”Chapter 1 - Jesus as a Proclaimer of NondualityChapter 2 - Unborn AgainWe can know God directly. We can have immediate awareness of oneness with God in the present moment. It is not mediated through a church, a religion, a creed or a spiritual path. This is not theological knowledge about God. It is not a religious experience facilitated by a worship service. It is not a spiritual experience elicited by religious disciplines or practices. It is not a revelation of God mediated through Scripture or communicated by spiritual teachers. This is direct unmediated awareness of God.Jesus called this the Kingdom of God. He experienced it at his baptism, and it was his earliest message. Jesus described it to Nicodemus as being “born of the Spirit.” The apostle Paul referred to it as being “in Christ.” It was Moses’ experience of God as “I AM” at the Burning Bush. It was the experience of Job when he met God in the whirlwind. It produces what the New Testament calls the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives - qualities like Love, Joy, and Peace. It is “the peace that surpasses all human understanding.” It is sometimes called nondual awareness. This is just another term for union with God. It is the experience of mystics in the Christian tradition, and it is echoed in other spiritual traditions. It is the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is Jesus Christ. This is the heart of Christianity. And it is available now. All we have to do is wake up to this always present awareness of God. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

In this episode I begin reading from my 2013 book “Experiencing God Directly: The Way of Christian Nonduality.”We can know God directly. We can have immediate awareness of oneness with God in the present moment. It is not mediated through a church, a religion, a creed or a spiritual path. This is not theological knowledge about God. It is not a religious experience facilitated by a worship service. It is not a spiritual experience elicited by religious disciplines or practices. It is not a revelation of God mediated through Scripture or communicated by spiritual teachers. This is direct unmediated awareness of God.Jesus called this the Kingdom of God. He experienced it at his baptism, and it was his earliest message. Jesus described it to Nicodemus as being “born of the Spirit.” The apostle Paul referred to it as being “in Christ.” It was Moses’ experience of God as “I AM” at the Burning Bush. It was the experience of Job when he met God in the whirlwind. It produces what the New Testament calls the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives - qualities like Love, Joy, and Peace. It is “the peace that surpasses all human understanding.” It is sometimes called nondual awareness. This is just another term for union with God. It is the experience of mystics in the Christian tradition, and it is echoed in other spiritual traditions. It is the Way, the Truth, and the Life that is Jesus Christ. This is the heart of Christianity. And it is available now. All we have to do is wake up to this always present awareness of God. View Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU

Chapters 47-81 of the Tao Te ChingView Marshall's books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marshall-Davis/author/B001K8Y0RU