The Christian Community

Jesús A. Diez Canseco

Description

An understanding of the true Christian community. How to achieve unity among peoples.
The book presents the biblical foundations of the Christian community and its reasons to exist as an integral part of the human community in general.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Peace
• Unity
• Paix

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 29 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664276314
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
 
 
 
Biblical Foundations
 
 
 
JESÚS A. DIEZ CANSECO
 
 
 
 


 
Copyright © 2022 Jesús A. Diez Canseco.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7630-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7631-4 (e)
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 08/24/2022

DEDICATION
TO PEOPLE OF GOOD WILL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
CHAPTER I : MAN IS A COMMUNITARIAN BEING
1. How does God live in the trinitarian community
2. The breakup of the unity in the Primitive Human Community
CHAPTER II : THE CALL TO RESTORE THE HUMAN COMMUNITY
1. Understanding the reasons why we must restore the human community
2. The need for individual and collective transformations
3. Why is the restoration of the human community necessary?
4. The peoples of the world need to know God’s life
5. The birth of Jesus and the restoration of the human community
CHAPTER III : THE HUMAN COMMUNITY AND THE HUMAN FAMILY
1. The God incarnate is born into a family and is raised as a member of a society
2. The role of Mary and Joseph in the family of Jesus
3. Human quality is measure by the degree of cooperation with God
CHAPTER IV : A LIGHT REVEALS THE HUMAN COMMUNITY
1. The light of the communitarian God allows us to know ourselves and the world
2. Divisive actions and the victory of unity
3. The attacks against unity are attacks against human rights
4. There is a way to prevent humanity from being destroyed by division
CHAPTER V : THE GREATNESS OF HUMAN NATURE
1. The greatness of human nature according to God’s revelation
2. Communitarian life is like water satisfying our thirst for unity
3. Living in community defines the characteristics of human greatness
4. Passing from division to unity is like passing from death to life
CHAPTER VI : THE HUMAN COMMUNITY IS LIKE A TEMPLE
1. Every injustice exposes the structural deficiencies of the temple
2. A prodigal son who causes separation and destruction
CHAPTER VII : THE RESTORATION OF UNITY IS A FORM OF LIBERATION
1. Liberation is a manifestation of the power of God
2. The triumphant power
3. The restoration of communitarian life is like a new dawn
CHAPTER VIII : THE COMMUNITARIAN ECONOMY AND THE COMMUNITARIAN LEADERS
1. Characteristics of a communitarian economy
2. Those who take upon themselves the task of changing an unjust socioeconomic system may experience fears
3. The leaders in the human community
4. The way leading to life and the way leading to God are one and the same
CHAPTER IX : THE LOVE BETWEEN GOD AND MEN LEADS TO UNITY
1. Human life is nurtured by divine life
2. The love between God and man is a necessity
3. The love of God leads us to eternal life
4. To love God means to be one with him
CHAPTER X : HUMAN LABOR AS A FOUNT OF COMMUNITARIAN LIFE
1. Fishers of men and the followers of Christ
2. “The world in its present form is passing away”
3. The restoration of communitarian life brings about the common good
4. A job assigned to everybody
CHAPTER XI : AN IDENTITY OF THE HIGHEST DIGNITY
1. Man’s identity is united to God’s identity
2. Goodness is an essential element of human identity
3. Man’s communitarian identity confronts obstacles along his evolution
4. The power of men within the community
CHAPTER XII : THE SATISFACTION OF HUMAN NEEDS ACCORDING TO THE WIIL OF GOD
1. Easier said than done
2. Doing the will of the Father involves a sacrifice and ends up in joy
3. Human laws ought to be the reflection of God’s will
4. Relationship between the will of the communitarian God and the will of the communitarian man
5. The will of God infuses in men a vocation to communitarian life
CHAPTER XIII : COMMUNITARIAN PRODUCTIVITY IS MEASURED BY THE PRESENCE OF UNITY BETWEEN MEN
1. Men achieve unity through a process of inclusion an exclusion
2. Unity turns a community into a boat which never sinks
3. The right to gainful work and the right to live in unity
4. Those who partake of the intimacy of Christ live in unity between themselves
5. The human community is the proper environment for men to live in freedom
CHAPTER XIV : COMMUNITY VS CLASS SOCIETY
1. Communitarian life through the History of Salvation
2. Communitarian unity is the fruit of individual diversity
3. Those who live in unity bear the marks of Christ
CHAPTER XV : COMMUNITARIAN LIFE IS A TREASURE
1. Why is communitarian life a treasure?
2. The treasure facilitates the cooperation between God and man
3. Quality of life is a communitarian treasure
4. The communitarian treasure enriches everybody, economically and emotionally
CHAPTER XVI : THE HUMAN COMMUNITY ALLOWS MAN TO HAVE A VISION OF GOD
1. The human community is the environment for men to see and know God
2. Can man focus his vision on God?
3. What can we do when we come to know Christ?
4. Our humility ought to be the reflection of the humility we see in God
CHAPTER XVII : HOW TO BUILD A PERMANENT HUMAN COMMUNITY. THE ROLE OF SOCIAL AND LABOR JUSTICE
1. It is necessary to avoid paying evil for evil
2. Forgiveness is a barrier against mutual destruction
3. Labor justice, based on fair salaries, contributes to the prosperity of a lasting community
4. The human community cannot be divided, otherwise, it may not survive
CHAPTER XVIII : HUMAN ATTRIBUTES PROSPER IN A COMMUNITY. THE ADMINISTRATION OF MATERIAL GOODS
1. Three basic human attributes
2. Human loyalty strives when men live in community
3. The administration of material goods
4. Greed for wealth is a trap to the rich
5. The concurrence of man’s will and God’s will is necessary to appropriately administer material goods
CHAPTER XIX : ANTAGONISMS VS HARMONY WITHIN THE INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIETY
1. Antagonisms within society’s institutions
2. Is it possible to restore the harmony intended by God?
3. Love of neighbor is a source of harmony between the institutions of society
4. The dominant classes are detrimental to harmony within society
5. Does Christ listen to those who need help to restore harmony between social classes?
CHAPTER XX : JUSTICE IN THE COMMUNITY LEADS TO GOD
1. “God… will see to it that justice is done for them speedily”
2. A righteous man practices justice
3. Wisdom leads us to justice
4. How grave are the injustices afflicting humanity?
5. A world without justice is like a temple without God
 
EPILOGUE

PREFACE
This book speaks of the Christian Community as an integral part the human community. Communitarian life implies that men relate to one another in a unifying and edifying manner by virtue of sharing in the same human nature, which is innate to all of them. The Christian community, in specific terms, is a way of life whereby men, in addition to relating to one another, also relate to Christ, the God incarnate, the Son of Man.
In its religious dimension, the Christian community transcends the limitations of a historic entity, and, in its earthly dimension, is subject to the historic and evolutionary laws proper to the human race.
In its first chapters, this book describes the original human community as a form of live where men live in equality and harmony. What equality are we talking about? The equality existing in men as a result of possessing the same human nature. Therefore, it goes without saying that such equality does not refer to the individual attributes, which make each person unique within the human collectivity. These attributes, when used properly, have the potential of contributing to and solidifying human unity.
What harmony we are talking about? The harmony which generates peaceful coexistence among men, and, systematically, eradicates destructive conflicts. This peaceful coexistence does not necessarily imply absence of conflicts but rather the capacity of men to resolve them before causing mutual destruction. Communitarian life is, precisely, the fertile field for resolving conflicts.
The reader will find frequent references to the differences between men’s life in common unity (or communitarian life) and men’s l