The Christian Church started in 30-33 CE around the work of Jesus’ disciples and was granted official legal status as the Church of Rome by the Edict of Milan in 313 CE. By 392 CE The Church of Rome was powerful enough to declare the Canon (The books of the bible) closed in two Councils–The Council of Rome in 382 CE and the Council of Carthage in
397 CE. The theologians had nearly 400 years to put the Bible in place and to define/limit who God was/is and who Jesus was/is. This despite Jesus’ declaration, “The Spirit is like the wind that blows where it will.”

The Protestant Reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany and developed between 1555 and 1648.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism was created in 1647, declaring God to be a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.” Completely ignoring and dismissing the Biblical declaration that “God is love” (1st John 4:8 and 4:16). Which is a reflection of how careless theologians can be in declaring who God is and isn’t–and also a clear depiction of how God is the product of theology, and not the other way around. God did not produce the Church. The Church produced/created God.

Which brings forth the foundational question when the Christian church in its myriad formations talks today in terms of “God this” and “God that”: WHO SAYS SO? And the followup: HOW DO THEY KNOW SO? And, of course the answers will be, “The Bible says so.” And the question to that is “Who wrote the Bible?” Theologians are at the heart of it all. Theologians created God. All we know about God is what the theologians have told us about God. And the contradictions are aplenty.

For starters with the contradictions, you might begin with my “The Three Texts Ending Christianity” in my Reflections section of this Blog. And that is just the beginning.