We
are embodied spirits.
We
have both a physical and a spiritual nature.
Therefore,
we approach God in two different ways.
The physical way is called religion.
The
non-physical way is called spirituality.
The
difference between religion and spirituality is the
difference between Christianity and the Kingdom of
God.
The
church speaks for Christianity.
The
Holy Spirit speaks for the Kingdom of God.
Christianity
is a school of faith which helps us learn the basics
of morality and religious tradition. This is a collective
experience.
The
career for which that school of faith prepares us
is life in the Kingdom of God. This is an individual
experience.
Those
who interpret the Christian story literally, using
their physical senses, are called orthodox by the
church.
Those
who interpret the Christian story metaphorically,
using their spiritual senses, are called heretics
by the church.
All
of us have both literal and metaphorical elements
in our understanding of divine truth.
Therefore
both groups, the orthodox and the heretical, are called
to live together in the church in peace.
To
do so is to be obedient to Jesus who said: "There
are other sheep which belong to me that are not in
this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will
listen to my voice, and they will become one flock
with one shepherd." John 10:16
