“If you've read the Bible, you've probably noticed Jesus can't stop moving. Well, the adult Jesus, anyway. As a kid, he probably stuck to the task of mastering the building trades at home. Although alternative histories about his so-called “lost years” are quite alluring, the biblical texts are silent about sojourns among the masters of India or Egypt, or a discipleship at the Dead Sea Essene Community. While the image of an adolescent sawing timber and chanting Hebrew prayers with his family lacks the pizzazz of a world-trekking bodhisattva-in-training, nevertheless a homeschooled Jesus should encourage us.

“Jesus as humble tradesman suggests we humans need no special gurus to find our inner Christ. He worked with his dad, attended synagogue and studied the Torah. He got his spiritual training from the religion of his people. This suggests we can do likewise.

“…Every generation inherits a Jesus whose image is in motion, evolving through time….The man of Nazareth saw this world though lenses particularly suited to his day and time. Everyone afterward who has looked at Jesus has brought different lenses to the process. We have shaped and reshaped Jesus through time, influenced by cultural, linguistic, political and economic issues. The process is both open-ended and unavoidable…”

On an Evolutionary Path by Rev. Duke Tufty
“…I grew up in a very fundamental church and upon reaching the third grade I was given a “Book of Prayer” which dogmatically asserted the theology of that religion….I quote, ‘O thou great God, who art just and holy, I, thy sinful, unclean creature, come before thee in deep humility, confessing my many sins and my total unworthiness….' Hearing this as a 7-year-old was quite confusing. I was left with a sense of unworthiness, shame and guilt over the death of Jesus to the point he became the enemy….Through Unity I was taught that the Jesus was an example to follow and not an exception beyond human potential. Over time…he uplifted me to a beautiful new awareness of beholding the Christ in all people…”
Rev. Tufty is senior minister at Unity Temple on the Plaza in Kansas City, Mo., and chair of the Board of Unity School of Christianity.

He Showed Us What is Possible, by Laura Shepard
Growing up in an Evangelical Christian home, I was raised on the story of Jesus, a story so fantastic it felt like a fairy tale. I couldn't relate to him on a personal level, as he was the one and only “son of God” and he produced all of those incredible miracles. I eventually turned my back on traditional Christianity and began the search for something more. When I found Unity,…hearing that Jesus was a human with the divine essence within him and that all of us have that same spark within us was stunning to me….I now see Jesus as one of the most profound teachers…So powerful are his teachings, we are still talking about him today.”
Laura Shepard is co-host of the radio program “Absolute Living” on Unity.FM

My Journey with Jesus by Rev. Mark Fuss
“Years ago, when I first shared with my family that I was studying to become a Unity minister, my grandmother…[asked]…'Does Unity believe in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?'…Having been raised in a fundamentalist church, I knew she was asking if Unity believed in salvation through the blood of Jesus. I had left the church decades before…unable to accept the idea of a God of judgment and sacrifice. …When I began attending Unity Institute, my first class was Jesus' Teachings in the Bible, in which we tried to separate the teachings of Jesus from the teachings about Jesus. Our conclusion was that all of Jesus' teachings have their roots in three things – loving, giving and forgiveness. This was a Jesus I could relate to.”
Rev. Mark Fuss serves as admissions representative for the Unity Institute ministerial program.

This excerpt is from the March/April 2010 issue of Unity Magazine®.