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©1999 by James
A. Fowler. All rights
reserved.
You are free to download this article provided it remains intact without alteration.
You are also free to transmit this article electronically provided that you do so in its entirety with proper citation of authorship included.
The illustrator of these
parodies is Aaron Eskridge.
For contact and information about Aaron: Illustrator's
Page
Text of article below graphic
Many centuries ago in the
old country a parcel of land was identified and acquired. The
old land deed duly recorded that the property boundary ran "from
the large rock on the southeast corner, west to the sea, north
to the top of the hill, east to the large oak tree, and south
again to the large rock." Without precision instruments
to measure latitudinal and longitudinal bearings and the exact
degrees of direction, this type of land demarcation was common
in old land deeds. The large rock that marked the southeast corner
of the piece of property was immovable and served as the fixed
point of bearing for the position of the parcel.
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As
the years went by the property was passed down by inheritance
from generation to generation. The heirs were under the mistaken
impression that the cornerstone was on the northwest corner of
the lot. The time came when the heirs decided to develop the
property commercially. Extensive planning and constructive transpired.
An entire city division was built, complete with residences,
apartments, and several large churches. Everything was oriented
around, and attention directed to, the large cornerstone to the
northwest. |
When the regional government
decided to modernize the land maps of the region, a surveyor
was sent to update the boundary demarcations. He took measurements,
drove stakes, and recorded his findings. The report concluded
that the entire development had been constructed on the wrong
parcel of land. The owners and developers were shocked and dismayed.
Needless to say, a land dispute ensued and litigation has continued
for years as to the culpability for such misdirected development.
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Meanwhile,
over the years, a few simple souls have been living on the original
parcel of land. Without ornate accommodations they reside at
the top of the hill enjoying the majestic view of the rock on
the southeast corner, the ocean to the southwest, and the ancient
oak tree to the east. Like their predecessors and ancestors before
them, they seem to be quite disinterested in the legalities of
land descriptions and the commercialization of physical developments.
They prefer instead to appreciate the serene beauty of life on
the hill. |
Organized institutional
religion has thought for many centuries that it was rightly oriented
to the cornerstone of Christianity in Jesus Christ. They have
developed an ecclesiastical community, the city of "Christendom,"
complete with crystal cathedrals.
Imagine their dismay when
they are informed that they have constructed their religious
city in the wrong direction, and are not rightly related to the
"cornerstone." What they thought was their "land"
does not belong to them.
All along a few Christians
have lived simply in the "land of promise" (Heb. 11:9),
recognizing they are "build up as a spiritual house"
(I Pet. 2:5), the "house of God" (Heb. 10:21; Eph.
2:19), with "Christ Jesus being the cornerstone" (Eph.
2:20) thereof. They reside on "Mount Zion, in the city of
the living God" (Heb. 12:22), "the city whose architect
and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10), enjoying the life of Jesus
Christ.
Will the religious heirs
give up all their materialistic assets and construction plans
in exchange for the simplicity of enjoying life in the land,
city and house that is spiritually available in Jesus Christ?
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