Overview: Is Jesus the Christ? If so, what does that mean? How can a human person be a Cosmic Principle? Don MacGregor hopes to make Christianity more relevant for the twenty-first century in his reflection into the difference between the Universal or Cosmic Christ principle and the human figure of Jesus of Nazareth.

Here within the pages of The Christ and Jesus: The Difference, author Rev. Don MacGregor takes a deep dive into reincarnation, mysticism and the message of transformation that Jesus taught, contrasting that with the transaction that the institutional Church taught.

This is the third book in the Wisdom Series (Christianity Expanding and Expanding Scriptures, are the others) in which the author seeks to reframe Christianity within a larger sphere, that of the Perennial Philosophy.

Verdict: In what is a rather engrossing, Sunday afternoon read, The Christ and Jesus: The Difference, by author Rev. Don MacGregor, starts out, from the very off, to showcase the major distinctions between The Christ and the historical Jesus, thus providing us with a read that moves quickly, yet at no point contains fluff filler.

The historical Jesus, the human being who walked the roads of ancient Israel, gathered disciples, and who was executed by the Romans, is often contrasted with the Christ of faith, a supra-historical figure whose presence in the world enlivens and nourishes Christian communities.

The Christ was not originally a name but a title derived from the Greek word christos, which translates the Hebrew term meshiah (Messiah), meaning “the anointed one.” This title indicates that Jesus’ followers believed him to be the anointed son of King David, whom some Jews expected to restore the fortunes of Israel.

In what turns out to be, although you can definitely sense it as the pages are turned, a well researched, heartfelt and importantly dutifully correlated book on the subject at hand, Rev. Don tells things through his own eyes, thus creating a story line that is wholly follow-able and laced with spiritual, personal intimacy.

As Rev. Don MacGregor himself concludes, “It is my belief that in order to survive in the twenty-first century as a credible belief, Christianity has to take on board some of the precepts and understanding of the Ageless Wisdom teachings, especially as the leading edge of science is now putting forward the idea that there is a universal consciousness from which everything stems at a deep level of reality”.

As for the aforementioned Ageless Wisdom, here, it is not something that is being taught through the pages of Rev. Don’s book, but moreover is a telling of the collective wisdom of humanity, the treasury of the human soul.

That said, when delved into, Ageless Wisdom urges you to be something higher than you are in your beingness. Urges you to offer something greater to humanity than what was offered in the past, which is something that we should all already be embolden with.

Furthermore, the goal of the Teaching is to create a new world, a world that has discovered the treasury of the heart, a world that has mastered the science of right human relations, a world that has understood the mystery of human brotherhood/sisterhood, a world that has seen the vision of divinity living in each human being.

Inclusive of insights on the subject from Alice A. Bailey, Helena Blavatsky and the Tibetan (Djwhal Khul), Rev. Don also includes his own scientific and theological background to springboard the subject to the forefront, when required here, for what it does is provide a clear and mightily accessible set of contents that, come the end, could well be an excellent guide for students of the Ageless Wisdom (whether they be newcomers or intermediate beginners).

In closing, this is the third in the Wisdom Series, a series which seeks to reach those followers of the teachings of Jesus who are open to a wider theology and philosophy than that of traditional Church teaching.

About The Author - Don MacGregor is an author, retired Anglican Priest, former science teacher and university chaplain. He has embarked on a series of books which seek to expand the theological framework of Christianity into the Perennial Wisdom cosmology, thus making it a more universal spirituality.

Don is passionate about finding a new way forward for Christianity which incorporates twenty-first century science and worldviews. He lives in St Davids, UK.

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