Once upon a time, there were two forms of reform theology which all Western Christian faiths embraced: Calvinism (q.v., e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism ) and its following clone Puritanism.

 

These two pan-Christian doctrines required faithful to be instructed that contrary to popular belief about Christ's own words, the ol' Holy Spirt or Christ had been making more of those myriad non-Parousia post-Ascension appearances to their most very bestes buddies among all Christendom, and most importantly...that God's will had been revealed such that doggone, His ol' Son got it wonky, because Calvinists and Puritans know that God has created some people to be saved into Heaven no matter how rotten they are, and He created some people just to be beyond salvation at birth through death, no matter how good they were ("vessels of wrath").

 

Now, in those days, slavery was a huge industry for Western elites and clergy then politically dependent upon them; of course, some preachers and many lay people strenuously opposed slavery. Calvinism in Europe and Puritanism here made it "okay" to do as you please with any "savages", be they from Africa or Native Americans...in fact, be they anyone of ANY stripe daring to oppose the political/religious elite, but essentially non-Caucasian persons were held pan-Christendom to be of no value to God, as was anyone else who was not expedient to the money will of officials and clergy...the devil take them, and use them as you will, the filthy predestined vessels of God's wrath, identified through a "good" Christian whomping on them.

 

Obviously, by the time Obama and I were of age, that kind of malarkey had been swept out of USA Christendom except for a few tiny pockets. And, by 2000, most USA Christians had become the "Christmas and Easter" kind, going to Church said dates and also for baptisms, weddings, funerals, but otherwise staying away and leading the kind of "just Christ's words" everyday life as best they could...and to be sure, Christ's words are the smallest part of any Bible; yet they confer basically a terse goodwill refereeing saying we must not seek to be more dear to God than others or non-believers, must not judge, must take care of each other, and (not exhaustively) not show anyone lateral, below, or above us...whoever we are, high and low...uncivil or un-diplomatic fair play. 

 

Now, when after government takes over funding Churches which apparently would otherwise starve for congregational funding, and these Churches then operate in a pan-faith way such that this or that issue or race, remarkably dear to any officialdom's agenda, has God's stamp upon it or them, and all non-attendees or disagreeing parties are "vessels of wrath" or otherwise not to be concerns for the new chosen taking God's spoils from losers, it begins to sound like Calvinism and Puritanism have made a comeback with actually no greater results for ANY laity(ies) than was had the last time such "isms" flourished.

 

Lastly, in re my earlier commentary about Apostles being easily capable of over-puffing "special" sightings of their own to enhance I guess otherwise "dull" sayings of Christ, such words making the letters of Apostles and Old Testament way less controlling if at all, yes...even the Vatican, based on the very post-Christ letter writers themselves, says early Church clergy indeed did large liberties despite claim of movement by the Spirit.

 

One admission of that by the Vatican comes via the Saint I chose for my own Roman Catholic Confirmation rite as a boy: 'Christopher'. See, for at least 1,800 years, it had been said that St. Christopher had borne Christ, a child of great weight as if the weight of all humanity's sin, across water to protect him; but right as I'm Confirmed, the Vatican said early Church fathers may have started Christopher as a gimmick to draw in paying believers, on grounds so very, very, very few people or even Christ Himself seemed to actually have recorded that man as having happened (q.v., e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Christopher )....ping! A Papal "pitoeey!" right out of the park, many centuries later! yet to this day, somehow, "by mystery of faith", even Priests tell me I have received the Holy Spirit through Confirmation on a hooey Saint's sake (and I am "speaking heresy" to say Christ sent the Holy Spirit to the whole world upon Ascension). 

 

Yes, Apostles and their very, very, very, very, "BFF" cozyings with assorted staff from Heaven, all in non-Parousia style (the ONLY return promised by Christ!), plus humans who can't well-interpret what the Holy Spirit is moving them to do ( "make Christopher a Saint...no, wait!" ) even if Popes let alone day one Apostles; this is why I personally limit my Christology to Christ's words, and for myself have joined the Universal Life Church.