The concern of the Epistle of 1 Clement is that some of the Corinthian Church presbyters have been replaced illegally. It speaks to the reality that divisions in the church have been around since the beginning. There are verses in Paul’s epistle that state that there were already divisions then (1Cor 3:3). Clement writes; It […]
The early church Father Clement regularly quotes the Old Testament with variations of “it is written,” and quotes the Lord Jesus with the words like “the words of the Lord” [1] For example: …being especially mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus which He spake, teaching us meekness and long-suffering. For thus He spoke:
01.1.2 Clement of Rome’s Canon of Scripture Read More »
One of the earliest Church fathers to leave writing(s), if not the earliest, is Clement of Rome. Clement was a leader in the subapostolic era and wrote 1 Clement anywhere from around 80AD to 100 AD, but 95-96 AD is commonly held. That means this document was written in the same period as the New
The time of the apostles is the apostolic age. The period right after is called the subapostolic age. Actually, the period of the first few centuries of Christianity has several names including the “time of the apostolic fathers”, the “high patristic age” age, or just “the patristic age”. Names of these fathers include (but not
01.1 The Patristic Age Read More »
One of the tenets of interpreting the New Testament is that making doctrine out of the Book of Acts is a slippery slope. That is because it is recognized that the Book of Acts is a historical record. It is an account of what happened, not necessarily what was supposed to happen. For example, on
00.1 The Standard for Evaluating Church History Read More »
I have put a timeline page in the menu above. This timeline puts people, places and events in the articles on this website in chronological order. It is a work in progress. Watch for additions to the timeline as articles are added.
00.2 Timeline Added Read More »
Politicians study political history in order to be better rulers. Military men study military history to be better military tacticians. In almost every field an understanding of its history helps practitioners be better at what they do. Yet many Christians ignore any historical information outside of that in the bible itself. One way to view
00. Church History; Movements in the Christian Church Read More »
One of the challenging questions posed to Christians now and again is proof outside of the Bible that Jesus Christ ever existed. Some people challenge that he ever lived. Rather than feeling slighted, I take the question as an honest one. After all, as with so many biblical events, surely there must be some corroboration
Christ and the Start of Christianity Were Known To and Recorded By Non-Christians Read More »
The Word of Faith movement is based on the precept that God has promised health and prosperity to all believers so it is a simple matter of confessing these gifts from God as having been received and they will be there. The doctrine is often called “Name it and Claim It”. The alternate viewpoint is
The concept of witness was important in OT times. Witnesses served to verify facts, agreements, deals, and guilt or innocence. This verification can be seen in Genesis 31: And now come, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee. And Jacob took a stone,
The Gospels as Eyewitness Accounts Read More »
Perhaps the most popular Christian verse is John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:17 continues with the same theme (I am putting “saved” in italics to emphacize its usage.): For God sent not
What Does Salvation Mean? Read More »
Introduction Postmodern theology is based at least in part on the premise that certain parts of the bible are scientifically impossible. The theory continues on that surely we know that so much of bible is just myths and fables. A worldwide flood as described in the bible would require more water that is possible under
Among the many issues that differentiate churches and denominations is the basic issue of church government. After many centuries of mostly Episcopal (hierarchical) rule the Reformation saw changes that started Presbyterian and Congregational rule in the churches. Initially the center of Christianity was Jerusalem. But right after the church’s beginning the Dispersion happened where the
With at least tens of thousands of the denominations ranging from ultra conservative to ultra liberal there are tens of thousands of viewpoints of what Christianity is. The Roman Catholics pride themselves in being the original, the main source of Christianity throughout the ages. But, of course, the eastern orthodox denominations dispute that. And since
Despite the overwhelming emphasis on the importance of the deity of Christ and the Trinity by most Christian groups since the Council of Nicaea, neither of these concepts was promoted or even taught by original, primitive Christianity. While Trinitarians have argued that verses like “I and my father are one”, and “Who, being in the
The Odes of Solomon are relatively recently found works dating from somewhere in the second to maybe the third century. They may have been Syrian in origin, one copy is found in a monastery of Syrians outside of Cairo. They are beautiful verses that speak of the spirit of the Lord as well as his
The Orthodoxy in the Odes of Solomon Read More »
Jesus wasn’t just a nice guy who did all kinds of incredible things for people. He wasn’t just a good teacher whose words you should consider before you decide for yourself what is right. He wasn’t just a prophet. Of course, he is the nicest guy, the greatest teacher, and the greatest prophet of all
Being a Christian Means Following Christ Read More »
In the June 21, 2007 Chicago Sun-Times was an article on Barack Obama: “Presidential hopeful Barack Obama belongs to the United Church of Christ, one of the country’s most racially diverse and liberal Protestant denominations — the first to ordain an openly gay minister and to call for equal marriage rights for all people, regardless
Visiting a United Church of Christ Church Read More »
Today we have lots of creeds to refer to in Christianity. The Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed are ones that are popularly known. But there are many creeds. For example, the Athanasian creed affirms the trinity. In fact creeds, confessions, affirmations, and statements of faith have proliferated over the ages. Almost every church now
No Creeds in Original Christianity Read More »
The Quaker movement sprang out of the Puritan landscape of 17th century England. George Fox, an ardent Christian, believed he received insight from Christ that: The church had become much too institutionalized and regimented. People need not meet in churches as God doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. People don’t need priests as all
My Quaker Experience: Intense Silence, Warm Friendship, and Vague Answers Read More »
I changed hosting plans and wound up moving the site this weekend. It went okay but some things didn’t transfer over. The categories didn’t work so the posts needed reclassified and some of the posts are missing. The plugin’s are not working yet and the widgets aren’t installed yet. The table of contents page will
I moved the site and there may be some inconsistencies Read More »
The question of evolution is a complex one. There are believers of different faiths who state unequivocally that evolution of species is absolutely false because God created our world, “as is” in six literal days as stated in Genesis chapter one. Others state that proponents of a young earth are misreading the text, saying it
The Roman Catholic Church recognizes only certain people as saints, and as a rule, only after they are dead. Eastern Orthodox recognize anyone in heaven as a saint, whether recognized on earth or not. Anglicans recognize a similar belief to the Eastern Orthodox, but most protestant denominations recognize anyone who is truly a Christian as
Saints: Who Are They? Read More »
In Christianity, the belief in the necessity of the sacraments to attain salvation and God’s grace is called sacramentalism. A sacrament is a ritual that bestows God’s grace. The sacraments developed over hundreds of years starting with baptism and holy communion. Eventually seven sacraments were declared to include confirmation, confession, marriage, ordination, extreme unction. The
Sacraments, Conveyers of Grace or Not Read More »
While most pastors counsel in the form of pastoral counseling, some pastors reject psychology calling it “psychobabble,” even if done by Christian psychoanalysts. Traditionally the difference between traditional counseling and pastoral counseling is that pastoral counseling has been called clinical theology in the sense that the focus has been to address problems by instruction in
Psychology: the Acceptability of Christian Counseling Read More »