Author name: Mark Smith

02.0 Rome had a Policy of Amalgamating Religions and Clement of Alexandria Believed and Taught that the Philosophers were sent to Greece just as the Prophets were sent to Israel to Satisfy that Policy

Even though he is named the Clement of Alexandria, Clement was actually probably from Athens.  He was not raised in a Christian household, and the method of his conversion is not known. What is known is that he set out on a life quest to find a Christian teacher who could school him in his …

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1.0 Worship Changes with the Giving of the Law; Part 1 the Priesthood and the Tabernacle/Temple

Part of the law received on Mount Sinai related to the operation of what is referred to as the Priestly Law. In fact, the whole liturgy of Old Testament times is changed radically with the giving of the Law. Whereas before altars had been set up in places where contact with God had been made, …

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Did Jesus Really Break God’s Rules by Healing on the Sabbath?

I want to preface this article by saying I had a hard time writing it because I love pastors and Bible teachers even when they teach opposing doctrines. They’re dedicated, hard-working, sincere, loving people who sacrifice much of their lives for their people. But it hurts my heart when I see teachers teaching different things …

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03.8.2 The Sanitizing of the Writings of the Church Fathers

This is a 2018 post in which I have added a little more information for clarification. The writing of the early church fathers is a wonderful resource for learning what early Christians believed and how different elements of the church including doctrines and rites developed.  However, the problem with reading the early church fathers is …

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01.1.1.1   Trajan’s Response to Pliny as an example of the Roman View on Christianity

The Roman response to Christianity varied from severe  persecution to an attitude of “Don’t ask … don’t look for them.”  This latter attitude was initiated by the Emperor Trajan.  Before we discuss Trajan it needs to be noted that the Roman Empire was a huge place, and obviously, people couldn’t travel nor communicate at the …

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04.0 Augustine, the Most Influential Christian Theologian of All Time

Wayne Grudem, in his SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, says that Augustine’s On the Trinity, “is considered the most thorough development of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity in the history of the church.”[i] That is just one example of how the accolades for Augustine abound everywhere in Christian texts. Williston Walker begins his chapter on Augustine with …

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01.6.0 Church Sects during the Antonine Era

There have always been divisions in the church.  This article talks about sects that abounded in the mid-second century and some of the fallout. According to Encyclopedia Brittania, the Antonine Era is the period of years between 132 and 180 AD when “the Roman emperors Antoninus Pius (reigned AD 138–161) and his adopted son and heir, Marcus Aurelius (reigned AD …

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15.1.5 Medieval Enlightenment Works To Show the Basis for the Sacrament of Penance to be Faulty

As discussed in an earlier post, 15.0.1 At the Heart of the Reformation was the Call to Return to the Practices of Early Christianity, one of the things happening in the 15th century were comparisons of Greek texts to Latin Vulgate translations.  Here is an example: In the year 1440, a humanist scholar named Lorenzo Valla examined …

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15.0.1 At the Heart of the Reformation was the Call to Return to the Practices of Early Christianity

The beginning of the 16th century was one of the worst times in Christianity. Corruption was everywhere from the pope down. “The decline and corruption of the papacy was well-known. After its residence at Avignon, where had it had served as a tool of French interest, the papacy had further weakened by the Great Schism, …

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The Marvelous Story of Esther, Absent From Early Canons of Scripture

The teaching in church this week centered on the inspiring story of Esther. In a nutshell when Xerxes was king of Persia the Queen was named Vashti. And in a moment of defiance Vashti refused the command of the King. After consulting with his advisers the king decided on a process to find a new …

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Apologies and Restitution

We have all seen the following scenario:  little Joey and Tommy are playing in the playground. Joey starts hitting Tommy. Joey’s mom comes over and separates the boys and tells little Joey that he needs to say I’m sorry. Little Joey doesn’t want to say I’m sorry, but after a while reluctantly agrees, and mutters …

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A Simple Faith

The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod’s president Rev. Mark G. Schroeder made the statement: “We rejoice that even in the Catholic Church (where we believe the gospel has been distorted) there are many Catholics who hold to a simple faith in Jesus Christ as their savior and who will ultimately be saved,”i I focus here of …

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Neither Baptism Nor Communion Services for Quakers and the Salvation Army

First, it should be noted that not all Quakers consider themselves Christians but many doi, and since they do that is why they’re being considered here. On the other hand the Salvation Army considers itself “an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church” ii, and they appear to be unique as a group that as …

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