The early Christians had known that Christ’s death and resurrection was meant to call sinners to repentance. Below is a quote from Epistle of Barnabas, ch 5, written by one of the early Apostolic fathers of the late 1st and early 2nd centuries (source here, dating here). “The prophets, having obtained grace from Him, prophesied… Read More Jesus’ resurrection and calling sinners to repentance
Living in caves can be modern experience; it can also be a hard life. It makes me think of a time when the early saints had to endure an amazing amount of cruel and hardship in the pre-church era. Hebrews 11:37-38 (ESV) says: “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the… Read More Enduring hardship through faith
The contemporary church has failed to appreciate the value of art, artists, and artistry as an expression of our worship. The Protestant Church in the 16th century expelled much of art and believed that it was unnecessary and extraneous from the core of the gospel. This is why we have not seen much Christian art… Read More Art and artisans since Moses
Here’s a poll for you. Have we gone too far in rejecting the authority in the church, or not far enough? Find out where your church or congregation stands on authority–on the bible alone, or also on the teachings and traditions of the church? It seems like the majority in the evangelical church today tend… Read More Poll: Authority of the Bible vs. the Church’s Teachings
Can we be totally devoted Christians without hiding away in monastery or convent? How do we do it in the marketplace without being beaten down for our faith? Under Emperor Constantine in the Roman Empire, by imperial decree, everyone was baptized as an infant and understood to be a Christian. To become a Christian was… Read More Total devotion–in the monastery and the workplace
TC Robinson has a post “The Pastor: Obstacle to every member functioning”. He has raised a question in the blogosphere that has more of us thinking. It provoked something in me that saddens me because I think it is true. For many of the pastor-centric churches/congregations, the pastor has been an obstacle to a properly… Read More Are pastors an obstacle to the priesthood of believers?
In the earliest days, St. John the Baptist and the early martyrs were honoured by a special day. The earliest day was traced back to Sunday after Pentecost. During the persecution under Diocletian’s rule there were a great number of Christians martyred so this common day was appointed by theRoman Catholic Church (RCC). Gradually, more… Read More All Saints Day: any saints today deserving of recognition?
I wish continue to blog about the history of the New Testament and continue with Luther’s German translation. Luther was a radical for his own time. His views of the bible and of theology was reason enough for the Roman Catholic Church’s high authorities to want to take his life. In 1415, the Church burned… Read More Luther’s German translation of the New Testament
In the emerging church, some people have been rediscovering the ancient church. I consider myself evangelical, but not emerging, but have also discovered the past, and have been reading a little of some of the early church fathers like Iranaeus, Basil, Clement, Origen, Tertullian, etc. The emerging church movement should be more careful about completely… Read More Ancient-future: does the future really lie in the past?
This baptistry of the Lateran was built in the 4th century in Rome. It was one of the first public baptistries built by Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. Historically, Christian converts were baptized once a year on the eve of Easter. People in droves were baptized by immersion in this octagonal shaped pool.… Read More The first baptismal pool
liberty culture 