Friday, 3 May 2024

Month: October 2016

What Makes Christianity Distinctive Today?

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The early Church experienced phenomenal growth but also great persecution. Some of the attacks it received might sound familiar.Pixabay

“What makes Christianity distinctive today?”

So asks Bible scholar and teacher Scot McKnight in a blog post last week, in which he refers to a recent book by the New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado: Destroyer of the gods,where Hurtado assesses the growth of Christianity in the first few centuries of the early Church.

Christianity experienced vast growth, with..

Evangelising The Online Haters: Is It Even Worth It?

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Is it even worth Christians engaging with aggressive atheists? Pixabay

It's all just so predictable. Someone writes a thoughtful piece from a Christian perspective for an online paper like The Guardian or the Independent, and instantly the haters start hating. The comment feed is clogged up with references to sky fairies and imaginary friends. Someone will mention the Crusades or the Spanish Inquisition, or perhaps the latest abuse scandal. It all gets very venomous very quickly.

What&#03..

Elderly Christian Widow Forced By ISIS To Convert To Islam And Spit On A Crucifix

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Zarifa Badoos Daddo (c) was left behind in Qaraqosh when ISIS invaded in 2014.Reuters

An elderly Christian widow who was forced by ISIS militants to convert to Islam, spit on a crucifix and hand over all her belongings under threat of execution has told her story for the first time after her town was liberated.

Speaking to Reuters on Sunday, 77-year-old Zarifa Badoos Daddo recalled being left behind in Qaraqosh – a major Christian town near Mosul in Iraq – when militants overran the region in ..

Ancient Scroll With Rare Mention Of Jerusalem May Not Be What It Seems, Say Experts

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With the help of volunteers during the past year the Israel Antiquities Authority has been conducting an archaeological excavation in search of ancient artifacts in the Cave of the Skulls in the Judean Desert.Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Experts have challenged the authenticity of a rare 2,800-year-old papyrus scroll that mentions the city of Jerusalem from the time of the First Temple in the seventh century BC.

When the scroll was unveiled last week, shortly aft..

Eight Roadblocks to Spiritual Health

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Pediatricians diagnose some children with FTT (failure to thrive). The causes of FTT are many and varied, including genetics, sickness, and poor nutrition. But the diagnosis itself is given in cases of arrested development — when a child’s growth measurements fall below a certain percentile.

A similar condition is true for many Christians: a spiritual FTT. Rather than abounding in love (1 Thessalonians 3:12), knowing the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7), and rejoicing w..

More Promising Than Prosperity

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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — On a cool Sunday afternoon in east Africa, I sat in the middle of a beautifully manicured garden talking with an Ethiopian pastor named Eshete. He works fulltime to alleviate the “theological famine” in his nation.

Eshete’s strategy is based squarely on Paul’s word to Timothy, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). As he identifies and trains pastors, he does so wit..

Martin Luther: All for the Gospel

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This sponsored post was provided by Ligonier Ministries.

One of the deepest ongoing concerns Martin Luther had as a pastor was to liberate his congregation from the chains of superstition. As people began to leave the Roman Catholic system, they did not expunge from their lives all of their former convictions. This was particularly evident with respect to relics.

The town of Wittenberg boasted one of the largest reliquaries in Germany, amassed by Luther’s protector, Frederick the Wise, elector of Saxony. Frederick had spent a fortune to gather precious relics from around the world in the hopes that it would make Wittenberg a mecca for Christian pilgrims, thus enhancing the town as a spiritual and commercial center in Germany. From 1509 to 1518, Frederick’s collection of relics had grown to 17,443 pieces with an indulgence value of 127,799 years and 116 days’ release from purgatory.

Luther risked the wrath of Frederick by challenging the validity of the use of relics. In the last ser..

Requirements of Restored Relationship

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“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a NIV).

Forgiveness is not resuming a relationship without change. In fact, forgiveness and resuming a relationship are two different things. One of them is what you do as the offended person. Resuming the relationship is what the other person does in order to get back into your good graces. Saying “I’m sorry” is not enough. In fact, the Bibl..

Trailblazers For Martin Luther: 5 Great Reformers

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Geneva's Reformation Wall commemorates the great Reformers.Roland Zumbühl/Wikimedia Commons

The Reformation broke the rule of the Roman Catholic Church, which dominated and defined Western Christianity for more than 1300 years. Courageous pastors and theologians challenged errors of doctrine and practice that had crept in over the centuries. They wanted to return the Church to pure, primitive Christianity based on the Bible. They criticised practices like prayer to the saints, the celibacy..

Pope In Sweden: Conservatives Are Furious, But Francis Thinks Luther Got A Lot Right

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Security staff and police carry out preparations ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Lund Cathedral.Reuters

Pope Francis is heading to Sweden today to help start commemorations of the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation, a trip that has won him praise from Lutherans but criticism from Catholic conservatives.

Martin Luther started the Reformation in 1517 when he wrote 95 theses criticising the Catholic Church for corruption in Rome, including the buying of ecclesiastical priv..

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