Introduction Mark 16:16 says, "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."1 This is the basis for which Christian's all around the world shares the gosp...

I am attempting to write one coherent essay discussing questions three and two. I propose to first characterize the opposing views of the savior in Gnosticism and in Orthodoxy. Secondly, I will compare the Valentinian and classic Gnostics in how they differ and how the Gospel of Truth exemplifi...

Discovering the essence of Christianity is too varied and diverse a topic for anyone to pin to solely one definition. How one approaches the topic of Christianity is often in accordance to their personal foundations of religious belief. Sometimes these beliefs are deeply seeded during childhood ...

Hind site is always 20/20. Looking back on history, especially the history of painting, one can decipher a great deal about the time it was painted in and the changes in those times. One can understand the value systems, the ethics, government, morality, economics and personal lives of the times r...

The Messiah and the Order of Melchizedek An exegetical look at Psalm 110 Introduction Many times I have wanted to pour my heart out to God and have struggled with finding the adequate words to express my deep emotion. In the back of my mind, I know that God already understands what I&...

Kim Gnagey APE per. 4 Levels of Meaning in Cool Hand Luke and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is a story of a mental hospital, the patients within it and the changes both undergo. The film Cool Hand Luke is a story that is somewhat sim...

Abigail Abigail was the wife of Nabal. Nabal was rich but quite mean and surly in his dealings whereas Abigail was intelligent and beautiful. Her intelligence and discernment saved her family from destruction (1 Samuel 25) When Peter made his famous statement about women being the weaker ve...

Political Distortions and the Pharisees The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, known as the synoptic gospels, that is, "seeing together," were the first writings within the Christian Bible that would come to be referred to as the New Testament. These Gospels were very similar ...

Introduction Of all the words and teachings of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, none so accurately reflect his distinctive expression as do the more than forty parables that the evangelists attribute to him. Indeed, for theologians as much as for Christians in general, no other passages seem to so per...

The Five Gospels: Theories & Conspiracies In the beginning stood four men. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Synoptics of the Bible. Men with a vision, to conceive a living testimony of their Lord and Savior Jesus. But today many followers of Christ as well as scholars are skeptical abou...

Culture is a catch-all term that is used to describe the various rites, traditions, and rituals attached to a specific group of people. A people's culture encompasses more than his or her religion; it encompasses everything from political beliefs to family traditions. While culture certainly...

Baptism: A Comparison of the Biblical Tradition with Modern Denominational Practices. One of the main reasons for the different denominations is their core, or fundamental, difference of belief concerning baptism. I hope to show many of the individual beliefs that are held by the different ...

"The Contribution of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Interpretation of the Old Testament" In reviewing the works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the study of the Old Testament seems to be almost non-existent. It is not until his time in Tegel Prison, nearly one year prior to his execution, that h...

John Calvin created the patterns and thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period. North American culture, in particular, is thoroughly Calvinist in some form or another; at the heart of the way North Americans think and act, you'll find this fierce and imposing reformer...

THE SERVANT OF CHRIST "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10). Does The Preacher Please Men Or God? With sarcasm Paul asks in Galatians 1:10: "Am I trying to persuade God to fall in li...

Introduction My great aunt was a fascinating woman. She was raised in Canadian by English parents, married and immigrated to the United States. She understood French and English and was fluent in several different languages. She attended services, in places of worship, all over. She chose to p...

"Let the children come to Me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these." In 1976, the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) issued a document entitled "A Vision of Youth Ministry." It was a guiding and illuminating response to the challenges of the effective bringi...

Many people in history have made a very big impact on their culture, times, and/or religion. One that stands out is John Calvin. He had a really huge influence during his time-the early-to-middle sixteenth century. Calvin devoted almost his whole life to promoting Protestantism, and he made a b...

Christianity was traditionally understood to be founded by Jesus of Nazareth. Paul of Tarsus, after his conversion on the road to Damascus, worked tirelessly to establish Christianity among both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles of the Diaspora. Clues in the New Testament indicate that there was ...

"March On! Even after the Parade!" ILL. It was Palm Sunday and Jesus was coming into Jerusalem. He was riding on a blazing white stallion and kicking up a cloud of dust as he rode along. He was looking for trouble. The people that he passed on his way were in awe of such a bea...

Introduction: The General Concept of Angels in Catholic Doctrine Angels are integral to the Catholic experience, doctrine, and cosmology. Defined most simply as a "pure spirit created by God," Angels were mentioned in the Old Testament as well as the New ("Angel Pages"). However...

Bible 301 Our English word Bible comes from the Greek word Biblos, which means "book." In theology a study of the Bible is called bibliology. While the word Bible simply means "book" the words "The Bible" distinguish it as the supreme, unique and incomparable Holy Bib...

Knowing God In the scriptures we read of relationships that people like the apostles had with Jesus. The friendships that they had were deep and personal. They were also challenging. Jesus challenged the disciples regualarly as well as encouraged them. He warned them of the evil they were to ...

Daniel Donato Box 517 Poythress, Vern S., The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, Phillipsburg, N.J., 1991). BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL INFORMATION Dr. Vern Sheridan Poythress, the author of The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, has accomplished man...

There was a movement in mainstream churches that still exists today, often called the Charismatic Renewal. It was given this name because the movement itself is that of the Holy Spirit, the third person in the Trinity. The word "Charismatic" refers to the charisms of the Holy Spirit, his personality...