Three Religious Truths

I do not know the origin of this joke but I would strongly believe that it came from a Baptist.

There are three religious truths.

1. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

2. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith. 

3. Baptists do not recognize each other in the liquor store.

The Most Important Events in Human History

             The most important and pivotal events in the universally accepted human history, arranged chronologically. Each of these events still have repercussions in today’s modern world. Events related to Christianity are highlighted in bold text. Everything is connected. Read up on each of these events to see why they are of such importance to the modern world.

These are just a few of the major events. I’m sure you could probably add many more.

The use of the BC/BCE and AD/CE temporal designations are just to keep everybody happy.

ca 10,000 BC/BCE: The invention of agriculture. Obviously.

ca 3200 BC/BCE: The invention of writing. Obviously.

6^th or 5^th Century BC/BCE: The life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. The exact dates

of his life are disputed.

ca 4 BC/BCE – 30 AD/CE: The life of Jesus of Nazareth.

ca 49 AD/CE: At the Council of Jerusalem, the leaders of the young Church decided to

accept Gentiles into the Church without requiring them to undergo circumcision.

70 AD/CE: The Roman military destroys the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

217 AD/CE: The Jian’an Plague kills about 2,000,000 people in China.

313 Ad/CE: The Edict of Milan in which Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity.

325 AD/CE: The Council of Nicea is held in what is now Iznik, Turkiye. The council

condemned Arianism and clarified the church’s christology.

476 AD/CE: The fall of the Western Empire.

541 – 549 AD/CE: The Plague of Justinian kills up to 100,000,000 people in Europe and

West Asia.

            Ca 570 – 632 AD/CE: The Prophet Muhammad and the birth of Islam.

735 – 737 AD/CE: A smallpox epidemic kills about 2,000,000 people in Japan.

800 AD/CE: Charlemagne is crowned as Emperor, uniting church and state.

1054 AD/CE: The Great Schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox

Churches.

            1066 -1071 Ad/CE: The Norman Conquest of England. The strong central state

government which developed persists until this day. 

            1095 -1300 AD/CE: The Crusades. Cultural and religious resentments and hatreds caused 

by this series of wars persist until today.

1346 – 1353 AD/CE: The Black Plague (bubonic plague) kills about 25,000,000 to

30,000,000 in Eurasia and North Africa.

            1378 – 1417 AD/CE: During the Great Western Schism, the Roman Catholic Church split

into political factions over who legitimately held the office of the papacy, resulting in multiple

competing popes in Rome and Avignon, France.  

ca 1440 - 1456 AD/CE: Invention of the printing press. Printing of the Gutenberg Bible.

1492 AD/CE: Cristobal Colon (aka Christopher Columbus) discovers America.

1492 – 1614 AD/CE: The Reconquitsa, in which Muslim rulers were driven from Spain.

1517 AD/CE: The start of the Protestant Reformation.

1611 AD/CE: The production of the King James Version of the Bible.  This Bible, written in the English which was spoken at the time, made the Bible available to any English speaker who could read. 

ca 1760 – 1840 AD/CE: The industrial revolution.

1789 – 1799 AD/CE: The French Revolution.

1914 – 1918 AD/CE: World War I caused between 15,000,000 to 22,000,000 deaths.

1918 - 1920 AD/CE: The Spanish Flu pandemic kills between 17,000,000 to 50,000,000

people worldwide. Some extreme estimates say as many as 100,000,000.

1939 – 1945 AD/CE: World War II. The Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombs caused up

to 246,000 deaths. About 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust. World War II caused

between 7,000,000 to 85,000,000 deaths.

            1960 to 1990 Ad/CE: The development of the internet.

2019 AD/CE: The COVID- 19 pandemic kill up to an estimated 36,000,000 people.

Book Comment: The 50 Most Important Teachings of the Bible

 

In his book, The 50 Most Important Teachings of the Bible, Jim George presents a Conservative Protestant Evangelical interpretation of fifty of the important doctrines of Christianity. When I first read it, I wrote on the title page: “The whole book quivers with the evangelistic impulse.”

As with most books such as this, what you get from the book depends on what you bring with you. You may not agree with everything George says. His stated purpose: “My goal for this book about what the Bible teaches is to help give you a better understanding of the key teachings that are critical for your growth as a Christian.”

Some of the topics discussed in this book:

God is both three, and one.

Satan is not as powerful as you think, but you ignore him at your own risk.

Look at Jesus to see what God is like.

How much water is enough?

Angels are not just something you put on the top of your Christmas tree.

You cannot surprise God

Information you will need to search for this book: George, Jim, The 50 Most Important Teachings of the Bible. What They Mean for You (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 2015)

___________________________________________________________________

A general caution: books may give you wonderful new insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are. All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11 NASB

Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a fuzzy fungus growing on it.

Film Comment: Left Behind

It says that something is lacking about this 2014 remake of the 2000 film, Left Behind: The Movie, that the most controversial thing about the film has been discussion about whether or not the film's actors were Christians or were just working for a paycheck. More specifically, this question arose about Nicholas Cage, who has appeared in some rather “rough” movies such as Drive Angry (2011) where he portrays a criminal who escapes from Hell to pursue and kill the members of a religious cult which killed his daughter after they chose his infant granddaughter to be their human sacrifice.  Here is the trailer for Drive Angry.

Nothing about the current Left Behind feels particularly Christian or even “religious.” It plays out more as a disaster film which is not particularly well acted. I personally found the film to be rather boring.

The film is based on a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church. This is one of the versions of Christian eschatology (the doctrine of “Last Things,”) and describes the period of time at the end of the world.  The Pre-Tribulation view is most commonly held by conservative evangelical Protestants.

In the Pre-Tribulation Rapture understanding of Christian eschatology, the Church, aka: the Bride of Christ, the ἐκκλησία, is suddenly removed from the world by Christ. Hundreds of millions of Christians are suddenly just gone from the Earth. This opens the way for the appearance of the Antichrist. Those who come to Christ during this period are the ones who have been "left beihind."

Some Christian traditions place little or no emphasis on eschatology so the entire premise of this Left Behind film may be confusing to them. In the next few weeks, I will try to explain the various understandings of Christian eschatology and to define some of the associated terminology; Antichrist, False Prophet, Rapture, Millenialism, Preterism, Amillenialism, Pre-Millenialism, and Post-Millenialism.

This is post #1 of the upcoming Eschatology Series.

Christian Heresies: In a book titled The Word's Way

I frequent used bookshops and one of my favorites is the enormous warehouse-sized 2^nd and Charles, the used book outlet for Books-a-Million.  I find many excellent older Christian books there in their religion section.  This is a secular national bookstore chain and they sell books.  Since the chain has no religious orientation or affiliation they do not screen the books they sell.  As they said in Latin, “Caveat emptor!”  (“Let the buyer beware!”)

I, for one, do not think there should be official censorship except for pornographic books and books which explicitly advocate pedophilia, and political or sexual violence (yes, books such as this exist).  Sometimes, you can learn things from people with whom you totally disagree.

In the bookstores, there are “Christian” books which cause me to raise a skeptical eyebrow.  Some of the books advocate ideas like the heretical Prosperity Gospel, reincarnation, social justice as the meaning of the Gospel, viewing a religious group’s founder as a near deity, and even Marxist interpretations of Christian theology.

The Word’s Way, by Victor Paul Wierwille, published in 1971 by the American Christian Press, is one book which orthodox Christians should anathematize. ἀνάθεμα is a Greek word meaning “cursed” or “rejected.” A book which is anathematized can be read and understood but should never be the basis for any formulation about doctrinal matters.

You will not get far into The Word’s Way before you will see why this book is to be rejected.  On pages 26 and 28, this appears,

“God is eternal whereas Jesus was born. …How was Jesus with God in the beginning?  In the same way that the written Word was with Him – in God’s foreknowledge.  God knew that Jesus Christ would be born and that He would redeem man.”

This is classical Araianism.  Arius (ca 250 -336) was a Christian bishop in Alexandria, Egypt who denied the deity of Jesus.  He declared that Jesus was a created being (”born”) and not of the same nature and substance as the father.  Arius was excommunicated by his fellow bishops but had many followers and the doctrine he advocated was widely accepted by many for many years.  The controversy was one of the factors which led to the formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity.  Roman Catholic Church councils rejected the doctrine of Arianism in 325, 360, and 431. In other Councils, they rejected other heterodox ideas about the nature of the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.   Protestants do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity solely on the authority of the bishop’s councils, but we do agree with their decisions about the nature of the Trinity.  We believe that the doctrine of the Trinity is clearly taught in Scripture. 

The Resignation of Benedict XVI

On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI made an unexpected announcement.  He is resigning his office, becoming the first Pope in 600 years to do so,.  Basically he cited his failing health and his incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.”   Many people were scandalized, assuming that the Pope should die in office.

The tradition was very strong.  So strong, in fact, that it is reported that when a bishop suggested that Pope Paul VI should consider retiring, he shouted angrily, “I cannot retire.  I am Peter!”

Benedict’s predecessor and personal friend, John Paul II, remained in office even when it became apparent to everyone that he was dying and that even to move was painful.  John Paul II believed that he was demonstrating that we have dignity and worth no matter what our age or physical condition.  He was also demonstrating that suffering for Christ is holy.  He spoke of bearing infirmities with honor and taking part in the suffering of Christ.            

Understanding all this I still have no problem with Benedict resigning.  He is making different points than his friend: a pastor is held accountable by God for how he leads his flock (Hebrews 13:17); it is not wrong for a servant of the Lord to take a needed rest (Genesis 2:2); ultimately, each person, even the Pope, is judged only by God.

Obviously, as a Protestant, I do not believe that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on Earth.  I do believe that most of the popes have been pious, even holy, men.  Something which Benedict did not say, but which I think may have informed his decision, is this: by resigning he removed the focus from himself and his health and returned it to Jesus. 

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Vaclav Klaus: (b. 1941, Bohemia) Prime Minister of the Czech Republic 1992-1197, President of the Czech Republic, elected 2003. Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

Jiri Paoubek: (b. 1952, Czechoslovakia) Prime Minister of the Czech Republic  2005-2006. Czechoslovak Hussite Church.

Martha Bedell Alexander: (b. 1939, Florida (USA)) Librarian, chaplain, North Carolina House of Representatives  1993-2013. Episcopal.

Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard: (b. 1938, Netherlands; Beatrix of the Netherlands) Wife of Claus van Amsberg.  Queen of the Netherlands (1980-2013) Protestant Church of the Netherlands.

Claus George Willem Otto Frederik Geert van Amsberg: (b. 1926 – d. 2002) Husnad of Beatrix of the Netherlands, diplomat.  Dutch Reformed Church.

Unusual Christian Places: Chapel of the Snows

The non-denominational Chapel of the Snows is at the United States McMurdo Station on Ross Island, Antarctica.  Protestant chaplains are supplied by the United States Air National Guard and Roman Catholic priests by the Archdioceses of New Zealand.  The chapel is also used by Mormons, Bahai’s, Buddhists, and Alcoholics Anonymous.  The chapel is the southernmost religious building on Earth.

The chapel has burned to the ground and been rebuilt twice.

New Recurrent Topic

I am beginning a new recurrent topic to go along with all the others: Differences Between Protestants and Roman Catholics/Orthodox: We are all Christians but there are some very real differences in attitudes and beliefs between us.  The unity of the Mind of Christ, the ἐκκλησία, unites us even if we may never be united on a human, organizational level.

http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-faq.htm

A difference between us which is relevant for this time of year is the celebration of Christmas. Protestants and Catholics celebrate Christmas on 25 December while Orthodox observe the holiday on 7 January.  Biblical scholars and historians are almost universally agreed that both of these dates are incorrect.

The biblical and historical evidence points to the birth of Jesus having occurred in March or April of 6-5 BC/BCE.  Calculations by other scholars point to Jesus having been born in September or October.  The birth could not have occurred in 1BC/AD because Herod died in 4BC/BCE

About the 25 December and 7 January dates: Orthodox follow the Roman Julian calendar which was in use at the birth of Jesus while Protestants and Catholics follow the Gregorian calendar (Pope Gregory XIII, 1582) which corrected an error caused in dating because the year is not exactly 365 days in length. 

The 25 December date was first suggested by Sextus Julius Africanus in 221 AD/CE and was celebrated on that date as early as 354, but it was not officially declared as the date until 440.

Iranian Pastor Freed

Youcef Nagarkhani (b. 1977, Iran), a pastor of the Protestant evangelical Church of Iran, was released three days ago after spending the last three years in an Iranian prison under the threat of a death sentence.  What was his crime?  Pastor Nadarkhani was originally charged with the capital crime of apostasy; leaving Islam to follow another religion.  The punishment in Iran for apostasy is death.  Though apostasy is not officially a crime in Iran, judges may still level the charge against a person based on religious fatwas.  Nadarkani insisted that he was never a Muslim; even though he was raised in a Muslim family, he never accepted Islam and, instead, became a Christian as a teenager.  He steadfastly refused to convert to Islam.

Youcef Ndarkhani's wife, Fatemah Pasandideh, was also arrested and charged with apostasy.  She received a sentence of life imprisonment but was released after four months.

International criticism of the charges against Pastor Nadarkani was raised loudly from around the world.
United States president barack Obama said, "The United States condemns the conviction of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.  Pastor Nadarkhani has done nothing more than maintain his devout faith, which is a universal right for all people."  The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, also condemned the sentence.

During the three years of his imprisonment, the charges continued to change and eventually included charges of rape, extortion, and baptizing converts.  The charges, in the end, became that Nadarkhani had attempted to evangelize Muslims.  The penalty for this crime was set at three years and the pastor was released for the time he had already served in prison.

Christians around the world are rejoicing that their prayers for Youcef Nadarkhani's safe release have been answered.  Pastor Nadarkhani is to be admired for his absolute refusal to betray his faith.

The Traditional Dance of the Acholi Tribe

The predominately Christian Acholi tribe is found in Uganda and the southern portion of Sudan.  They speak a Nilotic language.  The majority of Acholi are Roman Catholic or Protestant.  A minority are Muslim.  This video is of their traditional tribal Bwola dance.

All the men carry small drums and everyone follows the lead of one man.  It is considered to be an honor to lead the dance.  Originally the dance could only be called by order of the tribal chief.

The dance, which may last for several hours, is performed in a circle and represents the fence around the royal residence.  "Bwola" apparently means "lies" or"deceit."  I am not sure how this relates to the dance.  Perhaps someone in Uganda or Sudan can explain the meaning of the dance

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.)

Dutch Prince Survives Avalanche

Prince Friso of Orange Nassau (born 1968), a son of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands was almost killed on Friday 17 February 2012 while skiing off marked trails in Austria.  The sport is considered to be especially dangerous because rescue personnel and equipment are not readily available in such areas and, since the areas are not developed, access is very limited.  Prince Friso was caught in an avalanche and was buried under several feet of snow.  He is in critical but stable condition at a hospital in Innsbruck.  The members of the family are Protestant Christians.  Please pray for Prince Friso's recovery.

May God Bestow on Us His Grace

In 1523, Martin Luther (1483-1546) wrote the lyrics of the hymn "Es woll' uns Gott genadig sein" (“It wanted us to be God Genade”) Genade is a Dutch word meaning “grace” or “mercy.”  The English title is “May God Bestow on Us His Grace.”

The song has been called “the first missionary hymn of Protestantism.” "Timeline of Christian Missions," Wikipedia.  The hymn is inspired by Psalm 67:1.  It is Hymn 500 in the Lutheran Hymnal.

http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/a/maygodbs.htm 

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Cardinal Hugo de Caro: Roman Catholic Cardinal who, in 1238, devised the system of dividing the books of the Bible into chapters.

Robert I. Estienne: (b. 1503, France – d. 1559; aka: Robertus Stephanus, Robert Stephens) Protestant printer and classical scholar who divided the New Testament into verses in 1551.

Prochorus: One of the first men elected as a deacon (Acts 6:5), to take care of the Greek-speaking widows and those Christians who lived in poverty in Jerusalem.

Sopatros: (aka: Sopater, Sosipater) A Berean Christian companion of Paul on his last journey from Corinth (Korinthos, Greece) to Jerusalem.  He is called Sosipater in Romans 16:21.

Francesca Xavier Cabrini: (b. 1850, Italy – d. 1917, aka: St. Frances Cabrini; Mother Cabrini)  She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and was the first American citizen canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.

Definition: Megachurch

A megachurch is usually defined as having 2000 or more people in attendance for services each week.  More than 1300 churches in the United States fit this description.  About fifty of these churches have weekly attendance in the range of 10000 to 47000.  Since the megachurch is usually considered to be a Protestant phenomenon, Roman Catholic churches are not usually defined as megachurches though about 3000 US Catholic churches have more than 2000 members.  Five of the largest churches in the world are in South Korea, the only Asian country to be predominantly Christian.  The Yoido Full Gospel Church, a Pentecostal church in Seoul has 830000 members.

Probably the earliest megachurch (19^th Century) was the Baptist Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, led by Charles Spurgeon.

A list of some of the megachurches in the United States follows.  Some are controversial for various reasons.  Inclusion in this list does not indicate that I endorse their policies or doctrines.  Occasionally, the megachurches are accused of being personality cults centered around their founder or current pastor.

Some of the megachurches are criticized as being “big box churches” in which individuals do not matter.  Many are accused of being more interested in entertaining their members than in preaching the Gospel.  Critics also decry the fact that many megachuches are operated along secular business models.

Lakewood Church, in Houston, Texas, is pastored by Joel Osteen.

LifeChurch.tv, in Edmund, Oklahoma, is pastored by Craig Groeschel.

North Point Community Church, in Alpharetta, Georgia, is pastored by Andy Stanley.

Willow Creek Community Church, in South Barrington, Illinois, is pastored by Bill Hybels.

Second Baptist Church, in Houston, Texas, is pastored by Ed Young. 

Fellowship Church, in Grapevine, Texas, is pastored by Ed Young, the son of the pastor mentioned above.

Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, California, is pastored by Rick Warren.

Southeast Christian Church, in Louisville, Kentucky, is pastored by Dave Stone.

Woodlands Church, in Woodlands, Texas, is pastored by Kerry Shook.

 Calvary Chapel of Fort Lauderdale, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is pastored by Bob Coy.

Evangelism In France

France is a largely secular country but has a long and prominent place in the history of Christianity.  Roman Catholicism and Protestantism have both declined to shadows of their former selves. At the moment, the fastest growing religion in France is Islam. The European Christian Mission (ECM) aims to change this.

As the ECM website states, "God has not abandoned France."  In the last thirty-five years, over one thousand new evangelical churches have been planted, bringing the total to approximately twenty four hundred.  Many rural areas still have no evangelical church.

ECM has six missionary teams in France, mainly in the Loire Valley, Paris, and Marseilles.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Andrew Stanton: (b. 1965, Massachusetts, USA) Film director, screenwriter, producer, voice actor. Two Academy Awards (Best Animated Feature) for Finding Nemo and Wall-E.

Vladislaus III Dracul: (b. 1431, Wallachia (Romania) – d. 1477; aka: Vlad Dracula; Vlad the Impaler; Vlad Tepes) Prince of the Romanian principality of Wallachia.  The family crest was a dragon hanging down from a cross.  In Latin “draco” means dragon, in Romanian it means “devil.”  Romanians and others in the region remember him as a Christian prince who repelled the Ottoman advance into Romania.  He was praised for this by Pope Pius II, who also criticized his methods.

When Ottoman envoys refused to remove their caps in his presence, he had their caps nailed to their heads and sent them back to their Sultan, Mehmet  II.  When mehmet II lead his forces to the outskirts of Tirgoviste, he saw “the Forest of the Impaled,” 20,000 Turkish prisoners impaled through their bodies on sharp poles sticking up out of the ground.  He signed his name as “Drakula” or “Drakulya.” To much of the world ,he is considered to have been brutal and sadistic and he is the real-life inspiration for the fictional vampire character, Count Dracula.  Roman Catholic.

http://www.bucovine.com/en/pages/vlad_tepes.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vlad_Tepes_002.jpg

Y-Ben Hok: In 2008, Y-Ben Hok, the pastor of a 132 member Ede tribe Christian congregation, was arrested in Vietnam and died in police custody.  The official report was that he committed suicide.

Johann von Staupnitz (b. ca. 1469, Saxony – d. 1524)  He was the vicar general of the Augustinian Order in Germany and a personal friend of the monk, Martin Luther.  He never became a Protestant and complained of the uproar the movement caused within the Roman Catholic Church.

Kim Shin-Jo: In 1968, North Korean Kim Shin-Jo was a member of a thirty-one person assassination squad sent into South Korea to kill President Park Chung-Hee.  Kim was the only one of the assassins to survive the attack.  North Korea executed his parents after he became a South Korean citizen in 1970 and converted to Christianity.  He eventually became the pastor at Sungrak Sambong Church in Gyeongg- do.

Kimbanguism

"Kimbanguism

In the first half on the 20th century, prophetic movements sprang up. Their nature was both anti-colonial and Christian, and led to a rigorous crackdown by the authorities.

Simon Kimbangu was the prophet of largest of these movements. He was born in a village near Kinshasa, raised and educated by a Protestant Christian mission and trained to become a priest. In April 1921, at the age of 39, he reportedly had a religious vision of Jesus Christ, who called on him to reconvert his people and dedicate his life to Christ. Kimbangu chose to try to ignore the vision, and fled to Kinshasa where he abandoned his life as a priest and took to menial work. More visions came, and eventually he heeded the calling and returned to his home village and started to devote his life to Christ. Soon after, he is reported to have healed a sick woman by laying his hands on her. Dozens of apparent miracles were subsequently performed by Kimbangu, and he gained followers from surrounding villages and towns. The official Catholic organizations protested to the authorities, and the Protestant church abandoned him. The economic effects of Kimbangu's ministry were being felt, with thousands of Congolese leaving their work to listen to Kimbangu speak. In June the Belgians arrested him for inciting revolution and civil disobedience. Four months later he was sentenced to death. After an international outcry, Albert I of Belgium commuted the sentence to life impisonment. He died 30 years later in prison, in 1951.

Colonial authorities assumed his movement would wither after his imprisonment and death, but the church continued to flourish underground, and was an effective weapon in the fight against colonialism. In the post-colonial era, its record has been more mixed. Instead of banning the church, Mobutu used a far more effective method of neutralizing it: namely co-opting the church and giving it an official status. Kimbanguism has now spread across the country, and now has branches in nine of the surrounding countries, making it the most popular "native" form of Christianity in Africa. Followers do not smoke, drink alcohol and abhor violence. Monogamy is practiced."

From Wikipedia article, "Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike and the GNU Free Documentation Licenses.

The Kimbanguist church is a member of the World Council of Churches  and is officially known as Eglise de Jésus Christ sur la Terre par Son Envoyé Spécial Simon Kimbangu (Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by His Special Envoy Simon Kimbangu).

Bible Printer's Errors: The Placemaker's Bible

Proofreading is very important.  Sometimes one word changes the entire meaning of a passage.  The following is an example to prove the point.



The Geneva Bible (1557) is a Protestant Bible produced fifty-one years before the King James Bible.  It was mechanically printed; mass-produced; filled with maps, footnotes, illustrations, tables, and indices; and was intentionally made available to the general public.   It is considered to be the first study Bible.


The errors shown below occur in the second edition (1562).

WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE SAID: 

"Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

WHAT IT SAID:

"Blessed [are] the placemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9

In its chapter heading for Luke 21:

WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE SAID: 

“Christ commendeth the poor widow.”

WHAT IT SAID:

“Christ condemneth the poor widow.”

Book Comment: After You Believe

"Keep getting old as long as you can."

Kris Kristofferson (b. 1936, Texas) 

Country music singer, songwriter, 

Golden Gloves boxer, Rhodes Scholar, 

U.S. Army captain

Kristoffer Kristian Kristofferson (yes, that's his real name) expresses the aim of most people for their lives.  Christians have a different perspective but we haven't always ourselves really understood it.  Many still don't.

In his book, After You Believe.  Why Christian Character Matters, N. T. Wright, the former Anglican Bishop of Durham, England, asks the question of what you do after you become a Christian.  Do you just wait to die and go to Heaven?  Does it matter once you are "saved?"  Isn't what we're really concerned with the "sweet by-and-by?"  Wright thinks it matters very much what we do in the "interim," and he clearly shows that Jesus and Paul thought so to.

Wright speaks of two approaches many Christians have adopted: 1. A Rules Mentality,  which in essence places the believer into legalism and ritualism, and 2. Spontaneity, going with what "feels right," since we are no longer under the Law.  This in essence places the believer into antinomianism.

Bishop Wright says neither of these approaches is correct.  Our duty is to develop Christian character and become who are intended to be in Christ.  The Kingdom of God is in the world now, and we are citizens of that Kingdom.  In the next life, in the Kingdom, we are to be kings and priests; since the Kingdom is here now, we are to begin being kings and priests now, fully revealing the image of God.  He call this the development of Christian virtue.

Wright is an Anglican and Anglicans say that they are "protestant, yet catholic."  I am very Protestant and I get a little squirmy when Wright explains things in more "catholic" ways, but what he's really talking about are sanctification and holiness and he is exactly correct.

Under the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are to experience what Paul calls "the renewing of your minds."
Classical pagan virtue found many of the Christian attitudes to be puzzling, especially those involving self-denial and self-sacrifice.  By practicing the Christian virtues (love, faith, hope, charity, self-giving, looking away from oneself, etc) under the leadership of the Holy Spirit (assuming the Mind of Christ) we gradually grow into them so that they become second nature.  Once they become second nature to us, we will not have to stop and decide how to act when the fecal material really hits the spinning blades.  We will know how to act.