κηρυσσων την βασιλειαν του θεου και διδασκων τα περι του κυριου ιησου χριστου μετα πασης παρρησιας ακωλυτως. The underlying meaning of this blog is this: the essential unity of Christians worldwide regardless of race, nationality, or religious denomination. There are real disagreements among us but there is a small remnant in every authentically Christian gathering. The Holy Spirit is leading his remnant into deeper understandings of the "meat" of the Gospel and not just the "milk."
Saints on the Loose is not personal. There will be very little information here about me or my family. The blog is about the Lord and his people. The blog is also not commercial. I am not attempting to make any money from this blog.
I am very aware of the news cycle but will not always speak on current events or controversies unless there is a Christian point to be taken from them. Other people can and will do that; many, it seems, to the point of obsession.
This is not a devotional blog and will not necessarily follow the calendar of religious holidays and festivals. The focus of the blog is intended to be practical.
This blog is currently indexed on Baptist Top 1000, Bible Top 100, Blog Catalog, Yandex, Bing, and Google Search.
There are four pages on this site:
1. The main blog page. The posts can be about any subject; there is no subject which is off limits.
2. A statistics page shows the current number of page views received by the blog and the countries of origin of the viewers..
3. The About This Blog page. The page which you are now reading.
4. A Statement of Faith Page, which will be periodically updated.
Recurrent segments on this blog include:
Bible Printer's Errors: You have to proofread "vewwy vewwy cahrfuwwy" or you may say something you didn't intend to say.
Biblical Sources of Phrases in Common Use: Not every phrase which sounds "biblical' actually is of biblical origin.
Book Comments: Comments on books about Christianity, religion, philosophy, ethics, history, scholarship, Bible study, Christian writing, children's books, publishing, pastoring, etc.
Christian Heresies: An ongoing listing of the historical heretical doctrines and a few modern ones.
Christian Illustrators: Short profiles of visual artists from various formats and genres who are Christians. Their work may be explicitly Christian or it may be secular.
Christians: Mini biographical listings of persons from any period of history who have, at some time in their lives, been identified as Christians. You may be surprised to see some of these people listed here.
Definitions: Definitions of common religious terms.
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 in God's eyes even if we may never be united on a human, organizational level.
Extra-Biblical Evidences of Biblical Persons and/or Events: The Bible is not a book of pious fables. The events and persons mentioned in the Bible were part of the history of the Middle East.
Familial Relationships in the Bible: Comments about family relationships and about the family connections of persons mentioned in the Bible. Many of the persons in early Church history were relatives of one another. For example, Paul the Apostle seems to have been a relative of Herod the Great.
Female Images of God: Obviously, if you think about it, God is not male or female. He is both and more. The gender identification of God was given to us so we would have a point of reference from which to understand him as a person; he is obviously not an "it.". It may surprise you that the Bible sometimes presents God using female imagery.
Film Comments: Many films address issues of religious and/or philosophical import. Some may provide insights for Christians which were possibly not part of the original intent of the film's director.
Interesting Websites: Websites which present interesting or eccentric points of view; websites of Christian oriented groups; etc.
Messianic Prophecies from the Bible: Christians believe that many Old Testament (TANAKH) passages speak about the Messiah Jesus.
Names in the Bible: The names of the persons and places in the Bible are not just sounds. Many have known meanings.
Non-canonical and Extra-biblical Books and Letters Mentioned in the Bible: These are books mentioned in the Bible which are otherwise unknown, lost books, possibly fragments of longer books. or which are books of pagan origin.
Extrabiblical Evidences of Biblical Persons, Places, and/or Events: The Bible is not a collection of fables. While the Bible is a theological book, it is not only a theological book. The Bible is also a historical document which has been confirmed as such thousands of times by the disciplines of archeology, linguistics, physics, botany, history, astronomy, geology, and other sciences.
Poetry: Some from me, some from other folks.
Religious Humor: Contrary to what many people think, Christians are not without humor. Look up Rev. Grady Nutt, Chonda Pierce, or Michael Jr.
Religious Place Names: The religious origins of some place names may not be immediately obvious.
Trivia: Obscure facts about Christianity, the Bible, religion, etc. Some really are trivial, some, not so much.
Unusual Christian Places: Tiny churches, churches in former gasoline stations, churches in inaccessible crevices in mountains, architectural oddities, religious sites and shrines in odd places.
Videos: Video clips from various sources.
What Does It Mean?: Many passages in the Bible need a little explaining to make sense to modern readers because they must be understood in the historical and religious context in which they were written. Remember that they made perfect sense to their original readers/hearers.
What They Think of Us: Non-Christians often have things, some complimentary, some not so nice, to say about us.
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