The last time the Christian church was perfectly joined together, of the same mind and of the same judgement was nearly 2,000 years ago on that Pentecost when the Holy Spirit fell on the church …
Christian Origins #21 - Acts
It is astonishing, when you think about it, how much hatred can be generated by religious beliefs. From the earliest times, Jews persecuted Christians; and when Christians came to power, they persecuted Jews. It is …
On Christians and Judaism #3
The Epistle to the Galatians may not be the first letter Paul ever wrote, but it is the first one we have on the record. In fact, it may be the first document written in …
Christian Origins #20 - Thessalonians
Everyone knows the end of the world is coming. The only questions left are when and how. Scientists tell us that in 3 to 4 billion years our sun will blow up and turn our …
Christian Origins #19 - Thessalonians
Is it hard to be a Christian? I suppose it depends on where you are and what you are doing. There are people in the world, right now, who are being shamefully and brutally treated …
Christian Origins #18 - Galatians
I know sometimes it is a little hard to grasp, but the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees was a matter of power and control. When this conflict reached the churches of Galatia, it split …
Christian Origins #17 - Galatians
I know this may seem obvious, but it must be said: Christianity and Judaism are two very different religions. I think Jews know this better than Christians. We speak of things Judeo-Christian as though they …
On Christians and Judaism #2
I still have a little trouble understanding why the First Christians didn’t get it when Jesus told them what they supposed to do about the Gospel. And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All …
Christian Origins #16 - Galatians
Sometimes we answer questions too quickly, when we would be far better off saying I don’t know and waiting until we do. Nowhere is this more true than in religion. It is hard to discuss …
Christian Origins #15 - Galatians
Visualize a horizontal line. That line represents perfection in keeping the law. Everything below that line is sin. Everything above that line is righteousness. Simple, right? But wait, if the line represents perfection in keeping …
Christian Origins #14 - Galatians
It is odd, don’t you think, that man is so dissatisfied with God? Seriously, we seem to think that we can improve on what he has done. It is one thing when we do this …
Christian Origins #13 - Acts & Galatians
It is almost funny, in reading thorough the life of the apostle Paul, how often his friends had to get him out of town to save his neck. Paul was a firebrand. He was a …
On Christians and Judaism #1
What did the first Christians believe about Judaism? When I speak of the first Christians, I mean all Christians everywhere in the years the New Testament was being written—say between the ascension of Christ and …
Christian Origins #12 - Acts
When you read the New Testament, you really want to see a group of people united in purpose, thoroughly converted, working together for the greater purpose of converting the world to Christ. It is a …
Christian Origins #11 - Acts
Imagine that you attend a small church of, say, 50 people. You have been meeting together for quite a long time. You have a common set of beliefs and practices. You get along well together. …
Christian Origins #10 - Acts
The very first Christian missionaries in all history were a couple of men named Saul and Barnabas. (We know Saul better as the Apostle Paul.) They had no pattern to go by, no methodology, no …
Christian Origins #9 - Acts
The greatest missionary church in history was established by men whose names we do not even know. No, it wasn’t Jerusalem, in spite of everything that happened there. We know that every missionary effort ever …
About the Old Testament
What did the first Christians believe about the Old Testament? I might as well have asked what they believed about the Bible because, as the faith developed, the Old Testament was all the written word …
Christian Origins #8 - Acts
I would not like to suggest the apostles of Jesus were stubborn or blockheaded, because that would not be fair. The transition they were having to make was no simple matter. It is easy from …
Christian Origins #7 - Acts
You have to wonder about a man like Saul of Tarsus. Here’s a man that we will come to know as the apostle Paul—probably the strongest intellectual figure in the history of Christianity, the man …