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Christmas has always been about hope, about belief in the face of despair. In the dark times of both His first and second comings, Jesus Christ brought hope. By teaching and example, He gave us directions to a better way of living and how to rise above our tragedies. He explains Who He is and […]
The story of the birth of Jesus is a powerful and beautiful one, telling of the God of the universe coming down in a quiet and humble way to save an errant humanity from its bad choices. However, as always, it is important to understand what the Word actually teaches, in this case about what happened […]
“[W]here there is an earth there are people; for people are the end for the sake of which an earth is, and nothing has been made by the Most High Creator without an end. That the end of creation is the human race, and from it a heaven, may be evident to anyone who thinks […]
One scholar has proposed that “Swedenborg presents his theology as essentially Christian, and in fact more truly Christian than either Protestantism or Catholicism, as suggested by the title of his last published work, True Christianity. Although he suggests a new direction for Christianity, his theology has much in common with mainstream denominations: He believes in […]
“In the Greek New Testament [ecclesia] is used for the Church. The evangelists took it from classical Greek, where it means an Assembly. Literally it means ‘CALLED OUT.’ The famous Ecclesia in ancient Athens was a special Assembly of leading citizens, who were summoned or ˜called out” from time to time to decide on urgent […]
from Sarah E. Hinlicky, “Subversive Virginity.” First Things, October 1988, p. 14-16. (Copyright (c) 2000 by First Things) Okay, I’ll admit it: I am twenty-two years old and still a virgin. Not for lack of opportunity, my vanity hastens to add. Had I ever felt unduly burdened by my unfashionable innocence, I could have found […]
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for people to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 131: 1) So what’s the deal with church organizations? They’re meant to help people work together to accomplish more than they could on their own. However, much of the history of organized religion has been just the opposite – […]