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I think St. Paul would have approved of Batman: The Dark Knight. The story is chock-full of christology and soteriology. That is, Batman represents salvation by faith and grace, succeeding in redeeming Gotham where the law failed. The Queen Consort saw it as good versus evil and therefore representative of all religions, but I disagreed vehemently (in a rare moment of self-control, though, I didn’t escalate the argument). Christianity is alone in having not just a way in which man is saved, nor in having a generic messiah who effects our salvation, but in ascribing our redemption to a particular...

in English Translation Fortress Press 2001 Editorial Board of the International Q Project Stanley D. Anderson Robert A. Derrenbacker, Jr. Christoph Heil Thomas Hieke Paul Hoffmann Steven R. Johnson John S. Kloppenborg Milton C. Moreland James M. Robinson Preface The Sayings Gospel Q is an archaic collection of sayings ascribed to Jesus, even older than the Gospels in the New Testament. In fact, it is the oldest Gospel of Christianity. Yet it is not in the New Testament itself. Rather, it was known to, and used by, the Evangelists of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and then lost from...

Even though Barack Obama has "moved on" from the messy association that he has recently been forced to explain to man who had been his pastor for 20 years, it is clear - the voters haven't. There are legitimate questions being raised about a relationship that spans a generation and the beliefs of a man who has on multiple dozens of occasions issued some of the most vitriolic, bigoted, racism imaginable in America today. No doubt one of the most infamous video moments recently unearthed was Jeremiah Wright's use of what he cleverly believed to be a cute play on...

I am celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of my Lord and Savior. Here are two YouTube videos that I'd like to share with you.

"At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: 'Which of you shall convince me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe me? He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God.' The Jews therefore answered, and said to him: Do not we say well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered: 'I have not a devil: but I honour my Father, and you have dishonoured me. But I seek not my own glory: there...

The media and entertainment industry is spearheading the anti-Christian persecution in America. Christians have been belittled and have been looked upon as second-rate citizens. As a result, Christians have been misunderstood by many nonbelievers of the Christian faith. Therefore, Christians, according to the Media Research Center in Washington, D.C., are considered to be “cold, intolerant and oppressive.” (1) As a result, media bias has become a serious problem in the Christian community. Thomas Friedman in his article entitled “The Real War” practically declared war on Christianity. According to Joseph Farah in his counter article entitled “The Unreal War,” “Whether he...

As we watch the news and read the papers, we realize there are many misconceptions about Christmas and about miracles. Christmas is not a season of tolerance. It is a season of love. Christmas is not a season of worry. It is a season for worship. Christmas is not a season of praising friends and family members. It is a season for glorifying God. Christmas is not a season of decorations and presents under the tree. It is a season for acknowledging the presence of God in our lives. To be honest, Christmas is not even a season of giving....

Mitt Romney, in his "Faith In America" speech (December 6th 2007), said this about Jesus Christ: “There is one fundamental question about which I often am asked. What do I believe about Jesus Christ? I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. My church's beliefs about Christ may not all be the same as those of other faiths. Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance. Religious tolerance would be a shallow principle indeed if it were reserved only...

Young Pastor's Powerful Sermon Encourages Parishioners to Take Part in Life Chain By Steve Jalsevac MANOTICK, Ontario, October 5, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On Sunday, Sept. 23, a week before Canada's Life Chain Sunday, Fr. Geoff Kerslake gave what was seen as a powerful sermon encouraging his parishioners to take part in the local Life Chain the following Sunday. Fr. Geoff is the young pastor of St. Leonard's parish in Manotick, Ontario, located on the fringe of Canada's capital city of Ottawa. Fr. Geoff's sermon so encouraged one couple who heard it that they had the text re-printed in the bulletin...

THE IMITATION OF CHRIST BYTHOMAS KEMPISA very powerful spiritual guidance for the soul who seeks to imitate Jesus Christ. Learn from me, because I am meek and humble of heart. Mat. 11:29

Artist defends Osama-as-Jesus ELIZBETH FORTESCUE, SYDNEY August 30, 2007 02:15am THE Queensland artist behind a controversial work depicting terrorism mastermind Osama bin Laden morphing into Jesus today invited those considering her work to look a little more deeply than the obvious comparison of good and evil. Priscilla Bracks denied she had deliberately set out to be offensive. "Absolutely not, no, no. I am not interested in being offensive. I am interested in having a discussion and asking questions about how we think about our world and what we accept and what we don't accept," she told ABC radio. The Prime...

Iran authorities lash man for having bible in car - report Mon. 13 Aug 2007 Iran Focus Tehran, Iran, Aug. 13 – Iranian authorities in Tehran lashed a man on his back earlier this year for having a bible in his car, an Iranian Christian group said in a report on its website on Friday. The man was only identified by the initials A. Sh. On 5 May, the man, driving his vehicle, was involved in a road accident with a car belonging to security guards for a government official in Tehran. A bible and a video of Jesus Christ...

God, if you are out there, if you are really out there, give me a reason to hope. Give me a reason to hang on. Give me something to believe in. Let me know things are not lost. That things that are so wrong in my life and in that of another will be made right. I look around and wonder why the people I am leaning on don't seem to be around when I so desperately need them. I wonder why there are only two people I can call on in r/l when the going is rough. I pray...

Matthew Tsakanikas  Other Articles by Matthew TsakanikasPrinter Friendly Version   “Is Man to Become God?” May 1, 2007 Only a New Age heretic would attempt to pervert Christianity with such a question, right?  After all, was not the sin of Adam and Eve that they wanted to become God or gods? For Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the question is the title of the second chapter of his book, From Death to Life.  He believes the question to be of the utmost importance.  He goes so far as to question whether those who...

JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE POPE'S PATH TOWARDS JESUSVATICAN CITY, APR 13, 2007 (VIS) - "Jesus of Nazareth," a book written by Benedict XVI will be on sale in Italian, German, and Polish bookshops from Monday, April 16, which is also the Pope's 80th birthday. The volume, 448 pages long, is to be translated into 20 languages. The Italian publishing house, Rizzoli, entrusted by the Vatican Publishing House with the sale of the rights of the book throughout the world, today released a press communique stating that "'Jesus of Nazareth' is the first part of a two-volume work examining Jesus' public...

Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.  Other Articles by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.Printer Friendly Version   The Father’s Answer to the Problem of Death April 8, 2007 The serpent's bite was a deadly one.  The venom had worked its way deep into the heart of the entire human race, doing its gruesome work.  The anti-venom was unavailable until He appeared.  One drop was all that was needed, so potent was this antidote.  Yet it was not like Him to be stingy.  He poured out all He had, down to the last drop.  The sacrifice of His entire life, poured out at the foot...

Easter conjures images of Easter egg hunts, decorative baskets filled with all sorts of goodies, cool new clothes, church services, families and friends gathering together for a feast. It’s all about…what? Is the reason we observe Easter Sunday to celebrate the coming of the Easter Bunny? To usher in springtime? Or is it an excuse for a parade? None of the above. The significance of Easter is to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One thing’s for sure. Non-Christians have managed to secularize Easter, just like every other religious observance. Liberals have us bowing to a chocolate bunny!...

He wears Jesus' robes and a neon blue halo, looks like Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and is causing a stir at a Chicago art school. An undergraduate student's papier mache sculpture of Obama as a messianic figure - entitled "Blessing" - went on display Saturday at a downtown gallery run by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. By Monday, word of the piece had spread on political blogs, and the school had been flooded with calls. David Cordero, 24, made the sculpture for his senior show after noticing all the attention Obama has received since he first...

A planned Holy Week exhibition of a nude, anatomically correct chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ was canceled Friday after Cardinal Edward Egan and other outraged Catholics complained. The "My Sweet Lord" display was shut down by the hotel that houses the Lab Gallery in midtown Manhattan. Roger Smith Hotel president James Knowles cited the public outcry for his decision. The reaction "is crystal clear and has brought to our attention the unintended reaction of you and other conscientious friends of ours to the exhibition," Knowles wrote in the two-paragraph cancellation notice. Matt Semler, the gallery's creative director, resigned in protest....

A scholar looking into the factual basis of a popular but widely criticized documentary that claims to have located the tomb of Jesus said Tuesday that a crucial piece of evidence filmmakers used to support their claim is a mistake. Stephen Pfann, a textual scholar and paleographer at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem, said he has released a paper claiming the makers of "The Lost Tomb of Jesus" were mistaken when they identified an ancient ossuary from the cave as belonging to the New Testament's Mary Magdalene. The film's director, Simcha Jacobovici, responded that other researchers agreed...

Filmakers and researchers on Monday unveiled two ancient stone boxes they said may have once contained the remains of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, but several scholars derided the claims made in a new documentary as unfounded... ...Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar at the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem who was interviewed in the documentary, said the film's hypotheses holds little weight... Pfann is even unsure that the name "Jesus" on the caskets was read correctly. He thinks it's more likely the name "Hanun." Ancient semitic script is notoriously difficult to decipher... William Dever, an expert on near eastern...

Dr . Robert Moynihan  Other Articles by Dr . Robert Moynihan Printer Friendly Version   The Christ of Benedict XVI February 18, 2007 The greatest drama of this pontificate, greater than the drama of relations with secular humanism or Islam, greater even than the drama of the scandals in the Church, is the drama occurring within Pope Benedict himself. It is the drama of a man whose entire formation as a thinker and theologian led him to regard free theological inquiry as the highest intellectual activity of the believing Christian, but whose destiny was to become the Successor of...

(CBS4) DORAL -- If you thought it was shocking when we first introduced you to a local preacher who claims to be Jesus Christ, you’ll want to sit down for this. More than 12 members of a Doral based church showed up at a South Beach tattoo parlor to get the numbers 666 tattooed on themselves, all as a show of faith to preacher Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, who is now sporting a 666 tattoo of his own. "I am Jesus Christ man," he said in front of our cameras. “The second coming of Christ." In September 2006, which...

Vern G. Swanson, longtime director of the Springville Museum of Art, knows some readers will think he's crazy. Others will be intrigued, and still others may be offended. That's because Swanson has written a provocative new book theorizing that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene, that they bore children and that LDS Church founder Joseph Smith was their direct descendant. Swanson also suggests that this heavenly birthright gave Smith spiritual authority as a prophet and affirms the historical legitimacy of the LDS Church. Titled Dynasty of the Holy Grail: Mormonism's Sacred Bloodline, the book was published in November by...

The Name of Jesus: Its Power in Our Lives Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Our reflections are on the name of Jesus, its power in our lives. Whoever enters on the path of sanctity must keep his focus clear. What are we doing? Whom are we following? How are we to act? Why are we acting as we are? All of these questions can be answered in one word: Jesus. What are we doing? Better, what should we be doing? What Jesus told us to. Whom are we following? Jesus. How are we to live? As Jesus did. And why?...

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI has completed his first book as pontiff, a work about Jesus Christ that he says is purely personal and not at all infallible, an Italian publishing house said Tuesday.  Announcements by the Vatican and the Rizzoli publishing house said the book "Jesus of Nazareth'' will be released in the spring and that Rizzoli will negotiate worldwide sales.  Benedict, a theologian by training, has been a prolific author since his years as a professor in his native Germany.  The book, meant for general Catholic readers, will be the first of two volumes on Christ. ...

The temptation to comment on the sleaze currently oozing out of Washington in the battle for control of Congress, tainting the guilty and the innocent alike, is almost irresistible. It can wait. A much more important story unfolded last week in an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, a tale of forgiveness and grace that brings into sharp focus the clash of cultures in which we are now engaged. We have heard repeatedly over the last five years that Islam is a "religion of peace hijacked by radicals." The President of the United States, in a vain attempt to appear evenhanded, has...

“Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim.” Those were the words of Sheikh Abubakar Hassan Malin to a gathering of Muslims in Mogadishu on Friday, September 15, 2006. On Saturday, Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs attacked five Christian churches in the West Bank and Gaza. On Sunday, September 17, in London, outside Westminster Cathedral, Anjem Choudary addressed a demonstration and said that those who insulted Islam “should be subject to capital punishment.” These were among the reactions to a speech given by Pope Benedict XVI at Regensburg University, in Germany on Tuesday,...

An al-Qaida-linked extremist group warned Pope Benedict XVI on Monday that he and the West were "doomed," as protesters raged across the Muslim world to demand more of an apology from the pontiff for his remarks about Islam and violence. The Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni Arab extremist groups that includes al-Qaida in Iraq, issued a statement on a Web forum vowing to continue its holy war against the West. The authenticity of the statement could not be independently verified. The group said Muslims would be victorious and addressed the pope as "the worshipper of the cross"...

Link Only: Survey: More in U.S. religious than previously thought

As a Roman Catholic I believe the words of the Holy Father must be treated with the utmost respect, particularly when it comes to issues of faith and moral judgment. At the same time, respect for reason is one of the hallmarks of the Catholic tradition, which has never embraced the notion that faith involves the sacrifice of intellect. It must be a special challenge, therefore, when a statement by the Holy Father about the consequences of moral principle appears to fail the test of logical reasoning. According to media reports, when speaking to a gathering of pilgrims in St....

Testimony, not Biographyhttp://scoutoath.tripod.com/id17.html By Hans Zeiger I once went to a car race where most of the cars were marked with the names and logos of their sponsors and drivers. Only one car stood out. This one was a sprint car, and it carried a simple message on the side: “Jesus is Lord.” As I watched the racers zoom around the track, I reflected on the difference between that car and all the rest. The race is now but a flash of memory – the dust settled, the fans went home, perhaps the prize money was spent – but that...

"We had this idealistic dream that Islam would solve all our problems," an Iranian Christian said. So much was promised. So little was delivered. "We had hoped that this religion would save us and give us a better life," another Iranian believer said. The goal was to raise a generation to carry the banner of Islam to the ends of the earth. "People loved Islam so much that they were willing to die for it," said Grand Ayatollah Yusef Saanei. "Nobody could have damaged Islam as much as the men who once ruled our nation, and those in charge toda,"...

The cartoon in the July 6 edition of Al Quds depicts a Palestinian and an Iraqi being crucified on the same cross. This expresses a common Palestinian motif, found in both text and cartoons, that depicts Palestinians as Jesus, and Jesus as a Palestinian. [See below for more cartoons of Palestinians on cross like Jesus.]

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 American Idol 5 15 of the 24 American Idol 5 finalists plan to thank God first if they win Five hours of American Idol 5 kick off tonight at 8 p.m. ET with the first quasi-live performances of the season. The top 12 women perform tonight, the top 12 men tomorrow night, and after a dragged-out hour-long episode Thursday, one from each group will go home. That will continue until we’re down to just 12. So who’s going to win? Professional oddsmakers at Pinnacle Sports say say the odds are on Ace Young (7/2), followed by...

Going to a movie theater with my son yesterday, I came upon a trailer for an upcoming film titled The Nativity Story, which is scheduled to open nationally in December. Its tagline reads: "One Couple. One Journey. One Child...who would change the world...forever." The Internet Movie Database (which simply titles the film Nativity) has little information on it, but I am certainly interested in watching it when it premieres. Of course, I am concerned about the movie's orthodoxy, so any further information is appreciated. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0762121/maindetails http://www.thenativitystory.com

THE scientist who led the team that cracked the human genome is to publish a book explaining why he now believes in the existence of God and is convinced that miracles are real. Francis Collins, the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute, claims there is a rational basis for a creator and that scientific discoveries bring man “closer to God”. His book, The Language of God, to be published in September, will reopen the age-old debate about the relationship between science and faith. “One of the great tragedies of our time is this impression that has been...

Translation: he conversions of Muslims in France to Christianity is a subterranean river only now emerging onto the surface. The Catholic Church says little about the subject except that several hundred people raised as Muslims are baptised every year. An estimated 10,000 ex-Muslims have now converted to Christianity in France, about two thirds of them to Catholicism. The numbers have been rising every year according to the Catholic Association Notre Dame de Kabylie. The reason for the relative silence is due to very heavy family and community pressure. To lend mutual support to these ex-Muslims a Protestant prayer group called...

If you knew that someone was about to drive off a cliff, wouldn't you warn that person about the danger? Wouldn't that be the loving thing to do? When Jesus calls His disciples to be salt and light, he was calling for Christians to do two things: 1. Warn people about their sins. 2. Show people that the answer to their sin problem is to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith and discipleship. The warning about sin is not to condemn people for their sins; that is something only God can do. The warning about sin is...

Editor's note: Dr. Tom Snyder contributed to this column. Dr. Ted Baehr is founder and publisher of MOVIEGUIDE®: A Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment and founder and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission. Dr. Tom Snyder is editor of MOVIEGUIDE®. © 2006 WorldNetDaily.com "The First Amendment provides for the separation of Church and State." "The Founding Fathers were all deists." "America is a racist country." "Cuba is a worker's paradise." "The Bible is contradictory." "Jesus Christ didn't die on the Cross." "The religious right in America wants to establish a totalitarian theocracy." "Modern homo sapiens are descended...

By the Christian History Institute “Blinding Ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!” Leonardo Da Vinci, quoted in THE DA VINCI CODE, p. 231 In every age, there have been attacks on Jesus and the teaching of Scripture. Jesus has been an offense to the world from the very beginning. One recent attack is particularly beguiling because it is so entertaining. It’s author, Dan Brown, brashly assures us his account is based on the actual historical facts, but THE DA VINCI CODE paints either an uninformed or intentionally false picture of the early church. Herein, we want...

War on Christianity has been declared. On which side of the battle line will you stand? The movie version of Dan Brown's book, THE DA VINCI CODE, is now in theaters. Although the movie significantly waters down the unrelenting, anti-Christian attacks and virulent paganism and goddess worship of the novel, it promotes the book and contains enough falsehoods and scurrilous conjecture to distort the truth about Jesus Christ, the Bible, Christianity, and God. That, coupled with the book’s popularity and some Christians’ ignorance about their faith, leads us to believe that the movie, and the attention it draws, will increase...

A FRENCH newspaper was cleared today of inciting religious hatred after it published a cartoon of Christ wearing only a condom. The appeal court in Paris confirmed a lower court ruling that the image in Liberation newspaper did not "go beyond the accepted limits of freedom of expression". The cartoon was used to illustrate an article on the use of condoms to fight AIDS in Africa. The case was brought by a traditionalist Catholic group with links to the far-right National Front (FN).

This translation of a televised conversation reveals a rare glimpse into the outlook of Muslim scholars who are concerned about Christianity’s growth.

This past Good Friday, a man entered Mar Girgis Church in Alexandria, Egypt, and stabbed one worshipper to death and wounded two others. He then went to another church and stabbed three other Christians. The events in Alexandria were a reminder of the, at best, tenuous status of Christians in the Islamic world. The Egyptian government immediately dismissed the possibility that animus toward Christians played a role in the attacks. Egypt’s Interior Ministry said that the attacker suffered from “psychological disturbances.” How convenient. Egyptian Christians, known as Copts, did not buy it, and for good reason: Police officials had a...

Fundamentals of Catholicism by Father Robert Altier Lesson 6: Jesus Christ – God and Man (Part 2) We were talking about the knowledge of Jesus, or the way that His human mind works, and we said that there was no error or ignorance in Jesus’ human soul due to the hypostatic union. From this, we can see that the knowledge gained from the Beatific Vision is what is called “infused” knowledge. That is, God simply puts the knowledge in our minds without having sense experience to go with it. The spiritual concepts are communicated immediately to the mind by God....

Fundamentals of Catholicism by Father Robert Altier Lesson 5: Jesus Christ – God and Man (Part 1) [The class begins with a greeting by Father and the recitation of the Our Father.] Tonight we are going to spend our entire time talking about our Blessed Lord: Who is He, what was His mission, what did He do for us and how. To put it into context, we go back a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about original sin, and we remember that after original sin we no longer know how to act the way we were created...

You had BETTER not need a thread to be familiar with this topic. Today it is Easter Sunday And I'm hoping that maybe one day We'll leave out the bunny I'm not being funny It should be about God's own Son Day!

Friday, I wrote about the betrayal and murder of the Son of God, without a doubt the day that humanity was at its very worst. After the Lord was dead and the people realized the enormity of the atrocity they had comitted, He was taken down from the cross and laid in a tomb. Jesus’s disciples despaired. The Romans, trying to stop a nascent rebellion, ordered that the tomb be guarded day and night and that a large rock be placed in front of it. The tomb was owned by a wealthy man named Joseph of Arimithea, fulfilling the old...

On this Easter weekend I reflected on the events taking place around the world and the role that religion plays in them. This weekend Christians around the world celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the sins of man. The Jewish community is celebrating Passover and the deliverance by God of the Jews from their slavery in Egypt. The Left in this country is always trying to take religion out of society and strives for a completely secular existence, and the Islamo fascist terrorists are planning their next suicide bombing in the name of their perverted interpretation of...