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"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” – Mary worshipping God in Luke 1:46–47 Mary was simply a very godly young woman who loved the Lord and trusted in Him despite great risk to her own reputation. She repeatedly appears as a devout woman who loved God and was a loving mother to Jesus. Contrary to some aberrant teaching, she did not remain a virgin, but mothered other sons such as James and Jude, who visited Jesus with Mary during His ministry (Matthew 12:46; Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21) and later became pastors who penned...

Darwin’s bulldog—Thomas H. Huxley --snip-- Huxley, although an unbeliever, was thoroughly familiar with the gospel, and had little time for Christians who compromised their position by supporting the anti-biblical belief of evolutionary naturalism. He wrote: ...

Protestant services 1089. Is it a sin for a Catholic to attend weddings in Protestant churches? The law of the Catholic Church forbids participation in a religious service that is not Catholic because it is an implied repudiation of the faith which a Catholic professes to be the only true faith. It is good for non-Catholics to realize this so that, knowing that Catholics must refuse, they will not ask them to assist at the religious ceremony itself and then be offended as if refusal were due to lack of friendship. 1090. May a Catholic act as best man or...

On Theology in the 12th Century "Knowledge Grows Only if It Loves Truth" VATICAN CITY, OCT. 28, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Benedict XVI's address today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. * * * Dear brothers and sisters, Today I pause to reflect on an interesting page of history, regarding the flowering of Latin theology in the 12th century, which came about by a providential series of coincidences. In the countries of Western Europe there reigned then a relative peace, which assured society of economic development and the consolidation of political structures, and fostered a...

"Formal theological discussions about Vatican II will begin later this month, it was announced today. Why is Benedict XVI allowing this new debate on the most vexed questions of the Second Vatican Council?"

President Barack Hussein Obama was named to replace the Holy Spirit in the Christian Trinity today in ceremonies in Oslo...

The Wall Street Journal may be an unusual venue for theological debate, but this past weekend's edition featured just that - a theological debate of sorts. The "of sorts" is a necessary qualifier in this instance, because The Wall Street Journal's debate was not, as advertised, a debate between an atheist and a believer. Instead, it was a debate between two different species of atheists. The paper's "Weekend Journal" section front page for the September 12-13, 2009 edition featured articles by Richard Dawkins and Karen Armstrong set in opposing columns. The paper headlined the feature as "Man vs. God: Two...

It took a couple of pints of Shock Top ale, but eventually Danyelle Price knew what she wanted to ask her pastor about the book of Psalms...Price, 31, was sitting in the Tavern bar with about 20 members of an after-church gathering called Austin Inklings and hosted by Immanuel Church. Like several other groups in Austin, the Inklings pair drinking with spontaneous dialogue about faith. Price said she thinks such groups should be called "Christians like beer, too."

ANAHEIM, CA - Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it's "heresy" to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner's prayer of repentance. In her opening address to the church's General Conference in California, Jefferts Schori called that "the great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God." The presiding bishop said that view is "caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus." According to Schori, it is heresy to believe that an individual's prayer...

A Love Letter from Our Heavenly Father?by OneVike When asked by His disciples to teach them how to pray as the John's disciples prayed, Jesus gave them this prayer as a model. Luke 11:1-2 “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”...

The role of religion in public life in Sweden has been brought into sharp relief by a provocative ad campaign questioning the existence of God. Earlier this week, billboards went up in several Stockholm subway stations and elsewhere around the city proclaiming, “God probably doesn’t exist” (Gud finns nog inte). Accompanying the proclamation are images of three flags featuring symbols from Judaism, Islam, and Christianity fashioned in the same shades of blue and yellow found on the Swedish flag. The ads come from the Swedish Humanist Association (Humanisterna), and are part of a campaign to further debate about the impact...

In the opening sentence of the last chapter of his new book, “Reason, Faith and Revolution,” the British critic Terry Eagleton asks, “Why are the most unlikely people, including myself, suddenly talking about God?” His answer, elaborated in prose that is alternately witty, scabrous and angry, is that the other candidates for guidance — science, reason, liberalism, capitalism — just don’t deliver what is ultimately needed. “What other symbolic form,” he queries, “has managed to forge such direct links between the most universal and absolute of truths and the everyday practices of countless millions of men and women?” Eagleton acknowledges...

Now a Creationist CMI Ph.D. scientist and author explains to an outside website what turned him to biblical creation How does someone with an essentially secular upbringing and secular education become a staunch supporter of biblical creation? (See also previous Boundless article A Theory of Creation). There was no single reason, but many pieces of evidence that accumulated into an overwhelming case...

Gospel Dates and Reliability MH from Taiwan writes about Lita Cosner’s article over this year’s Resurrection Weekend, The Resurrection and Genesis, asking about how we know the dates of the New Testament books. The author explains...

Public Radio: Easter ScroogePosted By Ned Rice On April 13, 2009 @ 5:03 pm In Featured Story, Media Criticism, Religion | No Comments I have three words for the next person who tries to tell me there’s no liberal bias in the mainstream media.  Or more precisely, three letters:  N, P, and R, as in National Public Radio.  This past Saturday’s “Morning Edition” ended with an interview of [1] Rowan LeCompte, the 85-year old man who has devoted his life to creating and maintaining the stained glass features of the National Cathedral in Washington.  After briefly recapping his subject’s remarkable...

      Gospel Library     Ensign » 1984 » December Early Signs of the Apostasy By Kent P. Jackson  Kent P. Jackson, “Early Signs of the Apostasy,” Ensign, Dec 1984, 8The New Testament both prophesies and documents the first-century apostasyThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has proclaimed to the world consistently since its beginning that there was an apostasy of the church founded by Jesus during his Palestinian ministry and led by his Apostles following his ascension. 1 This is a fundamental belief of the Latter-day Saints. If there had not been an apostasy, there would have been no need...

+MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI FOR LENT 2009"He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry" (Mt 4,1-2)  Dear Brothers and Sisters!At the beginning of Lent, which constitutes an itinerary of more intense spiritual training, the Liturgy sets before us again three penitential practices that are very dear to the biblical and Christian tradition – prayer, almsgiving, fasting – to prepare us to better celebrate Easter and thus experience God's power that, as we shall hear in the Paschal Vigil, "dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out...

Contemporary atheism marches behind the banner of science. It is perhaps no surprise that several leading atheists—from biologist Richard Dawkins to cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker to physicist Victor Stenger—are also leading scientists. The central argument of these scientific atheists is that modern science has refuted traditional religious conceptions of a divine creator. But of late atheism seems to be losing its scientific confidence. One sign of this is the public advertisements that are appearing in billboards from London to Washington DC. Dawkins helped pay for a London campaign to put signs on city buses saying, “There’s probably no God. Now...

In the Creed we profess that we believe “in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.” That will take place at the end of the world at the Second Coming of Christ. The saved will shine like the sun and dwell in the New Jerusalem forever. A question that has been on my mind for a long time, and for which I have not found an answer, is whether or not resurrected bodies will wear clothes. Will they be clothed or naked? Let me list some reasons for and against. 1) They will be clothed. When the resurrected, glorified...

    Lesson 13“I Will Give unto Thee the Keys of the Kingdom”Matthew 15:21-17:9By Craig K. Manscill Context of Matthew 16:13-19 The site of ancient Caesarea Philippi is in the northernmost part of Israel at the foot of Mount Hermon. The only Biblical references to the city are found in the New Testament in Matthew 16:13 and Mark 8:27, which describe Jesus’ visit to the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi with his disciples. This trip may have been for leadership training or proselyting or a combination of both. In answer to the Savior’s question on the occasion, Peter bore his testimony...

It has been said throughout the ages that it is best not to discuss religion or politics. Yet, here I am on a political forum posting under the topic of Religion. It's been said that I like to play with fire. So it seems when I ask the basic question, "What are your spiritual beliefs?" or "Tell me about your religion." There are so many threads that say "my religion is better than your religion" that it gets exhausting. Can we talk about the positives? What do you like about your religion? Talk about a prayer. A hymn. Share a...

THE SEVENTY WEEKS BY THE REV. DR. E. BULLINGER (At the Glasgow Conference, June, 1894.) This is one of the Scriptures written a foretime for our learning. It is a part of the "more sure word of prophecy." It is commonly said today that prophecy is a dark place, and that you will do well to avoid it. But the Holy Spirit says that this world is a dark place, and that the "sure word of prophecy" is the only light in it, "and you'd do well to take heed unto it." This prophecy of the seventy weeks is the...

ZE08090302 - 2008-09-03Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-23539?l=englishWhy Mary Appears Interview With Mariologist Mark Miravalle (Part 1) By Irene LaganSTEUBENVILLE, Ohio, SEPT. 3, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Private Marian apparitions serve to remind mankind that God exists, and to provide an opportunity to conduct a "global examination of conscience," according to Mariologist Mark Miravalle.The professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville will be a speaker at the 22nd International Mariological Marian Congress, to begin Thursday in Lourdes. The congresses, held every four years, are sponsored by the Pontifical International Marian Academy. This year's theme is "The Apparitions of the Most Holy Virgin Mary: Between History,...

The Language of Love Gospel Commentary for 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap ROME, AUG. 29, 2008 (Zenit.org).- In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear Jesus who says: “Whoever wants to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Because whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.� What does it mean to “deny" yourself? And why should you deny yourself? We know about the indignation of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche over this the request of this Gospel. I...

In 1943 during WW2, an army Sgt., Ed Davis, was working in Iran near the Turkish border, in charge of locals hired by our army to build a road through Iran to the Soviet border, which would carry supplies to the Soviets instead of flying them in. In short, Ed did a tremendous favor for a little Kurdish village near Ararat. His workers were mostly Kurds and the chief of the village came to Ed and asked if he would like to see Noah's Ark. He said the summer on the mountain had been hottest in many years and the...

Politics can be treacherous. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi walked on even riskier ground in a recent TV interview when she attempted a theological defense of her support for abortion rights.Roman Catholic bishops consider her arguments on St. Augustine and free will so far out of line with church teaching that they have issued a steady stream of statements to correct her.The latest came Wednesday from Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik, who said Pelosi, D-Calif., "stepped out of her political role and completely misrepresented the teaching of the Catholic Church in regard to abortion."It has been a harsh week of rebuke...

All racist theologies have the same basic core ideas and methodology. Thus it does not really matter if we are talking about the KKK, the Nation of Islam or Black liberal theology, their focus is always on skin and not sin; race and not grace; gossip and not gospel. Racism is always focused on the outward instead of the inward because it cannot deal with the root problem of sin. Hatred and violence feed on bitterness and racist rage. Class envy does not help anyone in this life or in the next. Blaming others for one's own sin and guilt...

Father for Priests Matthew 23:1-12  [1] Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, [2] saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. [3] Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. [4] They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. [5] All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels....

Introduction 1 In a recent letter, a visitor to the Biblical Studies Foundation web site asked, “Could you help explain whether the Bible promotes drinking alcohol or whether it condemns it.” This is obviously a concern to many Christians—and for good reason! With the rampant abuse of alcohol in this country, resulting in shattered lives and tens of thousands of deaths each year, any person with a conscience should be deeply concerned about this issue. However, caution is also needed in a different direction: too often Christians have moral outrage because of abuses of one of God’s gifts—outrage that...

I've been reading Michael Dowd's Thank God for Evolution, and at the same time reading about what's going on at the Altenberg 16. It is pretty clear where the next wave of science and theology is going, and sadly, it looks like its going to be another 150 years of chasing our tail. As is starting to be admitted, Darwinism got us nowhere. The point of Darwinism was to remove God entirely from the process of diversification of life, and perhaps even from Creation itself. The hope of Darwinism has always been the three pillars of natural selection: * Heredity...

Christian Atheism The title for this post sounds like an oxymoron, and, of course, it is. How can one be both an atheist and a Christian? Again, I am wanting to push the understanding of the one-versus-two-storey universe. In the history of religious thought, one of the closest versions to what I am describing as a “two-storey� world-view, is that espoused by classical Deism (the philosophy espoused by a number of the American founding fathers).They had an almost pure, two-storey worldview. God, “the Deity,� had created the universe in the beginning, setting it in motion. He had done so in such...

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Check out this new site for used Christian books. Creation, apologetics, abortion, theology etc. http://www.remnantbooks.org

We live in times when blatant immodesty is rampant. Everywhere we are bombarded with intimate sexual details of the lives of strangers.... It is human nature to oscillate from one extreme to another. Lady-like clothes have been replaced by either scanty attire or boyish sportswear, as Genevieve Kineke ponders in her book The Authentic Catholic Woman: The everyday dress of women should work to their advantage and call to mind the inherent dignity of a child of God. There is tremendous latitude in style today, but few current fashions really flatter women. From the nearly indecent clothing once restricted...

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MERIT James Akin I. Words And Word-FightsTwo Catholic doctrines which are phenomenally confusing to Protestants are the Catholic understandings of righteousness and merit. The key reason for this—in fact, virtually the only reason for this—is the different ways in which the two key terms "righteousness" and "merit" are used in the two communities.Often a given theological term may be used in several different technical senses, and when one sense is common in one community and another sense is common in a different community, terrible confusion and hostility can result.For example, it is vitally important to distinguish the...

The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology by Alister E. McGrath (Too new - there are no customer reviews as yet) Editorial Reviews Review "Alister McGrath's The Open Secret provides nothing less than the foundations of a vigorous renewal of natural theology for our time. Theologians and others who have considered natural theology an exhausted topic will have second thoughts after reading this richly nuanced, scholarly, creative, and enjoyable book." John F. Haught, Georgetown University "This is vintage McGrath: confident, capacious in scope, brisk in exposition, decisive in argument. Noone is better placed to make a case for...

A Most Unusual Dividing Line 05/06/2008 - James White This morning I started reading through James E. Cone's Black Theology & Black Power. I had ordered the book since Jeremiah Wright had insisted that to understand his views, you have to read Cone. So, today, I started reading quotations from Cone's book on the program. Racism breeds heresy, and Cone's racism is absolutely beyond words. It is tremendously sad to read "Christianized racism," whether the purveyor of it is white, tan, brown, or black. It remains horrific all the same. Heresy is heresy, and this perversion of Christianity needs to...

What are your favorite books of the Bible? What Old Testament Book do you find yourself reading more than any other? Where do you go for illumination in the New Testament? My favorite books of the Old Testament are probably Exodus and Isaiah. In the New, I like the two books attributed to St. Luke---his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. John's Gospel is also very illuminating.

Dr. Pusey on the Worship of Mary in the Church of Rome by C. H. Spurgeon From the January 1866 "Sword and Trowel Spurgeon" According to promise, we have summarized the detailed account of the idolatrous worship of Mary by the Papists as exposed in full by Dr. Pusey in his new work. As his statements are not made at random, but are supported by quotations from Romish writers of recognised authority, they will be valuable to those who are met by the crafty denials of Romanists whenever they expose the genuine doctrines of Popish faith. Amid all the mischief...

Sacred records bear testimony of the Savior and lead us to Him. The holy scriptures are the word of God given to us for our salvation. The scriptures are essential in receiving a testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. The scriptures given to us by God in these latter days are the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These sacred records bear testimony of the Savior and lead us to Him. That is why great prophets like Enos cried unto the Lord in faith to preserve...

The focus of media attention is [on Rev. Wright’s] “God damn America” sermon. But that’s not the main conclusion of his theology. The main conclusion of his theology is his call for gigantic reparations payments to African-Americans by the Federal government. This would be the largest government welfare project since Medicare… Rev. Wright is an advocate of what is known as black theology. Black theology is a variant of the radical movement known as liberation theology, which is an extreme version of the social gospel. Rev. Wright is open about his advocacy of black theology-liberation theology… They all preach the...

And what might these institutions be? They are not specified. But it is safe to say that they are not the welfare state or the Democratic Party. Given that black liberation theology is a product of the dreary leftist politics of the twentieth century, the very vehicles employed by the left to advance statism certainly can't be the culprits. For the left, black liberation theology makes for close to a perfect faith. It is a political creed larded with religion. It serves not to reconcile and unite blacks with the larger cultural, but to keep them separate. Here, again, The...

Dittography [dih-taw’-gruh-fee] (Greek dittos, “double” + Greek graphos, “written”) A term used by textual critics which describes the unintentional duplication of material in the transcribing process of the Scriptures. Often a scribe would accidentally write a word or sentence twice. This could happen for many reasons (fatigue, misplacement of marker, or negligence in copying). A dittograph is relatively easy for a text critic to recognize

[doo’-tuh-roe’-kuh-naw‘-nik-ul] (Greek deuteros, “second” + Greek kanon, “rule” or “canon” = “second canon”) Often referred to as the Apocrypha and the “Greek Old Testament canon,” this describes the collection of books that were present in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX), but absent from the Hebrew Bible. Roman Catholics accept many of the Deuterocanonical books as part of inspired Scripture. Protestants reject the Deuterocanonical books on the basis that they were never accepted within Judaism and have had spurious acceptance throughout church history. However, Protestants have traditionally believed that many of these books added value to the Christian...

Creatio Ex Nihilo Lat. “creation out of nothing” Describes the shared theistic worldview which believes all of creation was created by God out of non-existent matter. This belief is extremely important and foundational to the Christian belief in a transcendent God. God’s nature transcends time, space, and matter. Therefore, all that exists outside of God is dependent upon Him for its existence. This belief is contrasted with the worldviews of Mormons and other polytheists who believe that matter is eternal and God created the present universe from this pre-existing matter (creatio ex materia). It is also to be contrasted with...

Anselm of Canterbury or, Saint Anselm (1033–1109) He was a Roman Catholic philosopher and clergyman best known for his work Cur Deus Homo [Why the God-man?] 1098. Called the founder of scholasticism, he is considered the father of the ontological argument for the existence of God. He also openly opposed the Crusades.

Other than the Holy Bible, what writings should every Christian try to find and read, in your opinion? For example: The Didache, writings by early Christian apologetics like Justin Matyr, St. Augustine's books, The Nicene Creed, the works of C.S. Lewis, Pope Benedict's book "Jesus of Nazareth", the Dead Sea Scrolls....etc. These can be any book, writing or article that you think was essential to your understanding of Christianity, theology or to your interpretation of the Bible.

Justification Pron. [just-eh-fi-kay-shun] From the Greek word (dikaioo), “to declare/make righteous.” The act by which God declares a sinner to be just on the basis of the righteousness of Christ alone. According to Romans 1:18-3:28, justification is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from works or merit.

Open Theism Also referred to as free will theism and openness theology, is the belief that God does not exercise meticulous control of the universe but leaves it “open” for humans to make significant free will choices that impact their relationships with God and others. A corollary of this is that God has not predetermined the future. Open Theists further believe that this would imply that God does not know the future exhaustively. (ref. theopedia). Proponents of this view are Gregory Boyd, John Sanders, and Clark Pinnock.