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Coffee With Jesus: Luke 24

Brief thoughts from daily devotions The road to Emmaus. A familiar story from the Gospel to many, though today as I read it, I noticed some things which I probably glossed over in previous times. At the start of this chapter we see that some of the women who followed Jesus had gone to the tomb with spices to prepare the body of Jesus, and yet were met with a few surprises: an open, empty tomb and some angels! They ran back to the group of apostles and other disciples to tell the exciting news, and what was their response? “[T]hese words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.” (v.11). They thought it was nonsense! Probably not the react...

The Historic Practice of Abortion and How Ancient Christians Responded

...hat those women who use drugs to bring on abortion commit murder. And we also say they will have to give an account to God for the abortion. — Athenagoras, c. AD 175 Although keeping parrots and curlews, the [pagans] do not adopt the orphan child […] they take up the young of birds. So they prefer irrational creatures to rational ones! — Clement of Alexandria, c. AD 195 To hinder a birth is merely a speedier way to kill a human. It does not matter if you take away a life that has been born, or destroy one that is not yet born. — Tertullian, c. AD 197. Indeed, the Law of Moses punishes with appropriate penalties the person who causes aborti...

Doubting Defying Jihad: Questioning the Popular Conversion Story

...y recruit women for combat roles, as Devorah Margolin describes Hamas and ISIS as departing from convention by encouraging female participation in violence and even then in only a very restricted way under particular circumstances with a specific fatwa (or Islamic ruling) being issued.1 On page 33, the militant group leader “Anwar” suggests that Esther could find a husband in the west to bring him to Islam. It is strictly forbidden for a Muslim woman to marry a non Muslim man, the idea that they would be encouraged by a scholar to date is about as unbelievable. In a conservative Pakistani culture, she would more likely find herself the victim of a so-called...

Lent: Day 13 - Justin Martyr: First Apology, Chaps. 12-23

...king at a women with lust, to divorce, to praying for your enemies to not worrying about life. It’s a nice summary of Jesus’ moral teachings on the way in which we should strive to live, which Justin then follows on from with more of Jesus’ teaching on responding to violence and in swearing oaths saying, “[Jesus] has exhorted us to lead all men, by patience and gentleness, from shame and the love of evil” by which it is proved because many men who were like the Emperor “have changed their violent and tyrannical disposition” because of the examples of Christians. After all of this, Justin then seeks to clarify the difference between those who are C...

Lent Day 27: Athanasius: Life of Anthony: Chaps. 61-70

...p men and women of God who will change cities with the Gospel!  ...

John Chau, missionary to the Sentinelese: martyr or madness?

...e men and women who were killed during those times were still seen and declared to be martyrs for the faith since they stood strong in their convictions in the face of death. For example in the early centuries, on pain of death, the people of the Roman Empire had to swear loyalty to the Emperor and publicly perform some act of worship and veneration towards him. This wasn’t an attempt to root out Christians necessarily, but they did refuse to partake due to their beliefs in worshipping God alone and not committing idolatry by performing an act of worship towards the reigning Caesar. As far as the Romans were concerned, the Christians were traitors and committ...