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Before The Pumpkins: Faith In The Flames

Picture the scene: the year is somewhere around 155–160, Polycarp has just been arrested and brought to the city. The crowd roared in the stadium. The smell of sweat and fear mingled with the dust of Smyrna’s arena. And in the centre of it all stood an old man — calm, unflinching, his face marked with years of faith. The Roman proconsul urged him again: “Swear by the fortune of Caesar. Curse Christ, and I will release you.” Polycarp looked him in the eye and replied with a defiant response that has echoed down the ages, Eighty and six years I have served Him, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? Those words hav...

Kirk Cameron And The Biblical Case For Annihilationism

...long-held traditions when they believed those traditions lacked biblical grounding. To argue that a doctrine must be true simply because it is familiar is to mistake tradition for revelation. This does not mean the church has “always been wrong”, but it does mean the church must always remain “reformable” under the Word of God, and also open to those secondary doctrines which aren’t salvation or Gospel issues, which can still be grounded in Scripture — even if you disagree with the conclusion! Why the Reaction to Kirk Cameron Reveals a Deeper Anxiety Much of the outrage surrounding Cameron’s comments betrays a deeper fear: tha...

Four Blood Moons and everyone loses their minds

...(book of tradition / Interpretation) says; "When the moon is in eclipse, it is a bad omen for Israel. If its face is as red as blood, (it is a sign that) the sword is coming to the world." ... Every time a blood moon pattern has appeared on Jewish feast days a big event affects the nation of Israel. The event affectingIsrael begins just before the actual years of the blood moons. To understand what will happen in the 2014 - 2015 "blood moons" you must understand the pattern of blood moons in the past. It was confirmed by NASA that we have had "blood-red moons" on the first day of Passover and the first day of Sukkoth on back-to-back years seven time...

Lent: Day 1 - The Didache

...Day One: the Didache (in full) Who: Written by an anonymous author, possibly multiple sources compiled into one book at a later date. The title translates as “the teaching”, or in its full tithe: Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. What: The Didache is basically a church handbook with a summarised collection of the basic teachings of the Church and Gospel, aimed at local church leaders and new converts. Why: tradition has it as being a collection of the apostles teachings, so it was probably written to preserve this information as they grew older or died, or moved away from the communities they planted. When: Between 70-100 AD The Didache is one of my...

Lent: Day 11 - Ignatius to Polycarp

...Day Eleven: St. Ignatius of Antioch: Letter to Polycarp (full text) Who: Ignatius converted at a young age and later became Bishop of Antioch. A friend of Polycarp and fellow disciple of John, there is a long standing tradition that Ignatius was the child that Jesus held in his arms and blessed in Mark 10:13-16 What: A letter addressed personally to Polycarp giving him advice and encouragement as a bishop, plus some instructions on marriage to the church, which are reminiscent of Paul’s epistles. Why: Ignatius wrote a series of letters to the churches in Asia Minor whilst en route to Rome to face martyrdom by wild beasts in the Colosseum around 108 AD. Wh...

Lent Day 30: Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures: Lecture XIX

...how this tradition and practice has been preserved in certain churches. I’ll contrast the two just to show the similarities, I’m using the Anglican liturgy since that’s what I’m most familiar with from memory: Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God? I reject them.   Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil? I renounce them.   Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour? I repent of them.   Do you turn to Christ as Saviour? I turn to Christ.   Do you submit to Christ as Lord? I submit to Christ.   Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life? I come to Christ. And this is...