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Spiritual Disciplines of the Early Church: Ancient Practices for the 21st Century

...e one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and [money]. Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:24 – 25 (WEB) Living a simple life isn’t purely about being poor or minimalistic in terms of physical possessions, but also in our attitudes and interactions with others by avoiding drama and getting caught up in gossip or being a “busybody”. Avoiding such things will surely help us to live a peaceful and simple life...

Should Christians get tattoos, and is it Biblical?

...t through love be servants to one another.” (Galatians 5:1,13; cf. 1 Cor 10:23).   Sources and Further Reading: https://www.bravedaily.com/2016/09/04/gods-tattoo/ https://medium.com/@belover/what-does-the-bible-say-about-tattoos-b901650a034 https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/what-does-the-bible-say-about-tattoos/ https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/blog/what-the-early-church-had-to-say-about-tattoos https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2009/march/tattoos-of-cross.html https://www.tattoo.com/blog/history-christianity-tattoo-culture/ https://medium.com/@naileao/how-christians-made-tattoo-cool-in-ancient-rome-1b66ef35aa03 https://w...

Francis Chan turns towards a more historical and ancient view of Communion

...If you follow certain Christian blogs, or have Christian friends on Social Media, then you may have seen a short video clip being shared which has been taken from a recent sermon by popular Evangelical pastor/speaker and author, Francis Chan of Crazy love ministries. Depending on who shared the clip will depend on which reaction you have seen; some are praising his words, others fearing for his future calling it a “red flag”. And all of this over a short statement he made about communion! I recommend you watch this 3 minute clip below before continuing, if you haven’t seen it already. I would also recommend watching the whole 47 minute sermon for some b...

The Relationship Between Jesus and Sophia

...s She who loves you.❤️❤️❤️ — via @adamericksen A lot of the comments under that post seemed to find it quite affirming in some ways, others were confused as they’d never heard this before (and rightly so) but were keen to look into it. There were also a lot of references to a single author, and book, called, She Who Is, by Elizabeth A. Johnson, where this idea seemed to have originated in some form. In fact, the majority of the comments were wanting to explore this idea in more depth. So, I think maybe there’s something to be said there for the lack of female representation in the Church if it garnered this type of response, but I also th...

Support Israel? OK, which Israel?

...h all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. The New Covenant, under Jesus, presents an interesting tension of non-violence and justice. A tension which Paul continues in Romans 12 in the context of governing authorities and their role in the world, but I think this quote from John Stott sums it up quite well: “If my house is burgl...

The Coming of Jesus: Revelation Fulfilled?

...de in his love and know that ultimately, He is in control.   Further Reading: Reclaiming the Book of Revelation, W. E. Glabach;  https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7EiliuMmUiYC&pg=PA36&dq=dating+of+the+book+of+revelation&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj61YO6pMnJAhUILhoKHfVCBUsQ6AEIPjAD#v=onepage&q=dating%20of%20the%20book%20of%20revelation&f=false Muratorian Canon [ANF 5:603] - http://biblefacts.org/church/MCF.pdf C. E. Hill, “The Debate Over the Muratorian Fragment and the Development of the Canon,” Westminster Theological Journal 57:2 (Fall 1995): pp.437-452 http://earlychurch.org.uk/pdf/fragment_hill.pdf Young's Concise...