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Losing a Loved One: A Few Ways to Find Solace

This is a guest post by Lucille Rosetti from thebereaved.org. The views are that of the author and don't necessarily reflect the views of That Ancient Faith. This week I have a guest post by Lucille Rosetti from thebereaved.org looking at the hard topic of death. As Christians we shouldn't fear death, and ought to look on it with a paradoxical hope, since we know that through Christ death has lost its "sting" (1 Cor 15:55-57) and that we look forward to the Resurrection and life to come. But even with that in mind, the physical and earthly loss is still hard and something we need to process and deal with, and the following guest post aims to help with the...

BOOK REVIEW: Four Views on Hell 2nd edition

...ruin or loss’: “If I were to say that my car was destroyed in a crash last week, no one hears that to mean that the car ceases to exist. They understand it to mean that the car was completely ruined and lost to me as a result of the accident. That is the sense in which the Greek term olethros is used here.” (35) But notice: this car wreck is as good as non-existent for all practical purposes of driving, thus destined for crushing or scrapping, aka obliteration. This is similar to Doug Moo’s analogy backfiring, as he paints a similar image: “ ‘The tornado destroyed the house.’ The component parts of that house did not cease to exist, but...

The Gospel of Jeffrey Dahmer

...ll suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. I suspect Dahmer will suffer loss on that Day, but he himself will be saved if his conversion was truly genuine; and if we can’t accept that, then we have no right to expect God to extend that same grace and mercy to us too because we have all sinned and fallen short.  Hear Dahmer confess his faith in Jesus in his own words: Further Reading Jeffrey Dahmer — Wikipedia Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer and Christian Conversion, Jeffrey Dahmer and Forgiveness — Beliefnet Forgiving Jeffrey Dahmer. Hit Netflix series poses a troubling… | by Dan Foster | Backyard Church | Oct...

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

...it’s no loss to the Christians since they are convinced that the wicked will suffer eternal consequences. The Resurrection This one is interesting as Justin contrasts the spiritual powers that the Emperor will be familiar with from his own divinations, oracles, magi and “Dream-senders and Assistant-spirits (Familiars)” to prove the point that “even after death souls are in a state of sensation” and thus there is an afterlife worth considering. He goes on to say that because these practitioners of divinations etc are granted favours, that the Christians should also be granted the same because they “more firmly” believe in God, “since we expect t...

Lent Day 20: Cyprian: On the Unity of the Church: 19-27

...it is the loss of one soul; in the latter, the risk of many.  He goes on to say that if you go astray through lack of discipline or temptation, then you can repent and be forgiven, but the intentional heretics risk unforgiveness and their souls; hence why it is written, he says, “hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (Rev 3:11). Speaking more about the crowns we attain, Cyprian delves into confessing sins and how that the mere act of confession doesn’t save us or give us the “full desert of the crown”, but “it initiates our dignity” which is why Jesus said, “the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matt 24:...

Lent Day 40: Leo the Great: Sermon LXXII: ON THE LORD'S RESURRECTION, II

...to the Colossians, Colossians 3:1-4So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. We achieve this raising by the power of Christ with us, who lifts us up, because he is with us, as he promised: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). This in itself fulfills the promise that his own name means, prophesied by Isaiah when he said, they...