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This week in Christian History

Actually, TexasBred, if you think about it, it is not in the Gloria, but in the Profession of faith, the Niocene Creed which we recite every Sunday.
( The Niocene Creed was formulsted at the Council of Nicaea in 325).

"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who preceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen"

(The part about the Holy Spirit coming also from the Son, was added later, and was apposed by the Greeks, adding to the division of the Greek and Roman church. Although the Greeks also believed this, they didn't think it should be changed.)

While I wonder about these megachurches where people sit in an auditorium like place and listen to one preacher giving his spiel, I also wonder why a small congregation is sometimes thought to be the best.
Didn't the early church have large congregations? Many of the early Christians were wealthy people with large houses to accomodate many people. (Acts 4: 4 "Despite this many of those who had heard the speech believed; the number of the men came to about five thousand."
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

"May 1, 1873: Missionary-explorer David Livingstone dies..."

"May 2, 373: Church father Athanasius, "the father of Orthodoxy," dies..."

Both of the above were men of profound influence on the course of the Christian faith's development in different ways.

And here is quite a curiousity- "May 3, 1675: A Massachusetts law goes into effect requiring church doors to be locked during services. Officials enacted the law because too many people were leaving before sermons were over." :?

"May 5, 1925: Day ton, Tennessee, teacher John Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution in his classroom..." and the aftermath signaled the decline of Christian influence in the education system, replacing it with philosophical materialism. "There is no need for 'God' anymore". Christopher Hitchens would be delighted.

And much more . . .
 
May 1st 1873,David Livingstone had one convert,who later backslid.

i found this interesting.most Christians and Hypocrites are guilty of backsliding once or twice and i can accept this.

but i knew a guy once who read the Bible to his kids,when they were young.he claimed that he had read the Bible clear thru a couple times
and was a believer.
later, his wife left him and he told me he no longer believed,and not only backslid but now thought the Bible was a fictitious story.

what are there limits on backsliding other than the consequences?for those who are not a 'perfect Christian'
 
Martin Jr. said:
Actually, TexasBred, if you think about it, it is not in the Gloria, but in the Profession of faith, the Niocene Creed which we recite every Sunday.
( The Niocene Creed was formulsted at the Council of Nicaea in 325).

"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who preceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen"

(The part about the Holy Spirit coming also from the Son, was added later, and was apposed by the Greeks, adding to the division of the Greek and Roman church. Although the Greeks also believed this, they didn't think it should be changed.)

While I wonder about these megachurches where people sit in an auditorium like place and listen to one preacher giving his spiel, I also wonder why a small congregation is sometimes thought to be the best.
Didn't the early church have large congregations? Many of the early Christians were wealthy people with large houses to accomodate many people. (Acts 4: 4 "Despite this many of those who had heard the speech believed; the number of the men came to about five thousand."
Click to expand...

You're absolutely correct Martin. Gettin' a bit senile here. :wink:
 
balestabber said:
May 1st 1873,David Livingstone had one convert,who later backslid.

i found this interesting.most Christians and Hypocrites are guilty of backsliding once or twice and i can accept this.

but i knew a guy once who read the Bible to his kids,when they were young.he claimed that he had read the Bible clear thru a couple times
and was a believer.
later, his wife left him and he told me he no longer believed,and not only backslid but now thought the Bible was a fictitious story.

what are there limits on backsliding other than the consequences?for those who are not a 'perfect Christian'
Click to expand...


Is it backsliding or just SIN? Luther said that after one has become a Christian, by faith alone, he could commit adultery a thousand times a day and still be righteous in God's eyes. Do you believe that? Jesus does not dismiss the Law, he makes it more emphatic in Matthew 5:27,28, when He says,

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. (KJV)

Wow, Jesus was speaking to his followers and disciples, so why is He telling them they will be cast into hell if they don't obey, not only the letter of the Law, but the spirit of the Law?
 
Is backsliding just a falling into sin? None of us are "perfect Christians". We all have our faults, usually falling into the same ones.
But if we repent and make a real effort to avoid sin we are forgiven, and forgiven over and over again when we fall and repent. Jesus is merciful to those who are humble enough to admit sin and reject it.

Backsliding may be the total rejection of God and embracing sin with no regret and no intention of repenting.

Ezekiel 18: 21 - 24
But if the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?
And if the virtuous man turns from the path of the virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live" None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die.

The "Once saved, always saved" doctrine was more of a John Calvin doctrine than Luther's, although some Lutherans may follow this.
Some called it "Pre-destination" that some were pre-destined to sin and some to holy lives, and we are powerless to change that.
Paul mentions pre-destination, but more in the idea that we are all pre-destined to be holy. Some just reject that life, and chose sinful lives. To choose to be a Christian is not always the easy way.
 
I posted my little question Sunday morn, then left for church.
I came home with this answer to my own curiosity.

James 5:20

it's refreshing that i can hide a multitude of sins by converting a sinner
from the error of his way.
 
balestabber said:
I posted my little question Sunday morn, then left for church.
I came home with this answer to my own curiosity.

James 5:20

it's refreshing that i can hide a multitude of sins by converting a sinner
from the error of his way.
Click to expand...

In conversion his sins are covered.
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

"May 10, 1886: Karl Barth, the most important theologian of the twentieth century and opponent of theological liberalism and political fascism (especially under Hitler), is born in Basel, Switzerland. When asked in 1962 (on his one visit to America) how he would summarize the essence of the millions of words he had published, he replied, "Jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible tells me so" (see issue 65: The Ten Most Influential Christians of the Twentieth Century)."
 
i can relate with Karl Barth.i'm glad i had my Bible to read and God's word to protect me on my one trip to Hatai.

when mixing science/technology with society.a recent US President was asked his thoughts on the 1973 supreme court ruling,he thought it was concerned with immigration and the Rio Grand.he said if they couldn't swim,maybe they could Row over or Wade over. :shock:

i didn't know the 'Southern" Baptist been here that long.it leads me to ask,which came first.the southern,independent,american,or the uni-Baptist.i have attended a First Baptist church,i bet that was it.

thanks Burnt for sharing this sight.i'm still reading
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

"May 15, 1886: American poet Emily Dickinson, author of many poems on death, eternity, God, and the afterlife, dies. Only 7 of her 1,775 poems were published at the time." - this surprised me as I thought she lived much more recently than that.

"May 15, 1984: American evangelical Francis A. Schaeffer dies in Rochester, Minnesota. Many of his books, which include The God Who is There (1968) and How Should We Then Live (1976), argue that moral relativity is responsible for social ills." - Books you probably will not find on the Best Seller list.

"May 19, 1805: Joshua V. Himes, best known for promoting William Miller's Second Advent movement, is born. Miller predicted the Second Coming between 1843 and 1844..." - Christ will come again when the Father sends him!

"May 21, 1864: Missionary-priest Joseph de Veuster (better known as Father Damien) is ordained a priest in Honolulu. In 1873, at his own request, he was sent to a settlement of lepers on the island of Molokai, where he later contracted the disease and died." - That is called commitment!
 
And a couple more:

May 18, 1920: Karol Wojtyla (who would take the name John Paul II when elected pope) is born in Wadowice, Poland (see issue 65: The 10 Most Influential Christians of the Twentieth Century).

May 20, 1960: Six months before John F. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, is elected president of the United States, the Southern Baptist Convention condemns the election of Catholics to public office. "When a public official is inescapably bound by the dogma and demands of the church," it declared, "he cannot consistently separate himself from these."
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

May 22, 2011 - the first day after the day the world was predicted to end.

O.K. I obviously just added that to the history listings, but it goes to show that it isn't our words and thoughts that determine such momentous outcomes.

Rather, it is the faithfulness of our God and Savior who will carry out His plans according to his own determination and timing and not ours!

He is always faithful!
 
burnt said:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

May 22, 2011 - the first day after the day the world was predicted to end.

O.K. I obviously just added that to the history listings, but it goes to show that it isn't our words and thoughts that determine such momentous outcomes.

Rather, it is the faithfulness of our God and Savior who will carry out His plans according to his own determination and timing and not ours!

He is always faithful!
Click to expand...

Amen Brother !!!
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

Reading the accounts of those gone on before caused me to wonder how their intentions compare to how they are remembered. Some, I am sure, would be satisfied while others would be disappointed.

1Cor. 13:12 - "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known." (NASB)

"June 3, 1905: Hudson Taylor, English missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission, dies. "China is not to be won for Christ by quiet, ease-loving men and women," he once said. "The stamp of men and women we need is such as will put Jesus, China, [and] souls first and foremost in everything and at every time—even life itself must be secondary" (see issue 52: Hudson Taylor)."

The Christian Church in China today numbers in the millions and continues to grow.
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

"June 9, 68: Nero Claudius Caesar, the ruler to whom the Apostle Paul appealed for justice (Acts 25:10) and who ordered the first imperial persecution of Christians, commits suicide (see issue 47: Paul and His Times)." - when one looks at the big picture, it's kinda hard to understand why anyone would fight against the Kingdom of God rather than enjoy being a part of it!
 
burnt said:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

"June 9, 68: Nero Claudius Caesar, the ruler to whom the Apostle Paul appealed for justice (Acts 25:10) and who ordered the first imperial persecution of Christians, commits suicide (see issue 47: Paul and His Times)." - when one looks at the big picture, it's kinda hard to understand why anyone would fight against the Kingdom of God rather than enjoy being a part of it!
Click to expand...

Like most of the other romans he worshipped "other gods" and thought they were real gods.
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

I offered our son the use of my ladder to fore-go the hassles of a wedding (he didn't use it! :wink: ) but some use barrels to as a prelude to matrimony

- "June 13, 1525: German reformer Martin Luther marries Katherine von Bora, 16 years his younger, having sneaked her and several other nuns out of their Cistercian convent in empty herring barrels two years earlier. Many viewed the marriage, which lasted 21 happy years, as a scandal (see issue 39: Luther's Later Years)."

A further note to their marriage: "Gradually, through the persuasion of friends and his father, Luther proposed to marry Katie himself. Luther had been given the building of the Augustinian monastery at Wittenberg by the Elector, and into the monastery Katie moved after her marriage in 1525. She cleaned up the monastery and brought some order to Luther's daily life. Luther wrote a friend, "There is a lot to get used to in the first year of marriage. One wakes up in the morning and finds a pair of pigtails on the pillow which were not there before."" (from Reformation tours)

And further on the marriage theme - "June 16, 1855: William and Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, marry, having fallen in love the first night they met. William had escorted Catherine home, and she later wrote, "Before we reached my home, we both felt as though we had been made for each other" (see issue 26: William and Catherine Booth). - sounds like a match made in heaven!

Speaking of which, for some reason, I have of late been looking more and more to the event of the day when Jesus Christ returns to take his "bride", the church back to Heaven to be with him forever. But let's be faithful in our service to him here until he returns.
 
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thisweekinchristianhistory/

"June 19, 325: Bishop Hosius, a delegate at the Council of Nicea, announces the newly written Nicene Creed..."

In a time of growing unbelief, it is good to review this very basic yet comprehensive statement of faith as well as the reason that it was written. Many today are replacing or corrupting the Christian faith with all sorts of wrong teaching - for example, environmentalism which is really just modern day pantheism.

Some churches repeat the Creed weekly, but it is not part of our tradition. It would be interesting to hear from readers to see if this is their practice. Here is a link to the Nicene creed -

http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/creeds/nicene.htm

Also, this week marks the anniversary of an important event in the history of the teaching of evolution . . .
 

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