Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
Speaking in an unknown language, as many do in today’s Pentecostal, Charismatic, Catholic, and a few other Christian religions, is generally considered a New Testament phenomenon. This ability was received as one of the miraculous spiritual gifts given to the apostles after the death of Christ and is known as “speaking in tongues.” Although it …
Crucifixion was a regular mode of capital punishment among early pagan nations, and most likely originated with the Persians and then spread to the Assyrians, Germans, Celts, Britons and others. This punishment was “primarily reserved for traitors, captive armies, slaves and the worst of criminals” and was common under the rule of Alexander the Great …
I’ve been thinking about an article I recently read of how Christian churches are bending over backward to make their services happy events. By “happy events” I mean making sure their service makes you comfortable, making sure they never offend you, making sure they give the appearance of projecting their love into the congregation. It …
Most Christian pastors, teachers, and parents believe that masturbation is a sin, because it gratifies the desires of the flesh, which means we are not walking in the spirit and living by faith. This study will involve ideas and language that many people find offensive, so if that is the case with you, please read …
Although there are several minor Christian sects that do not celebrate birthdays, the only major denomination that does not is Jehovah’s Witnesses. Of the organizations that do not, often cited as a reason, is that only two instances of birthdays are mentioned in the Bible and both represented rather gruesome situations that were related to …
I’m an easygoing kind of guy. I write articles relating to the Bible; some are just reflections on my life experiences and some are in-depth studies on subjects not usually discussed in church, and some others compare our modern world in relation to biblical principles. Usually, I just state the thoughts or facts and let …
I have a couple of full-sized medieval battle swords hanging on my living room wall. I’m told that they are museum replicas and both have a religious connection. Normally I would have put them in my office, but they are rather large (long) and there was not enough room to hang them there. I have …
Our Lord Jesus, gave us a model prayer1 in his Sermon on the Mount, and most Christians follow his example when petitioning God, either privately or publically. In steps, we pray to: (1) praise and bring honor to God, (2) ask that his will and kingdom be forthcoming, (3) give thanks for the necessities of …
The weather has been kind in the Pacific northwest recently and Spring has brought the area into full bloom. All through winter I dreamed of the warm and sunny days ahead, when I could take comfortable slow walks around the neighborhood and watch as people spent more time in the outdoors. During my first glorious …
Many debates have been started over two verses of scripture in the Holy Bible which describes, what seems to be, a pretty straight-forward command. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority …