Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
I was once asked by an atheist, “Why do Christians talk about blood so much?” I guess some people think we have a strange and unhealthy relationship or interest in blood. But to Christians, blood is more than just delivering nutrients and oxygen to the cells in our body and removing their waste products. Having …
After the enslaved Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, ten major commands were given by God to Moses upon Mount Sinai. This was part of the contract or covenant between God and his people and it introduced fundamental rules for worship and social ethics. These rules were written upon two tablets of stone called the …
Someone would be hard-pressed to imagine something more troubling or macabre than the taboo of eating human flesh. Now, in the animal kingdom, cannibalism is fairly common and found in more than fifteen hundred species, but this activity is rare in humans, just maybe not as rare as you might expect. Once, during a study …
Unless you know what to look for, medicinal and recreational drug use in the Bible isn’t always evident, because they didn’t speak about drugs as we do today. They used plants and minerals for treatment and healing of ailments and pain, or to produce certain mental effects such as mood relaxers and hallucinogens. Since many …
The Christian Bible is divided into two testaments containing many books: the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament (Greek Scriptures concerning Jesus Christ). But not all Christian Bibles are the same. Of course, there are various versions and translations, but I’m talking about the books within the Bibles. In some denominations or sects, …
A belief in ghosts is very common. Worldwide, more than half the population believe in ghosts or spirits of the dead. A lot of years ago, I did, too, although I never had any personal contact. Before a study of God’s word to guide me, I thought this belief was true, because that concept was …
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and prominent member of the Sanhedrin, came one night to visit Jesus and discuss his new religious doctrine. Now, a Pharisee was a member of a Jewish sect noted for strict observance of the rites and ceremonies of the written law — that of the law of Moses as well as Jewish …
I recently received a letter from a visitor to our website who was writing because an article conflicted with what they had been taught. She wrote, “Jesus said ‘I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; …
My experiences with death started at a very early age. In New Orleans, where I was born, small children were not sheltered from the dying and death events of others, as they are in many places. For instance, I was a pallbearer at my grandmother’s funeral when I was twelve years old. I remember going …
A Study of Daniel Chapter 3 Most times that I’ve brought up the story in the Book of Daniel about the three Hebrew boys being thrown into the fiery furnace, people respond to the event as being mostly just a child’s Bible story. It is a good story with life applications for youngsters trying to …