Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
A previous article on this website, “The Narrow & Wide Gates in Matthew 7″,1 explains how taking the path less traveled in this life will help us develop the spirit-filled existence necessary for entrance into God’s new Millennial Kingdom. That new age ruled by Jesus Christ is quickly approaching, so near in fact, that some …
As usual, around holiday events I get questions concerning its celebration. So, I was not surprised when a few inquiries arose around our last Thanksgiving Day. The first question asked was “Is Thanksgiving Day a religious holiday?” The second question was “Do other countries celebrate Thanksgiving Day?” The third was “What does Black Friday mean?” …
We hear a lot about Hell, but there is still much confusion about what it is and where it is located. In some religions it is the location of the afterlife, where the souls of evil people are subjected to suffering through torture and eternal punishment, usually for sins committed sometime in their lives. But …
For a moment, let us speculate about something on the fringe of biblical knowledge. Unlike other animals, God Almighty gave humans a brain with the unique ability to construct logical possibilities, so let’s do that. Since it is good to expand our opinions and think ‘outside the box’ once in a while, we will call …
The anniversary word ‘jubilee’ has become newsworthy again, since the recent death (8 September 2022) of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. I was only eight years old when she became Queen of the Commonwealth realms, in 1952. She had reached her 50th anniversary of accession to leadership in 2002, a milestone which was …
I have received many varied questions about romantic and premarital sexual activity in the past. What is biblically allowed? How far can we go? If a single man and a single woman are in love, what are they allowed to do, and what must they not do? The Church (especially the Roman Catholic Church) has …
The author of The Epistle of James began his letter by stating, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings” (James 1:1, NRSV).1 That is a very humble opening statement from someone who was not only a church leader, but was Jesus’ oldest2 brother …
The world knows that there are two continents of the Americas, North America with several countries (including the United States), and South America with several countries, also. Many people around the world sometimes get confused (or angry) when United States (U.S.) citizens refer to themselves as Americans, as it seems they are shutting out the …
Over the years, people have asked me several questions about the ‘God Particle’. The general curiosity in this tiny piece of matter — smaller than the smallest atom — is only of interest to Christians, because it has God’s name upon it. They wonder about its function and how it relates to their creator. This …
The first miracle performed by Jesus was at a wedding in Cana, a village in Galilee, as opposed to another Cana in Coelo-Syria.1 Many academics believe this was a vibrant Jewish community in the lower Galilean region which included an extensive underground cave system. This was discovered by a recent archaeological dig just 8.5 miles …