Category Archives: History
The Bible devotes 50 chapters to the tabernacle, the portable tent complex that God instructed Moses to build and transport when the Israelites wandered in the wilderness in their escape from slavery in Egypt. It was meant to reassure the 12 tribes of Israel of God’s presence. While the original tabernacle existed thousands of years […]
Filed under Bible, Bible Reference, History, Interviews, Old Testament
I recently had the privilege of leading a short discussion at my church about early Christianity. In particular, I talked about the period of time immediately following the New Testament, when early Christians found themselves contending for the faith in an intellectually diverse and often hostile environment. One of the highlights of that time period […]
Filed under Apologetics, History
Who’s the most quotable Christian writer you’ve encountered? Last year, I nominated C.S. Lewis and Charles Spurgeon as candidates and shared five memorable quotes from each as evidence. But since then, I’ve been forced to acknowledge another candidate: Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the famous World War 2 pastor and martyr. Bonhoeffers’ writing style doesn’t lend itself to […]
[Eleanor Roosevelt’s copy of the Book of Common Prayer (courtesy of NPS.gov)] Since its first publication in 1549 during the reign of King Henry VIII, the language of the Book of Common Prayer has saturated English culture. It’s become a venerable work that continues to touch the lives of multitudes around the world. Daily readings […]
Filed under Bible, Books, Church, History, Interviews
What makes someone a “heretic”? Have you ever used that word to describe a person or a belief, and if so, what did you mean by it? Justin Holcomb (who, you may recall, we interviewed earlier this month about the importance of creeds) thinks that Christians ought to be more careful and precise in the […]
Creeds are the church’s most important statements of faith over the centuries, but are they needed today? Are they only good for public worship services or can individuals benefit from them on a day-to-day level? Rev. Dr. Justin Holcomb (@JustinHolcomb) is an Episcopal priest and a professor of theology and Christian thought at Gordon-Conwell Theological […]
Filed under Books, Church, History, Interviews
Christianity did not begin when we were born. Nor did our generation invent Christian thought… Today’s Christianity is directly affected by what earlier Christians chose to do and to believe. —Justin Holcomb, Know the Creeds and Councils If you spoke with one of the earliest Christians, would you agree about the essentials of the Christian […]
Look at a dollar bill and you’ll read “In God We Trust.” Visit the US Supreme Court and you’ll see, on the South Wall Frieze, Moses holding the Ten Commandments. The US Capitol building includes the Congressional Prayer Room, “to provide a quiet place where individual Representatives and Senators may withdraw to seek Divine strength […]
Filed under Books, History, Interviews
Has archaeology confirmed the existence of any of the people mentioned in the Bible? In his article “Archaeology Confirms 50 Real People in the Bible” in the March/April 2014 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR), Purdue University scholar Lawrence Mykytiuk identifies 50 figures from the Old Testament that he says have been confirmed archaeologically. An […]
Filed under Archaeology, Bible, History, Interviews
Google has just announced the launching of Google Maps Gallery, a new way for organizations to share and publish their maps online via Google Maps Engine. One map in particular caught our eye–the “Lands of the Bible.”
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