The Nashville Statement

The Nashville Statement is a document published online and authored by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood that clarifies the orthodox Christian faith position on human sexuality.  Over 150 predominate orthodox Christian teachers from around the world have signed the statement.  Of course it is not without controversy given our day and age and with some rejecting Christians.  Regardless, much like in the days of The councils of past, it addresses and clarifies the orthodox Christian faith in this specific matter.  But is it biblical?  Read the statement here: https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement/

The Creed of The Universal Christian Faith

Being A Confessional Church

What does it mean to be a confessional church and why is it important?  In this day and age most people do not even know what being a confessional church is, in any shape or form.  This article will address a very important issue in the Body of Christ that most Christian leaders have neglected for generations.  We will review what 'confessional' is referring to, why it is important, discuss statements of faith, and clear up common misconceptions about historic Creeds and Confessions.

What Did Hippolytus of Rome Teach?

Hippolytus was born around 170AD and died a martyr around 235AD.  He was a disciple of Irenaeus who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John the Apostle.  Even Origen of Alexandria heard him preach at an early age.  He was critical of the popes of Rome and even accused Pope Zephyrinus of modalism.  Under the persecution at the time of Emperor Maximinus Thrax he was exiled where he later died as a martyr.

What did Qaudratus of Athens teach?

He is the first Christian apologist and is counted as one of the 70 Apostles in the Eastern Orthodox churches and was a friend of the Apostles according to Eusebius of Caesarea.  He would have known John and by style of writing he was directly influenced by John and Paul's writings. He wrote an apology (argument for) letter to Roman Emporer Hadrian when he came and visited Qaudratus' city.  Eusebius had an copy of his letter and stated he was very orthodox with the other Apostles.  Eusebius then quotes him:

Radicalized Christians?

Is there a sect or view within Christianity that advocates and exercises murder and violence against those who are viewed as enemies?  If there is a radicalized Christianity, what is it exactly?  Quite honestly the answer is very simple.  To know what IS Christianity, we must first look at the core defining elements of the faith and look at the teachings of Jesus.

The Council of Chalcedon and It's Impact

In 451 AD, Roman Emperor Marcian called for the church to come together and make known a very deep understanding of The Person of Jesus Christ to solve the confusion and division.  As Gnostic teachings and writings spread throughout the semi-early Christian world, confusion about who Jesus was in the deepest way is an issue.  The issue is the true nature of Christ. In attendance were over 500 church teachers from all parts of the Christian world and in their possession were the earliest biblical manuscripts.

Correctly Interpret and Understand The Bible

All kinds of people, from all kinds of religions; all claim some portions, it not all, of the bible are from God, or from a god, or from multiple gods.  They all can not be both true, and not true, at the same time; so how do we know? Biblical Hermeneutics is the study and method of how to correctly understand scripture.  In this article we will review three key elements of an effective method for correctly interpreting and understanding the Bible the way it was meant to be interpretative and understood.

Small/Home Groups

As local church communities grow into large congregations it gets harder for the church leadership to address all the needs of the larger growing congregation.   Creating small groups / home groups is a strategy to help fulfill the material and spiritual needs.  There are advantages in this strategy.  In this article we will address the strategy in a biblical way and discuss how to form a plan and execute it.  We will lay out the who, what, when, where, how, and why of small/house groups.

Why The Disciples of The Apostles Matter Today

This is a very important issue.  Why does it matter what the disciples of the apostles and their disciples taught?  If we have the apostles writings and eye witness testimonies of what Jesus did and said, why would their views be important?  As you can tell, through history of the church, the writings of the apostles can be misinterpreted and misunderstood.  How do we know what the apostles actually meant in their writings?  This is what we call The Apostolic Interpretation or The Linage of Apostolic Teachings; or what the Apostles themselves meant and the true understanding of their writings.

Do Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Mormons Worship The Same God?

This is a logical question considering these different 'religions' all claim to come from or 'depend' on the same book, The Torah and mostly the Old Testament.  Because they talk of the same "God" does that mean they all believe IN THE God of the Torah and of Christianity?  To know this, we need to look at essential characteristics of the god each religion that claims to believe in the same God and then simply compare.

What Did Clement of Rome Teach

Earliest Church leader and teacher outside of The Bible.

Appointed by Peter to lead the Christian community in Rome according to Tertullian.  He is mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:3.  He knew the Apostles personally and would have access to a lot of eye witness testimony of Jesus and original writings himself.  A every early 2nd century extra-biblical writing called The Shepard of Hermas also mentions him.  In his letter, Clement names Fortunatus, as one of the people who carry his letter to Corinth.  He is named by Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:17 as well.

The only reliably known writing from him is known as 1st Clement to Corinth. A 2nd letter has his name attached but is clear it was not by him.

He was martyred around 98-100 AD.

What makes his writing and teaching so important?

Bible Translation Test

In recent history, printing bibles has become a business.  As time goes on we see the shifts in public opinion and cultural norms sway some of the bible translations.  Here we will list 6 verses that are an easy test.  When scanning through what ever bible translations you have you can see if your bible has the subtle changes from the original texts.  These six verses relate to the Divinity of Jesus, the uniqueness of Jesus, and cultural changes like gender neutrality and sexual issues. 

Why Are There So Many Translations?

This is another basic question that gets abused and if left unresearched it can lead to ignorant and incorrect views of The Bible.  Some people just don't have an answer when asked, other people assume they know an answer but it is false.  Yet others see an opportunity to push their bias against The Bible on other genuine inquiring minds in the hopes of steering them away from discovering the truth about The Bible.

If there is one message from God, recorded in a single original language, why is there so many different translations/versions in English?  The true answer is actually pretty simple.  But first you have to understand language. Example:

The 10 Elements of a Healthy Local Church

The true and genuine church is invisible and is made up of unnamed unspecified individuals but all share common elements.  It is these elements that help us see and know the Body of Christ- the church.  10 Elements are identified in scripture and we can use them to help determine if a local gathering of people is a healthy church or not.

Take the 26 question test to help determine if the church you are attending or considering is consistent with what The Bible reveals about a health church.  The test is based off the criteria below.  Scores below 70% should cause some concern for the healthiness of that church.

TEST HERE

This is the orderly hierarchy of The Body of Christ- the Church (Eph 4:15-16, Titus 1:5)

1.  Christ is Head (authority and guide) of that (and all) local body of believers (Eph 4:15, Col 1:18)
2.  Christ ordains individuals to manage and take care of the local body (1 Tim 3:5)
3.  The local body of believers follow the teachings and commands of Jesus Christ guarded and continued by the apostles and elders (John 10:27)
4.  The local body and its overseers and care takers seek to build each other up in the spirit and in life (Eph 4:12)
6.  Each local member has talents and gifts unique to help that local body (1 Cor 12:27)

ELEMENT 1:

Statement of Faith: The Church

           The Church, the Body of Christ, is a spiritual organism made up of all believers of this present age (1 Corinthians 12:12-14;2 Corinthians 11:2;Ephesians 1:22-23,5:25-27).

           The ordinances of believer’s water baptism as a testimony to Christ and identification with Him;  Baptism is an important action of obedience for a Christian and signifies a person's identification with Christ.  Baptism is not necessary for salvation.  It is an outward manifestation of an inward reality of trust in the sacrifice for Christ, of conversion, and of identification with Christ. The act of water baptism does not save anyone.  Man is made right before God by faith alone, not by faith and baptism (Rom. 3:28-30; 4:3, 5; 5:1; Gal. 2:16, 21; Phil. 3:9; see also Acts 10:44-48).