Happy Thanksgiving to all!
This blog seeks to promote and establish ecumenism among all groups and denominations of the Christian Faith via expressions in written language, and through any means of communication. We seek the promotion of others that are working towards the same common goal, as well. The prayer of Jesus in John 17: 21 was: "I pray that they may all be one…." Ultimately and eternally, the creation of unity among all believers and followers of Christ is sought desiring harmony with and for all of humanity.
Thursday, November 25, 2021
Sunday, November 21, 2021
Golden Rule
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets."
- Matthew 7:12, NRSV
Man with a mission?
Oh, the missionary man, he's got God on his side
He's got the saints and apostles backing up from behind
Black eyed looks from those Bible books
He's a man with a mission, got a serious mind
There was a woman in the jungle and a monkey on a tree
The missionary man, he was following me
He said, stop what you're doing, get down upon your knees
I've a message for you that you better believe
The
foregoing excerpt is taken from the lyrics for the song Missionary Man by the Eurythmics
(Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart). I decided to share the official video of the
song on here. We can usually use some entertainment, especially when it seems
to have a message. Of course, you all can decide on what the message is for
yourselves. Either way, I hope you enjoy. Blessings!
Reference:
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Video on Martin Luther and October 31
Today is All
Saints’ Eve (The evening before All Saints’ Day). On the liturgical calendar, November
1 is All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows' Day). Hallows meaning hallowed
(holy). All Saints’ Day honors all saints who came before us who have passed on
and gone to heaven. The evening before All Saints' Day became a holy (hallowed,
eve), and eventually Halloween. Pope Gregory III is the pope who established
November 1 as All Saints” Day during the eighth century. Well, this is my summary
of the history behind the day. Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on All Saints’
Eve around 800 years later. The fact that he chose this day appears to be significant.
Ryan M.
Reeves (PhD Cambridge) is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Reeves states the following with
relevance to a YouTube video he shares titled: Martin Luther and the 95 Theses.
The 95 Theses in many ways started the Protestant
Reformation. Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the church door of Wittenberg, and
the Catholic Church later excommunicated him for these views. But what are the
95 Theses? Why did Luther post the 95 Theses? This video explains this and the
start of the Reformation.
I hope you
enjoy watching this video by Dr. Reeves.
Sunday, October 17, 2021
On new posts
In case there are no new post to read, it is either that I am on a hiatus or simply not posting. In the past I have posted regularly on here; however, in the future posts may or may not appear regularly.
Saturday, September 25, 2021
Church business or business of the church
“Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."
- Jesus
I will say a
few things in case anyone doesn't want to read further after what I’ve said. Of
course, something we don't read could be an idea which never crossed our minds,
previously. This may almost be a brief rant, but it’s not intended as a
diatribe. Yes, the introductory quote will be relevant. That quote is relevant
in Christianity because if Jesus didn’t want to be called good, it’s probably a
beneficial concept to pursue ourselves. “Why do you call me good? No one is
good but God alone." I know many who consider themselves progressive
Christians. There is nothing wrong with being a Christian wanting a better
Christianity. Certainly, some portions of Christian history aren’t all that
admirable; however, some were indeed. For example, Mother Teresa and many
others were exemplary in their faith. We can’t change history. We must take the
good with the bad, and then again often this is true for all aspects of life.
My concern in this post is that if we really shouldn’t call ourselves good, we should
be careful in judging others. Well, that is my introduction, here we go.
First and
foremost, if we judge, we are not progressives. We are simply someone being
critical of someone who has a slightly different worldview. We may as well
accept we are also fundamentalists with a different worldview than the one we
believe is wrong. A good question I like to ask is can I prove the other person
is wrong in their view? Furthermore, if we answer yes because it's how we interpret
Scriptures, I rest my case. We are then obviously fundamentalists like any
other, but with a different view (or a different type). Based on my experience,
if one is really searching, our worldview might change more than once throughout
our life, depending on many factors. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t question or
challenge what doesn’t seem right.
We constantly
must evaluate right and wrong as we grow in our spiritual lives. I personally
question many things. A good example for me is should the Lord's message be
given freely? I have always thought, yes. Did Jesus say in The Great Commission
go into all the world and charge a hefty fee for the good news? Some aspects of
church have become a business. Yes, there are some who have private jets, and
all sorts of things to aid in spreading their message. A lot of that message is
interpretation of Scripture by them. Sadly, Scriptures are often interpreted for
someone's own personal benefit. If we look at church history, not just using a Sola-Scriptura
worldview, we might learn that some of the customs of the early fathers were not
the way we've interpreted them to be today. This is probably why many prefer not
to study history that much. There’s much in Scriptures that can enlighten us
about making a living from the Good News. For instance, from Scriptures alone
we know that Saint Paul was a tent maker. He worked secularly. Don't get me wrong,
everyone knows if one is fair and honest in what they do. Do your own self-analysis.
It is always good to check where we are at a certain moment in time like the
present. I will stop here. Blessings!
Saturday, August 28, 2021
Article on the 175th Anniversary of the WEA
On Aug. 20, 175 years ago today, some 800 evangelical leaders from 11 countries representing 52 Christian denominations resolved to establish the WEA, which is now based in Deerfield, Illinois in the United States.
The foregoing brief excerpt is from an article titled: World Evangelical Alliance launches 175th anniversary commemoration. It is written by Peter Kenny and published on ECUMENICAL NEWS ecunews.com. I hope you enjoy reading this informative article as much as I. Read it fully at the link below. Blessings!
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