In April in the year 1915, 56,000 English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Australian and New Zealand soldiers, colonial, Maori and Aboriginal, gave their lives in an attempt to unseat the Ottoman Empire from Constantinople and from influence. This action came to be known as the Gallipoli Campaign. It was fought in Sula Bay and the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. Each year since 1916, April 25 is recognized originally as ANZAC Day, in remembrance of those dead and now Remembrance Day in... Read more
Do you believe there are false prophets in the United States today? If you do, do you think they are dangerous? Let us look at some ideas from Biblical times and see what we might find in our own time. Should we be concerned about false prophets today? What is a prophet? How can a prophet be false? Are false prophets dangerous? Do we have false prophets working in the world today What is a false prophet? The Oxford Companion... Read more
You want to read the Bible but you’re not sure how to get started. Without some kind of plan, the goal might seem daunting. Here are some tried and true tips that can help you to begin your study of God’s word. Tips for starting your Bible reading plan Start with a book that captures your interest Consider the translation you are using Find a place to read that will be quiet and peaceful Take notes to help you organize... Read more
It is good to start every day with prayer when the day is fresh and new. If you pray every morning, are you getting the most out of your prayers? These tips might help you do just that! In order to receive the greatest benefit from your morning prayer, you might try these tips and hints to make your morning prayer more meaningful. Pray with Intention Pray in Quiet Start with Gratitude Maintain Humility Pray for your Community Below, I... Read more
The Easter story, the story of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, has been told in a thousand ways. None of them is anything like this one! David Olney’s The Stone At least since the third century, the faithful have been celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with music. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and into modern times, we have music by Handel, Bach, Beethoven and Billy Joe Shaver, among many, many others. An Easter story like no other! Almost all... Read more
You would think that in 2000 years, we could have figured out just how many people named John appear in the New Testament. You would think. But no, we still don’t know. The image above, of course, is John Lennon of the Beatles. Clearly, he is not one of the Johns in the New Testament, but there is a connection, as we shall see. First, however, we will explore the New Testament and make an effort to sort, or at... Read more
Who was St. Patrick and why do we celebrate his feast day? Since the fifth and sixth centuries, Ireland has generally recognized three patron Saints, St. Columba (Irish: Colmcille), St. Brigid and St. Patrick. Patrick (Irish Pádraig) is the most well known of these saints outside Ireland itself. Each of these Patron Saints has a specific characteristics that make them memorable. St. Columba (Colmcille) The name Columba is a Latinization of the Irish Gaelic name Comcille. It means Dove of... Read more
The Bible includes only four gospels. Can we learn anything new from gospels that were not included? Scholars look at the non-canonical gospels with great interest. The Coptic Gospel of Thomas might cast new light. Where did the gospels come from? Tracing the history of the various stories of Jesus from the first few centuries CE has been a focus of scholars for many decades. So much scholarship exists that we will not attempt to cover all those bases but... Read more
Believers in the historic accuracy of the Bible say it chronicles Israel’s history from creation through the destruction of the Second Temple…but does it? Before we begin this discussion, we need to define exactly what we mean when we say Israel. People familiar with the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament to Christians), will recognize that the first time we encounter the name Israel, we find it attached to Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, his son Isaac’s son. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, wrestles YHWH or... Read more
Throughout history and continuing today, humanity has invented uncounted theologies that have caused great harm to people. Religion has frequently been used as a weapon to force other people to do what those in power decide is appropriate. For centuries, religious men have blamed their own greed, fear and selfishness on vast pantheons of deities in order to buttress their own authority. It is much more forceful to claim that your own will is the will of God if you... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In