Christian mysticism

church fathers who wrote the Nicene Creed did not understand catholic to mean the Roman Catholic Church. The visible and invisible idea can also be helpful when determining what it means to be catholic. Along with a distinction of true and imitating Christians, a distinction must be drawn between true and imitating churches. The early church differentiated between the two by describing the true church as catholic. Cyril of Jerusalem warns, “if you ever have cause to visit a strange town, do not…

As I write this meditation for your prayer consideration, I greet you in the name and steadfast love and righteousness of God the Father, Jesus his Son and our Savior who is gracious and merciful, and God our Helpful and Healing Advocate standing and empowering all chosen and called to speak and proclaim their Living Word to the voiceless and rejected so that they may know a better word and world without prejudice and discrimination as the church and community of faith and service to all…

is this passage is a warning to those thinking they are Christians, had professed faith in Christ, but were on the verge of leaving the church and possibly…

As this semester began almost twelve weeks ago, I set out to make a personal change in my life. I wanted to strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father and ultimately, become a better disciple of Jesus Christ. I described my goals for this semester as this: “I want to learn about and improve on my believing of Christ’s Atonement and how it applies to me personally. I want to not only believe in Christ’s identity but also in His power to cleanse and to purify and to save. I also want to…

Who would have ever thought in a million years that I, Bridgett Fifer would be speaking to people about the goodness of God? Although I was raised in the church, I did not always comply with the rules and regulations of the church or listen to God. God has a way of using our adversities and life experiences to bring us back to him. We are given the choice; choose you this day whom you will serve. For many years I chose the worlds way. It wasn’t until I had a Job experience that I found myself…

Within our own Christian tradition we have witnessed leadership disputes over theology in the past and the present. Paul’s letter to the Galatians portrays a dispute between leaders in the early church, primarily over the issue of whether or not Gentile Christians need to be circumcised and follow Jewish Law. Candidates: Paul verses Jewish-Christian Missionaries Paul’s letter to the Galatians is a response to the ministry of Jewish-Christian Missionaries who are pursuing ministry…

second largest Christian church and one of the oldest religious institutions in the world. The Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that it is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission to the apostles. It practices what it understands to be the original Christian faith and maintains the sacred tradition passed down from the apostles. Although, the U.S is a secular country, it still protects freedom of religion, and Eastern Orthodox Christians are…

In this act of kindness, Jesus was demonstrating humility, and that all Christians must be willing to be servants for others. By washing and cleaning the feet of his disciples, He was demonstrating His love for them. Christians should not think they are superior or better than those who do not hold to the same faith, and they are called to lay aside their pride, serve the Lord, and put others first. Additionally, Christians are called to love and serve others, even when the people they are…

“Reading in Christian Thought” by Hugh Kerr, “Pocket History of the Church” by D. Jeffrey Bingham and “A Concise History of Christian Thought” by Tony Lane, all cover the history of Christian studies. Out of the first seven Ecumenical Councils there are three councils mentioned in this essay which include, the First Council of Nicaea (325), First Council of Constantinople (381), and the Council of Chalcedon (451). Overall these early ecumenical councils have changed the outlook of Christian…

rather enjoy it. We have now entered the end of the postmodern age where truth is replaced with emotion. If something so small as a criticism of one’s hands or fingers can send Trump into a never-ending obsessive tirade, what would happen if genuine Christians throughout the world went on a relentless campaign targeting Donald Trump as Satan incarnate? Again, consider his past reactions to trivial comments while imagining his response an international group of thousands, even millions, of…