New Plymouth

The Rosicrucian Fellowship was founded by Max Heindel in 1909 when he wrote and translated German teachings into a book called “The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception” (Heindel). After the new religion began to take off and official place of worship was found in 1911 and the temple was called “The Ecclesia” based on its location, Mount Ecclesia in Oceanside, California. The original purpose of “The Ecclesia” was for spiritual healing, but later turned into a place of worship too. Initially, the…

He comes to the church and thanks Jesus for giving him a new life. And in the past, it was also told that Jesus could perform miracles. This is when he told his disciples to return to the other side by ship and he would stay alone and pray. And when the ship got stuck in the middle of the sea, they saw Jesus…

The title of the album, Amazing Grace, is one of the most famous Christian hymns that almost anyone can recognize and sing in a heartbeat. The hymn embraces a linkage to America’s religious culture and motto of “In God We Trust.” Thus, having “Amazing Grace” as part of the 33 1/3 series of books is not a surprise. Although the title of the album is familiar to most people, not many would be able to recognize its powerful history and impact behind the lyrics. Aaron Cohen, the author of Aretha…

concubines that cost him his kingdom and temple once he dies. Rehoboam and Jeroboam fight over the kingdom of Israel. Rehoboam oppresses the people with whips and heavy taxation which forces a rebellion so he flees the city. Whereas, Jeroboam is made the new king over Israel and Rehoboam is made ruler over…

have someone to share his struggles and trials with. If Paraclete journeys with Christian, he can also keep Christian from accepting poor company such as Worldly-wise and Pliable. Since his family refused to join Christian, his aid will become his new family until they reach the Celestial City. Paraclete is an ideal, loyal traveling companion for Christian who will protect and encourage…

Belief in God has everything to do with trusting his Holy Word. Nothing is wrong with trusting the facts and words of the world, but when this is the only truth we accept, the belief is flawed. Well educated and good natured, Benjamin Franklin attended school through his childhood years and is still known today for his book smarts. Growing up, he was brought up in a Puritan household. Puritans wanted to “purify” the church and filter out the good and bad beliefs or ideas. To imitate Christ and…

Both tradition and the internal evidence of 1 Peter agree upon the authorship of this epistle. 1 Peter 1:1 claims Simon Peter the apostle as the author of this letter. One of the original twelve disciples, this Peter is the only one mentioned in the New Testament. In 1 Peter 5:1, the author claims to be a “witness of the sufferings of Christ”. Along with this internal evidence, various early Christian sources also agreed that Peter was the author. The epistle also has a strong influence…

Ragnar Andersen, the author of The Elihu Speeches: There Place and Sense in the Book of Job, examines the arguments of the critics who claim that the Elihu speeches are later interpolations, while simultaneously presenting the arguments of those, who like himself, argue that the Elihu speeches are original text in the book of Job. According to Andersen, Matthias Heinrich Stuhlmann, a Lutheran preacher, was the first person to include an argument against the originality of the Elihu speeches in…

Jehovah’s Witnesses compared to the rest of Christianity They are those strange people who leave pamphlets at your door. They mysteriously want nothing to do with medical procedures involving blood transfusions. They go to strange places called “Kingdom Halls” But who are they really? And what do they believe? These people are Jehovah’s witnesses. They are a very different debnomination than most of Christianity and often are thought of as strange or foreign by many others. Although they…

When it comes to historical events, the happiest are remembered and celebrated while the worst are often forgotten and ignored. The events that have shaped society have not been the pleasant ones but they are the painful, horrendous, and bloody disasters. One such disaster was the exploitation of the Congo by King Leopold II of Belgium in the late 1800s and 1900s. In colonial Africa, the people of the Congo were subjected to personal greed, terror, and a few acts of heroism from specific…