Godliness is Manliness

  Perhaps no institution is more synonymous with the image of Christianity than the church. After all, Christ and his disciples showed great love toward the Church and it's members. Interestingly, however, the Bible contains little on how our churches should be organized. This is where the theology of ecclesiology come in.  A Brief Dive into Church History Not much is known about the structure and operations of the church in the decades following the death and resurrection of Christ. This is likely due to the conditions that early Christians faced: persecution by Israel and Rome and minimal resources to spread the Gospel, let along record their daily meetings. Still, some documents still exist and we can piece together a picture when they are paired with descriptions of the early church in New Testament.  Early church leaders were referred to by many different names: teachers, apostles, prophets and many more. This suggests that the early church probably had very little l...

  Perhaps no theological concept is more important to Christianity than the concept of the Trinity. Interestingly enough, though it is almost unanimously accepted today, it was also the most controversial argument in the early Church. A lot of this stems from the fact that no explicit teachings of the Trinity exist in the Bible. The idea of the Trinity is inferred from things that Jesus and the writers of the New Testament imply. So where do we get the idea of the Trinity?  What is the Trinity? I think the most important place to start is explaining what the Trinity is. Despite being one of the main features of Christianity and also plastered everywhere as the name of churches and private schools across the country, I have learned over the years that some people genuinely don't know what it is. The idea of the Trinity is simply that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all God at the same time but are all different entities. Confusing? It should be. The idea itself  is para...

When we open any discussion on theology, there are several things we must consider: church history, catechisms, the writings of historical theologians, etc. However, the one common basis of all theology is the Bible, or at least it should be. But what is the Bible? How was it compiled? Most importantly, why do we believe what is in the Bible? Given these questions, it should come at no surprise that there is a great deal of theology pertaining to the Bible itself. In order to understand and believe any theological concepts, we have to understand and believe the basis from where theology even comes from.  What is the Bible? The first step in affirming our belief in scripture is to understand what the Bible is. Everyone knows that the Bible is the religious text the Christians use to practice their faith. The important question to ask is what is the Bible to Christians?  As stated before, it should be seen as something to guide our thinking in theological terms. Without scriptur...

Introduction To This Series As the first Thursday of the new year, I decided this would be a good week to launch a new series for this year. As I prayed and pondered about what to cover, I found that a lot of people didn't have a firm understanding of the theological framework that shapes the beliefs of the modern church. So I decided to start a one year series looking at common theological concepts so you can understand the foundations of your church's beliefs, but I will also look at theological beliefs of other denominations I don't belong to. This is so that you can have a thorough understanding of all different schools of thought in Christianity and understand where other denominations derive their beliefs and customs.  Some of the topics I intend to cover include sovereignty, reformed theology, Calvinism, Zionism, eschatology and baptism. The intention is to release a new lesson each month.  Disclaimer: I will be at times discussing theological concepts that I don...

Greeting y'all. While I've pondered and prayed about the future of this blog, I think I've come up with some interesting ideas for blog series. These are described below: 1. History Lesson - This is the series I am most excited about as I am not the one writing it. I am happy to announce that we have a new contributor! Austin Sprinkles, a law student at UK with a college degree in history, will be the lead contributor in this series. 2. Theology Thursday - One Thursday a month, I will be discussing a common or misunderstood theology concept. We should seek to understand these concepts as they are the basis for all doctrines. That being said, I will also be exploring some more obscure theological concepts so that we can sympathize with other denominations as well and be able to understand why they worship the way that they do.  3. Highlighted Hymn - We will be highlighting one classic hymn a month, exploring the inspiration and meanings in the songs. There is much that can b...

 “The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.” In the midst of an incredibly difficult year, these words seem to hearken back to a better time in our nation’s history. These words were not written in a prosperous time, but rather in the midst of the most difficult crisis America has ever faced: the American Civil War. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln wrote these words establishing the American tradition of Thanksgiving that lasts to this very day. Even compared with this year, 1863 didn’t seem like a year filled with blessings, especially for Abraham Lincoln. The two costliest battles of the Ame...

Today, devotionals are one of the essential tools for a Christian looking to grow in their understanding of scripture. Despite this, I have yet to review one, but that changes today. For my first devotional review, I chose the one that I am currently reading. This book was given to me as a parting gift from RUF this past Spring. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this at the break of dawn every morning and I think that you will too.  Author: Tim Keller (and his wife Kathy) are well known authors to most Christians. His works are constantly being recommended to me by both pastors and readers of this blog. Before I began this devotional, I read countless excerpts from his other works like "The Reason for God" and the "Meaning of Marriage." If you are looking to read any Christian books, Tim Keller is always a good author to start with.  Theme/Message: This devotional is solely about the Psalms, though Keller often pulls passages from other Books to give context and mod...