Wednesday, April 24, 2024
The past century has showed unexpected and dramatic growth of the Christianity in some areas of the world, in contrast to discouraging decline in others. However, the faith has overall continued to thrive. Europe and North America, continents traditionally dominated by Christianity, have grown less religious in recent years. The […]
Following the era of the Reformation came the Enlightenment, or the “Age of Reason.” This time period brought an emphasis on the temporal world and earthly life, rather than preparation for life after death. While this way of thinking came to dominate Western thought, periods of renewed religious enthusiasm punctuated […]
In 1527, King Henry VIII of England asked Pope Clement VII to allow him to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. Catherine and Henry had one child, Mary, but the lack of a male heir concerned the king. The Pope, who was at that time under the control […]
On October 31, 1517, in Wittenberg, Germany, a monk named Martin Luther nailed a list of ninety-five points for debate on the door of Castle Church. This document, known as the Ninety-Five Theses, challenged the Roman Catholic church’s view of salvation and papal authority. At the time, the Church held […]
What does the biblical “canon” mean? The word “canon” comes from the Hebrew word qaneh and the Greek word kanon, which both mean “measuring rod.” According to this concept of a standard or rule for measuring things, the biblical canon is the collection of books that the church accepts as […]