A Brief Look at Women's Roles in the Bible and What it Means for Women Today- Part II

By Niki Fears on 7/2/10 5:58pm
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In part one of this article we looked at several examples of women in the Bible to see that women were often given positions of authority and considered prophets just as their male counterparts were. Of course, many in the church today will argue that that was merely the “Old Testament” and that everything changed in the “New Testament” which many know that this is not exactly the case; however, let us examine the argument all the same.

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A Brief Look at Women's Roles in the Bible and What it Means for Women Today- Part I

By Niki Fears on 7/2/10 5:19pm
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One of the questions that often arise for the church in the modern age is that of a woman's role in the church. In some societies women were given virtually no roles at all, where as in others the matriarchs were powerful symbols of their culture. Today, as we still tackle the extremes of sexism and the failures and successes of feminism, we are often left with a bit of puzzle to untangle. How much of a woman's role in the church has been defined by societal norms instead of Biblical guidelines? And what role did women actually play in the Bible?

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Found Noah's Ark again?

By dfunzy on 4/29/10 4:04pm
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A couple of days ago, evangelical Chinese and Turkish researchers, from a group called Noah's Ark Ministries International, claimed they have found the remains of Noah's Ark near its Biblical resting place in Turkey, on Mount Ararat.

Leaders of the expedition said that they are "99.9 percent" that a wooden structure found on the mountainside was part of a ship that housed the Biblical Noah, his family and a menagerie of creatures during a giant flood 4,800 years ago.

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Relic or fake, the The Shroud of Turin

By dfunzy on 4/11/10 4:49am
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Turin ShroudTurin ShroudOn Saturday, April 10th,The Shroud of Turin went on public display for the first time in 10 years after restoration, and drew long lines of visitors. It is expected that two million people, including the Pope will come to see this simple linen cloth that millions of the faithful believe to be Jesus Christ's burial shroud, and many other religious followers dismiss as a medieval forgery.

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The Face of Jesus Revealed?

By dfunzy on 4/4/10 2:18pm
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jesusjesusFor what it's worth I thought I should note today, Easter Sunday, that last week, (3/30), the History Channel  did a special called, "The Real Face of Jesus?"   The special  centered on a computer arts re-creation of the face of Jesus Christ, made using the Shroud of Turin as a guide.

The Shroud of Turin is a blood-stained linen cloth that many of the faithful believe was the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, but questions on the shroud's authenticity have been raised for centuries. The team featured on History Channel's documentary state that they have no doubt the Shroud is real.

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Virgin Mary Image In A Bathroom

By dfunzy on 4/2/10 11:34am
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Today is Good Friday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. The holiest of holy days of course is Easter Sunday, the Day of the Resurrection. Although, the Bible tells us that Mother Mary was present at both events, and there are many works of art, descriptions in literature and illustrations in sculpture and paintings showing her at the cross and at the entombment, remembrance of the The Virgin Mary is more associated with the Christmas season and with Christ's Birth than with the  Easter season and His Death and the Resurrection.   Well, Mother Mary  did play a major role during the first event and a secondary one during the latter. Any how, today,  CBS News has a video titled, "Virgin Mary Image In A Bathroom.". It is a video of a  New Mexico homeowner, whom says that she  could not believe her own eyes, when she noticed a holy image of the Virgin Mary  in the marble above her bathtub. The video is posted below.

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Do We Still Need the Sabbath in Modern Life?

By Niki Fears on 3/16/10 8:12pm
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It has been said that as much as the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people and never perhaps is this truer that in modern times because as much as there is a spiritual and scriptural significance to this statement, it also speaks volumes about the human condition and the need for the centrality of the Sabbath in our lives. While some may see this sacred time as out dated or non-essential for modern times, nothing could be further from the truth and in fact it is in these times, perhaps greater than ever before, that the Sabbath is needed the most.

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Old-Fashioned Worship

By Anonymous on 10/31/09 10:16pm
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Tibetan Prayer WheelTibetan Prayer WheelIn Col. 2:20-23, Paul rejects a modern trend that emerged in the 60's.  Not the 1960's.  The 60's.  :- )  This trend was towards a "voluntary will-worship" that, said Paul, gained no favor from its Target.

The Greek word thelothreskia -- will-worship -- comes from two Greek words.

The second, threskia, was the word they used for ceremony.  If your sister is getting married Saturday, then very likely she'll be at a rehearsal on Friday night.  Rehearsing what?  Rehearsing the threskia.  The formal sequence of acts that is performed as a ritual towards the function of marriage.  In religion, threskias are the worship sequences.

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So Great a Salvation

By Anonymous on 10/22/09 4:06pm
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..Hebrews 2:1-3 tells Christians that they have received a "great salvation." 

What is "great" about your salvation?  Dylan and Jack sit and read Heb. 2:1-3 and smile ... "Yep, it's a great salvation.  I went to a great movie yesterday.  I have a great Persian kitty at home.  I have a great stereo in the car, and a great salvation into the bargain."

Nope.  Actually, "great" in this sense comes from a Greek word, telekautes, that means colossal.  Mighty.  Heavy. 

.....

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The Apostle Jesus

By Anonymous on 10/13/09 6:13pm
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What does Frodo have in common with Christ?What does Frodo have in common with Christ?In Acts 18, the preacher Apollos is described as "an eloquent man, mighty in the scriptures," who "mightily convinced the Jews publicly" that Jesus was Christ. 

In this context, "eloquent" describes a man well-educated, reinforcing his arguments with many appeals to logic and to outside authorities.  Whether the Book of Hebrews was written by Apollos or not, it is a blow-for-blow example of the kind of ultra-sophistication that Luke ran into, in Acts 18:24-28.

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In Hebrews 3, the inspired writer points out that with all of the other things that Jesus accomplished, He was also the greatest Apostle of all time:

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