These objections were relatively minor compared to the momentum the doctrine of glossolalia had already accrued. . Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is practiced by an estimated 100 million Christians in the world today and the number engaging in this practice is growing at a massive rate every year. (outer two thirds of the tongue). Yet in spite of superficial similarities, glossolalia fundamentally is not. &39;Speaking in tongues&39; has been used at least since the translation of the New Testament into Middle English in the Wycliffe Bible in the 14th century. When some people start to work themselves up into speaking in tongues, they can almost fall into a trance.
. Glossalalia comes from two Greek words, for tongue and speak, and refers to human sounds and utterances that appear to the listener to be either an unknown (xenoglossia) foreign language, or, completely meaningless syllables and sounds. · "Glossolalia or (speaking in tongues) is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables that lack any readily comprehended meaning, in some cases as part of religious practice. Patrick of Ireland (c. Glossolalia, the psychic phenomenon of speaking in foreign tongues. web; books; video; audio; software; images; Toggle navigation. Charles Fox Parham, a holiness preacher and founder of Bethel Bible College in 1900, is given credit for being the one who influenced modern Pentecostalism. Journal of Contemporary Religion: Vol.
The term &39;speaking in tongues&39; is a translation of these two components of the same word. It comes from the words glossa (tongue) and laleo (to speak). They told me I was not yet filled with the Spirit, but neither of these ideas is biblical, because whoever believes in Jesus Christ will be saved and has already received the Holy Spirit. The same thing is noted with miracles, but it’s also noticeable in the New Testament. Religious revivals are often accompanied by manifestations of glossolalia, and various Pentecostal (see Pentecostalism Pentecostalism,.
Glossolalia is the "prayer language" of Pentecostal churches. GLOSSOLALIA (from the Greek glōssa, "tongue, language," and lalein, "to talk") is a nonordinary speech behavior that is institutionalized as a religious ritual in numerous Western and non-Western religious communities. Glossolalia, or tongue speaking, is a phenomenon of language associated with charismatic religious movements. Cessationists believe that all the charismatic gifts of The Holy Spirit ceased to be early in the Christian history, and therefore that the speaking in tongues practised today is simply the utterance of meaningless syllables. The modern Pentecostal Christian practice of glossolalia is often said to have originated around the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States.
More Glossolalia images. Glossolalia, or speaking in tongues, is speaking rapid speech-like syllables which cannot be understood. Ackland (PhD, Bangor University) is the Lead Pastor of Crossroads International Church (AG) in South Attleboro, MA, USA. The ESV does a better job as it says,“For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit”(:2), so was the tongue unknown to those who heard it in the New Testament church?
They believe that it is a miraculous gift of the Spirit. Glossolalists could, apart from those practicing glossolalia, also mean all those who believe that the Pentecostal/Charismatic glossolalia practiced today is the &39;speaking in tongues&39; described in the New Testament. · Charismatic Glossolalia aims to answer this question. She views glossolalia as an induced trance that manifested as a “dissociative hyper-arousal state,” with similar features across time and cultures. He does what He pleases, but the idea of speaking in tongues in and during worship service and with several speaking at the same time, was not found in the early church.
Glossolalia (from Greek glossa γλώσσα "tongue, language" and lalô λαλώ "speak, speaking") refers to ecstatic utterances, often as part of religious practices, commonly referred to as "speaking in tongues. Some may try to interpret the tongues but sometimes no one does. Glossolalia is believed by many Christians to have come into the Christian experience in the first century on the day of Pentecost after the Crucifixion of Jesus when ". Glossolalia is the translation magazine of PEN America. One common explanation is that many people only pretend to do it and have to fake their performances.
The verse they cite is from the Apostle Paul who wrote, “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries” (:2), but that’s a very bad translation because the word in the King James is in italics, and that means it’s not in the original manuscripts, so the verse about speaking in“an unknown tongue” is not biblical because it’s not in the Bible. Some Christians who speak in tongues believe they are speaking in an existing language. The city of Topeka, Kansas is often cited as the center of the Pentecostal movement and the resurgence of glossolalia in the Church. Additionally, whereas xenoglossia is not an innate or natural ability, studies have shown that glossolalia is a learned behavior. Substantial scientific studies have been published that provide an objective description of the linguistics of glossolalic speech and the neural behaviour of the speakers.
Twentieth-century Pentecostalism was not the earliest instance of "speaking in tongues" in church history, but earlier examples are few; in church history and writing after the New Testament, it had never been regarded as orthodox until the rise of Pentecostalism. Search only for GLOSSALALIA. He said that this person&39;s prayers are the highest and holiest. It’s said to be some type of phenomenon that is practiced by some Pentecostal and charismatic churches. ‘speaking in tongues’.
After they hear the tongues, the “Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians said we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:9-11), so it wasn’t GLOSSALALIA an unknown tongue, and they didn’t’ need an interpreter to understand what they were saying. "Glossolalia" is a recent word; it was built with two Greek roots which are present in the chapter fourteen of the first letter to the Corinthians, "glossa" (glwssa) which means: "language" or "tongue" and "laleo" (lalew) which means "to speak". That’s because “each one was hearing them speak in his own language”(Acts 2:6). Grounded in a strong belief in the need for further collective academic utterance at the graduate level, this new incarnation of Glossolalia exists as a multidisciplinary space for academic papers and analy. The answer is found in the Greek word glossolalia and the main purpose of speaking in tongues.
Toward the middle and end of the New Testament, there is a silence about tongues, but can God still use the gift of tongues today? Greek gl_ssa, a tongue, language, unusual word + lalia, chatter. Years ago I attended a charismatic church and I was cajoled and pressured into trying to speak in tongues, but I wasn’t able to. These statistics originally included my family so note that we have had first hand experience with tongues.
Other religious groups been observed to practice some form of theopneustic glossolalia. Another possibility is that people enter a hypnotic or trance-like state. Glossolalia is a very complex text. — glossolalist, n. Glossolalia advocates for writers with limited access to the global reading community.
See full list on religion. What is Glossolalia? , xenoglossia),others - Pentecostals in particular, explain the activity as a &39;language of the spirit&39;, or a &39;heavenly language&39;, perhaps the language of angels. there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,. Glossolalia comes from the Greek words, “glōssais lalein” and means “to speak in other languages,” so the idea that the tongue is unknown is not supported by Scripture.
Glossolalia is language-like because the speaker unconsciously wants it to be language-like. God may use someone to speak in another language that they don’t’ know to share Christ (“xenolalia” or “xenoglossy,”), but speaking in an unknown tongue to no one in particular is not bi. Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. the phenomenon of (apparently) speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious worship. Frederic William Farrar first used the word glossolaliain 1879. Patrick says in his book: "And another night– God knows, I do not, whether within me or beside me– most words which I heard and could not understand, except at the end of the speech it was represented thus: &39;He who gave his life for you, he it is who speaks within you. Glossolalia is the transliteration of the Greek word that means to speak in tongues or languages.
Some consider it as a part of a sacred language. And, it draws attention away from Christ and the Word of God, and draws attention to those who are speaking in tongues. Its worldwide distribution attests to its antiquity, as GLOSSALALIA does its mention in ancient documents. What is the difference between glossolalia and xenoglossy? Powered by Oxford Dictionaries. Patrick," records hearing a strange language being prayed by the Holy Spirit in a dream" St. Glossolalia has even been postulated as an explanation for the Voynich manuscript. The spiritual explanation is discussed further below.
"(Compare this t. This was a work of the Holy Spirit and not man. Glossolalia, also known as speaking in tongues. One definition used by linguists is the fluid vocalizing of GLOSSALALIA speech-like syllables that lack any readily comprehended meaning, in some cases as part of religious practice in which some believe it to be a divine language u. Attempts to explain these physical and psychological patterns are made at two levels: material and spiritual. They were said to speak in "other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance" (according to Acts, Ch. Glossolalia GLOSSALALIA and altered states of consciousness in two New Zealand religious movements. " divided unto all of the individuals in the "upper room".
Because the other ways for naming this phenomenon are less precise ("oracle", "omen") or cumbersome. During what has been called a sermon by Parham, a. 2) (The book of Acts is found in the New Testament immediately after the Gospel of John and is considered to be the story of the very early church). · Glossolalia Overtakes the Traditional Interpretation. Others - Pentecostals in particular, explain the activity as a &39;language of the spirit&39;, or a &39;heavenly language&39;, perhaps the language of angels./502913/182 /292520208 /313673235 /dfc4ff0ef
-> Mozart, Grieg: Piano Sonatas


Who is Journey?
The purpose of this page is to give you an overview of the types of ministries offered here at JourneyChurch: Equip, Serve, Connect, Intake, & Worship. Be sure to check out our "Special Events" page and stop by the Welcome Center on Sunday Mornings for more info on upcoming events within each ministry!
Core Classes, Bible Studies and Seminars designed to help you grow in your walk with Christ and better understand your role in the life of JourneyChurch.
(Click "Equip" to see this quarter's equip schedule or "Fuel for the Journey" to jump to our webpage dedicated to the many family and adult ministries available at Journey.)
Getting to Know the Journey Family
JourneyFamily Events Helping Us to Grow Together
JourneyMen, JourneyGals, Spring Fling, Holiday Events, Wedding Celebrations, etc.
(Click "Connect" to check the calendar for upcoming events)
Connecting With God
Growing in the Lord through Worship and Learning
Sunday Worship Services are 10am at White Cliffs Middle School.
(Click "Worship" for directions to the White Cliffs Middle School)
Loving Others Through Our Actions
Get Involved Serving God and Others
With so many opportunities to serve, where will you get plugged in?
(Click "Serve" to check out VolunteerCentral's numerous and diverse options)
Helping Others to Join the Journey
Special Events and Activities Designed for Outreach
Annual Rodeo, Spring Fling, Pool Parties, Camping Trips, Concerts, Game Nights, Comedy Nights, Sports Events and More!
(Click "Intake" to check the calendar for upcoming events)


The bottom line: The AV (also available as an e-book) is for those wanting to have a better understanding of Islam & Christianity without the more lengthy, larger book. The Compendium is for the serious student who wants the perfect resource. It is ideal for pastors and church leaders, educators (high school, homeschooling parents, colleges & universities and seminaries), missionaries, Muslim outreach ministries, politicians, government officials, community leaders, law enforcement and justice departments and all those who desire to reach Muslims with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Your book is the finest and most thorough analysis I have ever seen of the teachings of the Quran in comparison to the Bible. It is a treasure trove of biblical truth, theological insight, and practical application.
My granddaughter is using it in her Global Studies class on Islam this very semester. I think a college-level text book version would be very helpful.
Dr. Ed Hindson
Founding Dean | Distinguished Professor of Religion
John W. Rawlings School of Divinity
Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA


Did Jesus was God? Hid He Said Himself???
Did Jesus describe himself as deity, claiming powers that belong solely to God? See for yourself that Jesus was God.
Others had been satisfied that Jesus was God:
Paul: “Christ is the seen picture of the invisible God.”
John: “He existed at first with God.”
Peter: “It’s essential to worship Christ as Lord of your life.
” However what did Jesus say about himself?
Did he ever determine himself as God? In accordance with the Bible…completely! Under are a number of the statements he made.
Jesus Stated He Was Equal to God. So Do Really Jesus Was God???
Jesus Stated He Existed Earlier than Abraham
“Your father Abraham rejoiced as he appeared ahead to my coming. He noticed it and was glad.”
The folks stated, “You are not even fifty years previous. How are you going to say you could have seen Abraham?”
Jesus answered, “I let you know the reality, earlier than Abraham was even born, I Am!”
Jesus Stated to See Him is the Similar as Seeing God
Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you happen to believe me, you’re trusting not solely me, but in addition God who despatched me.
For once you see me, you’re seeing the one who despatched me. I’ve come as a light-weight to shine on this darkish world so that each one who put their belief in me will not stay at nighttime.”
“Nobody can come to the Father besides by way of me. If you happen to had actually identified me, you’d know who my Father is. To any extent further, you do know him and have seen him!”
Philip stated, “Lord, present us the Father, and we might be glad.”
Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and but you continue to do not know who I’m? Anybody who has seen me has seen the Father!
So why are you asking me to indicate him to you?”
Jesus Stated He May Forgive Sins
“…that you could know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he then stated to the paralytic–“Rise, choose up your mattress and go residence.”
And he rose and went residence. When the crowds noticed it, they had been afraid, and so they glorified God…”
He stated to them, “You might be from beneath; I’m from above.
You might be of this world; I’m not of this world. I instructed you that you’d die in your sins, for until you consider that I’m the You’ll die in your sins.”
Jesus Stated He Is the Judge and Can Grant Anyone’s Life
“For because the Father raises the lifeless and provides them life, so adding the Son provides life to whom he’ll.
The Father judges Nobody, however, has given all judgment to the Son, that each one could honor the Son, simply as they honor the Father.”
Jesus stated to her, “I’m the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, although he dies, but shall he reside.”
“My sheep hear my voice, and I do know them, and so they observe me. I give them everlasting life, and they’ll by no means perish, and nobody will snatch them out of my hand.”
“For it’s my Father’s will that each one who sees his Son and considers in him ought to have everlasting life. I’ll elevate them up on the final day.”
Jesus Stated He Was the Similar as God
“The Father and I are one.”
As soon as once more the folks picked up stones to kill him.
Jesus stated, “At my Father’s path I’ve finished many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”
They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, however for blasphemy! You, a mere man, declare to be God.”
Jesus Stated He Is Our Supply for Life. Hence Jesus was God.
“I Am the Bread of Life”
Jesus replied, “I’m the bread of life. Whoever involves me won’t ever be hungry once more. Whoever believes in me won’t ever be thirsty.”
“I’m the best way, the reality, the life”
Jesus stated to him, “I’m the best way, the reality, and the life. Nobody can come to the Father besides by way of me.”
“I’m the Gentle of the world”
“I’m the sunshine of the world. Whoever follows me won’t stroll in darkness, however, may have the sunshine of life.”
“you’ll know the reality”
“If you happen to abide in my phrase, you’re actually my disciples, and you’ll know the reality, and the reality will set you free.”
“have life, abundantly”
“I got here that they might have life and have it abundantly. I’m the nice shepherd…My sheep hear my voice, and I do know them, and so they observe me.
I give them everlasting life, and they’ll by no means perish, and nobody will snatch them out of my hand.”
“I’ll love him”
“…he who loves me might be beloved by my Father, and I’ll love him and manifest myself to him…
If anybody loves me, he’ll hold my phrase, and my Father will love him, and we are going to come to him and make our residence with him.”
“I’m with you at all times”
“…behold, I’m with you at all times, to the top of the age.”


One thing I have come to understand is that most of us are not even close to our full potential! We all have amazing gifts, talents, dreams and aspirations and yet we still prefer to wallow in our pity parties with all the very familiar excuses not to make any changes.
As a coach I am continuously inviting my clients to let go of their excuses and move towards a life they love. Personally my challenge is to be willing to do this very thing each and every day. We all find ourselves falling back into old patterns and excuses but we don’t need to stay here. Make a new choice today!
Choice is what this journey of life is about. Continuously making a choice to dust ourselves off and start again each time with a little more humility and a lot more wisdom about living authentic lives.
Our Divine light is so bright but only by having the courage not to blame others we can step into our own brilliance. By doing so then we give permission to those around us to do the same.
What a glorious world if we could teach our children that to be good stewards of our earth they must first be free to shine bright with their gifts and talents. Wrap these with compassion, humility, service and great love for one another and wow endless possibilities can happen!.
Today I am writing down all the negative self talk that is going on in my mind and will choose to let them go today. Putting things down on paper can stir our soul into letting go of those thoughts and habits that no longer serve us. I invite you to journal this week and uncover more of your light! I will finish by the famous quote by Marianne Williamson
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”


Flags in church?
Q. When I was at Mass yesterday, the congregation sang a rousing rendition of "God Bless America." That brought to my mind the flag issue. I have been in many Catholic churches of late — especially for funerals — and I have not seen a single flag. What is the Catholic Church's stance on American flags on the altar? (Niskayuna, N.Y.)
A. Some might be surprised to know that there are currently no regulations regarding the display of national flags in churches — neither in the church's Code of Canon Law nor in the books that govern the celebration of the liturgy. That matter is left to the judgment of the diocesan bishop who often, in turn, delegates the decision to the local pastor.
Under the heading of prayer and worship, the U.S. national bishops' conference does say on its website:
"The bishops' Committee on the Liturgy has in the past encouraged pastors not to place the flag within the sanctuary itself, in order to reserve that space for the altar, the ambo, the presidential chair and the tabernacle. Instead, the suggestion has been made that the American flag be placed outside the sanctuary, or in the vestibule of the church."
Prayer to St. Michael
Q. I had attended a nearby Catholic church for more than 20 years. But now I have been driving 40 minutes to another parish because of changes to restore "old traditions" at my local parish.
One of them is the common recitation of the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel immediately after Mass. I find it inappropriate to speak of St. Michael and Satan right after we have been charged to "go in peace to love and serve the Lord."
At my former parish, I felt hostage to a small minority who tried to control my post-Mass thoughts and feelings instead of letting me leave Mass with the joy of the Eucharist. (Iowa)
A. The prayer to St. Michael was part of a group of prayers called the Leonine prayers that were said in Catholic churches following Mass from 1884 until 1965. They were originally introduced by Pope Leo XIII and stemmed from a vision he reportedly had of Satan wanting to destroy the church.
The intention for which the prayers were said changed over time. Originally, they were offered for the temporal sovereignty of the Holy See but later began to be said for the conversion of Russia.
During the Second Vatican Council, a Vatican instruction implementing the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy decreed that the Leonine prayers were suppressed and would no longer be used. But the recitation of the prayer to St. Michael has been making a "comeback," and a number of parishes are now reciting that prayer following Mass.
There has been no official church declaration that this prayer should be resurrected; if your parish is using it, that is most likely a determination by the local pastor — although it could simply be the choice of a group of parishioners who have decided to pray together after Mass.
Editor's note: As a number of Arlington diocese parishes routinely recite the prayer to St. Michael following Mass, its brief history is presented here.
Q. I understand that Catholics can't spread out ashes over the ocean after cremation — and that ashes can only be buried or kept at home. Both my sister and her daughter are Catholics. My sister told me that she has instructed her daughter to use her ashes as fertilizer on plants or trees after cremation. Is this allowed? (Honolulu)
A. This question — and many similar ones that I receive — reflects readers' continuing fascination with the disposition of bodily remains. You are correct in your understanding — almost.
The church teaches that ashes from cremation should be buried or entombed in sacred ground — but not kept at home. In the church's mind, cremated remains should be treated with the same reverence as the body of a deceased person.
In 2016, the Vatican issued an instruction regarding burial practices for Catholics. That document specified that either the body or the ashes of the deceased should be buried in sacred ground and that cremains should not be kept in private homes or scattered on land or at sea, nor "preserved in mementoes, pieces of jewelry or other objects."
Burial in sacred ground, said the Vatican, prevents the deceased from being forgotten and encourages family members and the wider Christian community to remember the deceased and to pray for them.
The church's Code of Canon Law continues to express a preference for burial over cremation because it more clearly expresses the Christian belief in an eventual resurrection when the person's body and soul will be reunited. As for using the cremains for fertilizer, that is in no way envisioned in Catholic teaching — or permitted.
Source : https://www.catholicherald.com/Faith/Question_Corner__Cremation_ashes/847


What we do...
Uptime Outreach exists to reach up to God and reach out to others.
We believe the most strategic place to reach out is the college campus*. Here are some key reasons:
The future leaders are on our university campuses.
Global movements and values, good or bad, start on the campus.
Most people become Christians as students before the age of 25.
International students bring the world to us in our own cities and then can go back to impact their own nation.
The most available and trainable groups of people are on our campuses.
When we reach a student, we reach a family.
God promised to pour out his Spirit on sons and daughters. (Acts 2:17)
We also have the privilege to speak into many high school and junior high students but we focus on the college campuses.
How We Do it?
We believe in new ideas but have found great success through one-on-one and small group evangelism discipleship, weekly campus meetings, and yearly conferences. Our approach is super simply and easy:
Begin friendships with students
Ask God for wisdom
Listen to the Holy Spirit
Lead to Jesus Christ
We also plan to implement new ways to reach out through written material, social media, podcasts, and videos.
Where We Reach Out?
Our focus is on students and families around the world. Currently our primary location is Nashville, TN which is one of the fastest growing cities in the USA, highly diverse and filled with over 65,000 college students. Also, we have reached out to people all over the USA, Brazil, Iceland, Poland, Peru, Mexico, Afghanistan, Botswana, Albania, and Portugal. Also, thanks to the internet, our encouragement is received all over the world!
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Braden is a pole vaulter from Belmont University who was reached as a student. He has continued to build his faith while also winning the OVC championship at the same time.
Dave & Tish OSEGUERA
Dave was reached as a college student at UCLA. He now continues to build his faith with his precious wife Tish, his two boys, and as a LA county firefighter for 20 years.
SPENCEr & Ashli Richardson
Spencer was reached as a basketball coach and has continued to build his faith with his dynamic wife Ashli and their four children. Spencer continues to train athletes from beginners to NBA players.
WHO WE ARE
Dave graduated from the University of Southern California where he was a member of the NCAA Championship Volleyball Team and heard the gospel for the first time his junior year. Since graduating in 1994, he felt "called" to reach out to others around the world. For 25 years, he has served as a mentor and certified “life-coach” to men around the world encouraging them to find their identity through Christ, focusing primarily on one-on-one meetings.
Mandy grew up in the "Bible Belt" in Franklin, TN but her faith did not truly grow until she heard the gospel on the college campus. That summer, she felt a strong call to become a nurse while on a mission trip in Albania. Then, she graduated from the Belmont University Nursing program and traveled around the world to many "unreached people groups," such as Afghanistan and Botswana.
They have been married for 17 years and live in Nashville, TN with their four children, two boys (ages 16 and 11) and two girls (ages 14 and 13).
Our Board of Directors:
Dave and Mandy DeRocher: Co-Founders
Dr Jide and Lola Bamigboye
Dave DeRocher: President
Mandy DeRocher: Vice President
Sandy Cherry: Secretary
*Gregg Grandy, Grandy’s Tax and Accounting (An Independent CPA Firm)


Margie worked in a Catholic school for eight years and was absolutely dedicated to her job and the school. Then she was suddenly fired, just because she is married to a woman. She is one of hundreds of lesbian, gay, bi and trans Catholics who have been treated unfairly by the Church, just because of who they love.
The Pope has the power to stop this discrimination and in just a few days, he is going to the US. It’s a massive chance to push for change.
Margie, her wife Andrea and other lesbian, gay, bi and trans Catholics have asked the Pope to meet them while he’s in the US. He hasn't responded, but he may listen if he sees a huge banner saying that 100K of us back their call. Ask the Pope to meet with Margie and begin a conversation about full acceptance of all Catholics, whoever they love.
Photo: Margie and Andrea. Published 18 September 2015.


|“The early Christians took Jesus at his word, and understood his inculcations of gentleness and non-resistance in their literal sense. They closely identified their religion with peace; they strongly condemned war for the bloodshed which it involved; they appropriated to themselves the Old Testament prophecy which foretold the transformation of the weapons of war into the implements of agriculture; they declared that it was their policy to return good for evil and to conquer evil with good,” says
Cecil John Cadoux, M.A., D.D., The Early Christian Attitude to War: A Contribution to the History of Christian Ethics (London: Headley Bros., 1919), Summary.
First Century "Christians were forbidden to be in the Army, to participate in capital punishment, even to testify against one accused of a capital offense," says Archbishop Robert M. Bowman, "Return to the Catacombs: Reintroducing the Nonviolent Jesus" (23 Sep 2002). Roman Emperors imposed capital punishment in large numbers, e.g., Tiberius, 9,500 executions; Caligula, 9,000; Nero, 5,750; and Claudius, 2,935 executions, say Joshua Piven, et al., The Worst-Case Scenario Handbook: History (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2006, Chapter 2, "Empire Building," p 57. And, in addition to refusing to testify in such cases, "for the first few centuries of the church, Christians refused to bear arms," says Mary Lou Redding, "The Death of Civility," Guideposts (Sep - Oct 2010), pp 40-42 at 40.
In the third century Church it was believed that “When Christ disarmed Peter, He disarmed all Christians,” says Fr. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy (14 May 2013).
"All Christians before the mass apostasy of A.D. 249-251 who considered Christian participation in war opposed it on ethical grounds. . . . even pagans of the period recognized noninvolvement in wars as official Christian policy. Sometime before A.D. 236, Bishop Hippolytus in central Italy ranked war as a sin with murder, revenge, idolatry, selling a free brother into slavery and separating oneself from God. Dating from A.D. 217, his Apostolic Tradition sets out the livelihoods disqualifying applicants for church membership. It excludes idol-makers, prostitutes, pimps, gladiators and pagan priests along with military commanders. Soldiers desiring to become Christians must be taught not to kill and even to disobey if ordered to kill. Christians already in the church who try to join the army were to be expelled, as despisers of God. Even enlisting and taking the military oath were forbidden, in addition to killing in war. Dating from Syria in the first third of the third century, another church manual likewise condemned government officials who were “defiled with wars” in the same passage as idol-makers, murderers, oppressors of the poor, false accusers, idolaters and extortionists," says David W. T. Brattston, "Early Christians for Peace: The Early Church Was Clearly Opposed to Participation in War" (The Mennonite, 1 July 2010). See also John Howard Yoder, Early Christian Attitudes to War, Peace, and Revolution (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Institute of Mennonite Studies, 2009).
"During a considerable period after the death of Christ, it is certain that his followers believed he had forbidden war; and that, in consequence of this belief, many of them refused to engage in it, whatever were the consequences whether reproach, or imprisonment, or death. These facts are indisputable; "It is as easy," says a learned writer of the seventeenth century, "to obscure the sun at mid-day, as to deny that the primitive Christians renounced all revenge and war." Christ and his apostles delivered general precepts for the regulation of our conduct. And to what did their immediate successors apply the pacific precepts which had been delivered? They applied them to war: they were assured that the precepts absolutely forbade it," says Jonathan Dymond, An Inquiry into the Accordancy of War with the Principles of Christianity, § "Example and Testimony of The Early Christians on the Subject of War" (1821). And, "The opinions of the earliest professors of Christianity upon the lawfulness of war are of importance; because they who lived nearest to the time of its Founder were the most likely to be informed of his intentions and his will, and to practise them without those adulterations which we know have been introduced by the lapse of ages," says Dymond, § II.79.31. (More. Note also a similiar ananlysis, albeit in a different context, "if the apostles and those around them did not know the meaning of Christ's teaching, that meaning has been lost to the world for ever," says Rev. Dennis Hird, Jesus the Socialist (London: The Clarion Press, 1908), p 16.)
“War is the pornography of violence. . . . filled with the monstrous and the grotesque. The Bible calls it 'the lust of the eye' and warns believers against it. War allows us to engage in lusts and passions we keep hidden in the deepest, most private interiors of our fantasy lives. It allows us to destroy not only things and ideas but human beings. In that moment of wholesale destruction, we wield the power of the divine, the power to revoke another person’s charter to live on this Earth. The frenzy of this destruction — and when unit discipline breaks down, or when there was no unit discipline to begin with, “frenzy” is the right word — sees armed bands crazed by the poisonous elixir that our power to bring about the obliteration of others delivers. All things, including human beings, become objects — objects either to gratify or destroy, or both. Almost no one is immune. The contagion of the crowd sees to that . . . They [troops] can instantly give or deprive human life, and with this power they become sick and demented. The moral universe is turned upside down. All human beings are used as objects. And no one walks away uninfected. War thrusts us into a vortex of pain and fleeting ecstasy. It thrusts us into a world where law is of little consequence, human life is cheap, and the gratification of the moment becomes the overriding desire that must be satiated, even at the cost of another’s dignity or life,” says Chris Hedges, M.Th., “Collateral Damage: What It Really Means When America Goes to War” (4 June 2008).
Thus “refusal to serve in the military was the normal policy of the early Christians,” says Laurence M. Vance, Ph.D., “The Early Christian Attitude to War” (7 November 2005). “And while 'a general distrust of ambition and a horror of contamination by idolatry entered largely into the Christian aversion to military service,' it was 'the sense of the utter contradiction between the work of imprisoning, torturing, wounding, and killing, on the one hand, and the Master’s teaching on the other' that 'constituted an equally fatal and conclusive objection.'” See also his "Military Doublespeak" (19 Nov 2009), "How to Demilitarize Your Church" (11 Nov 2009), and "Christianity and War," Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (13 March 2008). (Statement 20 August 2013).
"The Roman government was largely tolerant of foreign religions. Most of the people incorporated into the Empire were polytheistic, worshiping many gods just as the Romans did. It was easy to accept the foreign gods, because to the Romans many of these appeared to be their very same gods worshiped under a different name. There were foreign deities which did not conveniently correspond with a Roman ones. This did not pose a problem as long as the followers of these gods welcomed Roman gods in their worship. However, there were two religions for which the Romans had very little tolerance: Judaism and Christianity. There was the belief that for Rome to prosper, its gods must be properly venerated. The nature of these monotheistic religions made this impossible. As a result, Jews and Christians across the empire suffered insult, harassment and persecution," says the article "Christianity in the Roman Army
" (www.redrampant.com, Friday, 26 June 2009).
The Early Church Father Tertullian (160-225 A.D.) analyzed the issue of "whether warfare is proper at all for Christians." He strongly concluded that it was not. How, he asked, could Christians wield a sword when Jesus told Peter to put his sword back in its place? How could a Christian soldier perform guard duty on the Sabbath when he's not allowed to work? How could a Christian soldier guard pagan temples, or march under the flag of a government hostile to Christianity? It was wrong, he argued, for Christians to have any loyalties but to Christ. Christians should not join the army and those in the army should leave immediately, Tertullian says in his On the Military Crown, page 11. On the issue of on the propriety of Christians serving in the Roman military even if they were not required to make pagan sacrifices or execute people, he rejected the idea outright. He noted, "There is no agreement between the divine and the human sacrament, the standard of Christ and the standard of the devil, the camp of light and the camp of darkness. One soul cannot be due to two masters. God and Caesar. How could a Christian make war, nay, how could a Christian serve even in peacetime, without a sword, which the Lord has taken away?, Tertullian pointed out, in his On Idolatry, trans. by S. Thelwall (1885).
Christians were killed, beheaded, for refusing to serve in the Roman army, says Prof. Robert M. Grant, Augustus to Constantine: The Thrust of the Christian Movement into the Roman World (Westminster / John Knox Press, 1970, 2004). Chapter XIX, "Christian Ways of Life," § XI, "Attitudes Toward War," pp 273-274, says, "Jesus' pronouncements about nonresistance left an indelible impression on the minds of the early Christians. Early Christian theologians condemned murder and cited war as a prime instance. Manuals of church discipline refused to allow for the possibility of military service and insisted that upon conversion a soldier had to leave the army. . . . The prohibiton of killing was absolute. Because of this absolute, early Christian theologians did not deal with the question of just means of warfare. Josephus, for example, insisted that Jews 274at war did not practice incendiarism, the cutting of cultivated trees, the pillaging of corpses, or the abuse of prisoners. Christian writers were not concerned with the means because the end was forbidden." See also pp 90-91, 165, 172, 190, and 225-227.
The wholly anti-war Christian position is to be sharply distinguished from the competing heathen "just war" notion of the pagan Roman philosopher Marcus T. Cicero (106 B.C. - 43 B.C.). "The just war ethic [is] based on Roman thought," says The Dictionary of Bible and Religion, "War," by Prof. Charles S. McCoy, General Editor William H. Gentz (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1986), p 1099. James 4:1-2, saying war is due to covetousness, meaning lust, was written to refute that pagan "just war ethic."
For an example of a Christian refusing to follow the Roman doctrine and law, see the transcript of St. Maximilian's trial in the year 295 A.D. for refusing to enter the Roman Army. He was beheaded.
For additional background on historic Christian views, see Roland H. Bainton, Christian Attitudes toward War and Peace (New York: Abingdon Press, 1960). (Review, 19 Theology Today (#1) 133-137 (April 1962). Note deterioration from original purity to the modern apostate seemingly 'anything goes' attitude.) See also John J. Neumaier, Ph.D., "Obstacles to the abolition of war" (3 July 2006).
For an overview of Jesus Christ's teachings, see, e.g., Prof. Michael Grant, Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels (Scribner's, 1977).
Note Early Christian Church "mortal sin" teaching pursuant to, e.g., Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42, and Luke 17:2, as war is a "proximate occasion of serious sin," with politicians' votes and orders immorally placing lower-ranking individuals, e.g., troops, in the position of committing "mortal sin," e.g., atrocities, destruction, violence, killings, etc., typical in warfare.
Church anti-war teachings derive from the Judeo-Christian Bible's multiple anti-war teachings and principles. Christ Jesus as "Prince of Peace" is for peace. Isaiah 7:14 and 9:1-7. Thus, Christ overruled the war "traditions of men” (over 14,000 wars), Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:6-8.
The Bible of course says “thou shalt not kill,” Exodus 20:13. And, "do violence to no man" (Luke 3:14). That bans significant methodology in war-making. See, e.g., "Collateral Murder" (Video).
More fundamentally, it bans the underlying causation process in wars—coveting, “thou shalt not covet.” Exodus 20:17. War is due to covetousness, meaning lust, says James 4:1-2. Lusting for money/wealth is root-cause of evil, 1 Timothy 6:10.
Re “thou shalt not kill,” Christ expressly added to the command, banning even the earliest stages, the pre-action thought level, e.g., anger and name-calling, Matthew 5:21-22. See also 2 Corinthians 10:5 (on the duty to make every thought morally right).
The Bible bans another fundamental aspect of war, stealing (e.g., land and other property), says Exodus 20:15.
It bans lying, Exodus 20:16. Truth is notoriously the first casualty in war, says Phillip Knightley, The First Casualty (New York, London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975). Three-fold lying (about the enemy's nature and activities, about one's own purposes and activities, and to entice youths to enlist) is common. See, e.g.,
Gwynne Dyer, Ph.D., "Anybody's Son Will Do: Part #2 of the 6-part Film Documentary WAR (1985) (the military's teaching youths how to kill is very much an often subtle and/or direct form of brainwashing / propaganda)
Aimee Allison and David Solnit, Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War and Build a Better World (Seven Stories Press, August 2007)
"Top Military Recruitment Lies" (20 September 2007).
David Goodman, "A Few Good Kids? [The Pentagon in the Classroom]: How the No Child Left Behind Act allowed military recruiters to collect info on millions of unsuspecting teens" (31 August 2009) ("In the past few years, the military has mounted a virtual invasion into the lives of young Americans. Using data mining, stealth websites, career tests, and sophisticated marketing software, the Pentagon is harvesting and analyzing information on everything from high school students' GPAs and SAT scores to which video games they play. Before an Army recruiter even picks up the phone to call a prospect like Travers, the soldier [recruiter] may know more about the kid's habits than do his own parents.")
Laurence M. Vance, Ph.D., "Military Doublespeak" (19 November 2009).
The Bible bans extortion, 1 Corinthians 5:11 and 1 Corinthians 6:10, whereas extorting, coercing, the 'enemy' is of course the whole point of war, meaning, all aspects of war causation are forbidden!! Note various Bible anti-extortion references:
Ezekiel 22:12 ,
and Isaiah 16:4. (And note that extortion is often used [in combination with lying and deceit] to raise, pay for, draft, enlist, and establish military entities such as armies.
Extortion of persons into the military separates them from their families, thus invoking the 1 Timothy 5:8 Bible duty to act against such extortion.
Such extortion can lead to one's being being maimed, crippled, even killed, thus to sin by impairing, obstructing or even wholly precluding fulfilling the primeval Bible commandment of increasing the human population, Genesis 1:28.
Accordingly, youths are to be discouraged from entering the military, by reciting to them the litany of harms, injuries, maimings, casualties, deaths, that foreseeably befall troop as a natural and probable consequence of entering the military, Deuteronomy 20:5-8.
The Bible bans smiting fellow humans with guile, Exodus 21:14. War often involves "guile," deceits, strategems, demonstrations, feints, flanking movements, surprise attacks, etc.
The Bible bans following a multitude to do evil, Exodus 23:2. Armies are, of course, 'multitudes,' not a mere one person entity.
Love does no harm to others. Romans 13:8-10.
The greatest commandment is love, Matthew 22:37-39, meaning to love God and fellow humans. Love is the fulfillment of the law. Galatians 5:14; Romans 13:8-10, and is to be internalized, Jeremiah 31:33-34. Esteem others better. Philippians 2:3.
This includes to “love your enemies,” Matthew 5:44. Anti-Bible rebels instead fixate on the wrong-doing by the enemies, in order to self-justify and deceive themselvesnthat it is somehow OK for them and their disobeying Christ's express command.
God delivers you from your enemies, Ps. 18:3 and 48, Ezra 8:22 and 8:31. You need do nothing except yourself be obedient to God, such obedience is the sole factor in being protected from your enemies. When your ways please God, He (not your military nor even your own personal weaponry) protects you from your enemies, Proverbs 16:7. And when your ways do not please God, all your troops and military (or personal weapons) will not save you! Note the many Bible examples of powerless military, those of Sodom and Gommorah, the Pharaoh's Egypt, the Promised Land inhabitants, and then Ancient Israel itself when it too went the way of rebellion against God. The key is to continuingly please God, then no harm shall befall you even while thousands and tens of thousands are being killed all around you, Psalm 91:3-16. With such superb protection from harm, you need have absolutely no fear of any "enemies," Ps. 91:5-6. This is what faith in God means. (Caveat: If you don't have it [faith], as faith cannot be commanded but is a gift of God, Ephesians 2:8, given only to those whom God is calling (John 6:44, Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:5 and 11), you of course become fearful, demand a strong military! (or personal weaponry), all worthless in the long run as the historic record of the rise and fall of unrepentant nation after nation shows such to be!)
Your duty of "loving your enemies" (who are powerless to harm you when you are obeying God), includes to not revile them, nor threaten nor retaliate, 1 Peter 2:23.
This includes to not cast the first stone, John 8:7, e.g., not fire the first shot, not drop the first bomb, even under provocation, Luke 9:54-55. No doubt, as "My [God's] kingdom is not of this world," John 18:36.
Instead, Bible-adherents are travelers, sojourners [Gen. 23:4, Ps. 39:12], pilgrims [Heb. 11:13, 1 Pet. 2:11], and wanderers [Hos. 9:17], essentially "in tents," 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. This precludes loyalty to the plot of ground, country, where one, in short, happens to temporarily sojourn. At any moment, a Christian would abandon that, and go on, leave, move, travel to live elsewhere.
Christians' real citizenship is in heaven, i.e., Christians are citizens of heaven itself. That is Christian's country, from which Christians are now [temporarily] absent, and from which Christians await a savior, a different government, the Lord [President, Prime Minister, King, Emperor] Jesus Christ, Philippians 3:20. Christians have the same attitude as
Abraham toward their country. When God told him to leave his country, to found a different country, Genesis 12:1-2, he did so without question, having no loyalty to it, but instead, his allegiance, loyalty, was to God. Abraham is a "friend of God," James 2:23, the "father of the faithful,"
Galatians 3:16-29, Romans 4:11. Abraham knew that "friendship with the world is enmity to God," James 4:4. Abraham is an example to all Bible-adherents. Christians thus do not and cannot "serve their country" with its temporary "borders" in politico-geographic terms. The heathen politician "serve your country" concept inherently leads to wars, is inherently sinful, is inherent violation of Genesis 1:28 (the "original grant").
Accordingly, there is no Bible precedent or example of any patriarch, disciple, apostle, or Bible adherent of ever "pledging allegiance," saluting the flag, saying "Heil Hitler," singing the 'national anthem,' or engaging in any other such action or gesture worshipping the national idol. Jesus Christ never pledged allegiance, never saluted the flag, never sang the 'national anthem,' never worshipped the national idol. Jesus Christ never wore a war uniform, never even carried a weapon for personal self-defense. He knew, correctly, that God is sole protector.
Jesus Christ rejects having divided loyalties, trusts -- in (1) weapons and (2) God as a last resort, when weapons fail to protect!!!
He shows that God must be your priority, your No. 1 and only. No divided loyalties, trusts, are allowed, nor shown by Bible precedent; instead, see the Bible's opposite system, Ps. 18:3 and 48, Ezra 8:22 and 8:31, the latter the example of Ezra and God's people trusting solely in God, not troops, indeed, refused the latter, an example Christ well knew and had personally inspired in Ezra. He, Jesus Christ, is Christians' example, role model, one to follow, not ignore, for some "tradition of men," Matthew 15:9. All Christians follow Christ's example, model, thus follow His example of not committing actions such as "pledging allegiance." Paul shows the same principle, even avoiding food sacrificed to idols, lest others get the wrong idea, be encouraged to violate their conscience, 1 Corinthians 10:27-33.
Biblically, the duty is not for the people of the artifical entity known as a "country" or "nation" to coerce other people(s) but is instead to set a good example, to be a model, for others to imitate. Deuteronomy 4:5-6. For the nation to do that, its individuals are to "be ye perfect." Matthew 5:48.
| The fundamental "conscientious objection" is pursuant to Bible principles against extortion, e.g., 1 Corinthians 5:10-11,
Luke 18:11, and
1 Corinthians 5:10-11. The government is ordered in Deuteronomy 20:5-8, to try to talk people out of entering the military, not to force them into it!
The mere demand to participate (in the military) = extortion. Said sin is an ultra-death penalty offense, meaning, death in this life, and death eternally. God is deadly serious, 'thou shalt not bully . . . in ANY manner.' Thus ANY type of "conscription" is a death penalty offense for merely issuing the order. See also 2 Kings 1:8-12, for death penalty imposed peremptorily on 102 govt officials for their merely issuing an order (mere words)! The mere issuance of an order is a death penalty offense, extortion. No trial required. Instant penalty. God and God alone is authorized to issue orders.
The commandments are not to be added to nor subtracted from, Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32. This concept follows from the "original grant" (Genesis 1:28). Adding is invariably extortion, as nobody is authorized to add; subtraction can lead to extortion. Both are precluded.
People can serve “God or mammon,” Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13, God or politicians, God or country, one citizenship or the other, one or the other, not both. The choice is clear, to choose God, as the nations with their borders are "as nothing," Isaiah 40:15 and 17.
War is a symptom, Proverbs 16:7, Judges 2:10-20, Judges 3:7-8, Judges 3:11-14,
1 Samuel 4:3, etc.
Christ loved sacrificially that He “might reconcile both groups [people in all nations] to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it,” Ephesians 2:16.
War to move boundaries to seize a neighboring nation's land is unacceptable. Hosea 5:10.
The duty is, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” Romans 12:21. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men," Galatians 6:10.
“Resist not evil,” Matthew 5:39.
“See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good,” 1 Thessalonians 5:15.
The message is, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy . . . Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” Matthew 5:7, 9. "Live peaceably with all men," Romans 12:18. "Follow peace with all men," Hebrews 12:14.
The divine goal is “peace on earth to men of good will,” Luke 2:14.
Genesis 1:28 cites human authority as in charge only of nature, in the "original grant." Reference Psalm 8:6-8 and Hebrews 2:6-8.
The Bible warns of the danger posed by the existence of politicians, specifically citing politicians' war-making propensities. 1 Samuel 8:11-12. Prior to Israel setting up politician government, God's protection of the people "constituted a basic institution in Israel. It replaced the strong state, the military state. . . . The [duty] prescribed by the prophets was loyalty to Yahweh, and confidence in Yahweh. It was in Yahweh, then, that the people always found the means of which they had need in order to save themselves. A king [politician] was superfluous," says Prof. José Comblin (1923-2011), O Clamor dos Oprimidos, O Clamor de Jesus (Petropolis, Brazil: Editora Vozes Ltda, 1984), translated and repinted as Cry of the Oppressed, Cry of Jesus (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1988), Chapter 1, "The Cry of the Past," § 4, "Israel's Cry in History," p 15.
Politicians (whether hereditary or elective) are a “tradition of men.” Christ explicitly warns against and rejects “traditions of men.” Matthew 15:9. Cf. Colossians 2:8.
People are to "obey God rather than men." Acts 4:19, Acts 5:29, Exodus 1:17, 1 Samuel 22:17, Daniel 1:8, Daniel 3:12 and 18, and Daniel 6:7 and 10. There were 613 clauses in the Laws (or Constitution, in modern terminology) of Israel, 613 commandments. Said Laws made the nation a theocracy, i.e., church and state were united. “The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code; it contained many statutes . . . of universal application-laws essential to the existence of men in society,” said U.S. President John Quincy Adams, in Letters of John Quincy Adams, to His Son, on the Bible and Its Teachings (Auburn: James M. Alden, 1850), p. 61. The 613 Commandments were not to be added to nor subtracted from. Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32 (Commandments 14-15). (This concept of not adding, not subtracting, is also mandated in the New Testament e.g, Revelation 22:18). The 613 Commandments/Laws do not include a law to “obey men rather than God,” a law commanding politician wars and partaking in same. Politician laws commanding such are clearly an addition, thus are forbidden. Deuteronomy 4:2 and 12:32.
“Patriotism is a religion, the egg from which wars are hatched.”—Guy de Maupassant. By its fruits (lusts causing wars, James 4:1-2), ye know it to be evil, Matthew 7:16 and 7:20 and 12:33, in short. As a religion, patriotism competes with Bible religion (the mammon vs. God issue, you can serve one or the other), and has its own idols, e.g., politicians and troops. The patriotism religion teaches idolotry of country, the direct opposite of the Bible command, "love thy neighbor." The patriotism religion forbids doing that, indeed, commands to "kill, murder, torture, main, destroy, thy neighbor."
Jesus Christ in the Beatitudes taught against patriotism, Matthew 5:3-10, 21-24, 38-40, 43-48. The patriotism religion teaches, 'love your neighbors and hate your enemies,' Matthew 5:43. But Christ rejects, indeed, commands the exact opposite of patriotism. See, e.g., Matthew 5:44-48. First Century Christians obeyed Christ, were the extreme opposite of patriotic, says Prof. Ernest Renan, The Apostles (New York, Carleton; Paris, Michel Levy Frères, 1866), Chapter XIX, pp 295-297: "If any one sentiment was wholly wanting [lacking] in the founders of the Church, it was patriotism. . . . there were never any people so regardless [heedless, uncaring] of [patriotism] as the primitive [First Century] Christians." William H. Seward (1801–1872), Senator and Secretary of State, in "The 'Higher Law' Concept" (11 March 1850) (key sentence; full text), references the concept later recognized by the Supreme Court: "There is a higher loyalty than loyalty to this country, loyalty to God."—U.S. v. Seeger, 380 US 163, 172; 85 S Ct 850; 13 L Ed 2d 733 (1965).
Rep. Robert Rantoul, Jr., in "Pilgrim Precedent: 'Higher Law'" ( (3 April 1851), said likewise.
That false religion and its idolatry of politicians directing commandment violations is banned, Exodus 20:3-5, Colossians 3:5. "The art of government is the organization of idolatry," says George Bernard Shaw. Such idolatry is particularly rampant in war, with the public and troops typically en masse obeying/serving politicians ordering commandment violations. In contrast, I Cor 6:18 and 10:14 give the principle, "flee" sin, vs join in! becoming partakers. Note Bible warnings against becoming partakers in sin, e.g., Ephesians 5:7,
1 Timothy 5:22,
John 17:15, 2 Corinthians 6:14-18,
and Revelation 18:4. Instead, people are to become partakers in the divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4. “Let him that stole steal no more,” Ephesians 4:28. Don't be overcome by evil, Romans 12:21. Resist the devil, James 4:7 and 2 Peter 5:8-9.
Be holy, 1 Peter 1:16. Abstain from lusts, 1 Peter 2:11. War is caused by lusts, James 4:1-2, lusts caused by the false religion doctrine of "patriotism."
Patriotism worships a thing, an artificial thing, a creation, a tradition of men [see Prof. Ernest Renan, The Apostles (1866), Chapter XIX, pp 295-297], instead of the Creator, contrary to Bible principle, Romans 1:25. Patriotism goes to the extreme of love for a thing that is less than nothing! Isaiah 40:17, and re which their politicians will be brought to nothing! Isaiah 40:23. Truly patriotism is idolatry, a particularly foolish and debauched form of idolatry!
The related additional idolatry, of politicians' troops, is likewise banned, e.g., Deuteronomy 6:10-12 and Deuteronomy 8:11-18 (bragging that national benefits or freedom are from one's own efforts, e.g., giving credit to the troops' power and strength, for example, especially on "Veterans Day" and "Memorial Day." Sometimes this idolatry is pretended to be justified by the pagan doctrine that, supposedly, "freedom isn't free," with the false innuendo that freedom comes from troops, not as a free gift from God. Cf. Habakkuk 1:15-16 (citing heathen idolatry of the military) and Acts 12: 22-23 (idolatry of political leader vs. giving God the glory, and setting aside days to do so; penalty was death for the political leader); Daniel 5:23-31 (idolatry of false gods vs the God whose power they should have known; penalty was death for the political leaders and the nation being conquered by foreign invasion).
Note also the example of a census involving idolatry of national troop strength, 2 Samuel 24:1-9 and 1 Chronicles 21:1-8. And see background by Rev. Dr. Neil Chadwick, "David's Senseless Sinful Census."
Neither multitudes of troops, Psalm 33:16, nor weapons, Psalm 44:6, can save a nation. Cf. Hosea 1:7.
Note also the idolatry of weapons, underlying the hostility to the anti-war advocates at a 1 May 2008 Raleigh, NC, war parade. Governments are forbidden to have a significant military,
Deuteronomy 17:16 (Commandment 584), nor significant funds (defense budget), Deuteronomy 17:17 (Commandment 586), to acquire such. And see also Nehemiah 5:15-19, and anti-extortion rules, supra.
Contrast such attitude with principles evident in incidents cited at, e.g., Exodus 14:13-14, 2 Kings 6:14-23, 2 Kings 7:6-7, 2 Kings 19:35-36, and Ezra 8:21-23 (ashamed to use troops after having spoken of faith in God).
Idolatry of politicans includes pretending that what applies to the Lord Jesus Christ applies to all politicians, example, His short-term Exodus 15:3 war-making against slavery at the Red Sea, and 17:16 against one specific group, Amalek, thereby elevating all politicians to divine level, with regard to all issues for all time without exception!! Such idolatry treating politicians as on the divine level, gives politicians god-level authority. This extreme form of emperor worship by idolaters goes beyond, for example, the Roman emperor worship [cf. caesaropapism], which limited the divine level to the Emperor only. Such fraudulent yanking words out of context and meaning is an example of "tergiversation" (false claims). It fixates on a God-level action, and makes the Bible a mockery, by disregarding all the commandments and principles forbidding such behavior on the part of humans.
Idolatry of politicians includes them usurping the divine prerogative of forgiveness of sin. “As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead trying [via universal malice] to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are only doing their duty, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he will never sleep any worse for it. He is serving his country, which has [usurped] the [divine] power to absolve him from evil [forgive sins].”—George Orwell (London, UK, 1941, during the World War II bombing of Britain).
Re such a nation, killing, wicked, unrepentant, do not even pray for them. Proverbs 1:26-28,
Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 59:2,
Jeremiah 7:16, Jeremiah 11:14, Jeremiah 14:11, and 1 John 5:16.
2 Chronicles 20:21-23 cites an alternative to troops going to war: "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" and merely send to the front lines, singers to "sing to the LORD, and . . . praise the beauty of holiness, [and] as they went out before the army [they] were saying: 'Praise the LORD, For His mercy endures forever'.” And see prior precedent, Exodus 14:13, Moses' saying likewise, "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord."
Going before or to unbelievers to decide disputed issues is warned against, 1 Corinthians 6:1-10. (Cf. 'trial by combat' analysis.)
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21.
The works or practices of the flesh are clear: immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, parties, heresies), envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. . . . those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21. Note that many of such activities are elements of war.
And the entire Book of Jonah is devoted to opposing war, preemptive war. Nineveh (Iraq) was foreseen as soon attacking. Preemptive war against Nineveh, destruction of Nineveh was sought, and immediately sought, to occur in 40 days! Jonah tried to arrange this. God personally intervened and prevented the destruction, for the reason that He is "gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and kind," Jonah 4:2 (certainly not politician traits! and their "tough" approach), and thus with these holy characteristics, God was concerned lest the result include property damage and 120,000 casualties, Jonah 4:11.
As "Judge of all the earth," God in contrast with war with its "collateral damage," killing the innocent, does not "put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked," Genesis 18:23-25. See also Deuteronomy 27:25. ('Cursed are those who slay the innocent').
Note the divine warning that those who live by the sword shall die by it. Matthew 26:52, Revelation 13:10. This includes even small-scale military action, 2 Kings 1:9-14. National strength (including GNP including agriculture and the military) shall be spent in vain, Leviticus 26:20. If defense is needed, people are to rely on and thank God, Exodus 15:1-20, pursuant to
Exodus 14:13 and Ex. 15:3.
People are to be in the habit of obedience to God, not to politicians. Troops ultra-blatantly habitially, automatically, "follow orders," politician orders, thus when Christ returns, will "follow orders" to open fire on Christ and His angels. The penalty for this long-engrained bad habit of habitually "following orders" will be mass execution, mass extermination, mass capital punishment. Zechariah 14:12-13 and Revelation 14:20, the final fulfillment of Matthew 26:52, the final penalty for the bad habit of following politician orders.
Instead of many nations with their conflicting borders, the divine goal is
for the LORD to be the unitary ruler over the whole earth, Zechariah 14:9, "world government" under one ruler, the "Prince of Peace."
Vengeance belongs to God. Proverbs 20:22, Deuteronomy 32:35, and Romans 12:19.
The repeatedly emphasized divine goal is for no hurting, no destroying, hence that swords, war weapons, be re-manufactured into plow-shares, agricultural tools, peaceful devices. Isaiah 2:4, Isaiah 11:9, Isaiah 65:25,
Joel 3:10, and
Isaiah 2:4 goes so far as to provide for total disarmament and peace: "neither shall they learn war any more," i.e., the abolishment of military academies, schools, lessons.
The Bible economic system was incompatible with war. Deuteronomy 17:16-18 forbids having a significant military. (Horses, large budgets, etc., were then a significant part of the military, and were therefore forbidden in quantity to the government)
Even in civilian life, the duty is to prevent injury, even a statistically rare injury such as someone being injured by falling off a roof (Deuteronomy 22:8 (Commandment 263). "Lust" wants to NOT prevent harm, and lust, when it has "conceived" "brings forth sin." (James 1:15). The end thereof is "death" (Romans 6:21, 23).
When in distress from long-term combat, David cut off a piece of clothing of his enemy, 1 Samuel 24:4-11, he quickly regretted doing even that (cutting a piece of cloth, not even the person).
Pursuant to 2 Corinthians 2:11, people are not to be "ignorant of Satan's devices." Said "devices" are schemes, methods, means, techniques, products whereby lust is conceived and produces sin (James 1:15). For example, in alcoholism case, this is medically known as 90% related to tobacco. While people cannot grant others the Holy Spirit, people can eliminate many "devices," e.g., tobacco, and re war, weapons (Isaiah 2:4, Joel 3:10, Micah 4:3, beat swords into plowshares).
The Bible has clear unmistakable language expressing the bottom line reason for wars. It bluntly says that war arises from politician-based causation, politicians' lusts, says
These words refute the opposing heathen "just war" notion of pagan Roman philosophy of, e.g., Cicero [106 B.C. - 43 B.C.]). James teaches the opposing view, the anti-"just war" doctrine, i.e., the Biblical view that wars are in fact caused by violation of the "thou shalt not covet - steal - kill - idolize" commands. For a further refutation of the pagan "just war" notion, see, e.g., Rev. Emmanuel Charles McCarthy
Christian Just War Theory: The Logic of Deceit (2003) and "Introduction to the History, Theology and Spirituality of Gospel Nonviolence" (8 June 2010).
Christians are not to even keep company with, associate with, the covetous, railers, idolaters, and extortioners, 1 Cor 5:11, much less, to join the military and partake in their war-making enterprises. Reference Ephesians 5:7 and Revelation 18:4. Bible teaching on "mortal sin" shows wrongfulness of politicians placing people in the position of committing sin. And 'cursed are those who slay the innocent,' says Deuteronomy 27:25 ("collateral damage").
See also Genesis 18:23-25 (God as "Judge of all the earth" opposes killing the innocent, opposes action that does "put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked").
Christians "are not of this [politico-military] system [thus] do not fight in the wars of the kingdoms of this world," says John W. Ritenbaugh of The Bible Tools Website, citing Philippians 3:20, "our citizenship is in heaven," 2 Corinthians 5:20, Christians "are ambassadors for Christ" (Christians' allegiance is to Christ, the King of the Kingdom of God); and 1 Peter 2:11, Christians are "strangers and pilgrims" in a foreign land. The national duty is, by adherence to the Divine Laws, to set a good example to other nations, not to fight them. Deuteronomy 4:6-7.
Bible precedents are for our example (1 Corinthians 10:6). The Bible shows that a military is not needed. Instead, the duty is to obey the commandments, please the Lord (Proverbs16:7) and have faith in, trust, God for protection. Examples of military not needed:
|“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” [KJV].|
at the Exodus, the people of Israel were protected without a military (4:23, 14:13-14, details)
the war at Gideon's time, no large army (Judges 7:2-7) nor weapons (7:16) were allowed
the invasion at Elijah's time, wherein the enemy army was blinded (by miracle from God), so no military action was needed, instead, to display an entirely opposite reaction, to conduct a good-bye party for them! (2 Kings 6:8-23).
the war at Jehosaphat's time, send the priests to the front lines to sing praises to God (2 Chronicles 20:17, 21-22), no weapons needed!
the analysis that those who trust in the military instead of in God are brought down (Proverbs 20:7-8 compared with Jeremiah 17:5 and 7)
Politicians' habitual long-engrained defiance of these Bible commands and principles will lead -- before Christ Jesus returns -- to killing almost all of mankind. See Jeremiah 25:33, Micah 5:10-11, Ezekiel 6:6, Revelation 6:8 (25% killed leaving 75% left), Revelation 9:15 (33% killed leaving 42% left), Revelation 9:18 (33% killed leaving 9% left), and Matthew 24:22 (killing off the remaining 9%, "few people left" (Isaiah 24:3, 6) -- except divine intervention -- Christ's return -- heads off politicians' final planned genocidal killing spree holocaust before politicians can commit such yet additional holocaust against the tragic 9% remainder of humanity).
Re that violent deadly foreseeable and therefore predicted outcome of having politicians, militaries and war, "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:16 and 7:20 and 12:33). And politicians' use of biological warfare could with one type alone, Bird Flu, quickly kill half of mankind, says Nick Miller, "Bird flu mutation sparks fears of deadly pandemic" (New York, Saturday, 4 February 2012).
For realistic depiction of such massive levels of slaughter, see background on nuclear war effects in, e.g., John R. Hersey, Hiroshima (1946) (Summary, Background,
Context); The War Game (BBC, 1965) (online excerpt), and Threads (BBC, 1984) (online excerpt). For fictionalized movies with some aspects of the miscalculations or horrors, see also, e.g., Failsafe, On the Beach, Dr. Strangelove, and The Day After.
Ed Pilkington, "US nearly detonated atomic bomb over North Carolina – secret document" (The Guardian, Friday, 20 September 2013)
("the US Air Force came dramatically close to detonating an atom bomb over North Carolina that would have been 260 times more powerful than the device that devastated Hiroshima. . . . two Mark 39 hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over Goldsboro, North Carolina on 23 January 1961. . . . Each bomb carried a payload of 4 megatons – the equivalent of 4 million tons of TNT explosive. Had the device detonated, lethal fallout could have been deposited over Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and as far north as New York City – putting millions of lives at risk.")
"Eric Schlosser: 'The people who are most anti-nuclear are the ones who know most about it'" (The Guardian, Friday, 20 September 2013) ("an official record of all the incidents that had befallen the American nuclear arsenal in the 10 years to 1967 . . . extend[s] to 245 pages. . . . nothing but a miracle has prevented an accidental Hiroshima or Nagasaki taking place on US soil.
. . .
the United States . . . devised an IBM computer programme called QUICK COUNT that allowed war planners to identify "desired ground zeros" in Soviet cities so as to maximise the number of civilians killed in a nuclear strike. In 1961, the Pentagon instigated a war plan that would be unstoppable once the nuclear button was pushed . . . . security at Titan II missile bases was so lapse you could break into one with just a credit card' . . . . the pool of knowledge posessed by that elite group of weapons designers and scientists is fast drying up. "It's very disturbing that the number of people who have seen a nuclear weapon detonate is dwindling. Half the American population was not yet born or were young children when the Soviet Union disappeared. The most anti-nuclear people in the US today are 75, 80 years old." Without their expertise to keep us alert, Schlosser fears, the world will be allowed to slide into a form of collective madness founded on denial, a death wish that sees nuclear weapons as no longer a problem. Though both the US and Soviet Union have reduced their stockpiles dramatically, the US today still has 4,650 nuclear weapons, Russia about 3,500, China and France about 400 each and the UK 150. Should just one of those warheads go off, through an accident, or through systems infiltration by a hacker, the consequences would be unthinkable.")
Nick Turse, "What a Nuclear War Between Israel and Iran Would Look Like" (13 May 2013) (Example: "A multi-weapon strike on Kermanshah, a Kurdish city with a population of 752,000, would result in an almost unfathomable 99.9% casualty rate.")
The divinely prophesied mass slaughter of 91% of mankind is the natural and probable consequence of having militaries, of politicians having a policy of "Instant Nuclear Strategic Annihilation of Nearly Everyone," cited by Prof. Michael Parenti, Ph.D., The Sword and the Dollar: Imperialism, Revolution, and the Arms Race (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1989), Chapter 13, "The Arms Chase," p 162.
The acronym for politicians' policy of "Instant Nuclear Strategic Annihilation of Nearly Everyone" is I.N.S.A.N.E. That acronym, I.N.S.A.N.E., is an apt descriptor, as psychopathology is a common politician characteristic. "By their fruits ye shall know them," Matthew 7:16, 20.
The U.S. military in 1961 with the limited nuclear weaponry of the time was planning that the first strike alone would be committing a hundred holocausts minimum against civilians in the nations attacked: "The lower number was 275 million dead. The higher number was 325 million." Re the surrounding non-attacked neutral nations, "up to another hundred million depending on wind conditions." Re the U.S.' European allies, they'd be likewise affected, theirs "could be up to a hundred million deaths . . . 'depending on which way the wind blows,' as a general testifying before Congress had recently put it." That's just the first strike's results, "rougly 600 million dead." See Daniel Ellsberg, Ph.D.,
Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers (New York: Viking Penguin, 2002), Chapter 3, "The Road to Escalation," pp 58-59.
The Second Vatican Council, under Paul VI, issued a statement about nuclear weapons in Gaudium et spes in 1965: “Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation. A danger of modern weapons is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern weapons—especially atomic, biological or chemical weapons—to commit such crimes.” (Cited in Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr., "The Cross and the Bomb: Two Catholic Dramas in Response to Nagasaki," The Journal of Religion and Theatre, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Fall 2002). To see example of people's hysterical turning on each other when nuclear war comes, see, e.g., "The Twilight Zone: The Shelter, Part 1," Part 2, and Part 3 (29 September 1961).
In context, see "Natorei Karta" definition: "(Aram. 'The Guardians of the City'): . . . The phrase originates from an incident in which R. Judah Ha-Nasi sent R. Hiyya and R. Ashi on a pastoral tour of inspection. In one town they asked to see the 'guardians of the city' and the city guard [police, troops] was paraded before them. 'These are not the guardians of the city but its destroyers' they declared. 'Who then are the guardians?' they were asked, and they answered 'The scribes and the scholars,' referring them to Ps. 127:1 (Y. Hag. 76c)," say Dr. R. J. Zwi Werblowsky and Dr. Geoffrey Wigoder (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), The Encyclopedia of the Jewish Religion (New York: Adama Books, 1986), p 282. In short, the real "guardians of the city" and nation are those who instruct in the way of holiness, and thus in the details and depth of obedience to the Divine, who alone protects from what police and troops purport to protect, but will foreseeably, as specified, Ps. 127:1, not do so, can not do so, in the face of societal unrepentance. Indeed, via the false and misplaced reliance on them, as idols in place of The Divine, they become the city's / nation's destroyers, indeed, as prophesied, of 91% of all mankind.


Donate TO the Burlsworth Foundation:
"The foundation is the realization of a dream of Brandon Burlsworth himself, the belief that every child is a gift." Our Christian organization's mission is to support the physical and spiritual needs of children, in particular those who have limited opportunities. The foundation encourages a strong faith, character and sportsmanship, developing positive values, and a life pattern that would exemplify "Doing It The Burls Way".
We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Tax ID # 71-0826035


CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE MICHIGAN REGION
Merry Christmas from the Regional Resource Center. May your family have a blessed holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus! Regional Office Staff
Al & Kim Yerke, Janet McLavy, Jim Jordan
Regional Oversight Council and Ministry Multiplication Team
About the Michigan Region
The Michigan Region offers a variety of services and ministries to assist the local church in winning, building and equipping disciples for Jesus Christ.
Our Michigan Region Staff is available to help your church with your ministry needs.
Our office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.
“Every Church mobilizing believers to intentionally lead people to Christ and make disciple-makers.”
Vision Impact… On Point
Every believer a Spirit-empowered follower of Christ
Every follower of Christ a disciple-maker
Every church a disciple-making, church planting church
Our Driving Passion
The Missionary Church is a family of churches committed to the authority of Jesus Christ, the Bible and the Great Commission.
- We pursue relationship with God as our top priority.
- We depend on the Holy Spirit through prayer.
- We introduce people to the gospel and multiply disciples everywhere.
- We value, strengthen and multiply churches.
- We develop Spirit-led leaders to advance God’s mission in the world.
Michigan Region News
- MI Region Conference Handbook 2019-1
- 2018-19 Michigan Region Manual
- MI Region News and Notes 2020-01-2
- Michigan Vision for a Disciple-Making Culture
- 2019 Regional Conference Minutes
- Special Regional Conference Minutes February 23, 2019
- Pastors & Spouses’ Retreat 2020 Brochure
For Our Churches
- Annual/Contact Report – Complete the report online or by printing and mailing to the Regional Resource Center. These reports are due to the Regional Resource Center on February 15.
- Monthly Church Report – This report is due by the first Friday of each month.
Dates to Remember
- February 21-22, 2020 – Pastors & Spouses’ Retreat Brochure
- April 28, 2020 – ReGen 2020 at Elkton Missionary Church
- June 15-19, 2020 – Brown City Kidz Camp
- July 19-25, 2020 – Mancelona Family Camp
- July 30-August 9, 2020 – Brown City Family Camp
To Contact Us:
- 1091 Creekwood Trail, Burton, MI 48509
- Phone: 810-742-7462
- FAX: 810-742-8102
- Email: email@example.com
- Hours: Monday through Thursday (8:30 AM – 4:30 PM)


October 2, 2020
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church’s training of granting “indulgences” to offer absolution to sinners became increasingly corrupt.
Indulgence-selling was in fact prohibited in Germany, however the training proceeded unabated. In 1517, a friar named Johann Tetzel started initially to offer indulgences in Germany to boost funds to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
The 95 Theses
Focused on the concept that salvation might be reached through faith and also by divine elegance just, Luther vigorously objected towards the corrupt practice of offering indulgences. Functioning on this belief, he had written the “Disputation in the energy and Efficacy of Indulgences, ” also known as “The 95 Theses, ” a list of concerns and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that on 31, 1517 Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church october. The fact had been most likely not therefore dramatic; Luther much more likely hung the document in the home regarding the church matter-of-factly to announce the ensuing educational conversation he was organizing around it that.READ MORE


The latest monthly single is “Be Still”, penned by Jason Phillips from Raleigh, NC, is a song of hope in the presence of God in the midst of trials
Born out of a season of suffering and tragic loss in Phillips’ church body, “Be Still” is an intimate cry of the broken-hearted, in the face of pain and loss, that we can be assured that God is with us.
“The God of the universe somehow, somewhere, and some way cares enough to sit with us, suffer and hurt with us. The awareness of this truth can bring to us a sense of unexplainable peace in the middle of the storms. That is the heart of this song.” - Jason Phillips
Recorded at Anchour Studio in Maine and led by Sarah Elmer (“Kyrie Eleison”), “Be Still” comes with a toolkit of resources - tutorials on various instruments, multitrack stems, as well as a live-in-studio video of the song.
Lead Vocal Sarah Elmer
Recorded @ Anchour Studio in Windham, ME. anchourstudio.com
Produced by Karl Anderson, Casey Corum and Josh Ray
Mixed by Karl Anderson @ Anchour Studio
Mastered by Brad Blackwood @ Euphonic Mastering


Our Powerhouse Prayer Meeting is every Monday at 8pm in the main Worship Centre.
We run a Bible Study before the Prayer Meeting (7pm-8pm). The Study Series, “The Big Picture”, looks at a different book of the Bible each week. Understand how each book in Scripture fits together into a unified whole.
The Sunday afternoon service (Francophone) has been discontinued. This means we will be having just one service each Sunday – at 11.15am.
Come early to make sure you get a seat!
UPDATE! WE HAVE ENJOYED READING THE SCRIPTURE OUT LOUD SO MUCH THAT ONCE WE REACHED THE END OF REVELATION, WE WENT BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF GENESIS & STARTED AGAIN! WE ARE NOW ON OUR FOURTH READING THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES.
GET ON BOARD AND JOIN US!
As part of our commitment to the READ Initiative, the Solid Rock Church in Drogheda is reading the entire Bible (Genesis to Revelation) out loud. We believe this prophetic proclamation of the Word will release something mighty in our Church.
The idea is that individuals in our Church pre-book slots in the Prayer Centre (at the rear of the White House that houses our Church Offices). There you find a chart detailing where the last reader left off. You start reading out loud from that point – and when you leave you update the chart ready for the next reader.
This reading started at the beginning of January. Once we got to the end of Revelation, we decided we enjoyed it so much that we went back to the beginning of Genesis and started again! Please note that it is OK to have breaks between readers. Once you pre-book you will be given an access code to enter the Prayer Centre, and you lock it again when you leave.
It’s also OK if two or more people end up being there to read at the same time. That will simply add some fellowship to the mix! You can take it in turns to read.
This vocal reading of the Word will, we pray, provide insights and revelations to those who do the reading. We also believe that many will find the Prayer Centre to be a place of peace and life where they will return often to spend time with God.
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
Throughout 2013 we are rallying around our vision and core values. Rays of light, on their own beautiful and illuminating but otherwise puny, becomea a powerful cutting laser beam when they are focussed together to one goal. In the same way we believe that Church offers us the opportunity to unite our faith and aspirations with others to achieve the seemingly impossible.
So, this year, we as a Church will be re-emphasizing the Biblical priorities of Life Change (metanoia), Power (dunamis), Fellowship (koinonia) and Proclaiming the Gospel (kerygma). Join with us this Sunday at 11.15am in Drogheda as we focus our faith on being Proclaimers of the Gospel.
Here at the Solid Rock we are partnering with the Church of God and Tyndale Press to promote Bible reading during 2013. Visit the special READ Initiative website: http://readinitiative.com/en.php
You can join others in pledging to read the entire Bible through in a year. There are free Bible Study helps available, a website, and even an app for your smartphone!


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Rae of Hope of Baton Rouge, Inc.
A non-profit organization
Since the day of Rae's death, we knew that there had to be a higher purpose and reason for such a beautiful & loving soul to have been taken so inhumanely and tragically. Very soon after, we understood our cause and purpose and aligned that with the giving and loving nature of Rae, which is what led to the birth of Rae of Hope, Inc.
Rae of Hope is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women, men, and children who have been victims of domestic violence and/or stalking. Our organization helps these survivors with the steps it takes to start a new and brighter beginning.
After the untimely death of our beloved Rae, God placed a calling on Ms. Harvey's (The founder/director of Rae of Hope) heart and the siblings of Rae, to come together to assist in putting a stop to these senseless crimes against innocent lives, that leave so many hurt and in pain in the wake of such heartless violence.
We are centrally located in the heart of Baton Rouge, LA, and have advocates in Minneapolis, Atlanta, New York, North Dakota, Las Vegas, Florida, Chicago and Texas. All of our advocates are ready and willing to provide useful and helpful information to survivors. Our advocates also provide contacts for local organizations that we are partnered with, to render aid to those in need.
We work with several organizations and churches in each city that we are located in, to assist these families with counseling, shelter, food, clothing and financial assistance needed to leave dangerous, unstable, and life threatening environments or situations.
We pray that if you are reading this and know someone who could use our programs or resources, that you pass our information along. If you do not know anyone but feel compelled to assist our organization, either through a monetary donation, donation of goods, or volunteering, please feel free to contact us on our contact page or donation page.
Thank you all for taking the time to visit our page and assisting us with changing one life at a time. We, here at Rae of Hope, Inc., will keep everyone of you in our prayers - praying that God shines the light of love, peace, and joy within each one of your lives.
- Sunrise: April 22,1984 Sunset: July 25,2012
Child of God, A wonderful mother, the best sister/relative and friend anybody could ever want.


“Life is what you make. It’s only going to be what you make it, and it’s up to you.”
Ida Bitanga Laoyan, 88, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2016 with family by her side in Sacramento, CA. Born on July 11, 1927 in Lihue, Kauai, Ida was the sixth of seven children of Rufino and Juana Bitanga. The Bitangas moved back to the Philippines when she was nine years old. In 1950, Ida married Mariano Lopez, and they had five children. Despite Mariano’s early death, Ida persevered, raised her children, later married Generoso Laoyan and had four more children.
Ida successfully brought her entire family to the United States in 1971, giving them a chance at a better life in a new world of opportunity. She taught her children and grandchildren to love family, friends and community and instilled strong values of education, hard work and accountability. Ida enjoyed gatherings, watching her grandkids, gardening, watching the Golden Girls show and chartering buses to Reno.
She is survived by her sister, Natividad De La Cruz, her husband, Generoso Laoyan Sr. and her children: Hansel Lopez, Odette Guerrero, Ador Lopez, Leo Lopez, Jackie Lopez, Gem Laoyan, Raoul Laoyan, Urduja Laoyan and Gene Laoyan Jr. Ida is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Ida is dearly loved and missed, and her family is dedicated to continuing her legacy of love, strength and living life to its fullest potential. Celebrate her life on Thursday, March 31 2016 at Saint Joseph Parish in Elk Grove, CA with a viewing at 5 p.m. and Rosary at 6 p.m. The mass for Christian Burial will begin Friday, April 1, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Saint Joseph Parish in Elk Grove, CA followed by procession to Saint Mary’s Cemetery.


Celebrating the life of Audie C. Barber
Be the first to share your favorite memory, photo or story of Audie. This memorial page is dedicated for family, friends and future generations to celebrate the life of their loved one.
We ask on behalf of the family that you keep your comments uplifting and appropriate to help all who come here to find comfort and healing.
Mrs. Audie C. Barber, age 92. of Rockmart, GA passed away Monday, January 23, 2017 at her residence.
She was born in Paulding County, GA on June 24, 1924, a daughter of the late Carson P. Carter and Minnie Louella Carter. Mrs. Barber had been a resident of Rockmart for over seventy years where she was a member of the Fairview Baptist Church. She was a former employee of the Goodyear Mill and was a retired employee of Union Carbide of Cartersville.
In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Elmer Barber on July 22, 1994 by two sons: Tony Barber and Andy Barber and by nine brothers and sisters.
Survivors include two sons: Ervin G. Barber and his wife Pat, Cedartown and Terry Barber, Rockmart; three grandchildren: Mark Barber, Kelley Barber and Ashley Asad; three great grandchildren: Josh Barber, Harley Johnson and Faris Asad; two sisters: Maudie Elders and Claudie Harding and a brother, Wilbert Carter. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 2:00 pm in the chapel of the Alvis Miller & Son Funeral Home with the Rev. Aaron Johnson and Rev. Calvin Brown officiating. Interment will follow in the Hills Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
Pallbearers will include: Mark Barber, Josh Barber, Kevin Dempsey, Asa Dempsey Junior Carter and Jason Carter.
The family will receive friends Wednesday from 12 noon until the service hour at the Alvis Miller & Son Funeral Home.
The Alvis Miller & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements for the funeral of Mrs. Audie C. Barber.
To send flowers or a remembrance gift to the family of Audie C. Barber, please visit our Tribute Store.


Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter‘s is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and one of the largest churches in the world.
St. Peter’s is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The Pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Basilica or the adjoining St. Peter’s Square.
St. Peter surroundings are a very special place. The enormous church is surrounded of little streets of Borgo Pio.
The adjacent Prati area is still called from what the place used to be meadow were cattle used to graze. Nowadays is a very nice residential area confining with Vatican City, more quiet and a bit less touristic than the city historic centre location in the surroundings. Beside Saint Peter and Vatican Museums there are plenty of shops and restaurants, bars and is very safe at night to walk around with so many options mostly at walking distance one from another.


Christ with Donors
Religious subjects, particularly representations of Christ, are a recurring theme in Henner’s work. More than religious fervour, they are the expression of a profound meditation on death.
In addition to the more or less conscious references to works in museums, the artist did not hesitate to reuse elements from earlier compositions. His Christ in His Shroud for the 1896 Salon is repeated several years later in Christ with Donors, to which he added members of his family on the left-hand side of the painting. One can see that the three figures (his sister-in-law and nephews, Jules and Eugénie) were added later, the composition having been painted on three pieces of canvas that were stitched together to create a Christ with Donors in the tradition of classical painting.


Welcome to Duty International Ministries
Thank you for visiting Duty International Ministries Online. Duty International Ministries was founded to train and equip men and women for a successful and fulfilling life based on Biblical principles in spite of age, gender, race, color, financial background or ethic culture. Our commission is to build the Kingdom of God through Evangelism, Missions, Outreach, Biblical Training and Leadership. It is the desire of Duty International to raise up a generation of people who will become world changers for the sake of Christ. Based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our goal is to help one develop their gifting to the Body of Christ, give birth to their dreams, and live an abundant life. The objective for Duty International is to reveal love and encouragement to a hurting people by getting involved in social and governmental issues concerning the communities in which we live. Duty International Ministries and its affiliates are making an impact in the Body of Christ through a people who are trained to reach the world with the Word of God as their foundation, prayer and worship as their passion, and evangelism as their heart’s cry.
Yours In Christ,
Founder & President