I was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada throughout the years of my youth . Fifty years ago, I concluded that it might well have an abundance of outward and visible form, but was sadly lacking in the true inward and spiritual grace. Since that time, the Anglican Church of Canada has abandoned … Continue reading Things I learned from the Anglican Church of Canada
Christianity
Early Church History
The first recorded separation of the Christian Church occurred in A.D. 251. Novatian, bishop at Carthage (near the location of the present day city of Tunis) in North Africa, insisted that members who had renounced Christ during the persecution of Diocletian could no longer be recognized as members of the Church of Christ. He was … Continue reading Early Church History
Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of
It seems that the internet has enabled a decline in civility in society and even among Christians. In the days before the internet, the letters to the editor column in the newspaper was one way that people could make their voice heard. The letters were generally quite civil in tone, perhaps because the newspapers required … Continue reading Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of
The Key of Knowledge
For many people, the Bible seems to be a closed book, concealing its message within layers of mystery. Many teachers and writers have claimed to unravel the mysteries of the Bible, yet the teachings they have gleaned from the Bible are so varied and contradictory that it seems it must be possible to find support … Continue reading The Key of Knowledge
Prophetic words from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
(Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, whose writings revealed the sordid underside of the communist system, was expelled from the USSR in 1974. In June, 1978 he was asked to give the commencement address at Harvard University. I don't know what they expected to hear, but here are some excerpts from what they did hear.) Harvard’s motto is … Continue reading Prophetic words from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The French Foreign Legion and the Church
(My wife has written about the nature of an army and you can read her posts at christineevelynvance - see link at lower right. This is a supplement to what she has written.) The Légion Étrangère was founded in 1831 as a unit of the French Army that would be open to voluntary enlistment by … Continue reading The French Foreign Legion and the Church
Does the Bible say black skin is a curse?
The short answer is no. What follows here is a very abbreviated version of the longer answer. The book of Genesis tells of curses on Cain and Canaan. In ancient Jewish folklore the curse on Cain was linked with slavery and the curse on Canaan, somehow transferred to his father Ham, with a black skin. … Continue reading Does the Bible say black skin is a curse?
Questions
It happened the summer that I was 11 years old. I was bicycling along the shoulder of the highway that ran close by our home when I saw a cardboard box lying in the ditch. I stopped to take a closer look and saw that there were three or four Crispy Crunch bars inside. I … Continue reading Questions
English Christianity – Part 7
SO WHAT’S THE POINT? What is there to learn from this tracing of the tangled threads of church history? First, that God is able to work in wonderful and mysterious ways to bring the Gospel to people. This would accord with our Saviour’s statement in Luke 9:50 that “he that is not against us is … Continue reading English Christianity – Part 7
English Christianity – Part 6
METHODISTS Returning briefly to the Moravian Brethren, it was at one of their meetings in London that John Wesley felt his heart “strangely warmed” one evening in 1638. From that time he began to preach the Gospel wherever people would listen. He visited Count Zinzendorf and the Moravian settlements in Germany, and learned much from … Continue reading English Christianity – Part 6
Flatlander Faith 