4 Big lies about Christianity and Church history

Is something which occurred in the past important? What can the study of history do for us in the present? As the Roman statesman and orator Marcus Tullius Cicero warned centuries ago, “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always child.” Why is history important? History is important because God is ultimately the creator of all things and in him we live and move and have our being. The Bible declares that history is important, “called to remember the former days” “remember the days of old” “consider the generations long past.” 

I love history and I want to clear up a few misconceptions about Christian history and the Church’s history. It is amazing the amount of misinformation, lies, half-truth’s and myths which exist in history and especially what is called Church or Christian history. Protestant Christianity largely believes in sola scriptura which in Latin means “Scripture alone.” Not tradition, not what one Church currently believes but what the Bible says about the Bible. That isn’t to say that we believe in solo scriptura “by scripture alone.” That is completely against Biblical teaching because we cannot live our lives simply by reading the Bible alone, for instance when there is a speed limit sign on the road we can’t say that just because it isn’t in the Bible doesn’t mean that that we can go against it. The Bible speaks about obeying the government but it also speaks about not obeying the government when the government tells you to round up Jewish people such as happened in the Third Reich. Therefore we should be like the Berean’s who “examined the Scriptures daily” for they did it to make sure that what the apostle Paul taught wasn’t contrary to what God had spoken about in the Old Testament but in the context of history, we should do it to seek out the truth whatever it may be and live by the truth even if it may be uncomfortable. As Jesus said “the truth will set you free.” Women were among the largest population of the early Christian group because in those days women were seen as not equal to men but Christians saw woman as equal. In our study of history, we will examine four big lies labeled against Christianity: The Bible is intolerant and hateful, The Crusades were a dark spot on Christianity, The Church prevented science and freedom (The Dark Ages), the Church has been mostly intolerant and hateful (Spanish Inquisition). 

Big lie #1          The Bible is intolerant and hateful

First off, these lies are so complex that I could expand the explanations into the hundreds of pages but in order to just relay a few, I will try and keep it short. 

Today many believe the Church (those who are to be saved) and the Bible is intolerant but what is the Church? The Church is the body of Christ. What is the body of Christ? The body of Christ is each individual in the local church and the universal church as a whole—Each Christian is in a very real sense is like a human body part. Some of us use our mouths to teach and preach. Some of us specialize in using our hands to give and serve others and others use their legs to serve in some way. We each need each other—for how can the mouth say go and do this while we have no hands or legs? So what does the Church believe? It depends on the church but all Christians who are to be saved go to heaven believe in the teachings of God which are contained in the Bible alone. Therefore what the Church believes and what is the only inerrant source of information in the world is contained in the Bible.

 “The Bible is intolerant towards women, gays, etc.” This is a legitimate argument to those who have not read the Bible and don’t compare all of Scripture together. The Bible is made up of 66 books and therefore it is easy for many people who don’t know the Bible to take a verse out of context. However to those who know the Bible, the only thing the Bible is intolerant of is “sin.” Sin literally means “missing the mark” and we all miss the mark of being pleasing to God. Sin is disgusting in God’s sight, because unlike us God has never done anything detestable, He has never dishonored Himself, He has never murdered, and He has never coveted. God is Holy and a perfect Judge. God does not lack anything and there is nothing materially we could give Him that He would ever want. The Bible says that God hates those who are serial liars, slanders and those who are quick to run to evil yet it also says that God is long suffering, giving grace to those who do not deserve it and not wanting any to perish (go to Hell) but all to repent and trust in Him. So yes in a sense the Bible is “intolerant” but it is only intolerant of what is evil… seems reasonable to me. Does God hate homosexuality? Jesus said that what you are comes out of your heart and that nothing good dwells in us. So does God hate homosexuality? God hates all sin and when we go against what He made us for, “man and woman” we sin. It is irrelevant what the sin is, we all sin and fall short of God and all our trying to please God in doing good things is like dirty rags in the eyes of a perfect and Holy God. So God hates all sin and what we are is sinners. But doesn’t God love us? Yes He does but He also hates what we are; which are sinners and no sin can ever enter heaven. God can only accept perfect people into heaven and their was only one who in history which we know was perfect. 

            “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

We all recognize this verse but maybe we would understand the gravity of this verse if we made it personal. 

For God so Loved You that he gave his only Son for you, that if you will believe in him, you will not be condemned to a just judgment but have everlasting life. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

Big lie #2          The Crusades were a dark spot on Christianity

            “The Crusades (1095-1291) were a series of European Christian campaigns into the Middle East, fought during the middle ages. They were the military responses made by Christians from Western Europe to the Pope's pleas to re-capture the Holy Land from Islamic influence.”  This is perhaps the most misunderstood event in Christian history besides the Spanish Inquisition. Most histories of the Crusades start during the speech “Pope Urban II called upon the knights of Christendom to fight for the defense of the Christian East and the protection of pilgrims who visited the Holy land, in a speech made at the Council of Clermont on November 27, 1095.” Yet this is unfair because it fails to take into account what happened prior to the Pope’s call—especially what had happened for the past 400 years beforehand.

            It all started one night during the final part of Ramadan, the ninth month of the lunar year, around the year 610 A.D. Muhammad ibn Abdallah, a forty-year old merchant from the town of Mecca. Muhammad and his supposed call from allah “god” started him and his followers off as a peaceful group among the largely Christian Middle East but soon he started raiding caravans and taking over small cities and it wasn’t long until his raids became full  scale wars between Christians, Jews and all those who didn’t agree with Muhammad. Muhammad gradually became more and more blood thirsty and became quick to shed the blood of his enemies and had little mercy for particularly Jews and Christians. Egypt and Northern Africa used to be home to a large population of Christians but once Islamic armies had captured large portions of the Middle East, they turned northwest, northeast and southwestern and swept across northern Africa. They were stopped at the gates of the Eastern Empire of Christianity (Constantinople) and in northern France. The Spanish fought against the Muslim armies for centuries after they first swept across Spain. Within 150 years of the birth of Muhammad and his religion, Islam had conquered most of the world. They had almost taken over all of Europe. If they hadn’t been stopped in France and modern day Turkey, we would all be speaking in Arabic today and praying towards Mecca five times a day. 

This is one of the primary reasons for the Crusades. It is often believed that Christians went to the Holy Land to become rich but this is preposterous since you would basically have to be either extremely wealthy or go bankrupt and then take out loans from your relatives to even go there, since it wasn’t a short journey. If Christians wanted to get rich quick, they could have made war against Muslims in Spain, since Spain was a very wealthy. Their were many reasons which Christians decided to go but one of the most important was to defend the Holy Land where Jesus Christ had walked and many had wanted to go because they thought that it was a form of repentance for their sins. With such a vast group of Christian armies (since there were tons of different groups which made up armies) which made their way to the Holy Land, some did commit horrible acts, especially the small group of peasants which murdered Jews on their journey to the Holy Land, yet these were quickly rounded up and condemned for their atrocities. The Crusades were more complicated than most people think and were not without atrocities but neither can they be labeled as an unjustified war.

Big lie #3       The Church prevented science and freedom (The Dark Ages)

Contrary to what most people think, the Church didn’t prevent science but it actually invented it. Christians prior to and during the Scientific Revolution were influenced by those during the “Dark Ages.” The "Dark Ages" is a term used for the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. “Recent historical research has debunked the idea of a "Dark Ages" after the "fall" of Rome. In fact, this was an era of profound and rapid technological progress, by the end of which Europe had surpassed the rest of the world. Moreover, the so-called "Scientific Revolution" of the sixteenth century was a result of developments begun by religious scholars starting in the eleventh century.” It is believed that after the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe fell into darkness but the opposite is the case. After Rome fell, Europe separated into hundreds of independent “statelets” and ushered in the rise of technology, art, culture and freedom. At the end of the Roman Empire, there was extensive slavery throughout Europe but by the time of the “Renaissance” it was long gone. Romans preferred to use manual slave labor and made little use of water or wind power. Yet by the 12^th century, Europe had become so crowded with windmills that owners began filing lawsuits against each other for blocking their wind. Agriculture was also revolutionized with horses instead of oxen cultivating fields and selective plant breeding beginning in the monasteries. Chimneys and eyeglasses were invented. 

Heavy cavalry were introduced and maintained only by Christian Europe and helped stop the Muslim conquest of France in 732 and it also helped the Crusaders along with the crossbow. While gunpowder was not invented in the West, the West was the first to use it in warfare. Within a decade of gunpowder arriving from China (which mostly used it for fireworks), Europe had started constructing sailing ships armed with cannons. Capitalism is thought to have started in the Protestant Reformation but it actually started in the “Dark Ages.” Large monastic estates developed into well-organized free markets. With the birth of Capitalism, it brought great economic success and by the thirteenth century leading Christian theologians had fully debated the primary aspects of emerging capitalism—profits, property rights, credit, lending and the like. All classical societies were slave societies, even the Northwest America Indian tribes had slaves long before Columbus arrived but there was only one civilization which has ever rejected human bondage: Christendom. And it did it twice! Slavery was first eliminated in the “Dark Ages” by the Church, which echoed the call of the apostle Paul in declaring that all men were equal, whether slave or free, but in all things and always there is only Christ. Music, art, literature and education were all revolutionized by Christian Europe in the “Dark Ages.” The greatest myth of all is that of the “renaissance.” Had there really been a rebirth of classical knowledge, it would have been an era of cultural decline, since Christian Europe had long since surpassed classical antiquity in almost every way. In essence, what we now understand as modern-day freedom largely originated in Christian Europe during the “Dark Ages.”

Big lie #4       The Church has been mostly intolerant and hateful

When I say the Church capitalized, I mean the universal Church of the ruling and reigning Lord Jesus Christ. We can look at specific events throughout history and see hatred or intolerance from those who claimed to be a part of the “church” and any form of such things is a horrible. However just because there are false converts throughout Christianity’s 2000 year existence, doesn’t mean that real Christians don’t exist. Take for instance, the Spanish Inquisition. The shocking truth about that is almost everything that has been claimed about it is an outright exaggeration and lie. It was propagated by the English and Dutch in the Sixteenth century, while they were at war with Spain. In all but 2% of the cases did inquisitors ever use torture. Church law, limited torture to one session lasting no more than fifteen minutes and there could be no danger to life or limb. Nor could blood be shed! Even with these rules it is possible to have very painful techniques. However we must remember that Europe was plagued with intolerance and hatred of changing the status quo with the Reformation in full swing and it was far worse in other areas besides Spain… so much so that those who were imprisoned tried to transfer to the inquisition’s prisons.    

Even one death from hatred and intolerance is far too many. There will always be those who think they are doing good by not tolerating something or hating someone and they like wolves in sheep’s clothing sometimes gain a lot of power, even in governments, yet the only real force which has ever stopped slavery, war, hatred, intolerance and promoted freedom has always been followers of Jesus Christ.

References

The Triumph of Christianity by Rodney Stark

Drive Thru History: with Dave Stott’s

The Reformation Study Bible ESV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze0shXucArA&list=PL47671000BED9EAE2&index=31&feature=plpp_video – The Authenticity of the Bible – Josh McDowell

http://www.conservapedia.com/Crusades - The Crusades

God’s Battalions by Rodney Stark

Islamic Imperialism: A history by Efriam Karsh

The Rise of Christianity

The birth of Christianity was marked with revolutionary concepts; such as love your enemies and have mercy and take care of the weak. This type of character was unheard of and mercy was regarded as detestable to the Romans. Romans would often abandon deformed children but Christians would find them and raise them as their own. Christianity showed up at the perfect time in world history. Romans lived in mostly urban cities and when Christians arrived on the scene—they also were more prevalent in the urban cities rather than in the countryside.

“On Christmas Eve” the gods drank, eat, lied, fornicated, loved, envied and did every other human trait they desired; the gods were essentially human in every quality except they were thought to be immortal. There was no life after death except for those who were exceptionally fortunate to gain enough glory on earth. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary describes Paganism as “A heathen; a Gentile; an idolater; one who worships false gods. This word was originally applied to the inhabitants of the country, who on the first propagation of the Christian religion adhered to the worship of false gods, or refused to receive Christianity, after it had been received by the inhabitants of the cities.” The Romans were far more religious than the Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, or other pagans of their era. “Every public act began with a religious ceremony, just as the agenda of every meeting of the senate was headed by religious business.” Nothing of any significance was done in Rome without the performance of the proper rituals.

The formation of the city of Rome is believed to have taken place during the 8^th century b.c. and is mixed with mythical legend. Romulus and Remus were twin brothers believed to be conceived by the god Mars and abandoned. Luckily for them, they were found by a she-wolf who took pity on them and fed them milk. Later the brothers built a town and argued over who should be in charge; Romulus overpowered Remus—who died in the fight. Romulus became the first king of this town, which he named Rome, after himself. In the Roman Empire, most people sailed across the Mediterranean Sea and most of the large cities were along the coast. Romans worshiped hundreds of thousands of gods but the Roman gods were never loved but simply feared. However the most widely loved religions came from the oriental regions of Egypt and the Middle East. Isis and Cybele were both Oriental religions and both were the most widely celebrated religions in the Roman Empire. In the city of Rome, their was 11 temples to Isis, 6 to Cybele and 4 to Jupiter. The Oriental religions were most loved by the Romans because they provided a greater amount of satisfaction, “acted upon the senses, the intellect and the conscience at the same time, and therefore gained a hold on the entire man.” The Roman gods were a civic duty to worship but the oriental ones were a personal choice. Christianity itself was in many respects an Oriental/Eastern religion which became a totally Western religion after its birth place was virtually destroyed in the 7^th century a.d. by Muslim conquest.

The Roman Empire was a cruel and crime ridden (especially at night) place as well as the birth place of many of civilizational advances in architecture and many other advances. This is the world in which Christianity was born. We know that many of congregations which the Apostle Paul established had temples near-by in which orgies would take place and prostitutes would roam. The Pagan world in which Christianity developed was very addicted to lust, blood-lust. Crime was so high that only those who were accompanied by armed guards would walk the along the narrow streets of Rome. On Christmas Eve, Judaism was the only fully developed monotheism available in the Roman West. It is well known that the Jews played a crucial role in preparing the way for the Christianization of Rome but little is known about the influence which Oriental faiths played in preparing the way.

Jesus Christ established the New Covenant age with his death and resurrection. The old covenant was written in stone but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed his blood to atone for the sins of the world. Too often, we think of Jesus Christ as this very serious religious fellow, who was very nice and did a bunch of miracles and while his mission was extremely important— there are aspects of him which are not talked about very often. He is seen by many people as this non-confrontational pansy. Consider these verses of Jesus and how he spoke to the most “religious people” of his day—the Scribes and Pharisees:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. Matthew 23:27-28

You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Matthew 23:33

The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:14-15

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.  And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” John 2:13-16

He shouted crude language about the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees and basically rioted in a marketplace full of people—does that sound like a wimp? People tend to think that Jesus was always “dead” serious and never laughed or had no sense of humor but consider Matthew 7:3 “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”  This verse is concerning judgment and that if you see some small sin your brother is doing and call him on that but fail to  notice the huge sin that you are partaking in, then that is the height of hypocrisy. Think about that verse as if you had randomly heard someone say that to another person… Obviously a log cannot fit in someone’s eye but for that matter neither can a camel go through the eye of a needle.  That’s real. That’s funny. The humor we find most in the Gospels is that of irony.

Jesus was so controversial that he even stated this about himself “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Matthew 11:18-19

One of the most amazing details about the Bible is its references about women. In the ancient world, women were treated very poorly compared to men. Thus when the Gospels record that a woman was the first to see Jesus Christ risen from the dead, this is very strange, considering the testimony of women was not as highly regarded. Yet in God’s eyes men and women were equal. Indeed, from its earliest beginning Christianity was predominated by women. The Apostle Paul actually wrote to some of the deacons of churches which were women and as the church historian Henry Chadwick noted “Christianity seems to have been especially successful among women. It was often through the wives that it penetrated the upper classes of society in the first instance.” Christian women had just as many inscriptions on their tombs, were far more likely to survive during birth (because Romans often killed their female babies by abandoning them), and Christian marriages were far more equal, had more sex, less divorce and most Christian women had a say in whom they married. Christians Worshippers of Roman gods and their temples had no use for women, Isis and Cybele worship allowed for women to join, Jewish women were treated much better but Christian women were treated the best. Christian women, slaves, poor and the disabled--flocked to Christianity, because it treated the least among people greater than any group in the Roman Empire. Yet many of the first followers of Christ were among the wealthy classes. Contrary to much belief, Christianity did not start among the lowest of classes. Karl Marx was wrong, when he claimed that “The history of early Christianity has notable points of resemblance with the modern working-class movement. Like the latter, Christianity was originally a movement of oppressed people: it first appeared as the religion of slaves and emancipated slaves, of poor people deprived of all rights, of peoples subjugated or dispersed by Rome.” Karl Kautsky (1854-1938), the German editor of Marx’s works believed that Jesus was one of the first socialists and that the early Christians briefly achieved true communism—this belief is absurd considering that communism is a fundamentally utopian belief that people can make a perfect society on earth. Yet the Bible states something entirely different, that people sin and therefore perfection on earth by humans as an ideal unto itself is anti-God.

It would seem that the debate about the social status of the first Christians would be settled by Paul’s “irrefutable” proof text, when he noted of his followers that “not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth” 1 Corinthians 1:26 This verse clearly shows that there were Christians who were powerful and of noble birth. Considering that by the year 40 A.D. there were around 1000 Christians and that a very small fraction of the Roman Empire were of noble birth, it is remarkable that any of the tiny group of Christians were of the nobility. “Many Bible scholars have been troubled by 2 Corinthians 8:9 wherein Paul remarks “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” Could this be true? Was Jesus once a rich man? Many interpret this metaphorically in reference to his spiritual riches but this interpretation is greatly compromised by the fact that the verse occurs within a context wherein Paul is asking the Corinthians to contribute money, not prayers, for the poor in Jerusalem. Jesus was believed to be a carpenter. According to the traditional Jewish practice all rabbis “learned a trade to fall back on, since it seems extremely likely that Jesus was a well-educated rabbi.” Only three times in the Gospels are “building” or “construction referenced and are so elementary that one need not be a carpenter to have such knowledge. However “Jesus constantly used examples involving wealth: land ownership, investment, borrowing, having servants and tenants, inheritance, and the like… these examples may not reflect that Jesus was a son of privilege, but they surely do suggest a privileged audience.” It is commonly objected that Jesus advised that wealth was a barrier to salvation and that one should give one’s wealth to the poor. Yet rather than seeing this as a “poor man’s” complaint against the rich, it is at least as likely that this statement was coming from someone who is in a position to say, “do as I have done.” Indeed, the apostles, those Jesus hung around and followers seem like they are of noteworthy social status. What Karl Marx failed to realize when he wrote that “religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature... the opium of the people” is that “religion is more often the opium of the dissatisfied upper classes, the sigh of wealthy creatures depressed by materialism.” The poor and foolish in Jesus’s time were illiterate. Buddha was a prince who converted sixty of the nobility. Zoroaster built a successful movement after converting the king, queen and court of a nearby kingdom. Early Taoists as well as Confucianists were recruited from among the Chinese elite, and Moses was a prince. It would seem by simply looking at the history of movements, they were not started by the poor but are spiritual ventures of the privileged. 

The fact is that economics doesn’t answer all of life’s questions, i.e. wealth and power do not satisfy all human desires. The rich being more free from material needs are able to found or join religious movements. In modern times, the rich have flocked to democrat/leftist politics. The American radicals of the 1960’s were among the privileged classes. The majority of Muslim terrorists who have attacked the West have come from highly privileged backgrounds. Buddha couldn’t find satisfactory purpose in a palace but under a Banyan tree. “Growing up in privilege often generates the conviction that one has the superior wisdom needed to transform the world and the right, perhaps even the duty, to do so.”

While movements are started by the upper-class, it is obvious that rich and poor alike often turn to Christianity. Misery, illness, squalor and many things were common in ancient cities but as the distinguished historian Paul Johnson states “The Christians… ran a miniature welfare state in an empire which for the most part lacked social services. As Tertullian explained “On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he is able; for there is no compulsion; all is voluntary.” In the year 165, a devastating epidemic swept through the Roman Empire. Some believe this was the first appearance of smallpox in the West. Mercy, piety and strong faith were what drove Christians during this time to selflessly take charge of the sick and cheerfully become infected and die along with their infected neighbors and the poor. While most Romans watched as bodies piled up among their cities, Christians became care givers of the sick and dying.

During the summer of the year 64, the emperor Nero sometimes lit up his garden at night by setting fire to a few fully conscious Christians who had been covered with wax and then impaled high on poles forced up their rectums. Nero also had Christians killed by wild animals in the arena, and he even crucified a few. Roman persecutions against Christians continued for its first three centuries and at some points, it was almost completely destroyed. Nero reportedly killed hundreds out of an estimated 2,000 Christians. Roman society was so enamored with its own belief that Rome was made great because of the gods, that whenever economic recessions, political instability or military misfortunes occurred, Pagan emperors would blame it upon Christians and it was primarily a top-down persecution. Nevertheless, what Romans didn’t understand was that Christian bishops, priests and deacons were not like Roman nobility but whether slave or deacon, Christians were “brothers” and the highest of the Christian status sphere was the “holy martyr.” 

Martyrs were revered among Christians and their stories were celebrated, carefully retold and kept in order that future generations would know of their feat. Polycarp was burned alive at the stake in 156 and every year local Christians would celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom. There were a substantial many who renounced their faith because of the fear of torture but the majority would ask to be readmitted. This was achieved by a “judicious blend of severity and mercy…. Forgiveness after repentance attested by heavy penance was the rule.” Yet for those who could suffer, many went through incredibly harsh tortures and never renounced their faith. “In fact, the church fathers were forced to frequently forbid voluntary martyrdom in an effort to prevent zealous members from presenting themselves to the authorities. Even so, surviving documents reveal “an astonishingly large number of volunteers.”” “Of all the proofs and all of the testimonials, nothing approaches the credibility inherent in martyrdom. How could mere mortals remain defiant after being skinned and covered with salt? How could anyone keep the faith while being slowly roasted on a spit? Such performances seemed virtually supernatural in and of themselves. And that was the effect they often had on the observers.” Many pagans were amazed and they grew to respect the faith they observed in Christians.

After three centuries of persecution, Christians quickly became accepted among the Roman Empire in the reign of Constantine. Constantine was not responsible for the growth of Christianity, as by that time, it had already grown exponentially. In 312 there was close to 9 million Christians, among the 60 million populations of the Roman Empire and by 350 there were 31 million. As Christians became the majority, many sought to call themselves Christian as a way to be among the majority. Yet Paganism continued and still had many followers into the 5^th and 6^th century. Paganism never fully died off in Europe but it did slowly diminish into the minority and Christians largely ignored paganism, while the church focused much attention in stamping out Christian heresies.

The rise of Christianity brought women’s and many other rights to the disenfranchised but it also suffered severe persecution and ultimately triumphed over the dark forces warring against it.

References

Cities of God by Rodney Stark

The Triumph of Christianity by Rodney Stark

The Humor of Christ by Elton Trueblood

Drive Thru History: with Dave Stott’s

The Reformation Study Bible ESV

American Dictionary of the English Language, Noah Webster, 1828.

The history and purpose of the Law

 I am guilty of breaking the law--Yes I am guilty of breaking the law. It seems so contrary to my nature—or I propose—all nature of men and women to admit guilt when we have committed a crime. We hate to admit to doing something which is wrong. We will speak about criminals, dictators or even other people we know, who we say have committed something which is wrong in our understanding of what is good and not good or what is good and evil. Thus, we speak whisper and think that others have committed a crime and even regard some crimes as unforgivable but are reluctant to point out or bring to the attention of others or ourselves about some crime or thing we have done. Yet why do we even need to speak like this? What I mean is, why should we think that there is such a thing as good and evil? How do we know? Isn’t it odd that we ascribe that such a thing exists at all? I am speaking from a point of view—of a person who doesn’t know ultimately what life is about. Let us imagine an adult-person such as me, found myself alone--on a tropical island with approximately 90 boys and 10 girls who were around 10-15 years old. Now, Let us say that all of these children grew up in 1940’s Nazi Germany—instructed by Hitler as a Hitler youth--and suddenly found them-selves on this island with me. Obviously, this doesn’t sound like a good situation for me to be in, does it? I’m thinking bad things could happen to me or the other children, if they are left to figure out what to do about being stranded on this island. I would probably want to tell them about certain things that are right and wrong and that in societies such as America, there are laws that keep each person in society safe and that we too should adopt these laws… After telling them this, one of the kids asks me why they should adopt those laws and why they should care about laws at all?

If you are like me the task of trying to do what is right can be very difficult sometimes. Yet what is “right?” and what is law anyway and why do we need it at all?

Aristotle (born in 384 B.C.) is perhaps one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. Aristotle taught a wide variety of subjects including logic, rhetoric, poetry, ethics, biology, physics, astronomy, political theory, economics, aesthetics, anatomy and metaphysical philosophy.  Aristotle didn’t invent logic but he did define it and set forth its fundamentals. As Aristotle understood it, logic was essential for all other sciences and that which is illogical, is unintelligible; it is not only not understood, but is also incapable of being understood. For instance, he wrote about the law of non-contradiction—according to this law which is the chief principle of logic, “A cannot be A and non-A at the same time and in the same sense.” Take the idea which some believe, that science proves God doesn’t exist; this is a falsehood because we know that science can never prove that something which isn’t seen or testable cannot exist. We can however prove that there are no square circles in the universe. Why? Not because we have looked for them everywhere but because it is a logical contradiction. Therefore logic, tells us that science can never prove something such as unicorns or God to not have existed. This law of non-contradiction doesn’t tell us what to think but how to think. Logic and this law of non-contradiction is a tool for understanding relationships to see whether they are contradictory. According to Aristotle “We always like best whatever comes first. And therefore youth should be kept strangers to all that is bad, and especially to things which suggest vice or hate.” “Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim.” “But perhaps to say that the highest good is happiness is obviously something undisputed” “Every state is a community of some kind, and every community is established with a view to some good; for mankind always act in order to obtain that which they think good. But, if all communities aim at some good, the state or political community, which is the highest of all, and which embraces all the rest, aims at good in a greater degree than any other, and at the highest good.” “The state comes into existence, originating in the bare needs of life, and continuing in existence for the sake of a good life” “Hence it is evident that the state is a creation of nature, and that man is by nature a political animal. And he who by nature and not by mere accident is without a state, is either a bad man or above humanity; he is like the tribeless, lawless, hearthless one whom Homer denounces—the natural outcast is forthwith a lover of war.” “Virtue and goodness in the state are not a matter of chance but the result of knowledge and purpose. A city can be virtuous only when the citizens who have a share in the government are virtuous.”

Aristotle’s thought is echoed in America’s founding fathers such as President George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, when he states “that there exists in the economy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness.” The issue of nature and law is often echoed in those who influenced our founding fathers “True law is right reason, consonant with nature, spread through all people (Cicero).” “The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, heath, liberty, or possessions (John Locke).”           Indeed Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Henry Lee, about the Declaration of Independence and the thought behind—described that it wasn’t something newly thought up or merely to say things which hadn’t been said before but were drew upon by a long tradition of political as well as philosophical tradition “Aristotle, Cicero, Locke, Sidney, ect.” Now that we understand the root of natural law, what is law itself? Law is “the collective organization of the individual right to lawful defense (Fredric Bastiat).” What is the primary purpose of law? “The chief duty and care of all governments is to protect the rights of property (Fisher Ames, a Framer of the Bill of Rights)” And according to our fourth president and founding father James Madison…

“A man’s land, or merchandize, or money is called his property. In the latter sense, a man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them. He has a property of peculiar value in his religious opinions, and in the profession and practice dictated by them. He has a property very dear to him in the safety and liberty of his person. He has an equal property in the free use of his faculties and free choice of the objects on which to employ them. In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights. Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions. Where there is an excess of liberty, the effect is the same, tho’ from an opposite cause. Government is instituted to protect property of every sort”

It is apparent that our founding fathers believed in rights as well as laws which were derived from a source of absolute truth and that there is such a thing as good and evil. How could we function in society, if we didn’t believe in some good? Evil is apparent from looking at history; we simply need to turn on the news sometime or read history to understand the depths which humans can destroy each other.  Both good and evil do exist and even the atheist believes in some good… but even more than that--even those people we wouldn’t generally associate as “good” refer to themselves as “good people”. Therefore there exists in our hearts or perhaps our conscience a law as defined in the Declaration of Independence which states “the laws of nature and nature’s God” and in the Law—and these things convict us of something which is either right or wrong. I started this blog by saying I have broken the law but what I really meant was that I broke the Law.

All the laws of which I have spoken come from a source which is different from us humans, the Law I am speaking of is righteous, perfect and has its source set in the one thing which cannot be unjust in its judgment but which is perfectly good—the LORD, God. Humans were not created autonomous (free to be a law to themselves) but subject to the law of God. God in the Bible described himself as Holy, good, merciful, just, faithful, loving, perfect in all these qualities and all knowing, all seeing and is infinite. God made humans in his image and the first human was the representative for all his posterity. Adam and Eve represented us perfectly as our original father and mother and whatever they did in their lives, would directly affect all of their descendants. God in his creation could not force Adam or Eve to obey his Law, which to us is now succinctly stated in the Ten Commandments—God cannot violate his own nature. Take for example, God can never create something bigger then himself because that would be a violation of His nature. If God, created something bigger then himself, He would cease to be God, because God is infinite and in-so-doing this argument wouldn’t make sense, because God can never violate his own nature. So when Adam, along with Eve, decided to eat the apple from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” which God had commanded Him not to eat, Adam had freely disobeyed God and in essence Adam as well as Eve, now sought to determine what was good and bad—in disregard of what God had said. As a consequence, of Adam’s sin to become like God, in Adam, all die (1 Cor. 15:22). If God’s nature is all pure, holy, just, good and perfect, then why would he allow disobedience to love, goodness and charity (which are attributes of God) go unpunished?

It is because of this that it is said that the generations after Adam and Eve, became wicked. Cain and Abel, Adam’s sons were born and Cain murdered his brother. So Cain’s descendants became worse and worse and the wickedness of mankind became great and corruption and evil spread.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). Now that we have a small idea of the state of mankind, what is after death?

When most people are asked, are you a good person and will you go to heaven? They will say things like “yes, I think so.” Okay so let’s do a little test based off the Ten Commandments. Have you ever told a lie? And that person says “yeah, who hasn’t?” So what do you call someone who lies? “A liar.” Have you ever stolen anything? “Nope” But you just told me you’re a liar. “Well I did steal some candy once as a kid.” What do you call someone who steals? “A thief.” Have you ever looked at someone with lust? “Of course” Jesus says everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Have you ever murdered someone? “No” Jesus says that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. By your own admission you’re a liar, thief, murderer and adulterer at heart—and that’s just four of the Ten Commandments. So that person says “ok, so I’m not perfect.” Actually it’s worse than that…  Sin isn’t just doing things we shouldn’t. It’s also Not doing the things we should. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin (James 4:17) For God knows the secrets of the heart (Psalm 44:21). So then this person might say, “Well compared to some people (such as Hitler, the KKK, Osama Bin Laden), I’m a saint!” True, but the standard is God’s Law, not other people. Besides, if you were to sin just five times a day, in 1 year that would be 1,825 sins! If you lived to be seventy, you’ll have broken God’s Law over 127,000 times! You’ll have to answer for every sin on judgment day. So then each of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:12). “But won’t God just forgive me?” Try that in court… “I know I keep breaking the law. But can’t you just let it slide?” Only a corrupt judge would do that. A good judge would say “Justice demands that you pay for your crimes.” God is a Holy, Righteous Judge. He hates sin! Jesus warned that God will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:41-42).

Hell is described as the final place of those condemned to eternal punishment at the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:41-46, Revelation 20:11-15). It is a place of fire, darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth, destruction and torment (Jude 7, 13, Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30, 2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2 Pet. 3:7; 1 Thess. 5:3, Rev. 20:10; Luke 16:23). Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it (Revelation 20:11). When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne (Matthew 25:31). God judges the righteous and God is angry with the wicked everyday (Psalm 7:11). There is none that does good, not even one (Psalm 14:3, Mark 10:18, Romans 3:10). According to their deeds, so will he will repay, wrath to his adversaries (Isaiah 59:18). For behold, the LORD will come in fire, and his chariots like the whirlwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire (Isaiah 66:15). He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty (Revelation 19:15). I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath their lifeblood spattered on my garments and stained all my apparel (Isaiah 63:3). And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them (Ezekiel 8:18). And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire… and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10, 20:15, Jude 13). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). I tell you my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 4-5).

So then, what can be done? “How then can anyone get to heaven?”

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God (John 3:16-18). God loves you So Much, he sent his Son Jesus Christ to suffer and die for your sins… then he rose from the grave defeating death! After being convicted by the Law, which condemns those who declare they are good, the Law sends those who are under it seeking a savior. For you’re condemned by the Law—Jesus says--For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18). For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it (James 2:10).And when the Judge says, unless someone has paid for your fine—your bail money, unless someone has paid for your sins and there is only one name under heaven which can be evoked to save sinners from the “second death” which is the lake of fire, you will perish. So then this person should ask, what must I do to be saved from eternal punishment?

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. Not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8). I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose (Galatians 2:21). You cannot earn eternal life by good works. For by the law, no one is good, none is righteous and all have fallen short of the glory of God. If you could be justified as righteous and worthy of salvation under the law through good works, then why did Jesus commit himself to the Cross? For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them—because by works of the law no one will be justified (Galatians 2:16, 2:21). But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone (Matthew 15:18-20). Jesus is always concerned with the heart, because it is from the heart and then thoughts and then actions that we degrade ourselves, others and God. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty (2 Peter 1:16). We must be transformed first by the saving grace of Jesus and the help of the Holy Spirit will transform us from the inside out. Only those who humble themselves repent (turn away from their sins) and come to Jesus. Turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus. He will forgive your sins and give you a new heart! If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Now if you are ready to pass from death into life, to be saved--pray something like this:

“Dear God, today I turn away from all of my sins [name them] and I put my trust in Jesus Christ alone as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me, change my heart, and grant me Your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

Now have faith in God. He is absolutely trustworthy. Never doubt his promises. He is not a man that he should lie; for God cannot lie. The sincerity of your prayer will be evidenced by your obedience to God’s will, so read his Word (the Bible) daily and obey what you read.

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7). “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin (Romans 3:18-20). In the Old Testament, the essence of a proper attitude to God is “fear,” the absence of which is practical atheism. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) The fear of the Lord is a common theme throughout the Old and New Testament and especially a controlling principle in the Proverbs. The fear of the Lord is the only basis of true knowledge. This “fear” is not distrustful terror of God, but rather the reverent awe and worshipful response of faith to the God who reveals himself as Creator, Savior, and Judge. Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of knowledge and wisdom—only this fear enables one to know what anything means ultimately.

A good bible believing and reading Church is essential for any believer’s growth in Christ. Without a church family—it is almost impossible to grow and will likely stagnate—for the devil will tempt all who are in Christ—just as he tempted Jesus Christ himself. You will have struggles in Christ, because the world does not want you—because if you are in Christ, you are no longer of the world and the world which is ruled by the prince of darkness will not want you to be like Christ. What struggles did the early Christians and Apostles go through? Well they endured massive resistance and persecution but in order to shorten their struggles, I will just list how they died:

According to Fox’s Book of Martyrs

I.                    St. Stephen suffered next after Christ—being taken and stoned to death.

II.                  44 A.D. James the Great was beheaded.

III.                54 A.D. Philip was scourged, thrown into prison and afterwards beheaded.

IV.                66 A.D. Matthew suffered martyrdom being slain with a halberd.

V.                  Matthias was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.

VI.                Andrew was crucified on a cross; the two ends were fixed transversely in the ground.

VII.              St. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.

VIII.            Peter was condemned to death and crucified. Jerome said that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.

IX.                Paul was beheaded.

X.                  73 A.D. Jude was crucified.

XI.                Bartholomew was at great length cruelly beaten and then crucified.

XII.              Luke was hanged on an olive tree by the idolatrous priests of Greece.

XIII.            74 A.D. Simon was crucified.

XIV.            Barnabas’s death took place about A.D. 73

XV.              John the “beloved disciple,” was brother to James the Great and was the only disciple to escape violent death.

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – Philippians 1:21

The Bible should be taken seriously when it says what is right, just and good; because “are you not new creations in Christ? Do you not have the wanting to do what is right and to hate sin? For Jesus hates sin and cannot be a part of that which is sinful. So if you have on the Lord Jesus Christ, then will you not love what he loves and hate what he hates? It is extremely difficult to be faithful; when you are alone and have no Church family and no Church you can call home. If a vine is not connected to the main root, which is the “True Vine” i.e. Jesus Christ and the body of Christ (the Church), then how will it continue to grow and mature? Will It not more likely wither away, die out and be as if it was cast on rocky soil, producing just thorns and weeds--which are not a part of the branch of the “True Vine”. “Do you swear to tell the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth, so help you God” That is what we hear during movies or in a courtroom ourselves and the truth is what this blog is about, not what I deem as the truth but what God says is the Truth “and the Truth will set you Free” and the Bible is Truth—what people decide after they have learned of the Truth is their decision but they must know that as Hebrews 9:27 states “And just as it is appointed for man to die once and after that comes judgment. I plead for you to look at the Law and consider your own guilt. I hope urge and pray that you turn to God, repent and put your faith in Jesus. I love you so much... And God loves you so much more "he is not willing that any should perish". He takes no pleasure in condemning people. Please come to Jesus! After death, God will raise us all from the dead and judge you according to his standards. Do not neglect your salvation or say "i can wait until this-or that time" please allow Jesus into your heart and mind today. How could i be a true friend if i didn't warn you about the judgment to come. I want to be eternal friends. Their is a chasm between heaven and hell and none can pass between. It is forever and those who do not choose God, the choice is made for them--because they did not believe in the only Son of God.

This blog is not only for everyone but me as well. By writing it down, I re-confirm my commitment to “knowing” and learning the Laws, truth and Jesus. Through the continued deepening of faith come the fruit of love and also liberty and most especially freedom of the individual in a society. The love of Christ is what brought the Pilgrims to America and that is what the monument in the pictures I included represent. It is the most important monument in America and is the least known of any. It is located at the end of a neighborhood street, where almost no one ever visits. It is called the Forefathers Monument in Plymouth—where the Pilgrims landed. It was dedicated to the pilgrims. It has a woman on the top, pointing towards the heavens with an open Geneva Bible and a star on her head which signifies wisdom--under her it says "faith." Below her is another figure which signifies Morality, and then law, education and finally freedom (freedom being the last thing to be gained from faith in the Christian God). Each figure is a symbol of Christianity and that each step from faith to morality and morality to the law was all because of the top statue which represented “faith” This monument was erected so that we would forever understand how the Pilgrims accomplished their “new world” and how our Founding fathers achieved freedom. It was a clarion call to us—later generations; so that we would never forget how they did it and we would be able to understand how to defend freedom as well.

References

http://www.vindicatingthefounders.com/library/property-rights.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI – 180—movie by Ray Comfort and Living Waters

http://historicaldigression.com/2012/01/31/forefathers-monument-in-plymouth-an-overlooked-colossus/

Defending your Faith: an introduction into apologetics by R.C. Sproul

Drive thru History: with Dave Stott’s

The Reformation Study Bible ESV

Sermon – Jonathan Edwards “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God”

Sermon – Charles H. Spurgeon “A warning against Hardness of Heart”

God has a wonderful plan for your life: The myth of the modern message – Ray Comfort

Fox’s Book of Martyrs – John Fox

The Law – Fredric Bastiat

The U.S. Constitution: A Reader – Hillsdale College Politics department

Politics and Nichmachaen Ethics – Aristotle

The Consequence of Ideas – R.C. Sproul

My letter to God

   To God:

My heart aches for a deeper relationship with You, the Savior of this world. It is in Jesus Christ that we truly have Life, and I find your message pure, self-sacrificing, true and full of love. I will re-state my faithful commitment to the God of so many wonders.
   The "living waters" which come from God has already pierced my soul with its richness but it is a total faith and trust in Christ which speaks to me of the love which is so beautiful, strong and pure.
We do not truly love something, until we can love God more than anything else. So, I would like to propose, two important things that I commit to you Father.

I hereby give over to you Lord, all those things which I hold dear. First I give to you myself, that you may teach me your ways and correct me when it is not of you and make you the center of every decision. Mold my life to revolve around Jesus Christ. Second, I give to you my love life. I commit to honor my future wife by being faithful to you and by saving the love I have for her, for her alone.

Love,
Your son,
Jesse