Norms of Faith and Life

Norms of Faith and Life
Author: Everett Ferguson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 384
Release: 1999
Genre: Christian life
ISBN: 9780815330707

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Apostolic Succession

The Apostolic Succession
Author: Arnold Ehrhardt
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2009-06-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 160608769X

Apostolic Succession

Apostolic Succession
Author: David W. T. Brattston
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 88
Release: 2020-04-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725264579

This book is the first in generations to examine writers in the early church in order to ascertain the original Christian intent as to how early Christian clergy were chosen, their powers and responsibilities, and the methods of placing people in church office and displacing them. This book demonstrates what the first writers meant when they advocated apostolic succession, the scope of authority particular church officers would possess, and how their authority would be transmitted. Besides concentrating on writings in the first to third centuries AD, this book draws on later material to question the assertions made today for bishops claiming apostolic succession. It reveals they are contrary to early church thought, that the doctrine or theory of apostolic succession cannot be proved, and does not work in practice even in our own day. This publication is rare in the field of Christian scholarship in that it challenges the fundamental claims that diocesan bishops do or can trace their lines of ordinations back to the apostles. This unusual book will comfort many, and disquiet many, and surprise all, because it investigates what many assume, without solid proof, to be the bedrock of church authority.

Rebuilding the Foundations

Rebuilding the Foundations
Author: Paul Pavao
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2023-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781734106015

Most evangelical Christians believe that the smallest sin will cause eternal condemnation. This horrific falsehood and others underlie a Christian belief system that is imposed on the Bible rather than received from it. Paul Pavao uses the plain statements of Scripture to uproot the old foundations, lay out and establish the foundations clearly described in the Bible, and rebuild the basics of the faith. Verse after verse, called difficult by traditional teachers, click neatly into place when put into the Christian system taught by the apostles and once believed by all churches. J.T. Tancock, Welsh apologist, author, and Bible college teacher calls Rebuilding the Foundations "explosive." He writes, "It upsets apple carts, slays sacred cows, and demands that we 'go back to the Bible'. For all of those reasons all of us must read it."God shaped Paul's life, personality, circumstances, and spiritual upbringing to prepare him to write this book. "I wrote Decoding Nicea to prove I could deal honestly with the facts and make solid historical sources available to the average Christian. That book was written as much to prove that I am qualified to write this book as for any other reason."Thousands of churches have hundreds of different theological systems. Converts to all branches of modern Christianity fall away in droves, most not even attending a church years down the road. Pastors know the majority of their congregants have little or no zeal for the things of Christ. A foundation of errors can only produce more errors, both theologically and practically. Building on what the apostle Paul called "God's firm foundation" can deliver us from those errors.

The Trail of Blood

The Trail of Blood
Author: J.M. Carroll
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 50
Release: 2019-10-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1794700382

Dr. JM Carroll's "The Trail of Blood" is a great historical premise concerning the beginnings of the church from "Christ it's founder, till the current day". Written in the early 20th century, Dr. Carroll details the history and plight of TRUE bible believers throughout time. Still as relevant today as it was almost 100 years ago, this timeless classic is a must-have part of any Christian's personal reading collection.

From Apostles to Bishops

From Apostles to Bishops
Author: Francis Aloysius Sullivan
Publisher: Paulist Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2001
Genre: Episcopacy
ISBN: 9780809105342

Examines the origins and development of the episcopacy in the early church with an eye toward its implications for current ecumenical issues relating to the episcopacy and apostolic succession.

40 Questions About Roman Catholicism

40 Questions About Roman Catholicism
Author: Gregg R. Allison
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2021-09-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0825486920

Straightforward answers about Roman Catholicism for a Protestant audience The Roman Catholic faith is one of the world's most widespread religious traditions, yet the unique aspects of Roman Catholicism elicit perennial questions from adherents and outsiders alike. Such questions tend to fall into three major categories: historical backgrounds, theological matters, and personal relationships. Using Catholic Church documents and the writings of Catholic scholars, Baptist systematic theologian Gregg R. Allison distills the teachings of Catholicism around forty common questions about Catholic foundations, beliefs, and practices. The accessible question-and-answer format guides readers to the areas of interest, including: Where do Roman Catholic and Protestant beliefs differ? What happens during a Roman Catholic Mass? How does Roman Catholicism understand the biblical teaching about Mary? Who are the saints and what is their role? How can my Roman Catholic loved ones and I talk about the gospel? 40 Questions About Roman Catholicism explores theology and practice, doctrine and liturgy, sacraments and Mariology, contributions and scandals, and many other things, clarifying both real and perceived differences and similarities with other Christian traditions.

The Myth of Persecution

The Myth of Persecution
Author: Candida Moss
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 247
Release: 2013-03-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0062104543

An expert on early Christianity reveals how the early church invented stories of Christian martyrs—and how this persecution myth persists today. According to church tradition and popular belief, early Christians were systematically persecuted by a brutal Roman Empire intent on their destruction. As the story goes, vast numbers of believers were thrown to the lions, tortured, or burned alive because they refused to renounce Christ. But as Candida Moss reveals in The Myth of Persecution, the “Age of Martyrs” is a fiction. There was no sustained 300-year-long effort by the Romans to persecute Christians. Instead, these stories were pious exaggerations; highly stylized rewritings of Jewish, Greek, and Roman noble death traditions; and even forgeries designed to marginalize heretics, inspire the faithful, and fund churches. The traditional story of persecution is still invoked by church leaders, politicians, and media pundits who insist that Christians were—and always will be—persecuted by a hostile, secular world. While violence against Christians does occur in select parts of the world today, the rhetoric of persecution is both misleading and rooted in an inaccurate history of the early church. By shedding light on the historical record, Moss urges modern Christians to abandon the conspiratorial assumption that the world is out to get them.