The Puzzle of the Spiritual Kingdom "The Kingdom of God is in your heart." It's a common phrase in modern Christianity. For many, the Kingdom of God is something abstract, something internal, or something to be experienced only in a far-off, post-death heaven. But when you read the Bible with fresh eyes, especially the words of Jesus and the apostles, another picture emerges: a real, physical Kingdom—on Earth. So why the disconnect? The answer lies, in part, in the powerful influence of … [Read more...] about From Concrete to Cloudy: How Gnosticism Reshaped the Christian Hope
Gnosticism
Valentine’s Day
The observance of Valentine’s Day is recognized as sort of a joyous celebration of love and romance, an opportunity to make somebody that is special to you feel special. It’s sort of a very nice idea and it’s become, as many of the hallmark holidays, sort of a very widely accepted ubiquitous global tradition. Endorsed by Christianity, endorsed by commerce and certainly by schoolteachers, it’s one of those holidays that everyone seems to participate in and there is a lot of social pressure to be … [Read more...] about Valentine’s Day
Ethnic Gnosticism
Ethnic Gnosticism is a term crafted by Voddie Baucham to explain the phenomenon of people believing that somehow because of one’s ethnicity that one is able to know when something or someone is racist. Voddie Baucham is an American who is currently Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. He sheds light on the way this ideology is undermining the gospel and compromising genuine Christian relationships in the broader Christian church today. His message is not from … [Read more...] about Ethnic Gnosticism
Gnosticism: Why John Wrote 1 John
The New Testament Church began with a bang. We note in the book of Acts that one day 5,000 people were added to the church. Soon after another 3,000 were added. But over time, Satan’s influence sapped some of that initial “first love” that the Church had when it began. False teachers began to worm their way into the Church. We know this from Christ’s words regarding the Churches in Revelation, particularly the Church in Ephesus. It was significant enough for Christ to … [Read more...] about Gnosticism: Why John Wrote 1 John