Dr. Jay Forrest

The four gospels of the New Testament were originally written anonymously. They were only later given the names: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Scholars do not believe that these are eyewitness accounts. And the gospel of Thomas, which is not included in the New Testament, maybe the oldest of all of them (60 CE). The first time we have a list of the four gospels is in the Muratorian Canon that was written in the late 2nd century (154-199 CE). The earliest fragments exist from about the middle of the second century. So the gospels must have been written before then.  Most scholars date the gospels from the end of the first century. But this is based upon the presupposition that they are historical biographies. As the search for the historical Jesus demonstrates, they are not historical biographies. They are either elaborations of a historical Jesus or a allegorical myth. Now if we lay aside the presupposition that they are historical biographies, a more reasonable dating puts th

This is the oldest creed of Christianity. It is recorded in the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the [Jewish] scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the [Jewish] scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brothers at once; of whom the greater part remain to this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)

Chapter 17. Philo's Account of the Ascetics of Egypt. 1. It is also said that Philo in the reign of Claudius became acquainted at Rome with Peter, who was then preaching there. Nor is this indeed improbable, for the work of which we have spoken, and which was composed by him some years later, clearly contains those rules of the Church which are even to this day observed among us. 2. And since he describes as accurately as possible the life of our ascetics, it is clear that he not only knew, but that he also approved, while he venerated and extolled, the apostolic men of his time, who were as it seems of the Hebrew race, and hence observed, after the manner of the Jews, the most of the customs of the ancients. 3. In the work to which he gave the title, On a Contemplative Life or on Suppliants , after affirming in the first place that he will add to those things which he is about to relate nothing contrary to truth or of his own invention, he says that these men were called

I believe in God the Father almighty. And in Christ Jesus, His only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Holy Spirit from the Virgin Mary, who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried, on the third day rose from the dead, ascended into the heavens, he sits at the right hand of the Father, from which He will come to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit, the holy Ecclesia, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the body (the life everlasting). ____________ This is an early version of what later became the Apostles’ Creed, called the “Old Roman Creed.” It was in use as early as the second century (Kelly, Creeds, 101). It was the only doctrinal requirement in the early church. It was confessed before batism. Translated from the Latin by Jay N. Forrest

“We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us.” - Pogo (Walt Kelly) As an Evangelical Christian, I was warned about liberal theology. It was of the devil. I am told that the enemy is the Liberal. I have met the enemy and it is me. When you actually look up the word liberal , you find out it is not a bad word at all. The Oxford English Dictionary defines liberal as "relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise." What's so bad about that? Maybe because it interferes with big money, political power, and corporate greed. John F. Kennedy once said, "But if by a ‘Liberal’ they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and

The most common translation of 2 Timothy 3:16 is similar to the King James Version, which reads, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV). But is this really correct? The English Revised Version of 1885 corrected this to read: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” The American Standard Version of 1901 did the same: “Every scripture inspired of God [is] also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” Because of the fundamentalist backlash, the Revised Standard Version of 1952 decided to return to “All scripture is inspired by God.” They moved the correct translation to the notes, where it reads: “Every scripture inspired by God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in

By calling ourselves Progressive Christians we mean we are Christians who: 1. Believe that following the way and teachings of Jesus can lead to experiencing sacredness, wholeness, and unity of all life, even as we recognize that the Spirit moves in beneficial ways in many faith traditions. 2. Seek community that is inclusive of all people, honoring differences in theological perspective, age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, class, or ability. 3. Strive for peace and justice among all people, knowing that behaving with compassion and selfless love towards one another is the fullest expression of what we believe. 4. Embrace the insights of contemporary science and strive to protect the Earth and ensure its integrity and sustainability. 5. Commit to a path of life-long learning, believing there is more value in questioning than in absolutes. Source: https://progressivechristianity.org/

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20). First, lets defines two terms. The first term is materialism. Materialism is “the doctrine that nothing exists except matter and its movements and modifications” (OED). This term has gone out of favor with many others because it also means “a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values.” And this latter definition is what people usually think of when they hear the word materialism. The second word is naturalism. Naturalism is “the philosophical belief that everything arises from natural properties and causes, and supernatural or spiritual explanations are excluded or discounted” (OED). This has become the more common word for this belief system. Of course, they try to hide the fact that it is a belief system by adding

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye" (Psalm 32:8). I'm afraid that most people have been told a lie. God's plan is not to make you happy and healthy. God's plan is to test you and form you into the image of Christ. God's plan is to give you the tools and then let you learn to apply them yourself. These tools include a Divine purpose, Divine principles, and a Divine prototype. I might stop to emphasize this again. God's plan is not a ready-made path. God wants you to make your own path. God wants you to walk your own way. God wants you to live your life according to his principles. Many people mistakenly think God has a ready-made plan for them. And all they need to do is discover that plan, and walk that path. That is false. God wants you to take his Divine purpose, his Divine principles and his Divine prototype and apply those to your life. He wants you to learn to live godly. He wants you to

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matt 3: 4). Many people act as if after the Bible was completed, God stopped speaking. This is because a lot of people misunderstand the Bible's true purpose. And this, in turn, has led many people to lose faith in the Bible. The Bible was never meant to be a substitute for a personal relationship with God. The Bible is to point you to a relationship with God. But most evangelicals have a relationship with the Bible and know nothing of God. The Bible is not God's word to you. God can speak through the Bible, but the Bible is not God's word to you. Yes, it's for you, but not to you. God is not telling you to sacrifice your son Isaac. Be careful about applying specific directions to your own life, not everyone should quote, go and sell all you have and give to the poor. The Bible is not a message from God, it's a message about God. It records people's exper

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” ( 1 John 5:14-15). Prayer is usually thought of as a petition addressed to God asking for his help and intervention. Oxford English Dictionary defines a petition as “an appeal or request, especially a solemn or humble one to a deity or a superior.” Yet, how many Christians will tell you that they pray and pray and yet nothing happens. Why is that? In the above passage, we see that the key to answered prayer is to ask according to God’s will. Usually our problem is not knowing God’s will in the matter. In that case, our first step is for wisdom into God’s will (James 1:5). And even when we receive that answers to our prayers, they usually don’t get answered they way we expected. Pray for patience, and you will quickly learn what I mean. But prayer is not just asking

"Avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called" (1 Tim 6:20). Carl Sagan once claimed that "The Cosmos is all that is or was or ever will be." This is not a statement of fact but a statement of faith First, he never tried to prove the statement. Which makes it a mere assertion. And just because a scientist says it doesn't make it true. It is asserted without evidence, and it can be ignored without evidence. Second, how did he know that "the Cosmos is all that is?" You would first have to know "all that is" before you could know that the Cosmos is it. The fact that physicists populated a multiverse means that many cosmos'. Third, if Carl didn't exist from the beginning of time, how could he know that the "Cosmos is all that... was." This is very unscientific. He has no evidence to support it, no experiments to prove it, and no testimony to verify it. It is a mere assertion. Fourth, unl

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). A claim is a statement that is either true or false. If the statement is neither true nor false, it is not a claim. Truth is the description of the quality of a claim. A claim is true when the statement being made matches the way things actually are. Truth refers to a claim or group of claims in which the statements of the claim correspond to reality. In other words, the statement really does express the reality of the matter. If someone makes the claim that I am a man, and I really am a man, then the claim is true. It is true because it matches or corresponds to the way things really are. Truth is the name of a claim that matches reality. Truth is the correspondence between a claim and reality. All other attempted definitions must assume this one. All other definitions claim that their definition corresponds to reality, and therefore is true. Which means that all other definitions are false. You can’t

"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom." (Prov. 4:7 NIV). In order to get wisdom, you need to first know what wisdom is. Unfortunately, this is harder than you might think. There is no agreement on what wisdom is. Wisdom is not knowledge. Knowledge is the acquisition of facts and information. Wisdom is not experience. Wisdom is not the right use of knowledge, that's prudence. Rather, wisdom is the proper perspective of reality. Experience is the practical application of knowledge in real-world situations. Wisdom is not understanding. Understanding is the ability to comprehend and interpret information. And wisdom is not prudence. Prudence is the right use of knowledge. Wisdom is the proper perspective of Reality. It is the result of the skillful integration of knowledge, experience, and understanding. A proper perspective is God's perspective. The closer we get to his perspective, the wiser we are. Worldly wisdom is a distorted perspective of Reality. It is

"Conversion is conversion from a self-centered person to a God-centered person." - E. Stanley Jones Conversion is not optional. Jesus was clear, “Truly I say to you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3). The Apostle Peter said the same thing, “Repent you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Conversion means to turn around. We can illustrate it by imagining a person heading in one direction and then turning around and heading in a completely different direction. That is conversion. Repentance is changing your mind, conversion is changing your direction in life. And this is what E. Stanley Jones is pointing to. Before conversion, everyone is self-centered. They are living their life on their own terms, they are doing what they want when they want. They are lord of their lives. Conversion is turning from selfishness and surrendering to God. Now you are liv

For this reason,      I bow my knees to you Father of my Lord Jesus Christ,      from whom the whole family      in Heaven and Earth is named, that you would grant me,      according to the riches of your glory, to be strengthened with might      through your Spirit in the inner being, that Christ may dwell in my heart      through faith; that I, being rooted and grounded in love,      may be able to comprehend with all the saints      what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ      which passes knowledge;      that I may be filled with all of your fullness. In Jesus' name, amen. (Eph 3:14-19)

Dear heavenly Father, I pray that you,       the God of my Lord Jesus Christ,       the Father of glory, may give to me the spirit of wisdom and revelation       in the knowledge of you, that  the eyes of my understanding      may be  enlightened; that I may know       what is the hope of your calling,      what are the riches of the glory            of your inheritance in the saints, and      what is the exceeding greatness of your power            towards us who believe, according to the working of your mighty power       which you worked in Christ           when you raised him from the dead           and seated him at your right hand in the heavenly places. In Jesus' name, amen.   (Eph 1:16-20)

  The Nicene Creed We believe in one God,     the Father, the Almighty,     maker of heaven and earth,     of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,     the only Son of God,     eternally begotten of the Father,     God from God, Light from Light,     true God from true God,     begotten, not made,     of one Being with the Father.     Through him all things were made.     For us and for our salvation         he came down from heaven:     by the power of the Holy Spirit         he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,         and was made man.     For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;         he suffered death and was buried.         On the third day he rose again             in accordance with the Scriptures;         he ascended into heaven             and is seated at the right hand of the Father.        He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,         and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spir

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen. _______ From the Common Book of Prayer , Daily Morning Prayer: Rite Two, "The General Thanksgiving." 

"Being then made free from sin, you became the servants of righteousness" (Rom 6:18). The Greek word that is translated as sin is hamartia . It is usually defined as “missing the mark.” Which gives one the picture of aiming an arrow at a target but missing it. This is not what it means. Sin is not missing the mark, sin means to aim at the wrong object. One is not even aiming at the target. The target is pleasing God. Sin is not trying to please God but failing, sin is not even trying to please God. The aim of sin is pleasing self, not God. Sin is a wrong aim. Sin is selfishness. Romans 3:9 says that "are all under sin." What does this mean? It means that as long as you are aiming to please self, you cannot please God. Selfishness bends all actions to the ultimate aim of one’s own life and interests. Sin makes you a slave of pleasing self. You are "under the power" of the selfish motive (Rom 3:9 NIV). And Romans 6:22 explains, "But now being made

The LORD is my shepherd;      I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures:      he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul:      he leads me in the paths of righteousness           for his name's sake.  Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,      I will fear no evil: for you are with me;      your rod and your staff they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies:      you anoint my head with oil;           my cup runs over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me      all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD      for ever. _______ Psalm 23 AKJV

"Biblical inerrancy and infallibility are not accepted by the Episcopal Church." - The Episcopal Church Inerrancy and infallibility is the belief that the Bible is without any error whatsoever. They claim that there are no errors in history, science, chronology, or any other area. Most of the time they limit this to the autographs. The vast majority of Christians are ignorant about scripture, its transmission, its canonicity, and its textual issues. Therefore, they are not in a position to rightly judge the question of the inerrancy and infallibility of the scriptures. I of course, cannot, in such a short span of time, fully educate anybody on the subject. Suffice it for me to say that the scriptures are not inerrant or infallible. For more information, read  The Human Faces of God by Thom Stark or  Misquoting Jesus by Bart D. Ehrman. Firstly, no original manuscript written in the apostle's own hand exist. All we have is copies of copies of copies. And of these cop

"Healthy spirituality has always been a question of putting a number of things into delicate balance and then walking a tightrope so as not to fall off either side." - Ronald Rollheiser   It is too easy to be pulled off balance. Equilibrium is a state of spiritual maturity few of us reach. Yet, spiritual health is found in balance. It is known as the middle way. The primary way we get off balance is by going to extremes. By doing one thing really well, yet at the same time ignoring the opposite activity.   When we neglect our home life, we become a workaholic. Dedicated to work, but then neglectful of our private life.   When we neglect our private devotions, we become a person who is religious but not spiritual. We must balance church and home life. Spirituality is about deepening our awareness in the flow of life, not separate from it. We must balance contemplation and action, passion and purity, duty and self-awakening, community and individuality. You must balance wo

The thought of God, the thought of Thee,      Who liest in my heart, And yet beyond imagined space      Outstretched and present art, The thought of Thee, above, below,      Around me and within, Is more to me than health and wealth,      Or love of kith and kin. The thought of God is like the tree      Beneath whose shade I lie, And watch the fleets of snowy clouds      Sail o’er the silent sky. ’Tis like that soft invading light,      Which in all darkness shines, The thread that through life’s sombre web      In golden pattern twines. It is a thought which ever makes      Life’s sweetest smiles from tears, And is a daybreak to our hopes,      A sunset to our fears; One while it bids the tears to flow,      Then wipes them from the eyes, Most often fills our souls with joy,      And always sanctifies. Within a thought so great, our souls      Little and modest grow, And, by its vastness awed, we learn      The art of walking slow. The wild flower on the messy ground      Scarce

“The root of all sin is selfishness, separating first from God and then from man.” – Andrew Murray "We hold the essential principle of sin to be selfishness." - A. H. Strong "We have also seen, that all sin is selfishness." - Charles Finney This agrees with the Bible. It says that "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). The law is love (Matt 22:37-40), that is why "love is the fulfilling of the law" (Romans 13:10). And we know that "Love isn't selfish" (1 Cor. 13:5 CEV), therefore sin is selfishness. It is refusing to love God will all our heart, but instead loving ourselves with all our heart. Sin is a wrong aim. It is the aim or motive to look out for oneself first and foremost. It is making oneself the center of the universe, the supreme good, the most important person in the world.  In other words, everyone must bow to the whims and wishes of the self, whether by force, guilt, or playing the poor me card. “My wa

In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our forehead with the sign of the cross. - Tertullian Although not mentioned in the Bible, the sign of the cross is very ancient. There are stories in the Middle East that it was the Apostle Paul who first used the sign of the cross. This makes sense, since it symbolizes that one is “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20). For the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus symbolizes that “our old man is crucified with him” (Rom 6:6). It might be good to explain this. Sin is selfishness, it is placing the good of self above the good of God and neighbor. In order to be united to God, the old self has to die, be buried, before one can be united with God.  The sign of the cross is actually a prayer. One begins their day and activities with the Sign of the Cross: “in the name

The following is a list of books recommended by A. W. Tozer. It was published by David Fant in his biography of Tozer. It was through A. W. Tozer that I was introduced to the mystics and it forever changed my life. Here are the 35 books that were recommended.     1. The Adornment of the Spiritual Marriage by Jan van Ruysbroeck     2. The Amending of Life by H. L. Hubbard     3. Ascent of Mt. Carmel by St. John     4. The Ascent of Mount Sion Being the Third Book of the Treatise of That Name Translated with an Introduction and Notes By E. Allison Peers by Bernardino and E. Allison Peers De Laredo     5. A Little Book of Eternal Wisdom by Blessed Henry Suso     6. Centuries of Meditations by Thomas Traherne     7. Christian Perfection (Christian Classics) by François de Salignac de La Mothe- Fénelon     8. The Cloud of Unknowing by Anonymous     9. Confessions by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo     10. Dark Night of the Soul: A Masterpiece in the Literature of Mysticism by St. John

The Anglican middle way embraces Orthodox and Charismatic tendencies. But it is not Pentecostal. Let me explain. Both Pentecostals and Charismatics believe in an infilling of the Holy Spirit that takes place sometime after conversion. This infilling is sometimes also called the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the enduement of power, and charismation (Acts 2:4). It is at the point of this infilling that one receives the spiritual gifts and anointing from God (Acts 1:8).  Many people mistakenly assume that Charismatics are Pentecostal. But there is historically a difference between these two labels.  Pentecostals insist that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. If you don't speak in tongues, you don't have the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Charismatics would say that such a requirement is unbiblical and that any spiritual gift may serve as evidence that one has been anointed and infilled by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:30). S

 “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10 NKJV). Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible. It tells the story of a righteous man who loses everything in life. First, he loses his family, then his wealth, then his health, and finally his reputation. His wife advises him to curse God and die, while his best friends are sure Job has a secret sin.  But the book of Job lets us know what is going on behind the scenes. God’s bragging on Job, and pointing out to Satan how righteous Job is. Satan accuses Job of only serving God for the blessings. So God tells Satan that he has permission to take away all his blessings. Which Satan does. That is when Job says, “the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Job’s response to losing all the blessings in life is to worship God. Which reminds me of Hebrews 13:15, “let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confes