¶ … spiritual matters do so with an eye to explain spiritual matters in a way that is acceptable to modern man. For these authors, Jesus was a great man, but not the son of God. For this group, the early church was a group of misguided and overly enthusiastic groupies who needed a political leader with divine attributes, and the record of Jesus contained in the New Testament is nothing more than the embellished stories which they told each other in order to find comfort in their political and social misery. Not so for Dr. Stewart Custer. Dr. Custer's treatment of the Book of Acts in his book Witness to Christ is a biblically-based scholarly work which expounds on the record while honoring the identity of Christ as the Son of God, and God the son. For bible students who want to get to know the historical context of the early church, while at the same time building an orthodox, fundamental understanding of both the bible and the early church, this book is a powerful addition to a personal library. Dr. Custer's purpose in this book is to bring the reader close to the message, and the culture and experiences of the first century church as recorded in the book of Acts. His work is to help the reader understand that the founding years of the church, as recorded by Luke the physician, were filled with cultural, social, and...
At the same time, the message of the Book of Acts was one that was consistent with theology presented in the rest of scripture.
If I was a preacher who was having a difficult time being 'biblical', then the above statement would make complete sense to me. The fact is that the Biblical Scripture does incorporate numerous concepts, values and regulations that cannot be treated or understood out of the context in which they are presented. Also, the context in which they are present is also intertwined with each other in an intricate
In the article, "Unlocking the Power of John's Gospel," Ray Bystrom (2004) declares "John's Gospel is like a river in which a lamb may bathe and an elephant swim -- both shallow and deep at the same time. The new convert and the mature disciple will profit from a careful reading of John's Gospel." (Bystrom, 2004) The Gospel of John represents Jesus Christ as the Son of God and
This lets us know that Christianity is not something that should be forced on us. Those receiving what Paul preached received it by faith. Although times have changed the Book of Acts serves as a good foundation for Church government. Jesus was very clear in his instructions on what should happen after his resurrection. Many verses in books of the New Testament speak of this. He would not have been
His life became a constant dread, a horrible fear that German militia would kill him or his family. On June 16, 1941, the Nazis ordered his father to report to the militia. "I looked out the window for hours on end," David wrote in his diary (p. 17). He thought his parents would return soon but "…the hours went by and still no sign of them…in the end I didn't
, pp.69-70.] [5: Ibid., p.85.] The rather stern critique offered of Fee and Stuart herein should not indicate that this book is entirely without value, merely that its presentation in title and chapter headings is somewhat misleading. There is plenty of common sense in what Fee and Stuart are doing here, but the difficulty is that very often an intelligent decision on their part is mingled with an overall failure to
Bethany Moreton's "To serve God and Walmart: The making of Christian free enterprise." (Harvard University Press, 2009) Author Bethany Moreton's work provides an insight into Walmart's corporate history and its swift climb, within 50 years, from a little discount retail chain opened up by Sam Walton to an international retailing giant. The author goes beyond readers' expectations to include Walmart Country's religious, social, and cultural history (the term 'Walmart Country' would
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