TruthMatters_SJ
How Tolkien's Christian worldview influenced his literary works: Lord of the Rings and beyondJ.R.R. Tolkien was a literary genius whose "Lord of the Rings" has captivated millions since its publication in the past century. In this post, we'll peruse through numerous embedded Christian symbols of which you may or may not have been aware. Harry …
If you've been on social media to share the Christian good news, you've likely encountered people who claim we have little or no ancient evidence in support of the New Testament. To the contrary, we have an abundance of ancient Christian and non-Christian sources in support of Jesus' social environment, peers, life, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, …
Continue reading "External, Ancient Evidence in Support of the New Testament by Harry Stark"
Today we will discuss modern day heresies by explaining ways the ancient church fathers combatted the same heresies. To combat gnostic and heretical views in the early church, church fathers such as Saint Irenaeus, Saint Jerome, and Origen wrote books entitled “Against Heresies,” “Against Helvidius,” “Against the Pelagians,” and “Against Celsus.” Numerous church councils further …
What are Judeo-Christian values and have they crumbled in the West? Judeo-Christian values come from the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis affirms God’s ownership of creation and the way we’re …
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Judas was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus, always listed at the end and forever remembered as the traitor. We don’t know very much of how or when Jesus chose Judas to be in His inner circle, but we do know how it all ended. Judas expressed remorse, threw the thirty pieces of …
We have two sons and our oldest moved out recently to begin his freshmen year at a university. My husband and I really miss him and each time he calls, our eyes and ears light up. We love hearing from him and can't wait to see him again as we love him so very much. …
After the angel Gabriel revealed that she would soon be pregnant with Jesus, Mary praised God with her beautiful Magnificat: “And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will …
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Can we estimate the date of Jesus’ crucifixion? Yes, we can. The ancients have left us with multiple historical, geological, and astronomical reasons to support April 3 of 33. Let’s begin with Jewish expectations. 10. In the 6th century B.C., the prophet Daniel predicted the fates of four kingdoms while he was exiled by the …
Over the past few hundred years, the move to "secular rational modernism" has supplanted "traditional religious" views in many parts of the West. Atheists sometimes think Christianity will one day be toppled and atheists of the past century such as Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao Tse Tung certainly gave that effort their best shot. …
Continue reading "What Does Atheism Have to Offer? The Atheist Value Proposition"
Where did the Catholic doctrine of the immaculate conception originate? I once believed the immaculate conception refers to the conception of Jesus. Rather, it refers to Mother Mary’s conception without original sin. This doctrine has ancient roots in the 2nd century when Irenaeus and Justiin Martyr referred to Mary as the “new Eve.” The first …
Continue reading "Our Lady at Lourdes and the Immaculate Conception"