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"Real Christianity?" How does one develop a proper relationship with the Lord without at least some rudimentary understanding of church doctrine? I think correct doctrine is a very important part of the faith; if it weren't, then why did those who contributed to the New Testament spend so much...

I do believe that's the answer. Great post! And, really, I think we all basically mean the same thing; we just get caught up in words sometimes.

And yet, surely the promise of rewards according to our works was meant to serve as some sort of inspiration for us. I'm not saying that the works save us, or that we should focus on the rewards, but does that mean we should completely forget about them all together? "For the Son of Man is going...

I see your point about people who claim to be Christian, and yet they don't seem to really have a full grasp on some important theological aspects of the faith. I'm a little concerned, however, about the idea of using knowledge of the Rapture specifically as a way to identify a "true" Christian...

A slippery slope indeed. I think it always comes back to a desire to serve the Lord as well as possible, as a result of our faith and our love for Him. The idea seems to be that the works are an evidence of sincere love of Christ. We should do good things, because Jesus did good things, and...

I watched the trailer awhile back, and have been looking very forward to this movie. It looks phenomenal....and I'm not even Catholic.

I think when we take a few verses about justification by faith and not works, it can seem like works have no place in the equation; but, when we see the verses that talk about the great importance of works, the two become highly intertwined. I don't think true faith exists without some form of...

These are all great answers, and I completely agree. I think we become so focused on separating ourselves from "salvation by works" that we dilute the meaning of the whole thing. The relationship between faith and works is a beautiful thing that is hard to understand sometimes. I certainly don't...

Great reply, Holly. We also mustn't forget that Jesus even asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)" No, there are no ends to the love of God for His creation; but, we know He is also holy and just, and He rewards...

This is a good discussion, and I'm surprised it hasn't generated more interest, as controversial as it sometimes is. I think the writings of the church fathers, while not the Word of God, are very important nevertheless. I certainly take great interest in them, and I think it's rather sad that a...

I completely agree.

Because there are a wide variety of Baptist churches, I can't speak for them all, but certainly at my church the pastor refers to historical church figures from time to time in his sermons. The fact is, Christian churches (perhaps with a few exceptions) share a common history with the Catholic...

I think that's an excellent find, and, even more interesting, when I looked at the link you provided I noticed that the Douay-Rheims Bible actually translates the word as "globe," rather than "circle." I'm not Catholic, but I can empathize with your predicament. Lots of people who think they are...

Hi, I'll be brief, but I just wanted to recommend Four Witnesses by Rod Bennett. I'm a Baptist who has recently been interested in Church history, and this was an eye opening read about the early Church Fathers. It's easy to read because the author writes it like a story. The quotations of the...

At one time, I somewhat sympathized with the Adventist point of view on keeping the Sabbath, but I've since come to understand why it is that most Christians have Sunday as the day of worship. It's all about remembering the Sunday resurrection. It's nice to read the words of historical Christian...

Yes, I agree with that completely. It seems like men are maybe more expected to date than women are, to a certain extent. Not to say that women aren't pressured to, as some people have attested to, but I understand what you mean.

Interesting topic, and I don't mind lending my encouragement as someone who also has never dated or had a girlfriend. Different people live life in different ways. I think in my case there is the aspect of nerves, as there have been girls I've been interested in but simply never pursued them...

Well, I think I've defended my views as well as I can tonight, and you've admirably defended yours too. I, personally, don't think it's possible that the entire church was not following God at that time, but it's just an opinion of course. I continue to surprise myself because I keep defending...

That's right. It only matters what the truth is. So, the question is, how do you determine what the truth is and correctly interpret Scripture? Many people since the Reformation have read the Bible for themselves, prayed about it I'm sure, and felt led to quite different conclusions from one...

They did not change the doctrine, though. I know I'm bound to be seriously annoying you right now, and I'm sorry for that, but the fact that they still have indulgences today is proof that they did not decide it was wrong. The other thing to realize is that the Catholic Church can change...