Of Preachers And Pagans

The men were removed from Shadyvale and dropped into the hell of World War II combat, leaving only those males who were very young or past military age. Stalwart teens served the needs of of the community and the warriors' waiting wives. In Shadyvale, a war of a different sort erupted and the conflict that no one intended or expected dealt murder, rape, sexual abuse by clergy, attempted murder, kidnapping, justifiable homicide, marital infidelity, and simple physical assault as village residents acted as their circumstances and true natures compelled them. On this fateful field of conflict, the pious poseurs perished, and the profane prospered in a love that was humble, patient, chaste, and enduring.

Reproduction of the original: Preaching and Paganism by Albert Parker Fitch

The goal is to enable everyone to be a participant, not just a spectator. The chuch can quickly be restored to everyone because, contray to popular belief, laypersons are eager to share their hearts, take active roles in worship, and resume the work of God.

Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we “dress up” for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, and choirs? This ground-breaking book, now in affordable softcover, makes an unsettling proposal: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is rooted, not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of modern Christian church practices. In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions more like a business organization than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ's revolutionary plan for his church—to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role—you'll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.

How did Christianity become the dominant religion in the West? In the early first century, a small group of peasants from the backwaters of the Roman Empire proclaimed that an executed enemy of the state was God’s messiah. Less than four hundred years later it had become the official religion of Rome with some thirty million followers. It could so easily have been a forgotten sect of Judaism. Through meticulous research, Bart Ehrman, an expert on Christian history, texts and traditions, explores the way we think about one of the most important cultural transformations the world has ever seen, one that has shaped the art, music, literature, philosophy, ethics and economics of modern Western civilisation.

Rabbi or Messiah? Prophet or the Son of God? People have debated the identity of Jesus of Nazareth since the first century. But what if there was no Jesus? What if there was no Mary or Joseph, no twelve apostles? What if the story of Jesus was no more than a myth to convey spiritual truth? These claims have been around for hundreds of years and have become more prominent with well-known religion columnist Tom Harpur's recent book, The Pagan Christ. Harpur claims that Jesus was not a historical figure, but was one version of an ancient myth that can be traced from ancient Egyptian religion to the Roman mystery cults. Stanley Porter and Stephen Bedard tackle this radical claim by looking at the roots of the "pagan Christ idea," examining the supposed pagan parallels and presenting the evidence for the historical Jesus. The authors demonstrate that the suggestion of pagan origins for the Gospel story is not based on historical or textual evidence, but rather on a desire to create a universalistic spirituality revolving around a "Cosmic Christ" within each person. A fair examination of both the mythological and biblical texts reveal that the traditional understanding of an actual historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth appearing two thousand years ago is indeed the only logical conclusion. Stanley E. Porter is President and Dean, and Professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Porter has M.A. degrees from Claremont Graduate School and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield. He has written widely on issues of concern in study of the New Testament, such as Jesus, Paul, the book of Acts, and John. He has a passion for education in the church, and preaches and teaches regularly. Stephen J. Bedard is the pastor of Woodford Baptist Church and First Baptist Church, Meaford, Ontario, Canada. He holds the M.Div. and M.Th. degrees from McMaster Divinity College, and is actively engaged in further graduate study. Bedard is an advocate of informed preaching and teaching, and is devoted to the ministry of the local church.

After teaching and ministering twenty two years as a Christian pastor and evangelist, author Dhungarvn the Grey became disillusioned with the self-righteous membership and church politics. He left the ministry and began searching for the truth. In his re-evaluation of his concept of God and prayer, he reconnected with nature and the idea of nature-based spirituality. His soul stirred with a yearning toward paganism. From Pulpit to Pagan is the story of Dhungarvn the Grey's journey from Christianity to paganism and his quest for truth. Horus, Mithra, Krishna, and Jesus all told their followers, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." The truth about Christianity frees the pagan of the guilt-trips inflicted by well-meaning family members. It frees them from the tendency to credit Christianity, the Bible, and Jesus with more truth than is valid. It frees them from the missionary traps and ignorant attacks by evangelicals. Dhungarvn suspects that many in the pagan community are programmed by their family experience and Christian upbringing; they hold onto the Bible and Jesus out of unconscious fear and guilt. From Pulpit to Pagan details Dhungarvn's struggles, but also provides hope for other pagans to become truly free.

Reproduction of the original: Preaching and Paganism by Albert Parker Fitch