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11/25/05 a.m. Christianity Today reported:

Harry Potter is back on the big screen—and already the fourth-best opening film of all time, at $102.3 million. And right along with it, the ongoing debate among Christians—including film critics—about the merits of J. K. Rowling's increasingly popular literary and cinematic phenomenon has begun again

How does Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire measure up to the other films in the series? Most critics say it's either the best or second-best, praising director Mike Newell for adding richness and depth to such mainstream entertainment...

And Lisa Rice (Crosswalk) is dismayed. "Perhaps this fourth movie … will be the one that compels us to ask why we would put this material into our children's heads. As I looked around the theater and saw dozens of little children dressed as wizards and sorcerers, watching one horror after another on the big screen, my heart broke for the sheer lack of parental discernment."

Mainstream critics are applauding Newell's installment in the series.

It is not just mainstream critics applauding it. The one Catholic critic, as well as most of the Protestant critics, that the article cited liked it. I intentionally quoted Lisa Rice as her position was closest to mine (and no, I have not seen this particular film).

On other matters:

Were the Ten Commandments in Effect Before Mount Sinai? Some have said not. This article provides biblical quotes to answer this important question.
Job and the Ten Commandments Was Job written prior to Mount Sinai? Did Job know about the ten commandments? This article provides biblical answers to those questions.

11/24/05 a.m. Have you ever wondered why Roman Catholics do not seem to feel that we are living near the time of the end? Well, I have. One of the specific reasons that most Roman Catholics do not believe that the Antichrist can possibly appear Christ return or in the next few decades is because they believe:

...that Jesus' glorious second coming cannot happen until the world experiences the mass conversion of the Jews (Birch D.A.  Trial, Tribulation & Triumph.  Queenship Publishing, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 419). 

A Gentile conversion is also anticipated, by the Catholics, to first occur:

St. Briget says, "Before Antichrist comes, the portals of faith will be open to great numbers of pagans". This is one of the remote signs of Antichrist. This probably happens during the Age of Peace (Birch D.A. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph. Queenship Publishing, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 449).

Essentially, Catholics seem to believe that there will be a thousand years of peace that will follow some type of non-tribulation-related war. There will be a great European monarch and a great pope who will usher this in. More information on Europe, the Catholics and the COG is in the article on Europa.

We in the COGs should be thankful that unlike the majority who profess Christ, we understand much of the truth about Bible prophecy.

11/23/05 a.m. From the Times:

ROME - A leader of an ultra-traditionalist Catholic group that broke with the Vatican said yesterday that Pope Benedict should tell Jews and members of other religions to convert because they are part of "false systems."

Father Franz Schmidberger, a top official of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), also called on the Pope to invalidate excommunications imposed when its founder, the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, ordained bishops without permission. The SSPX rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council. It sticks to the old Latin mass and opposes recognizing the validity of other religions, particularly non-Christians.

"Other religions, as such, are false systems," said Schmidberger, who is the right-hand man of the traditionalists' current head, Bishop Bernard Fellay.

"Instead of leading their members to our Lord Jesus Christ, to Baptism and the confession of faith in his divinity, they refrain from this and so we consider these other religions as very dangerous," he told a news conference presenting a biography of Lefebvre.

"St. Peter, the first pope, preached to the Jews and told them that `if you want to be saved you must do three things: you must regret your sins and convert, believe in our lord Jesus Christ and, thirdly, be baptized,'" he said.

"We expect that every pope who claims to be the successor of St. Peter should take the same stand in meetings with leaders of other religions and tell them the same three things," Schmidberger said.

There are several problems with the above, including the fact that no bishop of Rome took the title of Pope until the end of the 4th Century and the term Pope is not used of Peter in the Bible either.

The facts are that Roman Catholic scholars recognize much confusion in their early "pope lists".

I am doing a lot of early church research and although I plan to cover more later, here is some of what I covered in my sermonette last Sabbath:

As one raised as a Roman Catholic, I am aware of how Roman Catholics suggest that theirs is the original church with an unbroken line of successors beginning with Peter. However, there seems to be a difference in how they present this to the general public and what the Bible and even Catholic scholars teach about the early history.

The Generally Suggested Position from the Roman Catholics

The following, from The Catholic Encyclopedia, is a fair representation of how the average Roman Catholic views church history:

It has been seen that Christ not only established the episcopate in the persons of the Twelve but, further, created in St. Peter the office of supreme pastor of the Church. Early Christian history tells us that before his death, he fixed his residence at Rome, and ruled the Church there as its bishop. It is from Rome that he dates his first Epistle, speaking of the city under the name of Babylon, a designation which St. John also gives it in the Apocalypse (c. xviii). At Rome, too, he suffered martyrdom in company with St. Paul, A.D. 67. The list of his successors in the see is known, from Linus, Anacletus, and Clement, who were the first to follow him, down to the reigning pontiff. The Church has ever seen in the occupant of the See of Rome the successor of Peter in the supreme pastorate (Joyce G.H. Transcribed by Douglas J. Potter. The Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume III. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, November 1, 1908. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

But is that account completely accurate?

Rome and Paul

The general Catholic position is based to a great degree upon the writings of Irenaeus of Lyon, who was perhaps the first Roman Catholic supporter to write much about Church History. Here is some of what he wrote around 170 A.D.:

the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul...

The blessed apostles, then, having founded and built up the Church, committed into the hands of Linus the office of the episcopate. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in the Epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus; and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clement was allotted the bishopric (Irenaeus. Adversus Haereses (Book III, Chapter 3, Verses 2,3). Excerpted from Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson. American Edition, 1885. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).

Irenaeus' account suggests that both Peter and Paul first started the Church in Rome and that they passed the leadership to Linus.

However, the Bible shows that Paul did not start the Church in Rome. Here is what he wrote to the church at Rome:

20. And I have so preached this Gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build
upon another mans foundation:
21. But as it is written, They to whom it hath not been preached of him, shall see: and they
that have not heard, shall understand.
22. For the which cause also I was hindered very much from coming unto you (Romans 15:20-22, Rheims NT, unless otherwise indicated).

There is no way that Paul could have written the above if he considered that he founded or co-founded the church in Rome as in these verses he explains that he did not first come to Rome lest he build on another man's foundation. (Note: I choose to use the Rheims New Testament of 1582 A.D. as this is considered to the Catholic standard English translation of the New Testament).

The Catholic Encyclopedia agrees with me here (and not Irenaeus) as it states this about Paul's epistle to the Romans:

Paul would have worded his Epistle otherwise, if the community addressed were even mediately indebted to his apostolate (Merk A. Transcribed by W.G. Kofron. Epistle to the Romans. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII. Copyright © 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat, February 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, D.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

And that is correct.

The fact is that the Bible itself mentions nothing about the Church of Rome in terms of any leadership significance for the true church. Other than Paul’s letter to those in Rome and his imprisonment there, only three other, non-related, times does the New Testament use the word ‘Rome’. The first mentions that Jews from Rome and other areas of the world were in Jerusalem around Pentecost (Acts 2:10); the second that Claudius had the Jews depart from Rome (Acts 18:2); and the third that involves Onesiphorus who visited Paul in Rome and later in Ephesus (2 Timothy 1:16-18). (While some writers believe that Peter was in Rome when he mentioned this in his first epistle--“The Church saluteth you, that is in Babylon, coelect,” 1 Peter 5:13--this was not a clear reference to Rome (as there was a Babylon in the Asia Minor region at the time), but even if it is referring to Rome, this does not prove that Rome was of central significance to the church--it only suggests that Peter may have once been in contact with Christians from Rome.

The other truth about Rome is that it admits that many of the early writers it cites as proof of various positions that it holds, disagreed about the initial list of the bishops of Rome.

For example, The Catholic Encyclopedia specifically calls these varieties of order as shown below :

The varieties of order are as follows:

Linus, Cletus, Clemens (Hegesippus, ap. Epiphanium, Canon of Mass).
Linus, Anencletus, Clemens (Irenaeus, Africanus ap. Eusebium).
Linus, Anacletus, Clemens (Jerome).
Linus, Cletus, Anacletus, Clemens (Poem against Marcion),
Linus, Clemens, Cletus, Anacletus [Hippolytus (?), "Liberian Catal."- "Liber. Pont."].
Linus, Clemens, Anacletus (Optatus, Augustine).

At the present time no critic doubts that Cletus, Anacletus, Anencletus, are the same person. Anacletus is a Latin error; Cletus is a shortened (and more Christian) form of Anencletus. Lightfoot thought that the transposition of Clement in the "Liberian Catalogue" was a mere accident, like the similar error "Anicetus, Pius" for "Pius Anicetus", further on in the same list. But it may have been a deliberate alteration by Hippolytus, on the ground of the tradition mentioned by Tertullian (Chapman J. Transcribed by Gerard Haffner. Pope St. Clement I. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Perhaps it should be mentioned that instead of imputing motives to Hippolytus, it could be that Hippolytus simply may have been reporting the truth that he understood. It should also be noted that according to Tertullian, Clement was Peter's immediate successor (it should be noted that both Tertullian and Hippolytus were two of only 5-6 major recognized historical writers between 1l0-220 A.D.; and 2 of the 3 referenced in the above lists). But in either case, it is apparent that there is historical controversy over who were the first several bishops of Rome.

Furthermore, the Liber Pontificalis (Book of Pontiffs) teaches this about Peter and his spiritual successor:

He consecrated St. Clement as bishop and entrusted the cathedra and the whole management of the church to him, saying: ‘As the power of government, that of binding and loosing, was handed to me by my Lord Jesus Christ, so I entrust it to you; ordain those who are to deal with various cases and execute the church’s affairs; do not be caught up in the cares of the world but ensure you are completely free for prayer and preaching to the people’ (Book of the Pontiffs (Liber Pontificalis) 2nd edition. Translation by Raymond Davis. Liverpool University Press - Translated Texts for Historians, Liverpool, 2001, p.2).

Yet, the Roman Catholic Church does not seem to accept the above as it currently claims that Linus was Peter's actual successor. Nor is there any early literature that specifically states that the cathedra went to Linus (Irenaeus, for example, never mentions it--the first mention seems to be in an anonymous poem "Against the Marcionites" written circa 267 A.D.--about 200 years after Peter's death!).

Next week I plan to cover some of what the Roman Catholic Church teaches about Peter and probably later the early bishops of Rome. Those interested in the history of Christianity, may wish to read the article Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome; some information about Peter is in the article Peter and the Keys

11/21/05 a.m. Here is a story I meant to report last week:

RAMAT GAN, Israel (Reuters) - An Israeli researcher said he has made a Goliath of a find -- the first archaeological evidence suggesting the biblical story of David slaying the Philistine giant actually took place...

In the current issue of LCG's Tomorrow's World, Ben Whitfield wrote:

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, life has certainly changed for many of us. My brother and I experienced Hurricane Katrina while visiting family and friends in Mississippi last August. My cousin’s home in New Orleans was flooded; my mother’s home in Jackson, Mississippi was spared but was without power for more than a week. A tree landed on the roof of my grandfather’s home out in the country just north of Clinton, Mississippi.

Stores were closed, no gasoline was available, and all were very concerned about those living closer to the areas worst affected. This was a disaster of a scope that the United States had never before experienced. An entire city of a half-million people was devastated, left almost uninhabited, and more than likely will not be active again for a long, long time. Other cities along the Gulf Coast, too, were entirely wiped out. More than 1.5 million people were displaced by Katrina, which spanned the size of Great Britain across the southern Mississippi River country...

My brother and I stayed for a few days to take care of our family, then headed back to our homes in Wyoming. As we headed home, we thanked the folks we met for being there to provide services that we sometimes take for granted. We knew that many we left behind were in for a very difficult time. Thankfully, though we saw the price of gasoline rise sharply, we had enough fuel to breach the storm-ravaged area and make it back to parts of civilization that were still working.

Whatever else you may do, be sure to plan for the disasters that may affect you in the future. Make physical plans—set aside emergency supplies and create a disaster plan for your family—but do not neglect your spiritual plans. Be sure you have the spiritual resources to withstand the spiritual disasters that lie ahead. Jesus Christ warned that at the end of the age, there will be both spiritual and physical disasters that will test His people in ways they have never before been tested.

Thousands in New Orleans were told to flee the danger, but would not heed the warning. As a result, they were trapped, and many died. I can imagine a time yet future when another call will come to flee danger, yet many will not heed it. This storm was a wake-up call for all of us. Are you prepared? If not, begin today!

The complete article is available at http://www.tomorrowsworld.org/cgi-bin/tw/tw-mag.cgi?category=Magazine39&item=1130832204

Two articles of related interest may be:

Physical Preparation Scriptures for Christians. We all know the Bible prophecies famines. Should we do something?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical 'place of safety' and includes quotes from the Bible and HWA on this subject.

11/20/05 a.m. In UCG's latest World News & Prophecy, Darrell McNeely writes:

The American economy has grown without a major recession for a long time. The booming housing market is a big part of why it has done so well. When the Federal Reserve dropped its lending rate from 6 percent to 1 percent in one year, it started a frenzy of home building and buying. Banks have made a vast number of loans and have done well financially...

But without a recession, banks have become more lenient about whom they loan to and more creative in their logic in justifying loans.

In a recent Wall Street Journal survey, about 20 percent of leading economists surveyed said a possible housing burst is their biggest worry for the economy.

While I feel that the housing bubble is one threat to the economy, the biggest threat (which is related to it) is debt and the fact the US imports more than it exports by a considerable margin. Unless the US begins to export at least as much as it imports, when there is a major housing bubble dip or something on that level, the US may find that it cannot fully borrow itself out of the major trouble it is getting itself into.

Was the early church in Rome binitarian? Intertestingly, I ran accross this quote in The Catholic Encyclopedia which states that a passage from a letter believed to have been written circa 95-100 A.D. (it actually has been dated as late as 140 A.D.) proves the trinity, but does it? Here is The Catholic Encyclopedia's interpretation of The Letter of the Romans to the Corinthians which it calls First Clement:

There is little intentional dogmatic teaching in the Epistle, for it is almost wholly hortatory. A passage on the Holy Trinity is important. Clement uses the Old Testament affirmation "The Lord liveth", substituting the Trinity thus: "As God liveth, and the Lord Jesus Christ liveth and the Holy Spirit -- the faith and hope of the elect (Chapman J. Transcribed by Gerard Haffner. Pope St. Clement I. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume IV. Copyright © 1908 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York).

A careful reading of the above rendering simply says that the God and Christ live, but it does not say that about the Holy Spirit. The idea that the Father and the Son live and that the Holy Spirit is different from them is a binitarian concept which has support even in the first few verses of Genesis. More information is available in the article Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning

11/19/05 a.m. Last night, ICG's Mark Armstrong reported:

The predicted increase in right-wing political activity across Europe as a result of the recent Muslim rioting in France is, in fact, on the march. Michael Burkert called this morning to inform me of meetings which took place last weekend in Vienna, and which have been largely ignored by mainstream media. Europe’s various ultra-conservative movements have long held conflicting views preventing cooperation. Europe’s growing “Muslim problem” is changing that.

A report from the Brussels Journal identified each of the represented political entities in attendance including Jean-Marie Le Pen’s “Front National” from France, Alessandra Mussolini’s “Azione Sociale” from Italy, the Spanish “Alternitiva Espanola,” in addition to political parties from Romania, Bulgaria and Belgium. The new plan is for these entities to work together toward gaining representation in the European parliament. They reportedly signed a document they dubbed the “Vienna Declaration,” calling for an end to immigration throughout the European Union and an organized defense against “terrorism, aggressive Islamism, superpower imperialism…” Obviously, the one trait ultra right wing parties would retain, should they ever gain political power, would be the hostility liberal Europe has shown the U.S.

The rioting and acts of arson in France have reportedly decreased to “almost normal” levels. Who knew that having a couple hundred vehicles a day TORCHED was “almost normal”?

Speaking of "almost normal" in that sense, Gamma is now the 24th named storm this year and already killed two in Central America--and is heading towards Florida. It must seem "almost normal" now for those in Florida to face more storms.

11/18/05 a.m. In the latest edition of Prophetic Times, UCG's L. Jim Tuck has this report: 

Wired News reported: “China confirmed on Wednesday its first human cases of bird flu, adding to fears of a global pandemic in which millions of people could die. China's Ministry of Health reported two cases in the central province of Hunan and one in eastern Anhui, the official Xinhua news agency said. The World Health Organization (WHO) said one of the victims in Hunan was a girl of 12 who died last month.

 The spread of bird flu to people in the world's most populous country is a significant development. The deadly H5N1 form of bird flu has already killed more than 60 people in Asia and is endemic in poultry in parts of the region. The WHO said it had been informed by China that a 9-year-old boy from Hunan province suspected of having bird flu was indeed stricken by the H5N1 virus, as was his 12-year-old sister, who fell ill and died last month. 

Essentially because of intensive agricultural practices involving unclean animals and clean birds, China is often the place were new strains of flu originate.  Now that it is reported that the avian flu has passed to humans, it is certainly possible that it could become a major problem in many parts of the world (including Western countries). 

In an article about Emperor Constantine, COGaic's David Hulme wrote: 

Syncretism was apparent in many of his activities from architecture to “Christian” practice. In his new hippodrome, he installed a serpentine column from the Greek cult center of Delphi, where it had stood in the Temple of Apollo since 479 B.C.E. Nearby was the First Milestone, from which all distances were measured, making the city the new center of the world. Above the milestone was positioned a relic from the Holy Land, “discovered” by Constantine’s pilgrim mother, Helena. It was believed to be nothing less than the “True Cross” of Jesus’ crucifixion.

11/17/05 a.m. From Australia Orest Solyma of The Church of God in Williamstown writes:

Where is the Church of God? Wherever there are, around the world, scattered here and there, one, two, or three, twenty, fifty, or more Spirit-led saints, whose lives reveal the conquest of the battle of the flesh against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, of striving to live by every word of God, of rejecting men's traditions and presumptions, of identifying fully with the wonderful men and women of the OT and NT, then there is the Church of God.

Perhaps, but a few things seem to be missing. Those in the true Church of God need to be about their Father's business of proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God to the world as a witness (the above quote suggests a more selfish Chuch). Those once in the WCG may wish to read the articles:

Should the Church Still Try to Place its Top Priority on Proclaiming the Gospel or Did Herbert Armstrong Change that Priority? Some say the Church should mainly feed the flock now as that is what Herbert Armstrong reportedly said. Is that what he said? Is that what the Bible says? What did Paul and HWA expect from evangelists?
Attending the Church of Choice This article discusses whose choice is important to worship God; should you attend the church of your choice or the church of God's choice?
Unity: Which COG for You? Why so many groups? Why is there lack of unity in the Churches of God? Has it always been this way? What can/should be done about it?
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? There are important reasons.

On other matters, a book I was reading yesterday from a Roman Catholic seems to explain why the Catholics do not understand the Book of Revelation. Essentially, they seem to believe that there were a variety of Catholic prophets in the past 1500 years and that although a minor chastisement may occur, it will be followed by 1000 years of peace with the great tribulation coming later. No one in the COGs and few (if any) Protestants believe that. I will be adding more about prophecy at a later date.

11/16/05 a.m. WCG's Christian Odyssey has this article, titled Christmas past and present in the church from Paul Kroll:

Have you ever wondered how Christmas came to be part of the annual Christian calendar? Here’s the fascinating story, which we begin with a surprising observation. Neither Jesus nor the apostles commanded or even suggested that the church should have a Christmas festival—and no evidence of such a celebration is in the New Testament.

In the church of the second century, we see evidence of an annual celebration of Jesus’ resurrection in the spring (our Easter), but no celebration of his birth. (It’s possible that the roots of the resurrection celebration go back to the apostolic church.)

The church also added Pentecost and Epiphany to its yearly worship calendar in the second century. Epiphany, on Jan. 6, celebrated not the birth of Christ, but the manifestation of his divine sonship, his kingship and his divine power as displayed in his baptism, the visit of the Magi, and his miracle at the wedding feast in Cana. Pentecost commemorated the coming of the Holy Spirit.

Epiphany was the church’s earliest annual celebration in connection with the Incarnation of Jesus. However, it was not until the fourth century that we have clear evidence of the birth of Jesus being celebrated on Dec. 25.

Why Dec. 25?

One theory for the origin of Christmas is that it was intended to compete with or supplant the pagan celebration of the sun-god on that date. According to this hypothesis, accepted by most scholars today, the birth of Jesus was given near the date of the winter solstice. On this day, as the sun began its return to the northern skies, the pagan devotees of Mithra celebrated the birthday of the invincible sun. The cult was particularly strong at Rome when Christmas celebration arose...

the Christmas festival first appeared in Rome, and then spread to the churches in other parts of the Roman Empire... 

Why wasn’t Jesus’ birthday celebrated earlier than the fourth century? One reason might be that neither the day nor month of Jesus’ birth is given in the Gospels or any other early Christian writings—and cannot be determined with any certainty...

So WCG admits that this holiday is not in the Bible, was not observed until the fourth century, began in Rome, and probably was on the 25th of December because of the Sun god. 

Yet, it keeps it instead of the biblical holy days. Is There "An Annual Worship Calendar" In the Bible?

Frank Olive sent this in an email:

Javier Solana's Office of High Representative was created by the EU heads in December of 1998 and, out of over 1100 documents,  this document's number was 666.  CLICK HERE

Document 666 is about the need for the EU to have its own military and defense capabilities.

Speaking of news, another reader sent in the following:

Al-Madina newspaper said secondary school teacher Mohammad al-Harbi will be flogged in public after he was taken to court by his colleagues and students.He was charged with promoting a "dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right, discussing the gospel and preventing students from leaving class to wash for prayer", the newspaper said. It gave no more details.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, strictly upholds the austere Wahhabi school of Islam and bases its constitution on the Koran and the sayings of Prophet Mohammad. Public practice of any other religion is banned.

Freedom of religious speech is subject to governmental interpretation in other countries as well.

How late was the Catholic Church still partially binitarian? Well apparently until at least the early third century. Here is the latest addition to my binitarian article:

A binitarian view was still held by Roman leaders in the third century, such Hippolytus.

According to The Catholic Encyclopedia around 212 A.D., "Hippolytus had combated the heresy of Theodotion and the Alogi; in like fashion he opposed the false doctrines of Noetus, of Epigonus, of Cleomenes, and of Sabellius, who emphasized the unity of God too one-sidedly (Monarchians) and saw in the concepts of the Father and the Son merely manifestations (modi) of the Divine Nature (Modalism, Sabellianism). Hippolytus, on the contrary, stood uncompromisingly for a real difference between the Son (Logos) and the Father, but so as to represent the Former as a Divine Person almost completely separate from God (Ditheism) and at the same time altogether subordinate to the Father (Subordinationism). Hippolytus had combated the heresy of Theodotion and the Alogi; in like fashion he opposed the false doctrines of Noetus, of Epigonus, of Cleomenes, and of Sabellius, who emphasized the unity of God too one-sidedly (Monarchians) and saw in the concepts of the Father and the Son merely manifestations (modi) of the Divine Nature (Modalism, Sabellianism). Hippolytus, on the contrary, stood uncompromisingly for a real difference between the Son (Logos) and the Father, but so as to represent the Former as a Divine Person almost completely separate from God (Ditheism) and at the same time altogether subordinate to the Father (Subordinationism). As the heresy in the doctrine of the Modalists was not at first clearly apparent, Pope Zephyrinus declined to give a decision. For this Hippolytus gravely censured him, representing him as an incompetent man, unworthy to rule the Church of Rome and as a tool in the hands of the ambitious and intriguing deacon Callistus, whose early life is maliciously depicted (Philosophumena, IX, xi-xii). Consequently when Callistus was elected pope (217-218) on the death of Zephyrinus, Hippolytus immediately left the communion of the Roman Church and had himself elected antipope by his small band of followers. These he calls the Catholic Church and himself successor to the Apostles, terming the great majority of Roman Christians the School of Callistus. He accuses Callistus of having fallen first into the heresy of Theodotus, then into that of Sabellius; also of having through avarice degraded ecclesiastical, and especially the penitential, discipline to a disgraceful laxity" (St. Hippolytus of Rome, 1910).

Zephyrinus' lack of a decision demonstrates that the trinitarian view had not been accepted by all of Roman Catholicism at this time. Notice that describing God as various modes (as the trinitarians normally now do) led to a split. It should be noted that Hippolytus was a martyr and is still considered a saint by the Romans, yet was some type of binitarian. Furthermore, the Catholics have written this about him, "Hippolytus was the most important theologian and the most prolific religious writer of the Roman Church in the pre-Constantinian era" (St. Hippolytus of Rome, 1910). Note that the most important theologian in the pre-Constatinian era was binitarian!

The trinity was not formally adopted until after 325 A.D. the Council of Nicea (which was convened by Constantine) and finally the 381 Council--though many in the Roman and Orthodox Church believed it prior to this.

It is considered to be so important that The Catholic Encyclopedia states, "The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion" (The Blessed Trinity, 1912).

Yet in the early third century, the bishop of Rome would not make a decision about it. How central to the Christian religion could a doctrine, not fully embraced until a later date, actually be?

The entire article is available on line and is titled Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning

11/15/05 a.m. Christianity Today posted an article titled Our Missing Moral Compass yesterday, that concludes with:

As Ron Sider has argued so well in his recent book, there really is a Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience. We are indeed morally sloppy, and I think it is because we have embraced truncated versions of the Christian faith that have trained us to be this way.

Which evangelical traditions today train their adherents in the kind of rigorous self-examination represented by the Catholic tradition of the "examination of conscience"? The Puritans and the followers of Wesley used to engage in such practices, but they have largely disappeared.

Which evangelical traditions today encourage the kind of daily self-examination and rigorous accountability represented by the evangelical Wilberforce? Can one find this kind of moral seriousness actively taught in any branch of the evangelical world?

Christianity is more than an event, an experience, or a set of beliefs. It is a way of life characterized by moral seriousness and the quest for holiness.

It is precisely because the evangelicals do not keep the biblical holy days or believe that Christians must try to keep all of the ten commandments that they are in the situation they find themselves in. The answer is NOT trying to imitate Roman Catholic practices, but to try to imitate Jesus Christ (who kept the holy days and the ten commandments).

Some articles of possible interest may be:

Were the Ten Commandments in Effect Before Mount Sinai? Some have said not. This article provides biblical quotes to answer this important question.
Job and the Ten Commandments Was Job written prior to Mount Sinai? Did Job know about the ten commandments? This article provides biblical answers to those questions.
What Did Jesus Teach About the Ten Commandments? This article quotes what Jesus actually said about them (His words are in red).
Were the Ten Commandments Nailed to the Cross? Some have said so. This article provides some biblical quotes to answer this important question.
What Did Paul Actually Teach About the Ten Commandments? Many say Paul taught against the ten commandments. Is this true? This article quotes Paul with his words in green.
Are the Ten Commandment Still in Effect? This article quotes the ten commandments and combines some of the previous articles into one article about the ten commandments. The commandments are shown at Mount Sinai, before Mount Sinai, in the teachings of Jesus, after the crucifixion, and in the teachings of Paul. It addresses the most common "traditions of men" regarding them as well.
Were the Pharisees Condemned for Keeping the Law? Many believe that, but what does your Bible say? If they were not condemned for that, what were they condemned for?
The Ten Commandments Reflect Love, Breaking them is Evil Some feel that the ten commandments are a burden. Is that what Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, and John taught?
Was the Commandment to Love the Only Command? Some have stated that John's writings teach this, but is that what the Bible really says?

11/14/05 a.m. CGOM's Richard Gawith reported:

The 2005 Feast of Tabernacles at Western Hills was yet another in a fine succession of successful and rewarding festivals at this ideal location! There were in excess of 250 registered attendees with others attending part of the Feast.

This combined with the other FOT reports suggests that CGOM, while still small, is bigger than an article in The Journal once suggested (to me at least). CGOM is CGI spin-off who says it is not a church. More information can be found in the article Church of God Outreach Ministries

Speaking of CGI spin-offs who are not a church, here is information from another as CEM's Ron Dart correctly reported:

Everyone knows that the two most important Christian holidays throughout the Christian world are Easter and Christmas. But there is something odd about that. Neither one of these days is found observed anywhere in the Bible. And if they were as important to the early church as they are today, you would think someone would have said something. Luke might have recorded somewhere in the book of acts that “we stayed over at Troas through Christmas and then sailed across to Philippi.” Or maybe: “We hastened in order to be in Jerusalem at Easter.” But no, nothing like that is found in the Bible at all.

Now there are holidays mentioned in the Bible, quite prominently in both testaments, and they are found observed in the New Testament as well as the Old. "And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days." (Acts 20:6) Later, "For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost." (Acts 20:16)

Nowadays, these holidays are usually dismissed as merely Jewish, but then we are left to wonder why the earliest Christians followed on in their observance. The days clearly have Jewish/historical roots and yet they were still observed faithfully in churches known to be primarily Gentile. There has to be a reason for that. I see the reason simply: The holidays of the Bible are all about Christ and his work.

Actually, the average one who is Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant knows that Christ was our Passover lamb and that the New Testament Church started on Pentecost. Yet many do not realize that Passover was changed to Easter Sunday by the Roman bishops in the 2nd Century and that the leaders in Asia Minor (most of whom are regarded as sainsts) did not accept this. Furthermore, since these early holy days in the Hebrew calendar had fulfillment in Christ, one would think that they would realize that perhaps the other later ones also have a future fufillment.

Those interested in these matters may wish to read some of the following articles:

Melito of Sardis Who was this 2nd Century Church Leader? What Old Testament did he list? What did he teach that most who call themselves Christian later change?
Melito's Homily on the Passover This is one of the earliest Christian writings about the Passover; it was not discovered until the 1930s, nor translated until about 1940--thus missed by researchers such as Lightfoot and Roberts & Donaldson, as well as the writers of The Catholic Encyclopedia (as their works were published prior to its discovery).
Apollinaris He was an early church leader that may have known Melito and Polycarp; he also wrote about the Passover.
Polycrates of Ephesus He was an early church leader that claimed to continue the practices of the Gospel, John, Philip, Melito, and Polycarp, while refusing to accept traditions that came from Rome.
Tradition and Scripture: From the Bible and Church Writings Are traditions on equal par with scripture? Many believe that is what Peter, John, and Paul taught. But did they?
Is There "An Annual Worship Calendar" In the Bible? This paper provides a biblical and historical critique of several articles which state that this should be a local decision. Also you can click here for the calendar of Holy Days.
The Book of Life and the Feast of Trumpets? Are they related? Is so how? If not, where not?
The Day of Atonement--Its Christian Significance The Jews call it Yom Kippur, Christians "The Day of Atonement". Does it have any relevance for Christians today?
The Feast of Tabernacles: A Time for Christians? Is this pilgrimage holy day still valid? Does it teach anything relevant for today's Christians?

11/13/05 a.m. The November 2005 edition of The United News reports:

About 20,000 brethren celebrated the Feast at 59 United sites around the world. The 11 U.S. Feast sites reported a highest attendance figure of 11,398...

TOTAL: 20.360

Note: Highest daily attendance figures. Webcast connections (198+) include some shut-ins counted above, and so are not added into this total.

In its latest update, LCG reported:

It is encouraging to note that in spite of the recent weather disasters and skyrocketing gasoline prices in the USA, the income has continued to hold at about 7% over last year—which is about 1% over our projected income for 2005.  The faithful support of God’s people for His work is very much appreciated and something we need to keep in our prayers...

Mr. Wayne Pyle reports that the response to TV programs broadcast during the Festival period was 40% higher than last year.  Since the telecast began in January 1999, the response during the Festival period has grown at an average of 29% per year.  The most exciting response came from a rerun of Mr. Ames program “Prophetic Milestones Ahead,” which produced 3,867 responses—a new all-time record since the Tomorrow’s World telecast began!  Last week’s program, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”—the last of Mr. John Ogwyn’s programs to be shown—looks like it will be his highest pulling program with over 2,400 responses.   

This week we will pass the half-million mark in phone calls handled by our call-centers in the USA and Canada since 1999.  In addition to these calls, we’ve received 53,000 letters, emails and office calls requesting TV literature.  Another milestone was reached on the Inspiration Network in the UK.  This past week we received our 3,000^th phone call since our satellite airings began in April of this year... 

On other matters, LCG had about 7,000 at about 40 or so FOT sites.

The New York Times posted this story:

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 11 - Conservative leaders of the Episcopal Church U.S.A. and their Anglican counterparts from overseas intensified their warnings Friday about the possibility of a schism in the Anglican Communion if the Episcopal Church did not renounce the consecration of gay bishops and the blessing of same-sex unions.

About 2,400 Episcopal Church and Anglican bishops, clergy members and lay leaders from around the world gathered here Thursday for a three-day show of solidarity in preparation for a general convention of the Episcopal Church next June in Columbus, Ohio.

While Episcopal and Anglican conservatives have warned before of the possibility of a split in the 77 million-member Anglican Communion over these issues, powerful primates of national and regional Anglican churches from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean said Friday that a break was all but inevitable if the Episcopal Church did not vote to change course at the Columbus meeting.

"The primates will decide" if they consider the response of the Episcopal Church "adequate," said Archbishop Drexel Wellington Gomez, primate of the West Indies. He said, however, that he expected no change in the stance of the Episcopal Church, the American arm of the Anglican Communion, when it comes to gays.

If that is the case, "given our present mood, the convention will most certainly be followed by some action," Archbishop Gomez said. "We have worked too hard, too long, to leave it like that."

The Episcopalians and Anglicans were joined by well-known American evangelical Christians, most notably the Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of "The Purpose-Driven Life." Mr. Warren gave encouragement to conservative church dissidents who are trying to break with the Episcopal Church but who have often been stymied by disputes with their dioceses over ownership of church property.

Those of us in the COGs all know what it is like when those who take over a Church decide against historically held doctrine and keep all the property (this is essentially what happened to the old WCG).

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Volume 9, issue 17