Category Archives: Religion

For Sale: Cambridge ESV Topaz

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Produced in a larger format and designed to suit both private study and public reading, the new Cambridge Topaz edition is a two-color reference Bible of the highest quality. The Topaz features a brand new design and, as a new Cambridge family, will be made available in multiple translations over time.

The sleek and contemporary design of the Topaz is carefully printed on the finest India-style paper and complemented with traditional binding techniques. Chapter and Verse numbers are printed in red to aid navigation.

Features include:

Black Goatskin with leather edge lined binding
Textblock: approximately 6″ x 9″ x 1-1/4″
Smyth Sewn
Double column
Verse by Verse
Line matched
Modern, digital typeface
10 pt. font
Cross References in the outer margins
Translation notes at the bottom of the page
Red Letter for the words of Christ
28 GSM Indopaque paper
Art Gilt for both Goatskin and Calfskin editions
2 high quality ribbons
Concordance
Maps
Presentation and Family Records Pages

If God exists, why is there suffering in the world?

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When considering how to reconcile the reality of suffering with the concept of a loving God from a Christian perspective, several fundamental theological arguments must be considered.

Free Will
One feature that is frequently highlighted is the gift of free will. According to Christian doctrine, God gave humans the ability to choose freely. Suffering may occur from the abuse of this free will, as individuals make decisions that have bad repercussions. In essence, God permits for free will, even if it causes misery.

The Fall and Original Sin
Christianity holds that pain entered the world as a result of humanity’s disobedience, which is commonly referred to as the Fall. The concept of original sin implies that pain is the result of the separation.

Spiritual Growth and Character Development
Some Christian beliefs highlight the importance of suffering in spiritual growth and character development. In times of adversity, people may get closer to God, gaining strength, resilience, and compassion for others. The Christian faith urges followers to believe in God’s plans, especially in the face of adversity.

The Cross: A Symbol of God’s Love
The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is central in Christian theology. Christians believe that God, in the form of Jesus, willingly suffered for humanity’s salvation. The cross is regarded as the pinnacle of God’s love, as He bore the weight of sin and suffering. This event demonstrates that God understands and shares the human experience of pain.

Eternal Perspective
Christians believe in an eternal viewpoint, which holds that suffering in this life is just temporary. The promise of eternal life with God gives hope and assurance that current suffering is not the ultimate reality. This viewpoint urges believers to persevere in the face of adversity while being faithful to God’s larger plan.

To summarize, the Christian response to the existence of suffering in the presence of a loving God entails understanding free will, acknowledging the consequences of human choices, finding meaning in spiritual growth through adversity, contemplating Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice, and maintaining an eternal perspective that transcends temporal suffering.

Scripture Evidence – Why I believe the Doctrines of Grace (Five Points of Calvinism)

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DOCTRINES OF GRACE – CATEGORIZED SCRIPTURE LIST

Unconditional Election

God is Sovereign Exo 15:18; 1Chr 29:11-12; 2Chr 20:6; Psa 22:28

  1. He exercises that sovereignty in actively ordaining everything

Deu 32:39; 1Sam 2:6-8; Job 9:12; Job 12:6-10; Psa 33:11; Psa 115:3; Psa 135:6; Isa 14:24; Isa 45:7; Act 15:18; Eph 1:11

  1. Including matters of “chance”

Pro 16:33; 1Ki 22:20, 34, 37

  1. The wicked actions of men
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On this day 1838: Joseph Smith flees Ohio

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After his bank fails in the Panic of 1837, Joseph Smith flees Kirtland, Ohio, to avoid arrest and heads for Missouri to rebuild his religious community.

A sensitive and religious-minded man since his youth, Joseph Smith claimed the angel Moroni visited him in 1823, when he was 18 years old, and told him he was destined to become a modern prophet of God. For four years, Smith said he made annual visits to a hill in upstate New York where he received instructions preparing him for his new prophetic role. In 1827, he unearthed gold tablets inscribed in a mysterious language. Two years later, Smith created a local sensation when he revealed his discovery and made known his plans to publish a new volume of scripture based on his translation of the golden plates.

In March 1830, Smith published 5,000 copies of a volume he called The Book of Mormon. More often met with outrage than belief, Smith’s revelations nonetheless took root in the spiritually fertile era of the 1830s. Upstate New York was already a hotbed of religious revivalism, and Smith’s new religion appealed to Americans searching for spiritual values amidst the bustling economic growth of a rapidly expanding nation. In contrast to the radical individualism of the lone pioneer, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints stressed the power of mutual cooperation and sacrifice for the good of the whole. Nearly two decades later, when the Latter-day Saints established their new theocratic state in Utah, this emphasis on cooperation would transform a desert into one of the richest and most productive farming regions in the West.

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Chalking the Door

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Here is my liturgy for Chalking the Door at the end of Christmastide. There doesn’t seem to be a common liturgy published anywhere so I created my own and this is what my wife and I do every January 5. Feel free to download.

Our 2023 Chalking of the door, above the entrance to our home through the garage.
Chalking-the-DoorDownload

Schuyler 2024 Roadmap

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From the Schuyler Announcement: Schuyler will be introducing the NLT PSQ this year as well as the NKJV Stridon. We will also be introducing more of our aniline calfskin options: desert camel, chestnut, tuscany, saddle brown, siena, olive green, Prussian blue – as well as our faithful black pearl and black goatskin options!! These will be available throughout our line of Bibles. The newly designed ESV will have an apocrypha option as well. This is going to be printed next month. We will also be collaborating with Crossway to produce more Heirloom Study Bibles and perhaps more Heritage editions!

As is often the case, inflation is putting pressure on our prices, as well as the fact that our Bibles are made in the Netherland and Germany (with French paper). The Bible craftsmen and materials in these countries are the best in the world, but they come with a corresponding price tag…

We truly appreciate our Bible community. The Word is such a gift to this generation. We hope that we steward this gift wisely since in our present darkness, the LIGHT that the Word produces is critical and consequential.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Anglican Bible Reading Guide

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For my One-Year Bible Reading Charts click here.

I spent a good portion of my time in the month of December 2023 researching bible reading plans and could not come up with a happy medium or compromise with everything I was seeking. After careful consideration and planning, I produced my own custom Bible reading plan that is constructed precisely the way I like it.

CHRONOLOGICAL NEW TESTAMENT

This plan is unique in that it combines several different approaches to a reading plan as follows: First, I wanted to read the Gospels in chronological order. There are several planes out on the internet that accomplish this, however, I wanted the New Testament to be of a different structure than the Old Testament. I used the Bible Reading Plan Generator to assemble the passages for the New Testament. This generator offers the user several different options to obtain the plan that fits best. I compared to other chronological reading plans and many of them chopped up the chapters into verses like this popular plan found at the back of the ESV Study Bible.



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