The Roman Catholic church teaches about place of punishment after death called purgatory. The Protestant church doesn’t teach it. Where did purgatory come from? The doctrine developed during the Middle Ages and was cemented into the official teachings of the Catholic Church during the reformation when the reformers protested it's teaching because it wasn’t found in the Bible. At the council of Trent, which culminated in 1563, the Catholic church declared the existence of purgatory an official teaching of the Catholic church and those who reject the doctrine of purgatory were accursed.
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What is Baptism?

Baptism is a public immersion of a believer under water. It is generally performed in the presence of other Christians. It is a public picture of identification with Christ's death, burial and resurrection being the source of your life. The Bible tells us, in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, that Christ died for our sins, he was buried and rose again. In Colossians 2:12, it tells us baptism is a picture of our identification with Christ's death, burial and resurrection being where we place our confidence for forgiveness of our sins and relationship with God.

NOTE - Baptism doesn't make you a Christian. It is a public declaration of what you believe. Baptism is like a wedding ring. It is the outward symbol of the commitment you made before God in your heart.

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The exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown. The Bible does not give specifics on the date of either Jesus' birth or conception. In the second century A.D., a Roman Christian historian named Sextus Julius Africanus calculated Jesus’ birthdate to be December 25 (nine months after Africanus believed Jesus was conceived). In spite of the assumptions made in Africanus’s line of thinking, the date was widely accepted.
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Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chair of African Studies at California State University, Long Beach. Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January 1. Karenga’s original concept was to provide African-Americans with a time to focus on the cultural heritage and values of Africa and to provide an alternative to Christmas. Karenga drew from a number of different African harvest festivals, Black Nationalist ideology, and other cultural influences to create the seven “Nguzo Saba,” or principles of African heritage. Each of these principles is represented by a physical symbol, one for each day of Kwanzaa. Read More...

Evolution is considered by many to be scientific fact. Every National Geographic program reminds us that we live in a world created by random chance over 5 to 20 billion years. While most Christians do not believe in evolution, they struggle to believe God created everything in six literal days.

In an effort to reconcile the difference between high school biology and the church youth group, many Christians attempt a compromise. A common compromise is theistic evolution or the day-age theory. This theory claims that each day of creation corresponds to billions of years in the evolutionary cycle. The Bible is considered true as long as the days of creation are not literally true. Is this what you believe?
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It wasn’t long ago some were predicting the main challenge for our generation would be too much spare time. For example, in 1967, testimony before a Senate subcommittee claimed that by 1985 the average work week would be just twenty-two hours. Instead we went the opposite direction. Today Americans lead the industrialized world in annual work hours. In 1967, the average employee worked 1,716 hours a year. By the year 2,000 that rose to 1,878 hours a year.

With so much time needed for work how can we balance our work, church and family life?
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Nelson’s Bible Dictionary defines temptation as “an enticement or invitation to sin, with the implied promise of greater good to be derived from following the way of disobedience.” Resisting temptation begins with knowing that Satan is the supreme “tempter” (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5) who has been tempting mankind since our Creator placed His first two children in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3; 1 John 3:8). Ultimately, however, we know that Satan’s power over Christians has been effectively destroyed as the war has already been won through our Savior’s death and resurrection which conquered the power of sin and death forever. Nonetheless, Satan still prowls the earth looking to drive a wedge between God and His children, and his temptations are unfortunately a daily part of our lives (1 Peter 5:8). Yet with the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth of God’s Word to help us, we will find ourselves effectively resisting temptations. Read More...

Whenever door-to-door evangelism is mentioned, people invariably think of Jehovah’s Witness or Mormons. While only a tiny proportion of Mormons undertake two year missionary work, all Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected to take part in the door-to-door work. They are referred to as “publishers.” They have to report their activity, which includes the number of hours spent each month going from house to house and in conducting Bible studies with interested people. Read More...

As I type, I sit at my mother’s bedside. Cancer is winning the battle. Soon she will with the Lord. What will happen when she draws her final breath? Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death? Read More...

Membership is a public statement of one’s commitment to a church. It is a statement of belief in what the church stands for and indicates a desire to be actively involved. There are a number of reasons why a growing Christian should move beyond church involvement to becoming a member.
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Whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween can be a very controversial topic. Some Christians celebrate Halloween simply by dressing up in a costume and having fun, seeing it as innocent and harmless. Other Christians are equally convinced that Halloween is a satanic holiday established to worship evil spirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible for Christians to celebrate Halloween without compromising their faith?
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Semi-sabbatarianism followers, as early as the fourth century A.D., believed essentially as the sabbatarianists did, with the exception that they transferred its demands from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week (the day on which Christ arose from the dead). Theologians of that period, particularly in the Eastern Church, were teaching the practical identity of the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) and the Christian Sunday.

Interestingly, a legend recounted in the so-called “Apocalypse of Peter,” which dates back to the 2nd Century A.D. and is generally accepted as a false writing, transfers to Sunday all of the requirements of Sabbath worship. A man named Albertus Magnus added momentum to this growing movement by suggesting semi-sabbatarianism be divided into two parts: the moral command to observe a day of rest after laboring the previous six days, and the ceremonial symbol that applied only to the Jews in a literal sense. Thomas Aquinas elevated this proposal to the status of official Roman Catholic doctrine, which in time also gained favor with many reformed theologians.

Scripture never mentions any Sabbath (Saturday) gatherings by believers for fellowship or worship. However, there are clear passages that mention the first day of the week, Sunday. For instance, Acts 20:7 states that “on the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” Paul also urges the Corinthian believers “on the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Since Paul designates this offering as “service” in 2 Corinthians 9:12, this collection may have been linked with the Sunday worship service of the Christian assembly. Historically Sunday, not Saturday, was the normal meeting day for Christians in the church, and its practice dates back to the first century.

Christians worship on Sundays in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is very important to remember, though, Sunday worship is not commanded in the Bible, and Sunday has not replaced Saturday and become the Christian Sabbath. While the New Testament describes Christians gathering and worshipping on Sundays, it nowhere states that Sunday has replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. They key point in all of this is that we are not to limit our worship to any particular day of the week. We are to rest in the Lord every day. We are to worship the Lord every day.

Quoted from: Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered

Some people have said that after Jesus' death on the cross, he went to hell for three days. Some have even said that while Jesus was in hell, he was tormented by Satan. Is this true? Did Satan get a chance to torment Jesus?
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Will the Lake of Fire be the same for everyone? After all, a sin is a sin. Isn’t one little sin enough to make us guilty before God? Many Christians confuse being guilty of sin with judgment for sin. As a result, they see no difference between jay walking and murder.
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Maybe you have seen this billboard on the side of the road heading into Milford. Who is behind it? What do they think will happen this Saturday?

Harold Camping, the 89-year old founder of Family Radio, has warned that this Saturday the rapture will occur at exactly 6 p.m. in Jerusalem. After that, God’s Day of Judgment will begin.

If you think Harold is right, there are many unique options available this weekend.

• You can skydive without a parachute in complete safety at 5:50 p.m. Jerusalem time (any takers)?
• You can finally afford a trip to Hawaii for the weekend. After all, you are only paying for a one-way ticket.
• This weekend is the chance for the shopping spree of a life time. By the time the bill arrives, you will be long gone.
• You are done with your diet forever. Immediately stop eating healthy! You will never have enough time to gain the weight.

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