[The following article was taken from www.catholic.org/saints/] Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with “courtly love.” Although not much of St. Valentine’s life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the…
No, this isn’t some future dystopian headline; it’s actually a part of US history! This blog article is long overdue. Christmas Day may be over, but as we are still in the early days of the Christmas season, it is totally appropriate to have a Christmas article. Except that this isn’t an article. It’s a…
Wisdom is one of the most highly sought out attributes in the ancient world. King Solomon was so famous for his wisdom that the Queen of Sheba visited him to see if the reports were true. The Proverbs is an entire book of the Bible dedicated to wise sayings. Many people throughout history have gone…
Who do you support in the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza? Misunderstanding and misinformation about this complicated subject abound. One’s position doesn’t necessarily align with the normal right-left dichotomy in US politics. If anything, the larger divide seems to be between the older generations who recognize the need for a Jewish…
Many people think that if you believe a certain biblical truth, then that leads to a particular political belief. The fact is that is rarely true. That is why there are Christians with genuine faith who disagree on every political position under the sun. For example, the 10 Commandments say not to murder, and yet…
If you are like most Christians, you struggle with trouble. What do I mean? I mean someone tells you they just got diagnosed with cancer, or they lost their job, or any other significant unpleasantness. What do we so often turn to? Some Christian-sounding half-true bromide, like, “trust in Jesus and everything will work out.”…
It is not uncommon to hear the complaint by non-Christians that the Bible is offensive. We who believe shouldn’t dismiss this. There are places in the Bible (mostly, but not exclusively in the Old Testament) where what appears to be held up as good offends modern sensibilities. Everything from sexism to slavery to genocide appears…
Jesus famously said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). That’s a tall order! But it doesn’t mean “perfect” in the way we think of the word, to be without imperfections. It has more to do with fulfilling our purpose. And by looking at the wider context of this statement, it’s…
What is Juneteenth, and Why Should Christians Care? “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” -Jesus (John 10:10). President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on 1 January, 1863, which declared all slaves in Confederate States “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” It took two more years of fighting before…
Epworth Affiliated Epworth Chapel has officially affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. What does that mean? I’m glad you asked! First, a little history lesson. As originally conceived, Epworth was going to be a Nazarene church, but the District Superintendent at the time wasn’t interested in having a liturgical Nazarene church (now College Church, a…