After the Babylonians destroyed the temple and carried the people of Judah into exile, synagogues emerged as the new centers of worship. Synagogue comes directly from a Greek word that means “gathering.” In the Bible, a synagogue is any group of people who meet together for worship. Just when… Read More

The temple was the center of Jewish worship. One of the most important forms of worship for the Jews was sacrifice. Read more here. In Jesus’ day Jewish people went to worship and to make sacrifices to God at the temple in Jerusalem. Sacrifices required by the Law of… Read More

Learn about the history of Christian radio broadcasting in the last century. We live in an age when technology permits us to tune in to radio programming from a satellite service or to listen to an ever-widening selection of radio channels through the Internet. Yet, even though satellite and… Read More

The story of Jesus’s life and death has been chronicled on film for over a hundred years. Read about the history and development of filming the story of Christ through the last century. In 2004, movie theaters across the United States projected Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ… Read More

What does running a 5K have to do with becoming a more committed Christian? Learn where physical fitness and faith intersect. By Christopher J. Anderson, Ph.D. In an 1858 article for Atlantic Monthly titled, “Saints, and their Bodies,” author Thomas W. Higginson suggests that physical exercise “takes a man… Read More

Beginnings are important. Rosh Ha-Shanah celebrates the beginning of creation and simultaneously looks forward the future. Annual cycles are good for us, because they get us to ask what has been accomplished in the past twelve months. Our birthdays, for example, mark the milestones of our lives, and as… Read More

War is a reality for millions of people. Does the Bible justify war? Read more to learn about biblical texts related to war and peace. The Bible does not give a definitive answer concerning the question of war. Like so many other ethical questions in contemporary society that are… Read More

Suicide can be a divisive and painful issue within the church. Read about biblical texts and church tradition that have shaped the Church’s view of this issue. The issue of taking a life has been at the center of civic debate for centuries. Today, in the United States, many… Read More

What is the Gospel of Mary? Why is it important to readers today? Read more to find out. Forgotten by history until its rediscovery in the late nineteenth century, the Gospel of Mary (GM) exists now only in three incomplete manuscripts. Two manuscripts from the early third century CE… Read More

The modern dating system is based on the birth of Christ. Find out when this practice started and how it relates to the Christian calendar. The initials B.C. (an abbreviation for “Before Christ”) are applied to dates of events that occurred before the “Christian” (or Common) era. If the… Read More