Social and religious experimentation flourished in the United States after ratification of the Constitution’s First Amendment. New sects and cults multiplied after 1830 and continue to do so. This article explains the origin and beliefs of three major cults: Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Scientology. Mormonism The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints originated […]
Week 45 Mission | Major World Religions
What do people around the world believe? Keeping a few basic principles in mind will help us better understand the major world religions that appear in this brief overview. First, let’s temporarily suspend judgment as we seek to understand what others believe. If we judge too quickly, we may be judging a perversion of that […]
Week 44 Mission | To the Ends of the Earth
Jesus’ last words to his disciples were a stirring charge to spread the gospel beyond the comfortable homelands of Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, all the way to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). They quickly discovered that some of the places at the known ends of the earth were not entirely hospitable to the […]
Week 43 Mission | Faith and Science
As a Christian and a scientist I’m often asked how I can be both. My initial response is, “How can I not be?” Scripture is replete with references to how God’s attributes are displayed in nature (consider Psalm 19:1; Psalm 139:14; and Romans 1:20 just to name a few) and throughout history men and women […]
Week 42 Mission | Why We Went Again
Two years ago we embarked on a journey to return to full-time overseas missions. We have served with Team Expansion for the past 32 years in various mission locations. In June 1986 we left for one year of language school in Costa Rica and then served for nine years in Uruguay, South America. In 1996 […]