About as mainstream and Main Street as a denomination can be in the United States today, the Methodist church, in its early days in England, was considered extreme and its leaders radical.

The first Methodists, led by John Wesley, George Whitefield and others, started out merely to reform the Church of England, but wound up riding the wave of a movement. It began with a group of students at Oxford between 1729 and 1735 and slowly spread outward.

From A Brief history of the Methodist Denomination, by Mary Fairchild:

“The beginning of Methodism as a popular movement began in 1738, when both of the Wesley brothers, influenced by contact with the Moravians, undertook evangelistic preaching with an emphasis on conversion and holiness. Though both Wesley brothers were ordained ministers of the Church of England, they were barred from speaking in most of its pulpits because of their evangelistic methods. They preached in homes, farm houses, barns, open fields, and wherever they found an audience.

“Wesley did not set out to create a new church, but instead began several small faith-restoration groups within the Anglican church called the “United Societies.” Soon however, Methodism spread and eventually became its own separate religion when the first conference was held in 1744.

“George Whitefield (1714-1770) was a minister in the Church of England and also one of the leaders of the Methodist movement. Some believe that he more than John Wesley is the founder of Methodism. He is famous for his part in the Great Awakening movement in America. As a follower of John Calvin, Whitefield parted ways with Wesley over the doctrine of predestination.”

Methodism (so called because of their advocacy of “rule” and “method” in their teachings) was characterized one thing, and that was its inclusiveness. In particular, Whitefield traveled across the English countryside preaching in open-air venues, to anyone who would listen. A forerunner of 20th century spellbinders, his style was like Billy Sunday.

Whitefield later came to America to ignite the Great Awakening with his robust oratory.

As for core doctrine, however, there was no appreciable difference between Methodists and the older church from which they sprung. Methodists believed in the trinity, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and the necessity for grace from God to achieve salvation (as opposed to good works).

The three precepts of Methodism developed by Wesley could hardly have been argued with by any Christian:

1. Shun evil and avoid partaking in wicked deeds at all costs, 2. Perform kind acts as much as possible, and 3. Abide by the edicts of God the Almighty Father.

Whitefield finally convinced Wesley that it was not disrespecting God to preach outside of a church. In time, however, Wesley would follow the path of Arminianism, while Whitefield gravitated toward Calvinism.

Both of those paths were frowned upon by the staid Church of England, which regarded Methodists as fanatics.

Finding a ready reception along the early frontier, soon after Methodism began to bubble in England, itinerant preachers came to America. Because Methodism was preacher-oriented, the best and most dynamic of those tended to accumulate their own followings.

Because Methodism was preacher-oriented, the best and most dynamic of those tended to accumulate their own followings. Consequently, Methodism began to splinter, both in England and in the colonies.

The Second Great Awakening in America took place from 1817 to 1843, rekindling zeal for Methodism and other Protestant denominations. Coinciding with that, though, was a debate inside the Methodist church about slavery, which John Wesley had adamantly opposed. Eventually, slaveholders were ejected from membership.

In a Covenant service to begin the New Year, Methodists usually reaffirm their covenant with God. John Singleton wrote in The Roots of Methodism:

“On many occasions, Wesley urged that an opportunity be provided for Methodists to make, or renew, their “covenant” with God. His first formal covenant service was held in 1755 at the French Church (borrowed for the occasion to accommodate large numbers), situated in the Spitalfields area of east London.”

This is what Wesley wrote in his journal about the event:

“I mentioned to the congregation another means of increasing serious religion which had been frequently practiced by our forefathers, namely, the joining in a covenant to serve God with all our heart and with all our soul. I explained this for several mornings, and on Friday, many of us kept a fast to the Lord, beseeching him to give us wisdom and strength, to make a promise unto the Lord our God and keep it.

“On Monday…I explained once more the nature of such an engagement and the manner of doing it acceptably to God.

“At six in the evening we met for that purpose. After I had recited the tenor of the covenant proposed, all those who desired to give testimony of their entrance into this covenant stood up, to the number of about 1,800 persons. Such a night I scarce ever saw before. Surely the fruit of it shall remain forever.”

The building in which the historic covenant service took place still stands in Spitalfields.

The United Methodist Church, founded in 1968, is the primary Methodist representative in the United States. Other groups that trace their origins back to John Welsey include the Free Methodist Church, the Wesleyan Church and the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

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Who says that personal finances can’t be motivational and inspiring? Are you bored of your plain bank checks? Do you find yourself carrying dull checks because you think that they are too pricey or you can’t find a design that you are interested in? A lot of people feel this way.

Finances can be stressful and keeping track of your personal finances can be overwhelming and daunting-not to mention boring. With beautiful checks, however, at least you can have something nice to look at when you are distributing your funds! Scripture checks are motivational and attractive and will always be a reminder that there is something greater out there, which can be a blessing when you are feeling daunted.

Gorgeous scripture checks can add captivation, motivation, and striking images to your bank checks. They’re not as pricey as you might believe, either. In addition, you will discover that there is a broad collection of designs available to pick from.

The original scripture checks, for instance, showcase popular Christian verses set amidst beautiful watercolor scenes. There are 4 rotating images and a matching leather checkbook cover, complete with a gorgeous sunset, can be purchased at an additional cost.

If you adore beautiful photography, you can also find scripture checks that have attractive images of majestic mountain peaks, fall foliage, handsome desert landscapes, and magnificent waterfalls. Each image comes with its own scripture and with 4 rotating images, every check will be different from the last one.

Tranquility checks also provide scripture verses set amongst eye-catching natural photographs of sunsets, wooded scenes, and beautiful forests. You will be sure to feel stirred when you see these checks, even if your finances leave you feeling strained.

Whether you fancy watercolor scenes, beautiful photographs, or even straightforward drawings you will discover that there really is something for everyone. The majority of people will be grateful for receiving a beautiful check with an encouraging message on it, too, since everyone needs a bit of motivation, especially in these rough financial times.

Most check series come with matching accessories that can be purchased at an additional cost. These coordinating address labels, contact cards, and checkbook covers can help tie your checks together and offer even more beautiful images to look at.

Don’t forget that when you purchase your scripture checks online from a trustworthy website you can save as much as 50% off your check’s price. Plus, you will have a superior assortment of check series and designs to select from so you won’t have to be concerned about settling for something that you don’t want.

It generally takes about 5 days to obtain your checks in the mail. This could be sooner than it took you to get them from your local bank in the past. Plus, you won’t have to make a special jaunt to your bank to buy them, either.

Before you order Scripture checks, go to Scripture-Checks.com to find coupons and to save up to 50% off your next purchase of Scripture personal checks.

After graduating college, my husband Tim and I served as missionaries in Africa for a few years. Many times throughout my life I have reflected back to the experiences I had and the lessons that I learned during the time we were there.

Tim and I had some friends who were also working as missionaries and we had a trip planned to visit with them. Where we lived and in those days a trip like this was a major undertaking. We had never made the drive and there were no road signs or traffic lights to help us find the way. No gas stations to fuel up or to get directions if we missed a turn.

We filled up the car with everything that we needed to take. We made sure to have enough gas to get there and back, because there was nowhere to buy it along the way. Not too long after we left home we started to have some problems with the care.

Tim tinkered with the engine but it didn’t help. We prayed and asked the Lord for wisdom to know how to fix it so we could make it to our destination. We had really been looking forward to this trip. It became obvious that we couldn’t make it another hundred miles since the car would go no more than 25 miles per hour, so we turned around and limped home. I was confused and disappointed. Why God hadn’t answered our prayer?

After returning home we had a mechanic check out the car. He was amazed at what he found and he told us we were lucky to be alive! The gas line was leaking right down into the engine and he couldn’t believe that the engine hadn’t exploded already. If we had made the rest of the trip, tragedy would have almost certainly happened.

This news was a huge shock to us! God knew much better than we did, and he chose to protect us despite our prayers to continue on the trip. He helped us to think clearly enough to make the decision to turn around, and that probably saved our lives.

Thank you, Father, that Your knowledge is so vast that it sees beyond the surface to the core of our deepest needs. Your wisdom never ceases to amaze me!

Following several years as a missionary, Dr. Ann Shorb began a career in counseling and is the founder of CCES in Hanover, PA. She provides a variety of services including pre marital counseling and help with sexual addiction recovery.

You’ve heard the saying, “Talking is sharing. Listening is caring,” haven’t you? I saw it on a sign in front of a church a couple of years ago, and it caught my eye. In the last few weeks, I’ve seen it again several times. I’m not sure who first said it, but it really is true.

In one of the devotionals that I sent out to my subscriber list I wrote about a rough time in my life that I was going through and how God’s Word had been a great comfort to me. When I wrote that devotional I had no idea that I would get such a warm response from readers. I had calls from friends and emails from readers that I don’t even know personally. Many of them told me that they were there for me if I wanted to talk to someone.

Just knowing that they took the time to email or call, and that they cared how I was doing, really meant a lot to me. By doing that I knew that my friends and readers had truly listened to the message of my devotional, and they cared enough to show it.

The world we live in is always hectic and busy, and it’s easy for us to have trouble listening to others. We tend to get distracted by what is going on and by the concerns in our own lives and we don’t stop to think about how we can help others just by listening. Most of us our guilty of this, but it is something that we can work on.

When you listen to someone else it shows that you care and that you value them. You show that you care enough to give them your time and attention, and that can mean a lot. Listening helps to build stronger, deeper relationships, and it brings two people closer together. By listening to others we can show them God’s love.

Throughout the Gospels, we see the Lord Jesus listening to people and their needs. In John 3, Jesus listened to Nicodemus, a prominent and righteous, Jewish leader who questioned Him about His teachings and His miracles.

Not too long after speaking with Nicodemus, we read of a well known story where Jesus talked and listened to a sinful woman while she was getting water from a well. This woman would not have been considered worthy for most of the leaders of that day to pay her any attention, but Jesus did. He wasn’t concerned with things like wealth, status, gender, He was there for people that needed Him. This gives us a terrific model that we should be following.

Thank you, dear friends, for your care and concern. I want to let you know that my unpleasant event was resolved as well as it could be, and there has been reconciliation. Thanks for caring! Thanks for listening!

Lord, thank You for giving me amazing friends and family that care about me. Thank You for using them to show Your love. Help me to be as willing to listen to others as they have been willing to listen to me.

Ann Shorb is a counselor and the founder of Christian Counseling and Educational Services in Hanover, PA. They provide a variety of services including pre-marital counseling, christian marriage counseling, family counseling and much more.

Do you remember the old photo booths that used to be in stores and shopping centers? You could get in the booth with a friend, get in the right position, check your image on the screen, insert some coins, and get ready for the pictures.

The pictures would start and you’d have a few seconds to move into different positions or poses in between. Most of the would give you four pictures. After the photos are taken you step outside of the booth and wait for the photos to be printed. That wait was the hard part. Eventually the photos would be printed and dropped into a bin on the side.

Taking the photos is fun, but waiting those few minutes for the developing is so hard! It seems to take forever, but sooner or later you know the pictures will come through.

Sometimes when things seem to be moving ahead rapidly in my life and God is obviously working, I hear His still small voice saying, “Wait!” I’m ready to move on to the next project or plan and God says, No, not now. That isn’t what I want to hear! I fear that if I wait, the thing will be forgotten. I worry that putting it off will only allow some obstacle will keep it from happening, and I won’t get what I want . . . or by the time I get it, I won’t want it.

Throughout my life I learned some hard lessons that in those times when God chooses to not answer my prayers right away in my own timing, I need to take the focus off of my agenda and simply focus on Him. This is when I know that He loves and cares for me and I trust that He will care for me in His timing as He knows what is best.

God is faithful, and I know this. Because he is faithful I can wait and know that when His timing comes, all things will work out according to His plan.

Lord, during those times when I am struggling to have patience and wait on your timing, give me that patience that I need and help me to understand that you are still in control.

Ann Shorb is a counselor and the founder of CCES. She works with a wide variety of clients and provides counseling services for many different issues.

Christianity is at a point where the Christian community is under attack. We have been here before over the past two thousand years but we survived.

But we can lose this power to fight back if we do not organize. Now more than ever our societies are quicker to accept the contemporary view of the bible and the irrelevance of the Christian faith than we once did.

The last few years have seen a plethora of information mainly in books and movies that have attacked the Christian faith. These attacks are designed to debase the Christian God that we serve as divine and the ruler of everything and replace it with the accepted view of today.

These attackers set about to destroy the bible by creating scholarly articles that attack especially the gospels. They believe the gospels were written way after the crucifixion and thus could have been tainted by people’s imagination of what they thought Jesus should be.

Popular books and movies also attack everything the bible and the Christian faith stand for. They find new ways to point out why long held scholarly beliefs in passages in the bible are not to be interpreted in the traditional fashion but must be reinterpreted in a new light.

These new age scholars, writers and producers are shaping the way the public perceive the Christian faith. They are becoming successful because of the information age which makes it easier for them to provide their opinions especially on the Internet and crowding out traditional scholars.

These scholars are persuading Christians especially those who are educated. They hope to dethrone the Christian God and rid society of the Christian faith. And they have no mercy in their vicious attacks.

The school environment has always been our home court where we could influence what our kids learn. Now they are being forced to accept Darwinism over creationism through curriculums that have been specifically designed to demote Christianity.

Until Christians worldwide begin to fight collectively we will reach a point where we lose the battle. It is time to wake up and fight the good fight for it is a battle we cannot afford to lose.

Samuel Brown is a devout christian who writes about issues affecting christianity. Visit the christian, christianity and christians online to learn more.

The day of Halloween is a holiday celebrate by millions of children. While not every country keeps the Halloween tradition, millions of children and teens can be found trick-or-treating both in the United States and many other nations. While some love Halloween, there are some who are just as passionately opposed to it. Interesting to note are the pagan origins of this day which stretch back thousands of years to the ancient pagans who existed even before Jesus’ day.

Here are some historical facts about the origin of Halloween:

Halloween’s The origins of Halloween date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. It is said to have started with the Celts. The Celts lives around 2,000 years ago in what is now the United Kingdom, Ireland and northern France. The celebration at that time was on November 1 or October 31.

The idea was associated with the the beginning of the cold winter, dark and associated with fear of death. Celts had superstitious ideas and truly believed that on the night before, the boundaries between the world of the living and dead became blurred. They believed that the ghosts of lives of the dead returned to the earth or revisited their homes. In addition to the malevolence associated with these bad spirits, Celts felt that the presence of these spirits made it easier for the priests to predict the future. These prophecies were help much importance for largely illiterate, such as the Celts. They celebration took on sinister significance, with hobgoblins which were believed to be roaming about on that spooky evening.

Bonfires were burned on the tops of hills to scare off evil spirits, and people sacrificed both crops and animals to pagan Celtic gods. Costumes were worn during these ceremonies, and they usually consisted of animal heads and skins.

The name Halloween itself has its origins with the Roman Catholic Church. By the 9th Century, the festival had been influenced a mixture of pagan teachings and Christianity that had become an integral part of the Catholic religion. Immigrants then brought the practice to the U.S., in particular the Irish. These then became popular around the late 19th century. Halloween has always been a holiday and fright. Because of the forgoing reasons and because of the pagan practices of Halloween, many Christians of various genres, do not participate in the the holiday or its customs.

This article was written by John Scott, a writer who has a BA in Social Science from Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, NJ.

See also: Jehovah’s Witnesses headlines (official site of Jehovah’s Witnesses, not associated with this article).

categories: Halloween,religion,pagan,Christian

Christianity is at a point where the Christian community is under attack. We have been here before over the past two thousand years but we survived.

The power to fight back can be lost. People are likely to accept the modern concept of the bible and view the Christian faith as irrelevant to their lives.

Over recent years there has been a lot of information in the form of movies and books that have had a significant impact on the Christian faith. Their attacks are packaged in a way to taint the Christian God and replace it with a modern view.

The attackers assail the bible, the major source of Christian knowledge, through so-called scholarly means that mainly attack the gospels. These people hold that the gospels were put together too long after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the gospels have been developed from legends.

Popular books and movies also attack everything the bible and the Christian faith stand for. They find new ways to point out why long held scholarly beliefs in passages in the bible are not to be interpreted in the traditional fashion but must be reinterpreted in a new light.

Contemporary attackers of the Christian faith are determining the way in which the public view the Christian faith. Their success is due in large part to the public being pre-exposed to Darwinism and other ideas that explain away the need for the Christian faith.

These scholars are persuading Christians especially those who are educated. They hope to dethrone the Christian God and rid society of the Christian faith. And they have no mercy in their vicious attacks.

Our schools have been a sacred teaching place where the Christian faith was taught to the young and Christian morals were instilled. Gone are those days when our curriculum consisted of books that promoted creationism and not the idea of Darwinism. Our impressionable are vulnerable and are being taught concepts the Christian faith doesn’t promote.

We have to take a stand against these assailants and as a group fight for what we believe in. It is a fight that’s worth the price and we cannot afford to lose such an important battle.

Samuel Brown writes about christianity on the Internet. His website the christian, christianity and christians is chock full of information on christianity. Visit to learn more.

While there is some discussion among scholars as to the actual method of Jesus’ execution, it is believed by some that Jesus died on an upright pole or stake rather than on a two-beamed cross. The Roman method of execution at that time was by impaling the criminal on a stake.

The Greek words which were used in the Greek Scriptures or New Testament for the cross, are stavros, and xlyon. Stavros signifies “upright pale or stake,” and xlyon means, a tree. Therefore in accurate translations of the Bible, where the King James Version, and others, read that Jesus was crucified, some more careful translations read that Jesus was “impaled”. Similarly, where some translations read that Jesus Christ died on a cross, others read with more precision, according to the original Greek meanings of the noun, that Jesus died upon a “stake” or “tree”.

One reference on this subject asserts, “A tradition of the Church which our fathers have inherited, was the adoption of the words “cross” and “crucify”. These words are nowhere to be found in the Greek of the New Testament. These words are mistranslations, a “later rendering”, of the Greek words stauros and stauroo.” Origin of cross The cross had been a pagan religious symbol many centuries before Christ and it was Constantine, a pagan ruler, who first melded the symbol of the cross to Christianity. Eventually, like many of the Christian traditions, the cross became a fixture in nominal Christianity and also a symbol, viewed by many, as of idolatry.

from the early part of the 20th century, The Two Babylons, provides evidence that the origin of the cross stems from the worship of the Egyptian God Tammuz, represented by a “T”, the cross later being assimilated by and its ecclesiastical system.

These are some other references on the subject of the cross: Dr. Bullinger, in the Companion Bible indicates, “crosses were used as symbols of the Babylonian Sun-god … It should be stated that Constantine was a Sun-god worshipper … The evidence is thus complete, that the Lord was put to death upon an upright stake, and not on two pieces of timber placed at any angle.” p.162 The Encyclopaedia Britannica, states on the subject of the cross, “In the Egyption churches the cross was a pagan symbol of life borrowed by the Christians and interpreted in the pagan manner.” Jacob Grimm, in his Deutsche Mythologie, says that the Teutonic (Germanic) tribes had their idol Thor, symbolised by a hammer, while the Roman Christians had their crux (cross). It was thus somewhat easier for the Teutons to accept the Roman Cross.” 11th edition, vol. 14, p. 273. Both of the preceding quotes are from Albatross.org

See also: Jehovah’s Witnesses headlines (official site of Jehovah’s Witnesses, not associated with this article) . http://www.albatrus.org/english/religions/pagan/was_jesus_crucified_on_cross.htm

We are all aware that a church needs basic church supplies like church bulletins in order to operate. If this item and other basic needs of a church are nowhere to be found, the church would not function very well. Nothing will guide the members and even the visitors of the church.

These supplies may be simple but they must never be neglected. With them may sometime lay the success of a church occasion whether they are important or not. And it is also a very important matter to both the person administering in the church or to the congregation.

There are a lot of church supplies and church bulletins that can greatly help any person or individual to organize and facilitate any church occasion properly without getting much hassle while the ceremony or program is ongoing.

These church supplies would constitute book marks for the scriptures. You know that every good church uses a lot of readings in the bible and other gospel oriented sources. So these book marks will be of great help not to get lost as you read and flip the chapters and verses of the scriptures or the pages of the books.

Also, another example of church supplies is offering envelopes, which can be used during the offering portion of the mass or any ceremony in the church. Also there book plates and wall charts that can be used during any church occasion or even without any occasion or any mass or ceremony. The wall charts can be used by church staff to put reminders and other church schedules.

Church bulletins also play a big role while an occasion is ongoing such as baptismal, wedding, funerals and other church occasions. These bulletins will be the best way to give any visitors, guests and other person who is attending the program or the ceremony to keep track of the coming program.

What are mentioned are not all the church supplies which are needed. There are many more. To name some, we have pew supplies, record books for Sunday school classes, postcards, certificates, different kinds of worship resources, welcome and outreach items, and letterheads. There could be more added to the list.

These church supplies and church bulletins may be simple things, but they play a very important and big role to any church occasion and events. Missing one supply or bulletin from one of the occasions and events can never be a perfect one without these simple supplies and bulletins.

No matter your religious preference, you must own church supplies to prosper. Items such as church programs can make or break a church. They can make church a much better place to go every week.