By Clete Hux and Craig Branch They knock on our doors. They distribute lots of literature. They seek to convert us to devotion to their organization. Many people in our culture ridicule them and some fear them, but few understand them. Who are these people, the Jehovah’s Witnesses? In this article, we will seek to […]
The History and Doctrine of Islam
By Craig Branch Islam is the second largest religion in the world behind Christianity, numbering 1.2 billion adherents. Also, it is arguably the second largest religion in the United States.1 Yet before the events of September 11th, it commanded the attention of less than 6% of the entire Christian missionary force. The significance and resurgence of […]
Hinduism: Empty Diversity
By Winfried Corduan My class in world religions was visiting a Hindu group on a Sunday morning, and we stayed for the communal lunch. I was sitting on one of the large mats next to a gentleman who had been a member of the group for as long as I had been visiting with students, […]
The Stone-Campbell-Scott Movement
By Craig Branch – Most people are aware of churches which contain the name “Church of Christ” and “Disciples of Christ,” but most people, including many in those churches, are not aware of the early history of these churches and their founders. This group of churches was, and to some extent still are, the central […]
On Buddhism
By Keith E. Yandell Causally connected continua [sequences] of events [or states] seem to have been found, by the Buddhist tradition in India, inadequate to perform the explanatory tasks required of them. It is more difficult than it seems to dispose of [enduring] mental substances, and the debates among the Indian Buddhist schools concerning the […]
Baptismal Regeneration Refuted
By Robin A. Brace The New Testament instructs those who come to Christ in faith to undergo baptism, but does the New Testament teach that there is no salvation without baptism? This is the mighty leap which ‘baptismal regeneration’ encourages us to take! A consideration of ‘baptismal regeneration,’ a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church […]
Speaking for God? A Response to the Apostolic and Prophetic Movement
By Keith Gibson – “I heard what I call the internal audible voice of the Lord . . .It was as clear as crystal. I heard the actual words. There was no guess-work. It was not impressions. It was the word of the Lord came to me. And the Lord said this, ‘I am […]
Unity School of Christianity
History and Development “ I am a child of God and therefore I do not inherit sickness.” (1) These words, spoken by Dr. E.B. Weeks, a former follower of Mary Baker Eddy and representative of the Illinois Metaphysical College were the original inspiration for the movement that would become known as Unity School of Christianity […]
The Apostolic and Prophetic Movement
“ I heard what I call the internal audible voice of the Lord…It was as clear as crystal. I heard the actual words. There was no guess-work. It was not impressions. It was the word of the Lord came to me. And the Lord said this, ‘I am going to change the understanding and expression […]
Marks of Abusive Religious Groups
Often in cult ministry we focus on groups that deny central aspects of the Christian faith such as the Trinity, deity of Christ, salvation by grace etc. Many Christians believe that if they simply look at a doctrinal statement, they will be able to spot potentially harmful organizations. Such may not be the case. There […]