1.
Christianity
–
Christianity is a Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, who serves as the focal point for the religion. It is the worlds largest religion, with over 2.4 billion followers, or 33% of the global population, Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the savior of humanity whose coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament. Christian theology is summarized in creeds such as the Apostles Creed and his incarnation, earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection are often referred to as the gospel, meaning good news. The term gospel also refers to accounts of Jesuss life and teaching, four of which—Matthew, Mark, Luke. Christianity is an Abrahamic religion that began as a Second Temple Judaic sect in the mid-1st century, following the Age of Discovery, Christianity spread to the Americas, Australasia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest of the world through missionary work and colonization. Christianity has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization, throughout its history, Christianity has weathered schisms and theological disputes that have resulted in many distinct churches and denominations. Worldwide, the three largest branches of Christianity are the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the denominations of Protestantism. There are many important differences of interpretation and opinion of the Bible, concise doctrinal statements or confessions of religious beliefs are known as creeds. They began as baptismal formulae and were expanded during the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries to become statements of faith. Many evangelical Protestants reject creeds as definitive statements of faith, even agreeing with some or all of the substance of the creeds. The Baptists have been non-creedal in that they have not sought to establish binding authoritative confessions of faith on one another. Also rejecting creeds are groups with roots in the Restoration Movement, such as the Christian Church, the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada, the Apostles Creed is the most widely accepted statement of the articles of Christian faith. It is also used by Presbyterians, Methodists, and Congregationalists and this particular creed was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator, each of the doctrines found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period. The creed was used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Most Christians accept the use of creeds, and subscribe to at least one of the mentioned above. The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God, Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as savior of humanity, and hold that Jesus coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of the Messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept, Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin
2.
Holy Spirit in Christianity
–
For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity, the Triune God manifested as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each person itself being God. The New Testament details a relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus during his earthly life and ministry. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke and the Nicene Creed state that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove during his baptism, the theology of the Holy Spirit is called pneumatology. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Lord, the Giver of Life in the Nicene Creed, since the first century, Christians have also called upon God with the trinitarian formula Father, Son and Holy Spirit in prayer, absolution and benediction. The Koine Greek word pneûma is found around 385 times in the New Testament, Pneuma appears 105 times in the four canonical gospels,69 times in the Acts of the Apostles,161 times in the Pauline epistles, and 50 times elsewhere. These usages vary, in 133 cases, it refers to spirit in a general sense, around 93 times, the reference to the Holy Spirit, sometimes under the name pneuma and sometimes explicitly as the pneûma tò Hagion. It was generally translated into the Vulgate as Spiritus and Spiritus Sanctus, the English terms Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are complete synonyms, one derives from the Old English gast and the other from the Latin loanword spiritus. Like pneuma, they refer to the breath, to its animating power, and to the soul. In particular, Another Stoic concept which offered inspiration to the Church was that of divine Spirit, cleanthes, wishing to give more explicit meaning to Zenos creative fire, had been the first to hit upon the term pneuma, or spirit, to describe it. The sacredness of the Holy Spirit is affirmed in all three Synoptic Gospels which proclaim blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the unforgivable sin. What the Hebrew Bible calls Spirit of God and Spirit of Elohim is called in the Talmud, although the expression Holy Spirit occurs in Ps.51,11 and in Isa. 63, 10–11, it had not yet acquired quite the same meaning which was attached to it in rabbinical literature, in Gen.1,2 Gods spirit hovered over the form of lifeless matter, thereby making the Creation possible. The most characteristic sign of the presence of the ruach ha-kodesh is the gift of prophecy, the use of the word ruach in the phrase ruach ha-kodesh seems to suggest that Judaic authorities believed the Holy Spirit was a kind of communication medium like the wind. The spirit talks sometimes with a masculine and sometimes with a feminine voice, the Holy Spirit does not simply appear for the first time at Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, but is present in the Gospel of Luke prior to the birth of Jesus. In Luke 1,15, John the Baptist was said to be filled with the Holy Spirit prior to birth, and the Holy Spirit came upon the Virgin Mary in Luke 1,35. In Luke 3,16 John the Baptist stated that Jesus baptized not with water but with the Holy Spirit, in Luke 11,13 Jesus provided assurances that God the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Matthew 10,20 refers to the act of speaking through the disciples
3.
Pentecostalism
–
The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks. For Christians, this event commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ, like other forms of evangelical Protestantism, Pentecostalism adheres to the inerrancy of scripture and the necessity of accepting Christ as personal Lord and Savior. It is distinguished by belief in the baptism in the Holy Spirit that enables a Christian to live a Spirit-filled and empowered life and this empowerment includes the use of spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues and divine healing—two other defining characteristics of Pentecostalism. For this reason, some Pentecostals also use the term Apostolic or Full Gospel to describe their movement, Pentecostalism emerged in the early 20th century among radical adherents of the Holiness movement who were energized by revivalism and expectation for the imminent Second Coming of Christ. In 1900, Charles Parham, an American evangelist and faith healer, the three-year-long Azusa Street Revival, founded and led by William J. While virtually all Pentecostal denominations trace their origins to Azusa Street, an early dispute centered on challenges to the doctrine of the Trinity. As a result, the Pentecostal Movement is divided between trinitarian and non-trinitarian branches, there are over 279 million Pentecostals worldwide, and the movement is growing in many parts of the world, especially the global South. Together, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity numbers over 500 million adherents, Pentecostalism is an evangelical faith, emphasizing the reliability of the Bible and the need for the transformation of an individuals life through faith in Jesus. Like other evangelicals, Pentecostals generally adhere to the Bibles divine inspiration and inerrancy—the belief that the Bible, Pentecostals emphasize the teaching of the full gospel or foursquare gospel. The central belief of Pentecostalism is that through the death, burial and this is the Gospel or good news. The fundamental requirement of Pentecostalism is that one be born again, the new birth is received by the grace of God through faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. In being born again, the believer is regenerated, justified, adopted into the family of God, Pentecostal soteriology is generally Arminian rather than Calvinist. The security of the believer is a doctrine held within Pentecostalism, nevertheless, Pentecostals believe in both a literal heaven and hell, the former for those who have accepted Gods gift of salvation and the latter for those who have rejected it. For most Pentecostals there is no requirement to receive salvation. Baptism with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues are not generally required, a notable exception is Oneness Pentecostalism, most adherents of which believe both water baptism and Spirit baptism are integral components of salvation. Pentecostals identify three distinct uses of the baptism in the New Testament, Baptism into the body of Christ. Every believer in Christ is made a part of his body, the Holy Spirit is the agent, and the body of Christ is the medium. Baptism with the Holy Spirit, This is an experience distinct from baptism into the body of Christ
4.
Faith healing
–
Faith healing is the ritualistic practice of prayer and gestures that are claimed to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Belief in such divine intervention is derived from religious belief, claims attributed to a myriad of techniques such as prayer, divine intervention, or the ministrations of an individual healer can cure illness have been popular throughout history. Miraculous recoveries have been attributed to many techniques commonly classified as faith healing and it can involve prayer, a visit to a religious shrine, or simply a strong belief in a supreme being. Many people interpret the Bible, especially the New Testament, as teaching belief in, according to a Newsweek poll,72 percent of Americans say they believe that praying to God can cure someone, even if science says the person doesnt stand a chance. Unlike faith healing, advocates of spiritual healing make no attempt to divine intervention. The increased interest in medicine at the end of the 20th century has given rise to a parallel interest among sociologists in the relationship of religion to health. Faith healing can be classified as a spiritual, supernatural, or paranormal event, the American Cancer Society states available scientific evidence does not support claims that faith healing can actually cure physical ailments. Death, disability, and other unwanted outcomes have occurred when faith healing was elected instead of medical care for injuries or illnesses. When parents use faith healing in the place of medical care, similar results are found in adults. Regarded as a Christian belief that God heals people through the power of the Holy Spirit and it is also called supernatural healing, divine healing, and miracle healing, among other things. Healing in the Bible is often associated with the ministry of specific individuals including Elijah, Jesus, cherry views faith healing as a pathway of healing in which God uses both the natural and the supernatural to heal. Being healed has been described as a privilege of accepting Christs redemption on the cross, Pentecostal writer Wilfred Graves, Jr. views the healing of the body as a physical expression of salvation. Even those Christian writers who believe in faith healing do not all believe that ones faith presently brings about the desired healing and our faith does not effect your healing now. When you are healed rests entirely on what the purposes of the Healer are. Larry Keefauver cautions against allowing enthusiasm for healing to stir up false hopes. Just believing hard enough, long enough or strong enough will not strengthen you or prompt your healing, doing mental gymnastics to hold on to your miracle will not cause your healing to manifest now. Those who actively lay hands on others and pray them to be healed are usually aware that healing may not always follow immediately. Proponents of faith healing say it may come later, and it may not come in this life, the truth is that your healing may manifest in eternity, not in time
5.
Christian laying on of hands
–
In the New Testament the laying on of hands was associated with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Initially the Apostles laid hands on new believers as well as believers, in the early church, the practice continued and is still used in a wide variety of church ceremonies, such as during confirmation. Priests and deacons receive the laying on of hands by a single bishop and this is consecrated and added to as needed by the primates of the autocephalous churches, and is dispersed to priests for their use in administering the sacred mysteries. In the Eastern Christian Tradition, anointing with the chrism is the equivalent of laying on of hands. The presentation of this chrism which has received the laying on of hands, the laying on of hands is also performed at the end of the sacrament of unction. This mystery should be performed by seven priests six of whom lay their hands on a Gospel Book which has placed over the head of the one being anointed. Ordination can be administered only by a bishop in Apostolic Succession, the laying on of hands to the priesthood enables a person so ordained to act in persona Christi, i. e. in the person of Christ. Ordination allows a priest validly to administer sacraments, most notably giving that individual the authority to celebrate the Eucharist, the sacraments of ordination and confirmation are, however, reserved exclusively to a bishop. The sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost, and brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace. In the Latin-Rite Catholic Church, the sacrament is customarily conferred only on persons old enough to understand it, only for a serious reason may the diocesan bishop delegate a priest to administer the sacrament. Laying on of hands is part of Anglican confirmation, anointing of the sick, and other parts of liturgy and pastoral offices. The laying on of hands is also performed in the sacrament of Holy Orders and is the means by which one is included in one of the three ordained orders of the church, bishop, priest, or deacon. Ordination can be administered only by a bishop in Apostolic Succession and this took place during a ceremony in which various Scriptural extracts were quoted, including, most particularly, the opening verses of the Gospel of John. The ceremony was completed by a ritual laying on of hands, also known as Manisola, as the candidate vowed to abjure the world and accept the Holy Spirit. At this point, the Perfecti believed, the Holy Spirit was able to descend, the Cathars were decimated and annihilated as a sect during the Albigensian Crusade. Pentecostal Christians practice the laying on of hands as part of prayer for divine healing, while laying on of hands is not required for healing, Pentecostals believe that, in addition to its biblical origins, the act of touching is an encouragement to faith. In adherence to strict autonomy and autocephalocy, the Southern Baptist Church does not officially prescribe, reject, each church is expected to decide the matter for itself between its clergy and its congregation. In regards to ordination, the laying of hands is representative of authorizing, permitting, Southern Baptist Christians employ the laying on of hands during the ordination of clergymen as well as situations of calling for divine healing
6.
Assemblies of God
–
As an international fellowship, the member denominations are entirely independent and autonomous, however, they are united by shared beliefs and history. The Assemblies originated from the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th century and this revival led to the founding of the Assemblies of God in the United States in 1914. Through foreign missionary work and establishing relationships with other Pentecostal churches and it was not until 1988, however, that the world fellowship was formed. As a Pentecostal fellowship, the Assemblies of God believes in the Pentecostal distinctive of baptism with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, the World Assemblies of God Fellowship is structured as a loose alliance of independent national and regional Pentecostal denominations. The AG is Trinitarian and holds the Bible as divinely inspired, baptism by immersion is practiced as an ordinance instituted by Christ for those who have been saved. Baptism is understood as an sign of an inward change. As an ordinance, Communion is also practiced, the Assemblies of God also places a strong emphasis on the fulfillment of the Great Commission and believes that this is the calling of the church. As classical Pentecostals, the Assemblies of God believes all Christians are entitled to, the AG teaches that this experience is distinct from and subsequent to the experience of salvation. The baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers the believer for Christian life, the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. In addition, it believes in the present day use of other spiritual gifts. The Assemblies of God USA, for example, adheres to the Statement of Fundamental Truths, the Assemblies of God has its roots in the Pentecostal revival of the early 20th century. The Pentecostal aspects of the revival were not generally welcomed by established churches and these people sought out their own places of worship and founded hundreds of distinctly Pentecostal congregations. By 1914, many ministers and laymen began to realize just how far-reaching the spread of the revival. Concerned leaders felt the desire to protect and preserve the results of the revival by uniting through cooperative fellowship, a remaining fellowship emerged from the meeting and was incorporated under the name General Council of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America. In 1919, Pentecostals in Canada united to form the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada which formally affiliated with the Assemblies of God USA the next year. The Assemblies of God in Great Britain was formed in 1924 and would have an influence on the Assemblies of God in Australia. The Australian Assemblies of God was formed in 1937 by a merger of the Pentecostal Church of Australia, the Queensland AG had formed in 1929, though, it was never formally affiliated with the AG in America. The Assemblies of God of South Africa was founded in 1925, prior to 1967, the Assemblies of God, along with the majority of other Pentecostal denominations, officially opposed Christian participation in war and considered itself a peace church
7.
Jesus Army
–
The Jesus Army is the identity that the Jesus Fellowship Church uses in its outreach and street-based work. It is a neocharismatic evangelical Christian movement based in the United Kingdom, as the new church grew and became more charismatic in nature, many of the original congregation left to continue worshipping in more traditional churches. The Jesus Fellowship has grown considerably and there are now approximately 3,500 members in around 24 congregations in various cities, the Jesus Army frequently engages in evangelism in public places, seeking through outreach to demonstrate the love of Jesus and the moving of the Holy Spirit. The Jesus Army has used various slogans, in its early days adopting Love, Power & Sacrifice and later Jesus People, Loving People, the Jesus Fellowship operates much like the house church movements, or the more radical elements of the larger, more conventional churches. It was affected by the Charismatic Movement of the late 1960s and early 70s, according to William Kay, Stanton was highly influenced by Arthur Walliss book In the Day of Thy Power, and associated with a number of the early leaders within the British New Church movement. The beliefs of the Jesus Fellowship are in line with historic Christian orthodoxy, nevertheless, there are various aspects of the Jesus Fellowship’s way of practising Christianity that are distinctive when compared with more conventional churches. The Jesus Army was launched in 1987 as the identity of the Jesus Fellowship. The Jesus Army’s mission has been described as one to the poor, the disadvantaged. The Centre also assists in finding rented accommodation for the homeless, though an emphasis of these activities is evangelistic. Other Jesus Centres have been opened in Northampton, Central London and Sheffield, the Jesus Fellowship is also linked to around 250 other churches and groups in the UK and elsewhere through the Multiply Christian Network, which it initiated in 1992. The Jesus Army hosts an event for young people aged between 15 and 35 called RAW. In contrast with many Christian churches which often have an ageing population, in the early years of the Jesus Fellowship, a residential Christian community was founded for its growing membership. Initially a large Anglican rectory in Bugbrooke was purchased and renamed New Creation Hall, several members of the Jesus Fellowship moved in and it became the first centre of a community lifestyle. By 1979, several large houses in the surrounding area were purchased and New Creation Christian Community, as the entire community was named, was established. Today there are around 60 New Creation Christian Community houses in the UK with about 700 people – about 25 per cent of the membership of the Jesus Fellowship – living in them. Motivation for the Jesus Fellowship’s venture into residential living and the sharing of possessions came primarily from their interpretation of Biblical descriptions of the early church. New Creation Christian Community is one of the largest intentional Christian communities in Europe, from six to 35 people live in a community house, though a few larger properties have up to 60 residents. The pattern of community life in the largest, down to the smallest residence, is modelled along the same principles and those dwelling in a community house, along with the majority of members who live outside but who are formally attached to it, make up the church household
8.
Holiness movement
–
The movement is defined by its emphasis on John Wesleys doctrine of a second work of grace leading to Christian perfection. As of 2015 Holiness-movement churches had an estimated 12 million adherents, though it became a multi-denominational movement over time and was furthered by the Second Great Awakening which energized churches of all stripes, the Holiness movement has its roots in Wesleyanism. The Methodists of the 19th century continued the interest in Christian holiness that had started by their founder. They continued to publish Wesleys works and tracts, including his famous A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, in 1835, Palmers sister, Sarah A. Lankford, started holding Tuesday Meetings for the Promotion of Holiness in her New York City home. In 1837, Palmer experienced what she called entire sanctification and had become the leader of the Tuesday Meetings by 1839, at first only women attended these meetings, but eventually Methodist bishops and hundreds of clergy and laymen began to attend as well. At the same time, Methodist minister Timothy Merritt of Boston founded a journal called the Guide to Christian Perfection and this was the first American periodical dedicated exclusively to promoting the Wesleyan message of Christian holiness. In 1865, the Palmers purchased The Guide which at its peak had a circulation of 30,000, at the Tuesday Meetings, Methodists soon enjoyed fellowship with Christians of different denominations, including the Congregationalist Thomas Upham. Other non-Methodists also contributed to the Holiness movement in the U. S. in 1836, Mahan experienced what he called a baptism with the Holy Spirit. Mahan believed that experience had cleansed him from the desire. Finney believed that experience might provide a solution to a problem he observed during his evangelistic revivals. Some people claimed to experience conversion but then slipped back into their old ways of living, finney believed that the filling with the Holy Spirit could help these converts to continue steadfast in their Christian life. This phase of the Holiness movement is referred to as the Oberlin-Holiness revival. Hannah Whitall Smith, an English Quaker, experienced a personal conversion. Sometime in the 1860s, she found what she called the secret of the Christian life—devoting ones life wholly to God and her husband, Robert Pearsall Smith, had a similar experience at the camp meeting in 1867. The couple became figureheads in the now-famous Keswick Convention, which rise to what is often called the Keswick-Holiness revival. Also representative was the revivalism of Rev. James Caughey, an American missionary sent by the Wesleyan Methodist Church to work in Ontario and he brought in the converts by the score, most notably in the revivals in Canada West 1851–53. Phoebe Palmers ministry complemented Caugheys revivals in Ontario circa 1857, at least two major Wesleyan denominations broke away from Methodism during this period. In 1843 Orange Scott organized the Wesleyan Methodist Connection at Utica, roberts and John Wesley Redfield founded the Free Methodist Church on the ideals of slavery abolition, egalitarianism, and second-blessing holiness
9.
Costa Mesa, California
–
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 United States Census, members of the Gabrieleño/Tongva and Juaneño/Luiseño nations long inhabited the area. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolà, a Spanish expedition led by Junípero Serra named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana, on November 1,1776, Mission San Juan Capistrano became the areas first permanent European settlement in Alta California, New Spain. In 1801, the Spanish Empire granted 62,500 acres to Jose Antonio Yorba, yorbas great rancho included the lands where the communities of Olive, Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach stand today. An 1889 flood wiped out the serving the community, however. To the south, meanwhile, the community of Harper had arisen on a siding of the Santa Ana and Newport Railroad and this town prospered on its agricultural goods. On May 11,1920, Harper changed its name to Costa Mesa and this is a reference to the citys geography as being a plateau by the coast. Costa Mesa surged in population during and after World War II, as many thousands trained at Santa Ana Army Air Base, within three decades of incorporation, the citys population had nearly quintupled. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 15.7 square miles. 15.7 square miles of it is land and 0.05 square miles of it is water, Costa Mesa has a semi-arid climate with mild temperatures year round. Rain falls primarily in the months, and is close to nonexistent during the summer. Morning low clouds and fog are common due to its coastal location, the 2010 United States Census reported that Costa Mesa had a population of 109,960. The population density was 7,004.0 people per square mile. The racial makeup of Costa Mesa was 75,335 White,1,640 African American,686 Native American,8,654 Asian,527 Pacific Islander,17,992 from other races, Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39,403 persons. The Census reported that 106,990 people lived in households,2,232 lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, there were 3,013 unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 281 same-sex married couples or partnerships. 10,963 households were made up of individuals and 2,775 had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.68. There were 23,239 families, the family size was 3.30. The median age was 33.6 years, for every 100 females there were 103.7 males
10.
Nontrinitarianism
–
Certain religious groups that emerged during the Protestant Reformation have historically been known as antitrinitarian. In terms of number of adherents, nontrinitarian denominations comprise a minority of modern Christianity. Nontrinitarian views differ widely on the nature of God, Jesus, Biblical and historical evidence point toward first-century followers of Christ not having worshipped Jesus as equal to God. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is not present in other major Abrahamic religions, see separate articles discussing the views about this doctrine held by Judaism and Islam. View in the early Church long contended with the orthodox doctrine, various views exist regarding the relationships between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Arianism – Arius believed that the pre-existent Son of God was directly created by the Father, Arius position was that the Son was brought forth as the very first of Gods creations, and that the Father later created all things through the Son. Arianism became the dominant view in some regions in the time of the Roman Empire, the third Council of Sirmium in 357 was the high point of Arianism. They take verses such as John 1,1 as simply Gods plan existing in the Mind of God, Unitarianism views Jesus as son of God, subordinate and distinct from his Father. Many Gnostic traditions held that the Christ is a heavenly Aeon and his contention is that Father, Son, and Spirit were simply different roles played by the same Divine Person in various circumstances in history. Thus God is Father in creation, Son in redemption, in light of this view, God is not three distinct persons, but rather one Person manifesting himself in multiple ways. Trinitarians condemn this view as a heresy and he sought to justify this view by the Aristotelian categories of genus, species and individuum. He said, though, like Philoponus, that unless the Three Persons are tres res, thus in light of this view, they would be considered three Gods in one. This notion was condemned by St. Anselm and those who believe that the Holy Spirit is not a person, Binitarianism – people through history who believed that God is only two co-equal and co-eternal persons, the Father and the Word, not three. They taught that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but is the power or divine influence of the Father and Son, emanating out to the universe, in creation. Dualism Marcionism – Marcion believed that there were two deities, one of creation and judgment and one of redemption and mercy, other concepts, Docetism comes from the Greek, δοκέω, meaning to seem. This view holds that Jesus only seemed to be human and only appeared to die, American Unitarian Conference started as a reply to Unitarian Universalism becoming too theologically liberal. They refrain from social activism and believe religion and science can improve the human condition, associated Bible Students believe that the Father is greater than the Son in all ways, and that the Trinity doctrine is unscriptural. They hold to similar to Jehovahs Witnesses
11.
Calvary Chapel
–
Calvary Chapel is an association of evangelical Christian churches. Calvary Chapel also maintains a number of stations around the world. It presents itself as a fellowship of churches in contrast to a denomination with over one thousand congregations worldwide, churches that affiliate with Calvary Chapel may use the name Calvary Chapel but need not do so. Beginning in 1965 in Southern California, this fellowship of churches grew out of Chuck Smiths Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, doctrinally, Calvary Chapel is evangelical, charismatic, pretribulationist, and believes in the principle of sola scriptura. Chuck Smiths Calvary Chapel Distinctives summarizes the tenets for which Calvary Chapel stands, Calvary Chapels place great importance in the practice of expository teaching, a verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book approach to teaching the Bible. Typically, Calvary Chapels operate under a senior pastor-led system of church government, in November 2016, two new Calvary Chapel networks began side by side, Calvary Chapel Global Network and Calvary Chapel Association. Most Calvary Chapels remain affiliated with Calvary Chapel Association, however the leaders churches of each network have been erased from the others church locator map. While Chuck Smith was still a member of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, in December 1965, Smith became the pastor of a 25-person evangelical congregation. In 1968, the church away from the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Santa Ana. An almost identical prophecy was recorded in Smiths book Harvest where the prophecy was delivered to 16 discouraged people ready to quit, John Higgins introduced Smith to Lonnie Frisbee, the hippie evangelist who became a key figure in the growth of both the Jesus Movement and in Calvary Chapel. Frisbee moved into Smiths home, and he would minister to the other hippies, at night he would bring home new converts and soon Smiths house was full. As Calvary Chapel grew explosively, a tent was erected while a new building was under construction, among the converts were musicians who now were writing music for praise and worship. This became the genesis for Jesus music and Christian rock concerts, music was eventually formed to publish and promote the music. The services usually resembled rock concerts more than any worship services of the time, Frisbee was featured in national television news reports and magazines with images of him baptizing hundreds in the Pacific Ocean at a time. By the early 1970s Calvary Chapel was home to ten or more groups that were representative of the Jesus people movement. In 1982, John Wimber, a Calvary Chapel pastor, on October 3,2013, Pastor Smith died after a long battle with lung cancer. Smith remained as the pastor at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa during his battle with cancer - to include preaching at three services the Sunday before his death. Affiliates of Calvary Chapel believe in the doctrines of evangelical Christianity, which include the inerrancy of the Bible
12.
Conversion to Christianity
–
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the experience of Christian life. Conversion has also described as the point of transition from natural life to spiritual life. In this sense it is seen as both a change of heart and life and also a more gradual process in which the converts spiritual nature develops through Christian culture. According to theologian Charles Curran, conversion is the moral message of Jesus. Curran describes it as an awakening to a consciousness of the presence of divine reality in ones life, christianization, defined as the reformulation of social relations, cultural meanings, and personal experience in terms of Christian ideals, should be distinguished from conversion. Christianization is the cultural term, and typically has involved efforts to systematically convert an entire continent or culture from existing beliefs to Christianity. Peter found himself in the presence of someone or something which elicited from him that most natural of all gestures of awe, reverence and this gesture was accompanied by a confession of his own wretched condition, Leave me, Lord, I am a sinful man. Once again, however, this insight is incomplete, immediately a new life, a new direction is held out to Peter. Do not be afraid, from now on it is men you will catch, and Peter followed Jesus, leaving everything behind. The Gospels speak of the coming of the Kingdom with power from on high and while Jesus was alive on earth he was still under the Jewish Law being obedient to its rules and regulations. Jesus though was given all authority in heaven and on earth, while alive on the cross he did forgive the thief who asked him because he had that authority. In Acts 1-2 we see the start of the Christian church with the Holy Spirit coming down and their response was what shall we do. Peters response to their faith was, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call. ”Another dramatic conversion to Christianity occurred in the life of the Apostle Paul whose formal name had been Saul of Tarsus. He was a zealot for the cause of Second Temple Judaism who had been breathing threats, while traveling to Damascus to arrest Jewish Christians, he fell to the ground upon being surrounded by a bright light from heaven. He heard a voice accusing him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me, the experience rendered him temporarily blind. In the book of Romans there is a description of what transpires through water baptism and we died to sin, how can we live in it any longer
