“Contemporary Christianity, diverse and complex as we find it, actually may show more unanimity than the Christian churches of the first and second centuries. For nearly all Christians since that time, Catholics, Protestants, or Orthodox, have shared three basic premises. First, they accept the canon of the New Testament; second, they confess the apostolic creed; and third, they affirm specific forms of church institution. But every one of these - the canon of Scripture, the creed, and the institutional structure - emerged in its present form only toward the end of the second century.” FirstsMayEndsShowsChristianFormReligionThreeChurchAcceptingChristianityCenturyThirdsCatholicInstitutionsStructureComplexesScriptureContemporaryOrthodoxCreedsDiverseTestamentPremisesNew TestamentProtestantsChristian ChurchCanonApostolicUnanimity Author:Elaine Pagels
“(...) contemporary art has become a kind of alternative religion for atheists. (...) For many art world insiders and art aficionados of other kinds, concept-driven art is a kind of existencial channel through which they bring meaning to their lives. It demands leaps of faith, but it rewards the believer with a sense of consequence. Moreover, just as churches and other ritualistic meeting places serve a social function, so art events generate a sense of community around shared interests” WorldKindArtSocialInterestCommunityChurchEventsDemandArt IsConceptsConsequenceFunctionMeetingsRewardsAtheistDrivenBelieverContemporaryAlternativesLeapArt WorldLeap Of FaithInsidersContemporary Art Author:Sarah Thornton
“The contemporary quarrel over church and state is not really about whether a wall of separation of church and state should exist or not... The real question is what does 'separation' mean?” ShouldMeanDoeRealStatesChristianChurchReligiousWallSeparationContemporaryQuarrelsChurch And StateSeparation Of Church And StateReal Questions Book:Culture Wars: The Struggle To Control The Family, Art, Education, Law, And Politics In America Source: Culture Wars: The Struggle To Control The Family, Art, Education, Law, And Politics In America
“The basic question 'will I obey Christ 's teaching?' is rarely taken as a serious issue. For example, to take one of Jesus' commands, that is relevant to contemporary life, I don't know of any church that actually teaches a church how to bless people who curse them, yet this is a clear command.” PeopleKnowsJesusChristChurchTeachIssuesTakenClearTeachingExampleSeriousContemporaryCommandCurseBlessRelevantSerious IssuesContemporary Life Author:Dallas Willard