“Though he avoided outright endorsement of the view, fifth-century Church Father Saint Augustine was clearly familiar with the theory of the spherical earth: "They [those who believe that "there are men on the other side of the earth"] fail to observe that even if the world is held to be global or rounded in shape, or if some process of reasoning should prove this to be the case, it would still not necessarily follow that the land on the opposite side is not covered by masses of water."” IfsMenWorldShouldBelieveStillsEarthFatherProcessSidesWaterChurchViewsCasesFailingLandCenturyTheoryShapesProveMassOppositesSaintFamiliarReasoningCoveredFifthAvoidedEndorsementsAugustineChurch Fathers Author:Saint Augustine
“It took time for the church to come to terms with the ignominy of the cross. Church fathers forbade its depiction in art until the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine.... Now, though, the symbol is everywhere: artists beat gold into the shape of the Roman execution device, baseball players cross themselves before batting, and cancy confectioners even make chocolate crosses for the faithful to eat during Holy Week. Strange as it may seem, Christianity has become a religion of the cross--the gallows, the electric chair, the gas chamber, in modern terms.” MayArtSeemsArtistFatherTermChurchChristianityPlayerWeekModernStrangeHolyShapesBeatsCrossesGoldBaseballSymbolsFaithfulGasChairsDevicesChocolateExecutionElectricReignChamberEmperorBaseball PlayerBattingDepictionGallowsConstantineGas ChambersElectric ChairChurch FathersIgnominyRoman EmperorHoly WeekEmperor Constantine Author:Philip Yancey
“The faith of a church or of a nation is an adequate faith only when it inspires and enables people to give of their time and energy to shape the various institutions - social, economic, and political - of the common life.” PeopleGivingPoliticalFaithEnergyNationsSocialChurchCommonEconomicInspireShapesInstitutionsVariousAdequateTime And EnergyCommon Life Book:On being human religiously: selected essays in religion and society Source: On being human religiously: selected essays in religion and society
“Lavater told Goethe that on a certain occasion when he held the velvet bag in the church as collector of the offerings, he tried to observe only the hands; and he satisfied himself that in every individual the shape of the hand and of the fingers, the action and sentiment in dropping the gift into the bag, were distinctly different and individually characteristic.” DifferentHandsActionCertainIndividualChurchShapesFingersSatisfiedOccasionsCharacteristicsBagsSentimentsOfferingDroppingCollectorsVelvet Author:Anna Brownell Jameson