bierkergaard

Acts 17:3 "Opening them, and setting forth that it was necessary that the Christ should suffer, and arise from the dead, and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ." Rome, in the centuries before, during, and after, the coming, crucifixion, and resurrection, of Jesus, was the embodiment of 'Might makes right." Maybe you have heard of the term 'Smashmouth Football"...that is a team that literally beats the other team down through ferocity and force, often without finesse. Pure power, undiluted. When Rome triumphed over an especially fierce opponent, it made sure to humiliate that nemesis to the nth degree. The 6000 captured at the end of the revolt of Spartacus were all crucified by the Romans along the Appian Way; that sent a gruesomely powerful and public message to all who would defy Rome. With crucifixion being the pre-eminent tool of the Romans to enforce imperial might, one might think that its common usage denigrates the death of Jesus (i.e

Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures When Paul would visit a town, he would visit and speak at the local Synagogue. In the Greek and Roman world of Asia Minor and Europe, there would typically be Hellenized Jews in the larger cosmopolitan areas. Thus, a synagogue would be in town somewhere. The lack of a Synagogue in your town, if you happened to be Jewish, probably meant that you lived in the backwater. Paul was an intellectually-gifted and educated man. By his very personhood, he demonstrated the value of being intelligent and educated and informed. He reasoned with others on a very high level about Christ but he did not do so with a spirit of haughtiness or superiority (in a prideful posture). I fear that many evangelicals extol ignorance of issues and knowledge in an attempt to demonstrate our humility and simple faith in Christ. Surprisingly, we cite Paul's words of knowledge "puffs up&q

I was reading Chapter 17 verse one of Acts this morning (I want to learn more about Paul's visit to Athens and figure that it is good to look at the precursors to the visit). In the course of my study I read something about the Appian Way (a Roman road). So, I looked up some pictures and text about this ancient Roman road. To say something is Roman implies that the city of Rome figures prominently. One writer detailed the modern status of Rome in that it is both the capitol of Italy and the central location of the Catholic (i.e. Roman) Church. The writer explained that the term alma mater is Latin for nourishing mother . It should have been obvious to me that Alma Mater had something to do with mother but I never thought about it. The Church has traditionally been seen as a maternal institution (from the biblical perspective) Makes sense when we consider that academic institutions are called Alma Maters, that is, that they are to be nurseries of the mind, allowing the intellect to

I am pretty convinced that at least some of the effective treatments to diseases and maladies are available simply by taking herbs. For instance, if you feel a cold coming on, eat some raw garlic if you can stand it. And, if those closest to you (in proximity and relationally) can take it too. With garlic it kind of comes down to which is worse: Getting sick or smelling nasty. I'll take door # 2 please. The point is this: garlic reeks and that is what makes it good for you. The very thing that makes garlic offensive, the allicin--a sulfuric compound (click title garlic breath) also makes it unpalatable to viruses and bacteria. I can testify that garlic works for me in helping to keep me cold free. There are other herbs that have strong anti-inflammatory properties such as Tumeric and Ginger and are infinitely better for you than NSAID's like Motrin and Tylenol which also have adverse effects on the liver and other organs. It is ironic that in our modern age, we think traditiona