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Gospel of Mark
[Bible]The Gospel of Mark is the second book of the New Testament and the shortest of the four Gospels, recording the public ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in a swift and concise narrative.
Canons of Dort
[Doctrine & Theology]The Canons of Dort are a Reformed confessional document adopted by the Synod of Dort in the Netherlands in 1618–1619 in response to the teachings of the Arminians (Remonstrants). They address five doctrines concerning salvation by grace and predestination.
1 Thessalonians
[Bible]The thirteenth book of the New Testament, a letter from the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica in Macedonia. Many hold that it was the earliest of the Pauline Epistles to be written. It addresses the second coming of Christ and holy living.
Cross
[Doctrine & Theology]The cross was an instrument of execution in ancient Rome. In Christianity it refers to the death of Jesus Christ, who was nailed to a cross, and to the confession that his death was an atonement in which he bore sin in the place of others. It is the foremost symbol of the Christian faith.
Moderator of Presbytery
[Church Offices]The moderator of presbytery is the officer who represents a presbytery and presides over its meetings. In Presbyterian churches, a presbytery is the governing body made up of the churches of a given region and their representative ministers and elders. The moderator is elected at a stated meeting and usually serves a one-year term.
Alpha Course
[Christian Life]The Alpha Course is an introductory course in the Christian faith that began at Holy Trinity Brompton, an Anglican church in England. Combining a meal, a talk, and small-group discussion, it introduces the basics of the faith to people outside the church.
Moravian Church
[Denominations]The Moravian Church, or Moravian Brethren, is a Protestant denomination that originated among the followers of Jan Hus, the fifteenth-century Bohemian reformer. It was renewed in 1722 at Herrnhut, Germany, and is known for pioneering Protestant foreign missions.
Ninety-five Theses
[History]The Ninety-five Theses are ninety-five Latin propositions issued by Martin Luther on October 31, 1517, criticizing the sale of indulgences. They are regarded as the starting point of the Reformation.
Great Awakening
[History]The Great Awakening was a Protestant revival movement that arose in the British North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, centered on figures such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. The name is also applied to the Second Great Awakening of the early nineteenth century.
Romans 8:1–2
[Bible Verses]The declaration that there is "no condemnation" for those who are in Christ Jesus. Cherished as a classic text on the assurance of justification, it raises the question of whether freedom from condemnation is purely a forensic declaration or also includes the transformation of life.
1 Corinthians 13:13
[Bible Verses]The verse reads, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity" (KJV). It is widely known as a summary of the three Christian virtues, and several explanations have been offered for why love (rendered "charity" in the KJV) is the greatest.
Genesis 1:1
[Bible Verses]The first sentence of the Bible, declaring that God created the heavens and the earth. It is the starting point of the Christian doctrine of creation and the first verse cited in the creation–evolution debate over the timing and manner of creation.
Genesis 12:1–3
[Bible Verses]The passage in which God commands Abram to leave his country, his kindred, and his father's house, promising to make of him a great nation and to bless him. It is regarded as a turning point in salvation history, and there is debate over whether "I will bless them that bless thee" should be applied to the modern State of Israel.
Genesis 28:20-22
[Bible Verses]The vow Jacob made after his dream at Bethel, promising that if God would keep him, the LORD would be his God and he would give a tenth of all he received. The passage is often cited as an example of tithing before the Mosaic Law, and interpreters differ over the nature of a vow made with conditions attached.
Exodus 20:3–5
[Bible Verses]The opening of the Ten Commandments, which forbids having other gods and making or bowing down to idols. Traditions differ in how they number the commandments, and the phrase "unto the third and fourth generation" is frequently cited in debates among Korean churches over the doctrine of generational curses.
Exodus 20:8-11
[Bible Verses]The fourth of the Ten Commandments, which commands that the Sabbath be remembered and kept holy: after six days of labor, no work is to be done on the seventh day. Denominations differ on whether Christians should keep this commandment on Sunday, the Lord's Day, or on the Saturday Sabbath.
Psalm 1:1-2
[Bible Verses]The opening verses of the Psalter, which declare blessed the person who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly but delights in the law of the LORD and meditates on it day and night. The passage opens the entire book of Psalms and is frequently cited to encourage meditation on Scripture.
Enoch
[People]Enoch is an antediluvian figure who appears in the genealogy of Genesis 5. The seventh generation from Adam and the father of Methuselah, he is recorded as having walked with God and as having been taken by God without seeing death.
Daniel (Prophet)
[People]Daniel was a man of Judah who, according to the Bible, served in the royal court during the Babylonian exile. He is the central figure of the Book of Daniel and is widely known for interpreting dreams and for his deliverance from the lions' den.
Zacchaeus
[People]Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector of Jericho who appears in Luke 19. He climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Jesus and, after Jesus called him, welcomed him into his home. He then declared that he would give half of his goods to the poor and repay fourfold anything he had taken by fraud.