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Higher Criticism
[Doctrine & Theology]Higher criticism is an approach to biblical study that uses historical and literary methods to investigate the authorship, date of composition, sources, and editorial process of each book of the Bible. It is distinguished from textual criticism, which compares manuscripts to reconstruct the original text.
Macedonian Vision
[Bible]The Macedonian vision is the vision Paul saw at night in Troas during his second missionary journey. A man of Macedonia appealed to him, "Come over into Macedonia, and help us," and in response Paul and his companions crossed the sea to Philippi, where they preached the gospel (Acts 16:6–10).
Pastoral Epistles
[Bible]The Pastoral Epistles is the collective name for three New Testament books: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. They are presented as letters in which Paul instructs his coworkers Timothy and Titus on caring for and teaching the church.
Christian Zionism
[Doctrine & Theology]Christian Zionism is a school of thought and movement within Christianity that regards the return of the Jewish people to the land of Palestine and the founding of the State of Israel in 1948 as the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and that supports the State of Israel for religious reasons.
Oriental Orthodox Churches
[Denominations]The Oriental Orthodox Churches are a communion of ancient Eastern churches that did not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon (451) and recognize only the first three ecumenical councils. Members include the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, and Ethiopian churches.
Family Salvation
[Doctrine & Theology]Family salvation refers to unbelieving members of a family coming to faith in Jesus Christ and being saved, or to the practice of praying and evangelizing in the hope that this will happen.
Creation ex nihilo
[Doctrine & Theology]Creation ex nihilo is the Christian doctrine that God brought all things into existence without any preexisting material, solely by his word and will. The Latin phrase creatio ex nihilo means "creation out of nothing."
Christmas Dawn Caroling (Saebyeoksong)
[Christian Life]Christmas dawn caroling (saebyeoksong) is a custom of Korean churches in which members go in groups, in the early hours of Christmas Day, to the homes of fellow members and sing Christmas hymns to announce the birth of Jesus.
Natural Theology
[Doctrine & Theology]Natural theology is the branch of theology concerned with what can be known about God through the order of the natural world and through human reason and conscience, without relying on special revelation such as Scripture.
Nature Miracles
[Doctrine & Theology]"Nature miracles" is a theological term for biblical miracles that directly affected the natural world, such as wind, water, food, and plants. Representative examples include the calming of the storm and the feeding of the five thousand.
Forgiveness
[Doctrine & Theology]Forgiveness is the act of restoring a relationship without holding the wrongdoer to account or taking revenge. In Christianity, it refers both to God's pardoning of human sin and to people forgiving one another's wrongs.
Lazarus Saturday
[Feasts & Seasons]Lazarus Saturday is the Saturday immediately before Palm Sunday and commemorates Jesus' raising of the dead Lazarus at Bethany. It is observed chiefly by the Orthodox Church and by churches of the Eastern liturgical tradition.
Marian Veneration
[Doctrine & Theology]Marian veneration is the devotional practice of giving special honor and reverence to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It is a tradition of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Most Protestants respect Mary as an example of faith but do not make her an object of prayer or veneration.
Farewell Discourse
[Bible]The Farewell Discourse is the extended charge and prayer that Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper on the night before his arrest, recorded in John 13–17. It includes the new commandment, the promise of the Holy Spirit as the Comforter, and the parable of the vine.
Humility
[Christian Life]Humility is a disposition and attitude of lowering rather than exalting oneself. Christianity teaches it as a virtue that acknowledges one's limitations and sin before God and expresses itself in service to one's neighbor.
Covetousness
[Doctrine & Theology]Covetousness is an excessive desire to possess what belongs to another or what one has not been granted. The last of the Ten Commandments forbids it, and the New Testament regards covetousness as a sin equivalent to idolatry.
Parable of the Friend at Midnight
[Bible]The Parable of the Friend at Midnight is a parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 11:5–8. It teaches about prayer through the story of a man who receives a guest at midnight and asks his neighbor for bread.
Forgiveness of Sins
[Doctrine & Theology]The forgiveness of sins is God's pardoning of human sin, by which he no longer holds a person liable for the guilt and punishment that sin incurs. Protestants generally understand it as a grace grounded in the cross of Jesus Christ and received through repentance and faith.
Thanksgiving
[Christian Life]Thanksgiving is the attitude and practice of faith by which believers gratefully acknowledge God's grace in creation, providence, and salvation, and express that gratitude through prayer, praise, offerings, and sharing with others.
Eternal Punishment
[Doctrine & Theology]Eternal punishment is the Christian doctrine of the penalty that those who have rejected God are held to suffer without end after the Last Judgment. Interpretations differ on its nature and on whether it continues forever.