Background Information

Truths of the Earliest Christianity that Mutated Leading to Formation of Later Divisions

Ian Johnson December 24, 2020 3 Comments

This is an outline of the first part of my attempt to link early errors of organized Christianity to the state of the modern world–specifically, in this part, by explaining some of the foundations of the earliest Christianity from which later errors diverged. Links will be added as future posts are written.

A God who Speaks, Adoption, Background Information, Church History, Islamic History and Secular History Interaction, Complex unity, Eternity Present, Free will, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's sovereignty, His Children, His Friends, Historical Background, In the Church, Index, Meaning of Unity, Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Peril of Seeking Numbers, Peril of Seeking Power, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Prophecy, Purpose of the Church, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Show us the Way of Truth, Sin, Sins versus sin, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, The universal Church and local churches, Through others, Through the church, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, Topic Index, Trinity, What is God's Word, What is sin?

Christian Teachings, doctrine, Earliest Christianity, evangelism, Holy Spirit, Index, Jesus, Monotheism, pacifism, social order, war

OVERALL INDEX OF BLOG–LINKS

Ian Johnson December 16, 2020 5 Comments

This is a preliminary outline of the entire contents I would like, God willing, to write about. I will gradually be adding links to the nested subject outlines to which the links on this overall outline page point. I will then fill in links found in the nested outlines as pages are completed. (Many pages have already been completed, but finishing the whole outline will likely take a years!) Be watching for any new material that interests you.

Background Information, Index, Site Index Page

Future Topcis, Index, Past Topics, Site Index

Angels and Spirits–Basic Word Meanings

Ian Johnson October 4, 2020 5 Comments

An extended glossary of terms that will be used in discussing spirit and spirits, angels and demons, in the coming series on angels and on what it means that some of them “sinned” and “abandoned their proper abode.” The conclusion of this series is briefly summarized in this way: angels are messengers, not the message, and some of them sinned when they left the status of a messenger to become the focus of their message.

Background Information, Linguistic Background Words and Phrases, Our Oneness in Christ book revision

angel, breath, breath of life, Definitions, dictionary, evangellion, glossary, Good News, gospel, messenger, ministering spirit, preach, Spirit, wind, word meanings, words and phrases

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back–2. Negative Developments in Christianity Before Muhammad

Ian Johnson July 14, 2020 7 Comments

Between the end of the First Century CE and the end of the Sixth Century, Christianity grew but also deteriorated in a number of ways. The deterioration arose mainly from the infiltration of Greek philosophy, a change in emphasis to mass evangelism and the politicization of Christianity, followed by the questionable conversion of Constantine. These changes set up many of the specific parts of Christianity that Islam either adopted, or reacted strongly against. They also set up mucj of later European history.

A God who Speaks, Church purpose versus church growth, Compulsory Christianity, God Acts by Speaking, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God's Voice, Heresy, Historical Background, Injustice and Lawsuits, Islam and Christianity, Jesus the Son, Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Peril of Seeking Numbers, Peril of Seeking Power, Peril of Seeking Respectability, Religious violence and persecution, Replacing Relationship with Morality, Social control and statecraft, Son of Man, The Bible, Through the church, Trinity, Unity, Wars as consequences, What Islam borrowed from Christianity

Arab Christians, Arabs, Arian, Atanasian, Christianity and politics, Church, church and state, Church History, Church of the East, Church unity, Constantine, Council of Chalcedon, false unity, Fist Council of Nicaea, Goths, heresy, heretic, heretical movements, mass evangelism, moralism, morality, Nestorian, Persia, subjugation of women, Theodosius, women

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

Ian Johnson July 13, 2020 6 Comments

This post is the first in a series of six outlining a broad view of how things in the Church and the world got to be as they are now, including contributions early Christianity and Islam made to each other. This post attempts to outline the basic positions of early Christianity. Comments are invited!

A God who Speaks, Adoption, Background Information, Church purpose versus church growth, Complex unity, Conversation with God, Desire to have our own way, Emotions, Eternity Present, Free will, God Acts by Speaking, God Never Stopped Speaking, God Speaks to Us, God was never our enemy, God's Existence and Nature, God's purpose for us, God's rationality, God's sovereignty, God's Voice, His Children, His Friends, Historical Background, Human Rationality, Is forgiveness of sins the focus of salvation?, Jesus the Son, Knowing good and evil, Language and Speech, Logical thinking, Male and female, Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Prophecy, Reconciliation, Regeneration, Rejecting God, Restoration of God's Image, Salvation, Sin, Sins versus sin, Son of Man, The Bible, The Invisible God's Self-Existence, Through the church, To be his ambassadors, To be in his image, To live in unity, Trinity, Unity, What is God's Word, What is sin?

Christian history, Christianity, Christianity and Islam, doctrine, Early Christianity, History of Christianity, New Testament, New Testament Christianity

Answers to Some Reader Questions about Prayer, Prayer Burdens and National Sins

Ian Johnson June 7, 2020 2 Comments

A reader recently asked some very perceptive questions about my views concerning prayer, prayer burdens, and prayer for national sins. Here, I am publishing my answers to those questions. (The reader also asked some personal questions, which I omit from this posting): You asked: “Also that what matters is your relationship with the Lord not what denomination someone is or…
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A God who Speaks, An abuse of God's image, Conversation with God, Emotions, Events and Signs, God Speaks to Us, God's rationality, His Children, His Friends, Human Rationality, In prayer, Language and Speech, Personal Background, Prophecy, Rejecting God, Replacing Relationship with Morality, The Bible, To live in unity, Trusting sight over God's words

children, emotional relationship, eschatology, faith, fervent prayer, God speaks, Hearing God, Idolatry, loving God, national sins, Negative emotions, prayer, Question and Answer, Revelation, simplicity, spiritual blindness, spiritual sight, time, trust

An old dream about dirges, Sunday school classes, and the expectation to hide problems

Ian Johnson April 30, 2020 4 Comments

How a dream about the word “dirge” led me to recognize two of the major problems of modern Western churches: our insistence on hiding problems to preserve our “witness” rather than dealing with them in the Spirit (hypocrisy) and our one-way, “fact”-intensive teaching style.

Discipline or Correction, Emotions, End of the Churched Society, God Speaks to Us, Heresy, Historical Background, Human Rationality, Illness as a Consequence, In the Church, Meaning of Unity, Our Oneness in Christ book revision, Purpose of the Church, Restoration of God's Image, Restoration of our Relationships, The place of visions, Through others, Through the church, To live in unity

actor, Christian education, Christian witness, Common Good, Common Problems, Death, Dirge, Emotions, empathy, Fear of Death, Grief, how to teach, hypocrisy, hypocrite, Negative emotions, One Body, positive sales atmosphere, Sales, Sunday school, sympathy, witness

Friends, Angels, Perspectives and Overcoming my Prejudices

Ian Johnson April 29, 2020 2 Comments

Let love of the brethren continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body. Hebrews 12:1-3. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves…
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Emotions, Events and Signs, God's rationality, His Friends, Islam and Christianity, Personal Background, Through others, Through the church, To be his ambassadors

Asian, Asperger Syndrome, Brazil, changing attitudes, Christianity and Islam, God, God at work, Hispanic, Iran, Jesus Christ, Linguistics, Love, Perspectives class, Prejudice, Spanish, Thailand, Voice of God, Xenophobia

Resuming my Gifts and Callings, which were Not to be Hidden under a Bushel

Ian Johnson April 28, 2020 1 Comment

The restoration of my callings, after the break to pursue my own pride, was started, ironically, by the Board’s expert psychologist at a Board of Law Examiners’ hearing in December 2006–near the beginning of the four year break. He testified that my condition had been under medical control for over 20 years, and there was no reason I shouldn’t be…
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Other Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Personal Background, Restoration of God's Image, Through the church, Trusting sight over God's words

autism, calling, Celebrate Recovery, darkness, divine calling, God, healing, let your light shine, light, light of the world, mental illness, Spiritual Gifts, teaching

The Period of High Creativity that Followed, 2000-2006

Ian Johnson April 27, 2020 2 Comments

He wants to talk us through doing his will, instructing us every step of the way, as we learn to trust him. He is the one with the whole picture. Learning to hear his voice and trust him is the whole point of our friendship (the word “relationship” is entirely too sterile) with him on the present earth. This is what restores his image in us. Accomplishing his work is only a by-product.

A God who Speaks, Conversation with God, God Speaks to Us, On speaking terms again, Personal Background, Prophecy, Restoration of God's Image, Social control and statecraft, The Bible, The place of visions, To be in his image, Trusting sight over God's words, What is God's Word

Asperger Syndrome, Creativity, Friendship with God, Futiity of Politics, Hearing God, Learning to Hear God, Trusting God, Worship

OVERALL INDEX OF BLOG–LINKS

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Angels and Spirits–Basic Word Meanings

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From Early Christianity to Islam and Back–2. Negative Developments in Christianity Before Muhammad

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From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

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Answers to Some Reader Questions about Prayer, Prayer Burdens and National Sins

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An old dream about dirges, Sunday school classes, and the expectation to hide problems

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Friends, Angels, Perspectives and Overcoming my Prejudices

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Resuming my Gifts and Callings, which were Not to be Hidden under a Bushel

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The Period of High Creativity that Followed, 2000-2006

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