Christianity
Q&A for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more
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How does the Social Gospel relate to the Gospel of Grace; or are they mutually exclusive?
There has historically been opposition by Fundamentalists to the "Social Gospel" presented by Liberal churches in the early 20th Century, and an emphasis placed on the "Gospel of Grace" by Conservative denominations in response. Since both the Old Testament and the New Testament spoke of "social act...
There has historically been opposition by Fundamentalists to the "Social Gospel" presented by Liberal churches in the early 20th Century, and an emphasis placed on the "Gospel of Grace" by Conservative denominations in response.
Since both the Old Testament and the New Testament spoke of "social activism", and both Testaments spoke of "Faith for pleasing God", are these two Gospels simply ***two sides of the same coin***? [Zechariah 7:9-10, James 1:27] Are they both two different facets of the grand Kingdom of God?
Or are they mutually incompatible? One or the other being "a different Gospel" Paul warned about in Galatians 1?
If compatible, how do they relate? [And by extension, how then can liberal and conservative churches relate?]
Is the word "social" as referring to social reform in the Bible, to be only redefined in modern times, as synonymous with "secular"? Can there be a Christian social reform as well?
ray grant
(4700 rep)
Mar 16, 2025, 09:11 PM
• Last activity: Mar 19, 2025, 04:32 AM
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How will unity of the faith be brought about?
> Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ What denominations have advanced an explanation about what the "unity of the faith" spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 4:13 (above) means, an...
> Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ
What denominations have advanced an explanation about what the "unity of the faith" spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 4:13 (above) means, and how it will be brought about?
pygosceles
(2139 rep)
Jan 22, 2024, 09:54 PM
• Last activity: Jan 25, 2024, 06:25 PM
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What denominations don't believe in fasting? And Why?
There is a question on here about the importance of fasting. But this is different because I want to know what denominations don't believe in fasting and why they think that its not important. I personally have great faith in fasting and in the power of fasting such as found in Mark and Matt, when t...
There is a question on here about the importance of fasting.
But this is different because I want to know what denominations don't believe in fasting and why they think that its not important. I personally have great faith in fasting and in the power of fasting such as found in Mark and Matt, when the 12 have tried to cast out a devil but failed.
> Mark 9:28-29, 28, (end of verse)...Why could not we cast him out?
>29, And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
>
>Matt 17:21 Howbeit this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.
Which is a clear example of where the disciples could not do something unless they fasted and prayed for the power to do it first.
Edit:
Changed as per the comments.
Ryan
(2737 rep)
Mar 5, 2012, 09:47 AM
• Last activity: Jan 12, 2024, 01:47 AM
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Coincidence ... or not ... or both ... perhaps neither? Indian Skepticism & Doubting Thomas
[Doubting Thomas (Apostle, Patron Saint of India)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Apostle) was the naysayer who just wouldn't believe in the miracle that defines Christianity (the resurrection). There are paintings that depict the Apostle Thomas poking his finger (ouch!!) into the risen...
[Doubting Thomas (Apostle, Patron Saint of India)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Apostle) was the naysayer who just wouldn't believe in the miracle that defines Christianity (the resurrection). There are paintings that depict the Apostle Thomas poking his finger (ouch!!) into the risen Christ's cruxifixion wounds, symbolizing the lack/absence of faith.
Many, many, years earlier, [Sanjaya Belatthiputta](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanjaya_Belatthiputta) , an Indian ascetic was expounding a radical brand of skepticism (the five-fold denial, if you're interested) that took Buddhist skepticism and went to town with it. Rumors go that skepticism (*doubt* in all its forms) has Indian roots; at the very least, there's an uncertainty as to whence skepticism sprang from, Greece? India? Both? Neither? 😌
Coincidence ... or not ... or both ... or neither?
Hudjefa
(141 rep)
Aug 14, 2023, 08:57 AM
• Last activity: Aug 17, 2023, 05:48 AM
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Does Christianity have any explicit position on Jewish matrilineality?
Among denominations which recognize infant baptism, in my experience, Christians — even those who are otherwise not really practicing — baptize their children as a matter of course. In cases where the father belongs to one denomination and the mother to another (i.e. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catho...
Among denominations which recognize infant baptism, in my experience, Christians — even those who are otherwise not really practicing — baptize their children as a matter of course. In cases where the father belongs to one denomination and the mother to another (i.e. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic), the children are baptized in a church belonging to (and later follow) the denomination of the father. This might all be a secular custom more so than a religious prescription, but it seemed pretty clear that the religion is inherited patrilineally.
For Jews religion is inherited matrilineally, which is an actual and important religious prescription.
In a case where the father is Christian and the mother is Jewish, would the father in any way transgress against his faith if he did not have his children baptized? Or is this issue pre-empted by a prescription to only marry within the faith, in which case there is no religious position on the matter since the religious position would have been to not end up in this situation in the first place?
TheChymera
(111 rep)
Nov 23, 2022, 05:09 PM
• Last activity: Nov 24, 2022, 07:34 PM
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Is it permissible for a Catholic to pray the Salat?
I'm thinking of visiting a mosque on Wednesday. I've done this before a couple of years ago and it was a very valuable experience. The last time I visited I joined in the Salat and thought it was a great way to pray. I've since wondered whether it is actually ok to pray the Salat. I don't think ther...
I'm thinking of visiting a mosque on Wednesday. I've done this before a couple of years ago and it was a very valuable experience. The last time I visited I joined in the Salat and thought it was a great way to pray.
I've since wondered whether it is actually ok to pray the Salat. I don't think there is anything heretical about the movements; I find them quite beautiful and I believe that they are worshipping the true God. However I have reservations about the fact that the Salat is prayed towards the Kaabah in Mecca.
If it was prayed towards a tabernacle, a Eucharistic host, liturgical east, or no particular direction at all then I wouldn't have any problems with it. But because it is prayed towards a stone box in Saudi Arabia I worry that the whole thing might be a form of idolatry.
What is the Catholic view of this situation? Two main questions:
1. Is it permissible to pray the Salat while facing Mecca?
2. Is it permissible to pray the Salat while facing a Eucharistic host, a tabernacle, liturgical east, or nowhere in particular?
Note that for the purposes of this question I'm considering Allah and Yahweh to be the same God, as per dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium and the CCC paragraph 841. Any answer which disagrees is out of scope and will be downvoted
TheIronKnuckle
(2897 rep)
Feb 6, 2017, 11:34 AM
• Last activity: Nov 23, 2021, 04:07 PM
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According to Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy are there any doctrinal barriers to Christians sharing places of worship with non-Christians?
**Hagia Sophia** was originally the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, then the chief mosque of the Ottoman Empire, then a museum. A few days ago, it reverted to being a mosque once more. Numerous Christian religious leaders have decried this last transition (as, in my opinion, they ought to),...
**Hagia Sophia** was originally the seat of the Patriarch of Constantinople, then the chief mosque of the Ottoman Empire, then a museum. A few days ago, it reverted to being a mosque once more. Numerous Christian religious leaders have decried this last transition (as, in my opinion, they ought to), but it left me wondering what a long-term resolution of the matter would actually look like.
The building could, in principle, revert to being a church. Personally, I feel that, given the centuries of history that Muslims have with said structure, this would be unjust; and, in any case, short of a Christian reconquest of Constantinople/Istanbul, it's never going to happen. Atatürk's compromise of turning the building into a museum seems well-intentioned but ultimately unsatisfactory: this building was built for the glory of God.
The one remaining option that I can see is to **share the building**. Christianity's and Islam's holy days seldom overlap. **Could the building be a church on Sundays and a mosque on Fridays?** I'm a practising Roman Catholic myself, and I can't think of any *insurmountable* reason forbidding sharing a place of worship outright. There are, after all, stories of Catholic priests celebrating the eucharist in Auschwitz ; I can't imagine that any putative unholiness brought on by reciting the Quran could compete with an extermination camp. But I'm far from an expert, and I hardly need to add that the Eastern Orthodox perspective would be essential in the case of Hagia Sophia.
And, of course, **Hagia Sophia is just a prominent example**. There are plenty of other locations, e.g. the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, where it might be reasonable for Christians to share a place of worship with another faith.
Tom Hosker
(522 rep)
Jul 14, 2020, 06:44 PM
• Last activity: Jul 17, 2020, 12:48 AM
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What is the current stance of the Catholic Church regarding the legality of non-Catholic religions?
The famous Syllabus of Errors by Bl. Pope Pius IX **condemns**, among others, that: > 77. In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the > exclusion of all other forms of worship.—Allocution "Nemo vestrum," > July 26,...
The famous Syllabus of Errors by Bl. Pope Pius IX **condemns**, among others, that:
> 77. In the present day it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State, to the
> exclusion of all other forms of worship.—Allocution "Nemo vestrum,"
> July 26, 1855.
>
> 78. Hence it has been wisely decided by law, in some Catholic countries, that persons coming to reside therein shall enjoy the
> public exercise of their own peculiar worship.—Allocution
> "Acerbissimum," Sept. 27, 1852. - The Syllabus of Pius IX
Therefore, it would seem that Pius IX orders that all religions bar Catholicism are to be **declared illegal by the State**.
I am confused. While I don’t know about any official modern document of the Church regarding this issue, the Church really, *really* doesn’t seem to hold such a position nowadays. Instead, St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have both participated in **interfaith** prayers for peace *alongside not only non-Catholic Christians, but also leaders of heathen religions*. This seems to me to hardly reconcile with the above condemnations of Pius IX.
My explanation, up to now, was that the Syllabus has never been officially declared infallible and the current activities of modern Popes like the aforementioned prayer for peace and others prove that the Church has shifted its position on this subject and therefore, these points of the Syllabus are no longer in force.
Am I right? At least, they were in force in the beginning of the XX century, because the Catholic Encyclopedia wrote that:
> Even should the condemnation of many propositions not possess that
> unchangeableness peculiar to infallible decisions, nevertheless the
> binding force of the condemnation in regard to all the propositions is
> beyond doubt. For the Syllabus, as appears from the official
> communication of Cardinal Antonelli, is a decision given by the pope
> speaking as universal teacher and judge to Catholics the world over.
> All Catholics, therefore, are bound to accept the Syllabus. Exteriorly
> they may neither in word nor in writing oppose its contents; they must
> also assent to it interiorly. -
[The syllabus of Pius IX](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14368b.htm)
Some questions force themselves into my mind:
1. Are condemnations 77-78 from the Syllabus of Error still in force, binding all Catholics to adhere to them and agree with them?
2. Does this mean that the Church wants worship of non-Christian and non-Catholic Christian religions banned by the State?
3. How to reconcile numerous ecumenical and interfaith activities held by modern popes, like the interfaith prayers for peace with these condemnations?
gaazkam
(1115 rep)
Nov 28, 2016, 10:45 PM
• Last activity: Jan 7, 2020, 07:58 PM
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How can Dietrich Bonhoeffer's inclusion of non-Christians be explained theologically?
I remember seeing a documentary about the life of [Dietrich Bonhoeffer][1]. One scene that was very interesting revolved around his leading a worship service in a transport between prisons, for all the prisoners, were he made some sort of special gesture to include non-Christian prisoners as well. C...
I remember seeing a documentary about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer . One scene that was very interesting revolved around his leading a worship service in a transport between prisons, for all the prisoners, were he made some sort of special gesture to include non-Christian prisoners as well.
Can anyone describe this event in greater detail. And could it be said to represent
- some sort of use of worship as evangelism, (perhaps analogous to a small Billy Graham crusade)
- a change in his beliefs to that of universal salvation,
- or a belief in the appropriateness of interfaith worship under
extreme circumstances?
pterandon
(4861 rep)
Aug 16, 2013, 01:48 AM
• Last activity: Dec 30, 2016, 06:06 AM
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Catholic Blessing at a civil wedding
Can a Catholic Priest attend and provide any type of blessing at a civil wedding preformed outdoors between a catholic man and non-catholic woman?
Can a Catholic Priest attend and provide any type of blessing at a civil wedding preformed outdoors between a catholic man and non-catholic woman?
Concerned dad
(21 rep)
Sep 12, 2016, 07:45 PM
• Last activity: Sep 14, 2016, 07:04 PM
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For those who oppose interfaith worship on Biblical grounds, what Scriptures do they use to show that such worship is unacceptable?
This is an interesting segment from CBS News on an Episcopalian church in downtown Washington, D.C. that has invited a Muslim congregation to use their sanctuary for worship. Does the Bible speak to interfaith dialogue? [Washington church welcomes Muslims for Friday prayers][1] [1]: http://www.cbsne...
This is an interesting segment from CBS News on an Episcopalian church in downtown Washington, D.C. that has invited a Muslim congregation to use their sanctuary for worship. Does the Bible speak to interfaith dialogue?
Washington church welcomes Muslims for Friday prayers
RAC
(17 rep)
Jul 8, 2016, 01:57 PM
• Last activity: Jul 11, 2016, 09:04 PM
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Interfaith marriage in Christianity with Bible reference
I am a Muslim...and I need to learn about interfaith marriage in Christianity with Bible references.
I am a Muslim...and I need to learn about interfaith marriage in Christianity with Bible references.
Ayaz
(19 rep)
May 3, 2014, 06:50 AM
• Last activity: Jul 17, 2014, 10:59 PM
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How do restorationist Christian churches cooperate with mainstream Christian churches?
It's not hard to see how mainstream and nondenominational Christian churches cooperate with each other: it's common for them [come together][1] in community, charities, and many points of doctrine. This is refreshing, because there are many resources and discussions about the *differences* within Ch...
It's not hard to see how mainstream and nondenominational Christian churches cooperate with each other: it's common for them come together in community, charities, and many points of doctrine. This is refreshing, because there are many resources and discussions about the *differences* within Christianity. Some Christian churches even have classes about other ones.
How do restorationist Christian churches, which typically fall outside the notion of *mainstream* for their notably different/augmented beliefs, cooperate and coincide with other Christian faiths? What are their shared values?
In your answer, feel free to comment on lifestyle, culture, community involvement, service, morality, doctrine, charities, humanitarian efforts, missionary work, etc. You may mention specific restorationist churches using reliable citations (and official sources if possible).
Matt
(12059 rep)
Jan 16, 2014, 05:35 AM
• Last activity: Jan 16, 2014, 08:51 PM
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Why do some Christian churches have classes about other churches?
The context of my question is is directed mostly toward "non-denominational" or independent Christian groups, though feedback from the perspective of more established (e.g. Protestant) churches is welcome where applicable. I'm aware that there are Sunday-schools by churches to teach their congregati...
The context of my question is is directed mostly toward "non-denominational" or independent Christian groups, though feedback from the perspective of more established (e.g. Protestant) churches is welcome where applicable.
I'm aware that there are Sunday-schools by churches to teach their congregations about the scriptures, the gospel, etc. Some churches also teach classes about other churches.
Why do some Christian churches have classes about other churches? What is the Christian, not secular, reason for having them?
Matt
(12059 rep)
Mar 25, 2012, 07:25 PM
• Last activity: Nov 5, 2012, 03:02 PM
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