 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
 |
Guide Home > Doctrinal Issues > Apostasy and Restoration > New Testament Church
Additional TopicsThe following are additional topic areas related to New Testament Church. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth. FAIR ResourcesThese links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper. Barry R. Bickmore, "Doctrinal Trends in Early Christianity and the Strength of the Mormon Position," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, 30 November 2001) First presented as a FARMS brown-bag seminar, this FAIR Paper examines the shifting nature of doctrines in the early Christian Church. Barry R. Bickmore, "Mormonism in the Early Jewish Christian Milieu," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) How do uniquely LDS beliefs compare to early Christian and Jewish beliefs? Barry R. Bickmore, "The Restoration of the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and Early Christianity," (Ben Lomond, CA: Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research, 1999) Bickmore's entire book - online! David L. Paulsen, "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph Smith: Defending the Faith.," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2004) David L. Paulsen looks at the LDS view of diety relative to other Christian faiths and in light of some early Christian statements on the issue. (2004 FAIR Conference presentation.) Daniel C. Peterson, ""What Has Athens to Do with Jerusalem?": Apostasy and Restoration in the Big Picture," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) D. Charles Pyle, ""I Have Said, 'Ye Are Gods'": Concepts Conductive to the Early Christian Doctrine of Deifciation in Patristic Literature and the Underlying Strata of the Greek New Testament Text," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) A look at early the early Christian belief than the righeous could become gods. Matthew Roper, "Salvation for the Dead: A Response to Luke Wilson," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) Contrary to smost critics, the doctrine of salavation for the dead is taught in the Bible and Book of Mormon John A. Tvedtnes, "Early Christian and Jewish Rituals Related to Temple Practices," (1999 FAIR Conference presentation.) Were unique LDS temple practices also known to early Jews and Christians? Ensign ArticlesThese articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site. Richard Lloyd Anderson, "The First Presidency of the Early Church: Their Lives and Epistles," Ensign, August 1988, 16. Peter, James, and John appear to have formed a sort of "First Presidency" in the New Testament Church. S. Kent Brown and C. Wilfred Griggs, "The Messiah and the Manuscripts," Ensign, September 1974, 68. What Do Recently Discovered Documents Tell Us about Jesus? S. Kent Brown, "What do we know concerning why the gospel authors wrote their accounts of Jesus--especially if they knew the Church would soon become apostate?," Ensign, August 1975. S. Kent Brown, "Whither the Early Church?," Ensign, October 1988, 7. Why did the early Christian Church fall into apostasy? Leland H. Gentry, "What do we know concerning apostolic succession in New Testament times? Was it important keep the number of apostles at twelve? Where does the apostle Paul fit in?," Ensign, October 1975. C. Wilfred Griggs, "What do we know about how the apostles fulfilled the missionary charge of the resurrected Jesus to preach to all nations (Matt. 28:18-20)?," Ensign, August 1975, 22. George A. Horton Jr., "'Be Ye Also Ready': The Amazing Christian Escape from the A.D. 70 Destruction of Jerusalem," Ensign, June 1989, 48. Hugh W. Nibley, "Christ Among the Ruins," Ensign, July 1983, 14. A comparison of the Old World early Christian "forty-day ministry" story with the New World 3 Nephi accounts. Robert J. Woodford, "How do we support the position that Christ organized a church with various officers, particularly in view of Matthew 18:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-14?," Ensign, July 1986. Other ResourcesThe resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site. Stephen R. Gibson, "Does The Book of Mormon Contradict the Bible?," One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers) The Bible says that the followers of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch a few years after Christ died (Acts 11:26). The Book of Mormon says there were people called Christians in 73 BC. Doesn't the Book of Mormon contradict the Bible? Wilfred C. Griggs, "Rediscovering Ancient Christianity," BYU Studies (1999), 73-90 When materials purporting to be Christian in authorship or content are recovered from the past, one is faced with the difficulty of determining whether they formed an authentic part of early Christianity or were deviations from it. The resulting judgments concerning the value of such discoveries may be quite different to traditional Christians and members of the restored Church. Before evaluating the impact that recent discoveries have had on modern Christianity, one must understand how the traditional model of Christianity came about. For many who have thought that the early Church Fathers were the protectors of the faith against outside influences and external persecutions, it may come as a surprise to learn that the earliest manifestations of Christianity were in fact much broader in doctrine and richer in ordinance activity than was the case in later centuries, when the Fathers had trimmed away all that was unacceptable to them. Only within the last century and a half has much of the material from the early period of Christian history become available, permitting us to see what existed before the Fathers made their censorious decisions. The post-apostolic period of Christianity was comprised of many attempts to define the parameters of the faith, primarily focusing on the questions of who had the authority to speak on behalf of the church and what writings were to be accepted as normative for the religion. Nevertheless, one notes that the boundaries prescribing the limits of orthodoxy and heresy were not so well established by the end of the second century as Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon, writing around 185, would have his readers believe. Hugh W. Nibley, "Forty Day Ministry: Part I," BYU Speeches (12 February 1964) Dr. Nibley looks at non-canonical literature that purports to reveal information about Christ's forty day ministry. Nibley demonstrates that some of the details in this ancient literature has interesting parallels to unique LDS beliefs. Part 1 of 2. (MP3 file) Hugh W. Nibley, "Forty Day Ministry: Part II," BYU Speeches (12 February 1964) Dr. Nibley looks at non-canonical literature that purports to reveal information about Christ's forty day ministry. Nibley demonstrates that some of the details in this ancient literature has interesting parallels to unique LDS beliefs. Part 2 of 2. (MP3 file)
|
|
FAIR is not owned, controlled by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All research and opinions provided on this site are the sole responsibility of FAIR, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice. If you like what FAIR does and you agree with our mission, we invite you to support FAIR in any way you are able. You can make a donation, or visit our Membership page for additional support ideas. FAIR only succeeds through the efforts of our gracious volunteers.
|
|
Welcome |
Topical Guide |
FAIR Publications |
Join & Support FAIR |
Message Boards
Last Updated
September 28, 2008
You can send comments/suggestions using our contact page. |
