The Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church is a historically black Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was organized in 1870 when several black ministers, with the full support of their white bishop, left the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, because of its racial policies. The CME Church has roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church and currently has over 850,000 members worldwide. The CME Church has episcopal governance, similar to Methodism’s traditions, with bishops, supervising elders, and itinerant and local preachers. Bishops are elected for life from the ordained elders. Ordained elders are seminary trained and serve in administrative and…
Author: Mike Solis
Endurance is a key theme throughout the Bible. God calls His people to patiently endure trials and hardships, trusting in His strength and faithfulness. Here are some key Bible verses about endurance: Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This passage highlights how suffering can strengthen our faith and character if we endure it with God’s…
The debate between federalism and seminalism has been raging for centuries among theologians seeking to understand Scripture’s teachings on salvation and humankind’s relationship with God. At the heart of this debate is whether salvation is ultimately a cooperative effort between God and man (federalism/covenant theology) or a monergistic work of God alone (seminalism/Calvinism). Both views appeal to Scripture, yet come to differing conclusions. Examining the key biblical texts may shed light on which perspective aligns more closely with the teachings of the Bible. Key Texts Supporting Federalism Federalists point to several key texts that highlight the bilateral nature of God’s…
Why was Israel cursed with forty years of wilderness wandering? The forty years of wilderness wandering for the Israelites was a consequence of their disobedience and lack of faith in God. After being delivered from slavery in Egypt through God’s mighty hand, the Israelites failed to trust God and obey His command to enter and take possession of the Promised Land of Canaan. God had promised the Israelites the land of Canaan as their inheritance. When they arrived at the border of Canaan, Moses sent twelve spies into the land to explore and bring back a report (Numbers 13:1-3). After…
Faith promise giving is a method of giving that many churches and ministries use to raise funds for missions, building projects, and other ministry initiatives. The basic idea behind faith promise giving is that people prayerfully make a financial commitment to give a certain amount over a period of time, trusting that God will provide the resources for them to fulfill that commitment. The emphasis is put on trusting God to provide, rather than just giving out of one’s current surplus. Let’s take a more in-depth look at what faith promise giving is and whether it has a biblical basis.…
The Book of Giants is an apocryphal Jewish book, attributed to either the prophet Mani or Manichaean literature, that expands upon stories mentioned in the Hebrew Bible regarding giants who lived before and after the flood. While the Book of Giants itself is considered non-canonical and thus not part of the accepted Jewish or Christian scriptural canon, it provides intriguing commentary on obscure passages in the Hebrew Bible and expands upon stories that are only briefly mentioned such as the Nephilim. The main narrative within the Book of Giants focuses on two primary giants: Ohya and Mahaway. Ohya was said…
The humanity of Jesus Christ is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. Jesus was fully God and fully man – the God-man. Understanding Jesus’ humanity is essential to understanding the gospel message and God’s plan of salvation for humanity. Here are 9 key reasons why the humanity of Jesus is profoundly significant: 1. Jesus identifies with us as humans A core aspect of Jesus’ humanity is that He identifies with us in our struggles and weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in…
Herod’s temple, also known as the Second Temple, was a grand expansion of the original Jewish temple in Jerusalem commissioned by King Herod the Great around 19 BC. The temple stood as the center of Jewish worship until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The original temple in Jerusalem, known as Solomon’s Temple or the First Temple, had been built around 960 BC and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. After the Jewish exile in Babylon, construction began on a more modest Second Temple which was completed around 515 BC. Over the centuries, this relatively simple…
The Bible has a lot to say about the resurrection of the dead. Here is an overview of some of the key Bible verses that discuss resurrection: Old Testament Verses About Resurrection While the Old Testament does not contain extensive teaching about the resurrection, there are a few key passages that point ahead to this future hope: Job 19:25-27 – “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and…
The question of whether truth is relative or absolute is an important one that has significant implications for how we understand reality, ethics, and spirituality. Though postmodernism has promoted truth relativism in recent decades, Christianity has historically affirmed that truth is grounded in the eternal and unchanging God, and is therefore objective and absolute. According to the Bible, truth is based on the character and nature of God, who is the ultimate standard and touchstone of what is real and true. As John 14:6 declares, Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” God is truth…