Posted by: Dr Frank Harber

Author: Larry Evans

Probably you’ve heard about Christian message boards, or perhaps you have participated in one of the most well-known Christian forums out there on the web. Well, on its most basic, the Christian message boards are by far the most active Christian discussion board on the internet these days. Its history dates back to the year 2001 when the said “first” Christian forum was developed.

According to some resources, the first message board that carries the “Christian” label was developed by Erwin Loh, an Australian doctor and lawyer, on November 19, 2001. After two months of preparation and discussion, the Kings Tavern, which was created by a person named Ryan Swift, also known as Josephus, merged with Christian Forums for one particular purpose – to help establish it as the largest Christian message board community in the world. The new Christian Forums was then re-launched on February 5, 2002, the day of the merger, to promote the unity of all Christians as one body.

The first Christian forums developed by Loh and Swift continue to grow. It grows even after Swift stepped down as co-admin. Along with its rise, the Christian message boards’ shared mission of promoting the unity of the Christian faith continues.

Currently, the site has more than 130,000 registered users and serves members from almost every country in the world. This re-launched Christian message board has more than a hundred administrators and moderators who are divided into staff teams that are named after the fruit of the Spirit of Galatians 5:22-23. This message board has been maintaining its motto, which is “Uniting All Christians as One Body”.

Swift and Loh’s Christian Forums actually has an extensive organization of forums. As far as I know, there are more than 400 Christian message boards today, many of which have their own sub-forums. It is further worth noting that some of these Christian message boards place limits on the users who can post on them. For instance, only teenagers have the chance to post in the Christian teen forum. It is important to note that many of these forums are only open to Christians.

Another thing of interest is the large number of options available to the users. Typically, in most Christian message boards, there is a rather extensive profile that users can fill out for themselves. Some profile information, like the age and faith icon, is used to identify access to particular forums. It is also typical in most Christian message boards to have its own currency called “blessings”, which can be given by other users or earned from jobs. This currency is regularly earned by posting on the forums. Also, blessings are used to add features like avatars and pictures to profiles, as well as to purchase armor, pets and other features that can show up on the user’s post.

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Posted by: Dr Frank Harber

Author: Caroline Silverstone

One of the most important parts of Christianity lies in recognizing the fact that Jesus Christ was divine, himself an extension of the Jewish God. One of the ways in which his divinity is proved by Biblical scholars is to point out the many miracles that Jesus was recorded performing during his time on Earth. In academic circles, Jesus’ miracles are often categorized according to the act that was carried out. Thus, miracles that involved healing are cures, those that involved overcoming physical barriers are considered miracles of nature, and those wherein Jesus cast out demons are known as exorcisms.

Healing Miracles

Jesus’ miracles of healing are the most well documented in the Bible, perhaps because so many of the diseases he encountered and cured were considered a death sentence by the cultures of the time. Jesus’ healing miracles also tended to have a second dimension which offered some insight into his character and his mission as a whole.

For example, lepers were the outcasts of society. Everyone lived in deadly fear of catching the disease which caused digits and limbs to rot and then fall off in a painful and incurable manner. When diagnosed with leprosy, a person was sent away from the rest of society to live out their remaining days in colonies consisting of similarly struck people. They had to carry bells and cry “unclean” whenever they approached other people. In order to cure lepers, Jesus would often touch them, to the dismay of his followers. The examples of the lepers offer several insights into Jesus’ character. First of all, he was determined to overcome social barriers. He would approach even the most avoided people in society. He also demonstrated his storied mission of loving the unlovable, all the while of course demonstrating his divinity.

Jesus also made it clear through his healing that it was the faith of the people that he healed that caused the cure. His words after healing several people are the same; “through your faith, you are healed” (Matt 9:22). Through this, Jesus demonstrated that people come through him through their own faith rather than through his compulsion.

Miracles of Nature

Jesus’ miracles sometimes did not involve people, although they usually served an illustrative purpose (the main one being to demonstrate his divinity). These miracles are known as miracles of nature.

Jesus’ first miracle of nature recorded in the Biblical canon is turning water into wine at a wedding. His mother Mary was a guest at the wedding, and he and his followers also came. When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother approached him, and he told her that his time had not yet come. However, he proceeded to turn the water that was to be used for cleansing into wine, which the master of ceremonies declared to be the best wine he had ever tasted, in stark contrast to normal conventions which had the host brining out the inferior wine second. This miracle can be interpreted to demonstrate Jesus making the unclean clean, of using all things to his ends, and of being straightforward in the presentation of his message.

Miracles of nature also included feeding large crowds with relatively little food, walking on water, and causing his disciples to catch many fish though they had been failing all night. (He also walked through a crowd that wanted to hurl him off of a cliff, and several times raised people from the dead).

Miracles of Exorcism

The last category of miracles that Jesus performed involved casting demons out of afflicted individuals. These differ from the miracles of healing in that they clearly portray a struggle of good versus evil instead of conquest over the natural. He is recorded as having cast demons out singly and in large groups, after having them name themselves and recognize his authority.

Topics: Becky Harber, Frank Harber | Comments Off