Maryland was one of four of the original 13 English colonies that was specifically chartered for religious freedom, as a refuge from religious persecution. Maryland was the primary entry point for Catholics in the English colonies. Lord Baltimore George Calvert was secretary of state for King James I and converted to Catholicism in 1625. He resigned upon succession by the […]

On November 9, 1620, the Mayflower, carrying 102 passengers with 50 Pilgrims aboard in search of religious freedom, approached Cape Cod, Massachusetts, having left England 65 days earlier on September 6, 1620. The Pilgrims were Separatist Protestants who made a clean break with the Anglican Church of England during the reign of King James I. A small community in Scrooby, […]

The Native Americans are the first inhabitants of the Americas. They view nature as Mother Earth. To them the spirit world is embodied in every part of the natural world, whether animal, vegetable, or mineral. They became our first environmentalists and horticulturists. Native Americans first survived as big-game hunters and as fishermen. The Indians were excellent fishermen and invented the […]

Angels appear in the Bible from the beginning to the end, from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation. The Bible is our best source of knowledge about angels – for example, Psalm 91:11, Matthew 18:10 and Acts 12:15 indicate humans have guardian angels. Angels are God’s messengers, invisible except when they assume a shape to appear before […]

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took […]

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. Gospel of Mark 4:33-34 Jesus often taught in parables, an ancient Eastern literary genre. The prophet Ezekiel, for example, wrote in […]

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a […]

Jesus Christ gave us the Eight Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, recorded for all posterity in the Gospel of Matthew, the first Book of the New Testament of the Bible. Matthew’s Gospel was directed to an audience steeped in Hebrew tradition. The Gospel of Matthew stressed that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah foretold in Hebrew Scripture, our […]

God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to serve as principles of moral behavior for the human race. The Ten Commandments of God are the foundation of the moral code and legal system of justice for Western Christian civilization. The architecture of the U. S. Supreme Court building reflects this biblical foundation. At the center of the sculpture […]

“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:49 The Purpose of God “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:43 The Greatest Commandment And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and […]