So, you want some chocolates, some roses, or a gift because the calendar said this is the day that you must get these things, or your relationship is not real. What if there was so much more to it than that? What if by celebrating this day, you were actually giving gifts to pagan gods? What if this was all a lie, and not about love or relationships at all?

Amazon.com: The Truth about St. Valentine’s Day eBook : Fulcher Jr, Dr E C: Kindle Store

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Well for all of you who have ever had a question, here is a book that is as thorough as thorough can be. It will leave you with so much information that you will be able to make an informed decision on the topic and be able to speak factual to anyone in any situation.

The Truth About Christmas, the best gift you could ever give!!

The post The Truth about CHRISTMAS appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

When most people think about Christmas, they think gifts, lights, and festivities. When true Christians think about Christmas, they think of paganism, going against God’s Word, and the entire chapter of Jeramiah 10.

With Christmas being such a popular holiday, so much so that people who don’t even believe in Jesus celebrate it, it’s hard for people to understand when they learn that Truth Houses don’t indulge.

Now, it’s not difficult to see that Truth House warriors come from many different walks of life. Some of which never celebrated Christmas in their life. You have some who celebrated Christmas at a young age but stopped before adulthood to be aligned with God’s Word. Then, there are others who were over 18 and had participated in the pagan ritual their entire life, who eventually learned the truth and repented.

Making a stand against Christmas and committing to staying away from the heathen holiday isn’t always easy. Some have to make a stand against Christmas at their job, school, with their family, and even at the dang grocery store.

While it’s true that everyone has their own experience when it comes to the celebration of Christmas and how they approach it, for those that attend Truth House Ministries, it’s so much more than that. It’s a revelation of Truth that must be acted upon.

Truth House, Lydia Dominguez, has never celebrated Christmas in anyway. Being made aware of the truth as an adolescent gave Dominguez a spiritual advantage over her peers but it didn’t make her exempt from persecution for standing on the truth. Dominguez attended private school and was homeschooled until the 5^th grade, then she entered public school. She had already got a taste of making a stand against pagan holidays when she attended private school—debating other students, but it elevated once she began public school.

“When I started public school in the 5th grade, I was alone without any siblings. That in itself was a culture shock. I was very timid and shy at first knowing I did not have anyone else in the school to back me up or lean on,” Dominguez explained. “It was always a struggle to get students and faculty to understand that I would not participate in school activities centered around Christmas. Even though my parents wrote notes every year letting the school know I would not be participating in Christmas activities, I still often had to explain to the teachers why I was not going to do an assignment.”

Growing up in Truth House and never celebrating Christmas was a little easier for Kim Shiner, since she had attended public school her entire life.

“I kind of had it easy being the middle child. My parents set the school straight when me and my sisters attended. My dad told all our teachers and faculty that his kids will not be participating in any religious holiday activities,” Shiner said. “Whenever the class had a party of some sort or activities dealing with the heathen holidays, my mom would always pick us up early from school.”

Both Dominguez and Shiner had their separate experiences and challenges when they choose to stand on Jesus’ side while in school, but for Dominguez, she says she went numb to facing her peers and faculty when displaying her unwavering commitment to God’s word. Shockingly, teachers gave her a harder time about her stand on Christmas than her school members did.

“The teachers were the worst because the assignments they would hand out around that time would have something to do with the lies of the story of Santa Clause, but they would try to pass it off as not being Christmas related.  This happened a lot. Often, they tried to convince me that it was not about Christmas, and I could just ignore the references,” Dominguez said. “That never went very far with me, as I was adamant.”

Since Shiner was the middle child, she says that not celebrating Christmas wasn’t much of battle, considering she had siblings and other church members, who stood with her.

When Christmas festivities were commencing at school, Dominguez would go into a separate room or the library, and Shiner was picked by one of her parents.

Now, truth-seeker, Tyler Tillman, who attended public school is entire life says he didn’t experience any scrutiny for not celebrating Christmas.

“I don’t think they even cared until the holiday arrived,” Tillman said.

The only time students or staff asked him why he didn’t celebrate Christmas was when the holiday came around, but even then, it wasn’t unbearable for Tillman.

“My entire school career was neither hindered nor furthered by not celebrating Christmas,” he explained.

Like Dominguez, Naomi Tamez says her teachers made it harder for to practice her religious beliefs than the students.

“When I was younger, public school was difficult because teachers made it harder for me to believe what I believed,” Tamez said. “The kids weren’t mean, just curious.”

Since Tamez grew up in Truth House and never celebrated Christmas, she didn’t have an alternate lifestyle to compare hers to, so going to school with such different religious beliefs didn’t make a difference.

“I didn’t know any difference because I had always known the truth about the holiday. I knew people knew I was different, even though I didn’t feel that different. I had no idea, and it was not a big deal to me,” Tamez said.

Of course, Tamez’s curious peers and teachers would ask questions about her stand against Christmas, and she would tell them the truth.

“I gave them my truth and I would always be very giving of information. I never tried to argue or make them believe. This is my life, not just choosing to be different. This is genuinely me. I would just give them the truth. Students were more receptive to the truth unlike the staff that were closed off and not interested in what I had to say,” she added.

God-lover Dave Macon didn’t grow up in Truth House and didn’t meet Pastor Dr. E.C Fulcher Jr. until he was an adult, but he knew Christmas was a lie since a child.

Coming from a German family, Macon says Christmas is a major celebration in that culture.

“In Germany, Christmas is huge. The German immigrants are the reason that the tree decorations were brought over to the new world,” Macon said.

Though Macon wasn’t taught the truth as a child, he often wondered what trees had to do with Jesus being that Jesus lived in the desert.

“I wondered what rabbits had to do with Jesus’ resurrection,” he added.

Macon had attended public school his entire life and seen Jewish children make a stand against Christmas, so it wasn’t a shock when Macon saw a student not participating in Christmas festivities in middle school.

“I understood, I just thought it was unusual,” Macon said.

According to Macon, he was always in trouble with his parents, so he read a lot and studied mythologies from around the world.   

“I pieced together how the modern incarnation of Christmas comes from Norse Mythos. Santa Claus is Thor,” he confirmed.

Although he made his parents aware of the falsities about Christmas, they discounted his beliefs which only alienated him a little bit more.

“I looked into other religions that didn’t celebrate Christmas, including the Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Macon said.

Macon had no idea that the student he knew in middle school, who stood against Christmas and the research he had done of Christmas would all collide when he began attending Truth House Ministries Church.

Once there, he noticed Chris Moffet, the same middle schooler he knew in band class, who wouldn’t celebrate Christmas years prior.

Moffet, who never celebrated Christmas, says he didn’t remember Macon but his unwavering dedication to the word would be something that solidified Macon’s belief in the predestination of his own life. 

From what Moffet remembers, he didn’t have any issues with students regarding his religious beliefs—it was more the faculty that weren’t accepting.

“Instead of them being understanding of my religious beliefs and working around it, they would just lower my grade by one letter because I would not participate in their holiday activities,” Moffet said.

It seems like children are more accepting and open to understanding the Truth about Christmas than adults. As Truth Houses have mentioned above, it wasn’t their peers who gave them difficulties in school. It was the grown adults—who you’d think would have a more logical, mature way of thinking.

It’s sad that adults are content with believing a lie and teaching it to children, who they’re supposed to be raising to be stand-up, truthful men and women. Sad!

As stated previously, everyone approaches the Christmas holiday differently, the fact remains that God is about truth and Truth Houses stand on God’s side—staying far away from that which doesn’t please Him.

The Truth About Christmas – Kindle edition by Fulcher Jr, Dr E C. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

-Charlene Mayo

The post <strong>Children can handle the Truth about Christmas, it’s the adults who CAN’T! </strong><strong></strong> appeared first on Dr. E.C. Fulcher, Jr..

What will you do with the TRUTH?

The Truth about Easter – Kindle edition by Fulcher Jr, Dr E C. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

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I came across this article and thought it was quite interesting and wanted to share it with you all.

Here’s a fun game to play: walk into a bar on Saint Patrick’s Day and ask drunk partygoers where Saint Patrick is from. Ireland, right? 

Not exactly. Saint Patrick was an Englishman.

But that’s just one of many misconceptions surrounding the patron saint of Ireland. 

Saint Patrick’s Day has gained international reputation as a raucous celebration of drinking, the color green, and all things Irish. Not to mention pinching. 

But for all the Guinness that gets consumed each year on March 17th in his name, few revelers could tell you much (accurate) info about St. Patrick himself. So who was this guy anyway, was he really that into green, and why does he have an entire holiday named after him?

Saint Patrick: The True Origin Story

His father was a wealthy deacon, although Patrick himself was not particularly religious and it’s been speculated his father only pursued his career for tax incentives, meaning biblical literacy probably wasn’t a big part of Patrick’s childhood learning.

Turns out, this isn’t historically accurate.

By far the biggest misconception about Saint Patrick is his heritage. People naturally assume he was Irish for obvious reasons, but in fact, Maewyn Succat (Saint Patrick’s given name) was born around 386 A.D. in Bannavem Taberniae, part of modern-day England. That’s right: Saint Patrick was an Englishman.

At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped by raiders and taken to Ireland, where he was forced to work as a laborer. Because of his fear and separation from his family, he turned to his faith, growing devout as he sought solace in God.

Per his own writings, Patrick repeatedly heard God speak to him. He eventually escaped his captors, walked 200 miles to an Irish port. The ship’s pagan captain didn’t like the look of Patrick, possibly because he’d just walked 200 miles after enduring years of slavery, and demanded he “suck his breasts” – which would apparently show submission to the captain’s authority. Although Patrick declined that particular offer, he did try and convert the pagan crew of the ship to Christianity, which was good enough to earn him passage back to England.

Captive Turned Missionary

After returning to his homeland, Patrick received another heavenly vision, this one telling him to return back to Ireland and spread the holy word.

The next forty years were spent converting thousands of Irish Pagans to Christianity. And he was apparently very good at it. One of Patrick’s strategies was integrating aspects of pagan culture into Christian tradition.

According to a historical account:

“He used bonfires to celebrate Easter since the Irish were used to honoring their gods with fire. He also superimposed a sun, a powerful Irish symbol, onto the Christian cross to create what is now called a Celtic cross, so that veneration of the symbol would seem more natural to the Irish.”

Patrick’s quest to convert a polytheistic society to Christianity wasn’t always easy. At one point he was robbed, beaten, and potentially even awaiting execution for his attempts to convert the local pagans. 

Patrick was so successful in spreading Christianity that he eventually was elevated to sainthood.

Driving Out the Snakes

It was the results of this missionary work that sparked one of the most enduring myths about Saint Patrick: that he drove the snakes out of Ireland.

This has been proven false – snakes are not native to Ireland, nor does there exist any fossil record of snakes ever living there. 

So how did the myth start? There is wide speculation that these “snakes” in question are not snakes at all, but a crude reference to Pagans. The success of Patrick’s missionary work eventually drove Pagans out of Ireland – largely through conversion to Christianity. 

Saint Patrick Loved Green

We all associate the color green with Saint Patrick’s Day. You’re even liable to get pinched if you go to school or work without wearing something green. But Saint Patrick’s favored color was blue, historians say.

Because of that, for hundreds of years, blue was Saint Patrick’s color of choice and paintings and stained glass windows, and was the de facto color of Ireland itself. But Ireland’s association with green took off during the 1798 Irish Rebellion, when clovers became a symbol of Irish nationalism and wearing green lapels became commonplace.

Over time, that association grew until the color green was intertwined with the image of Ireland itself. So go ahead, wear your blue jeans out on Saint Patrick’s Day, and if anyone tries to pinch you, just show them this article. It’ll come in handy… in a pinch.

Myths, Busted

That’s roughly the sum of what we know about Saint Patrick. His life remains mostly a mystery, which has led to all sorts of speculation and myth-building.

So before you enter a Saint Patrick trivia contest this year, remember this quote from Mark Twain: “it ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Here are some more common myths that just ain’t so:

• Saint Patrick was never actually canonized. There was no formal process for it during this time, so it’s believed he was simply proclaimed a saint by popular demand. 
• He was not the first man to bring Christianity to Ireland, as many believe. That would be Palladius, sent by Pope Celestine I to Ireland circa 431. Some historians think that many of the stories attributed to Saint Patrick are actually about Palladius, and over time the two became conflated in the historical record. 
• While the shamrock is now a celebrated icon of Saint Patrick’s Day, there’s no historical proof that he ever used a shamrock to illustrate the holy trinity to the Irish.

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I recently had a conversation with someone who made a comment about a church in Harford County that had stained glass windows. The comment actually took me by surprise as I had thought this person to be somewhat intelligent, but what they said made me second guess that. They made a statement to the effect that the church had stained glass windows and therefore must be hiding something or doing something illegal. I asked if they had ever gone to that church or knew anyone that did, and their response was no, but that they just knew. I was very shocked at the rationale behind this statement as I had always seen stained glass windows in churches across the country and never would have thought that secrecy or illegal activity was the reason. Because of this, I decided to do a little research and find out what the stained glass window thing was truly about.

Historically the purpose of stained glass windows was not to allow people to see outside but to beautify buildings, control light, and oftentimes to tell a story. Many believe that stained glass was first created by ancient Egyptians and/or the Romans, both of whom largely excelled in the making of small colored glass objects. During the Medieval period, stained glass window making flourished, reaching its peak during the Gothic period, in which stained glass windows were used in cathedrals; stained glass window making persisted into the Renaissance period, but declined at the end of this period. Today, there has been a revival in the popularity of stained glass.

The origins of stained glass are not certain, but ancient Egyptians were probably the first people to discover glass while making their vessels; the oldest examples of man-made glass are Egyptian colored glass beads from around 2700 BC. Stained glass windows were first used by well-to-do Romans in their homes in the first century AD. Early examples of stained glass windows can also be found in some of the palaces and mosques in the Middle East. In Jarrow, England at St. Paul’s Monastery, some of the oldest pieces of a stained glass window from 686 AD were found; the earliest stained glass piece presenting a picture is the head of Christ from the 10^th century, discovered at the Lorsch Abbey in Germany.

The stained glass windows that are familiar today did not come about until the 10^th century, with the construction of Gothic cathedrals. The oldest complete stained glass windows were those of Augsburg Cathedral in Germany, constructed in the late 11^th century. The Medieval church funded most of the stained glass windows of the time. Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis was a famous patron of stained glass art and lived just outside of Paris. He used the wealth of the abbey to make windows larger and more beautiful because he considered light the manifestation of God himself. Subjects of stained glass windows being made during this time were mostly religious in nature and served to tell Biblical stories to laypeople that could not read, as well as beautifying the churches. It has been speculated that the stained glass windows probably had a more profound impact on the people than the sermons themselves. Some of the windows used obscure symbolic icons that scholars of today study to learn about the daily life of the time. Gothic windows were generally tall and spear-, wheel-, or rose-shaped. A good example of Gothic stained glass windows is those of the Notre Dame chapel, which holds one of the largest rose-shaped windows in the world. 

Between the Renaissance and the mid-19^th century, stained glass windows fell from favor. This was largely due to changes within religious norms of the time – the church had been the supporter of the arts, and the new Protestants did not believe in fancy artwork and decoration. By 1640, stained glass was rare and only small panels featuring heraldry were used for homes and city halls. The English Parliament demanded all images of the Virgin Mary and the Trinity be removed from churches, so many stained glass windows were smashed by fanatic vandals. The destruction only stopped because it was too costly to replace the windows. Stained glass window making became a lost art.

It wasn’t until the mid-19^th century that the interest in Gothic style was revived all over Europe and in the United States. Artists sought to recreate the lost technique of medieval stained glass windows. John La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany were makers of stained glass during the Art Nouveau period and created opalescent, confetti, drapery, and ridged glass. The windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Marc Chagall, and Frank Lloyd Wright are fine examples of modern stained glass windows. This revival was cut short by the depression of the 1930s and 1940s, which was then followed by WWII. In the last thirty years, interest in stained glass windows has again been revived. Select fine art programs within colleges and universities teach the art of making stained glass and many individual artists have flourished. Stained glass making is also a very popular hobby.

Given this history and the revival in stained glass windows, it is not surprising that a goodly number of churches across the world have them.  The church in Harford County is not alone in the appreciation of this art form.  Since the building is a church, the faux stained glass windows add a certain theological air and in many respects take the place of a sign. 

While this may be the historical and religious side to having stained glass windows, there is also a very practical side as well. Most churches these days video live or record their services. In order to do this, there is a need for windows to be covered. A lot of people don’t realize what goes into recording a live performance.

As anyone who has ever attended a Church service that is being recorded or watched on the internet will realize, the sanctuary is, in effect, a TV studio.  For the moment, try not to think of the main room as a church with a pulpit and pews, but as a theater with a stage and audience.  Almost everyone has seen the star of a talk show like ELLEN or WENDY come off the stage and go into the audience to talk with or interview the people there.  Those instances give the viewers the impression that the entire area is bathed in equal light.  But that is not the case.  What you have in reality is a stage covered with floodlights and an audience sitting in relative darkness until the MC goes into the audience and the house lights are turned up to accommodate the cameras.

And that is the key: the cameras.  Like the human eye, the camera has a lens that allows light to enter and be recorded.  This brings us back to the blocked windows in the church sanctuary.  In order to video the service correctly, the light must be balanced and even.  Think of it this way – if you walk into a dimly lit room from the bright outside, you are momentarily blinded by the dark until your eyes adjust to the new area of light.  A camera operates the same way.  If the windows were not shielded and a bright object passed in front of one near a camera, the camera would automatically dim to accommodate the new light thus dimming what was happening on the stage.  Sun, reflection, a cloud… there are all kinds of events that could vary the light coming in through a window that would affect the camera which would affect what someone watching on TV would see.  Can you imagine how irritating it would be to watch a show which was constantly going from light to dark indiscriminately? 

So while there is a very rich history in the art and usage of stained glass windows, there is also a very practical and very necessary reason for windows not being clearly visible. Neither of which involve anything sinister or illegal. I wish people would empower themselves with knowledge before speaking aloud. It seems to be that the ones with the least amount of knowledge about a particular situation are always the ones with the loudest comments on the topic. I prefer facts not feelings.

Written by Eric B. Ruark and Tanya J. Tillman

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Grace, the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. Seems simple enough to understand and accept right? Free and Unmerited Favor of God. Who wouldn’t want that? You would think that everyone would be lining up to accept this amazing free gift, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Let’s talk about that.

Why is Grace so hard to accept?  Maybe the question should be asked this way: Why is YOUR Grace so hard for OTHER people to accept?  Because that’s the real problem.  It’s not that you cannot embrace Grace; it’s that others cannot accept your accepting Grace.  Kind of convoluted, isn’t it, but makes sense. People see you enjoying your freedoms that Grace has allowed you and immediately they are offended and become judgmental of your expression of acceptance. But why?

In the Bible, Grace is mentioned 170 times in 159 verses.  The first time is in Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”.  But what exactly did that mean?  If you read the verses leading up to verse 8, you will see that the LORD is planning on destroying every living thing for Genesis 6:6 “And it repenteth the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart”. But he didn’t repent the existence of Noah.  He gave Noah a get-out-of-jail-free card because he “found favor” Proverbs 3:4 “So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man”. What had Noah done to receive that Grace?  Nothing.  It was a gift.

As you look through the other verses where Grace is mentioned, you begin to notice a pattern.  Grace is a gift.  No one does anything to receive it.  They are either given Grace, or they are not.  Grace is always tied up with another word: “found” or some variation thereof.  The Lord gives Grace and men either find or obtain Grace.  Proverbs 3:34 in various translations of the bible, hint that the Lord gives Grace to scorn the scorners, “Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly. Surely He scorns the scornful, But gives grace to the humble. Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers; But he giveth grace unto the lowly. He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble”. Reading this and thinking about the original question of why is it so hard for others to accept your grace, makes the answer more obvious and easier to swallow. It’s simple-jealousy. 

Grace allows you to do something and be something that they cannot be: FREE.  Everyone without Grace is bound to try to follow the WHOLE law of God, which is impossible.  In order to find salvation, they must obey every jot and tittle to the letter.  In numerous places, in several letters, Paul refers to this juxtaposition of Grace vs. Debt.  Even James says that if you follow the Law, you must follow the whole law and that to break even one the most minor of rules negates the whole thing. 

Grace frees you from that.  Christ’s death frees you from that.  The blood of Christ frees you from that.  When God sees you through the blood of Christ, one of God’s natural laws comes into play.  Photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston and others used this law to their advantage.  Panchromatic film (Black & White film) does not see or record color in the way our human eyes and brains do.  B&W film sees ALL the visible colors of light.  (God sees all the colors of light, after all he created it: “Let there be light.”)  So, if you are looking at a red rose and photograph it through a red filter, when you go to print the picture, the rose will appear white.  Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool”. 

In effect, the jealous person becomes incensed because he can see a red rose; he can touch a red rose; he can even smell a red rose – therefore, the rose in your picture should be red.  But you can hold the photo up and say, “No.  God sees my rose as white.”  You see, there is nothing that anyone can do to make that red rose turn white.  Like the followers of Baal on top of Mt. Carmel, all the shouting, self-flagellation, dancing in the spirt… in short, nothing will turn that red rose white.  But that also means that you, as the possessor of Grace don’t have to do anything, either.  God sees your rose as white because of the filter he looks through. You are now free to devote what time you may have used trying to turn the red rose white towards other, more fruitful projects like Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls”.

The jealous person can look at you and see your “sins”.  You may drink.  You may smoke.  You might even go to a club in which scantily clad women (or men) perform. And they can get all Bertha-Better-Than-You about it.  But according to the Bible, it is written that 1Cor. 15:50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption”. 2 Cor. 5:16 “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more”. So why try to perfect something that cannot be perfected in the first place.  This line of thinking actually leads us into another question for another post: Why are some people so blinded that they cannot see the obvious? All they have to do is read and understand.  But that must mean that God does not want them to understand.  In other words, God does not love everybody…. WHAT??? And the crowd goes Wild!!! We shall definitely come back to that, but for now, lets focus on those he does love.

To those of us he does love, he looks at us through the blood of Christ and does not see our sins.  Not that our sins are not there.  He just doesn’t see them.  And therein lies His Grace.  He freely looks through his filtered spectacles (i.e. the WORD) and sees us as he first created us before the fall, giving us the chance to know Him as Adam was supposed to know him.  Freeing us to be what we were originally created to be.

Why wouldn’t anyone want that????

Written by Eric B. Ruark and Tanya J. Tillman

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What is a Denomination? Why is the meaning of the word Denomination important? What does the word Denomination have to do with religion? These are all very good questions and I would like to take a moment and talk about them.

Let’s start by talking about what the word Denomination actually means. To start off, let’s go to Merriam-Webster and see what they have to say. This is their definition of the word; denomination noun

de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion | \ di-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən  \

Definition of denomination

1: an act of denominating: the denomination of prices in U.S. dollars

2: a value or size of a series of values or sizes: metric denominations

especially : the value of a particular coin or bill, bills in $20 and $50 denominations

3: NAME, DESIGNATION: especially : a general name for a category, listed under the general denomination of gifts

4: a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices, people from several different Christian denominations

Now let’s go to the Granddaddy of all Dictionaries, The Oxford English Dictionary,(OED) and see what they have to say.

1. A recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church; 1a. A group or branch of any religion.

2. The face value of a banknote, coin or postage stamp; 2a. The rank of a playing card within a suit, or of a suit relative to the others.

3. Formal name of designation, especially one serving to classify a set of things; 3a.The action of naming or classifying something.

So now that we have a basic understanding of what the word Denomination means from two different sources we can discuss it further. Why is it important to know what the word means before we continue, well, you have to know what you’re talking about before you use the word. We will go further into that thought a little later. For now, looking at the definitions presented, do you realize that of all the definitions, there are really only two of those definitions that a person thinks of when thinking of using the word Denomination. Those two would be;

1. When talking about money; and
2. When talking about religion

That’s not so surprising, as many words have many meanings that we don’t use. But what is surprising is the two definitions that are always referenced when dealing with this one particular word, Denomination; money and religion. Why do you think that is? Why is it interesting? Well, let’s talk about it.

Let’s start with the religious aspect. Did you know that the word “Denomination” does not appear one time in the Bible?  That is not to say that one of the definitions for the word denomination is not evident in the Bible. PHARISEES, SADDUCEES, and HERODIANS were all religious sects and easily fit the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition 4. a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices, people from several different Christian denominations, as well as Oxford English Dictionary’s definition 1 and 1a  A recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church; 1a. A group or branch of any religion. It is probably safe to say that from the moment man began worshiping the creature and not the creator, there have been different sects from the beginning of time.  Do you worship the thunder or the lightning? The rain or the flood?  The wind or the sun or both?

But what makes a denomination or sect?  I think the most humorous, facetious, and perhaps the most correct example was in the movie THE FOUR MUSKETEERS when Porthos asks Athos why they are fighting the Huguenots and Athos explains, “We cross ourselves from right to left and they cross themselves from left to right.”  A sect can stay within the religion, but a denomination is a complete split or Autonomous as the OED calls it.

Well, what’s wrong with a denomination? You might ask.  Everything, I would answer.  Christianity was founded on the principle of the believers being of one mind and one accord. Acts 1:14: “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” Acts 2:42: “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:46: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” There are also numerous other places that all state the early Christians were of one accord.  They were like-minded.  They all believed the same thing.  Jesus, himself, preached this unity of mind in Matthew 18: 19-20: “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven.” “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Do the Baptists believe the same thing as the Presbyterians?  No.  Do the Presbyterians believe the same thing as the Catholics?  No.  Each denomination has formed a church around a slightly different set of core beliefs.  They have made void the Word of God by their traditions. 

Now, about the definition surrounding money. Looking at the Merriam-Webster definition 1 and 2 along with the OED definition 2. The face value of a banknote.  Church denominations are just like money denominations.  According to the Baptists, you must do x, y, and z to be saved.  According to the Presbyterians, you must do a, b, and c in order to be saved.  They are as different as are a 5- and 10-dollar bill.  A $5 will only buy you half as much as a $10 and a $10 will only buy half as much as a $20.  And none of them will buy as much as a good old Ben Franklin $100.  Different religious denominations promise you salvation and justification but in none of them do you have to perform the same actions to get saved.

Not long ago, Pastor Dr. E C Fulcher Jr went into the hospital for some much-needed surgery.  While he was being admitted, the attendant asked him what his religion was.  “Christian,” the Pastor answered.  “I mean what denomination,” the attendant asked.  “Christian,” the Pastor repeated.  “No, I mean, are you a Baptist, Methodist or what?” the attendant asked.  “Christian,” the Pastor answered totally dumbfounding the attendant who, obviously, had no idea what he was talking about.

We are not Baptist.  We are not Pentecostal.  We are not Presbyterian.  We harken back to that first church the one where the members sat in the upper room, all of one mind and one accord.  We believe in doing things the Bible way and not as some deacon board in some city in Georgia wants things done.  We are Christians and that calls for a whole different allegiance, one to the Word of God and not the traditions of men.

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A while ago, during a sermon, Dr. E C Fulcher Jr made a statement that got me thinking. He mentioned that while he was a Man of God sent here to perfect the saints as it states in Eph 4:11-12 “ And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”, that he could save us and yet also be a castaway himself. I thought to myself, how could that be possible. I considered this statement and realized that he was echoing Paul’s famous statement in 1Corinthians 9:27 “But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”  Reading this scripture only made me think more and I decided that I needed to do some more digging. There must be a deeper meaning.

The word Castaway being translated here in the New Testament is the Greek ‘adokimos’ which means unapproved, rejected (and by implication) worthless.  And it got me to thinking… are the men of God in the Bible castaways of one sort or another?

Let’s take a look at Moses. Moses was chosen to lead his people out of bondage into the promised land, yet… he became unapproved and was rejected from crossing over into it.  His people weren’t any less saved or less chosen because of his mistake.  He became a castaway on the wrong side of the Jordan River.  He was allowed to look into the promised land, but he was not allowed to enter it, Deu 32:52 “Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel.” Thus, making him one of God’s castaways.

Then there was Joseph, who began his adventures as a castaway.  He was unapproved and rejected by members of his own family.  His brothers hated him so much because he was loved by his father more than all his brothers, Gen 37:4 “And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” He was cast out of his family by his brothers and sold into slavery, Gen 37:27 “Come let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.” Yet, he was able to use the gifts of his dreams and interpretation that God gave him to overcome his castawayness (my word) and rise to the highest position in the land of Egypt. Gen 41:42-43 “And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Not to mention Sampson, another of God’s castaways.  Sampson was gifted strength by God, his command was to never tell anyone the source of his strength. However, Sampson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. He allowed himself to be seduced by her and because of his love for her, told her the secret, Judg 16:17 “That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I have been a Nazarite unto God from my mother’s womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” This gave Delilah the information that she needed and she turned him over to the lords of the Philistines for payment, who came and cut his hair. His loss of strength was a symbol of his castawayness. 

According to historical records, Isaiah and Jeremiah were unapproved and rejected by the people they were trying to reach.  Isaiah was so rejected that he was murdered, sawn in half, by the people who refused his message.  Jeremiah had to flee Jerusalem and ended up in Ireland and the people who rejected him ended up in captivity in Babylon. 

But the Bible was written for those of us upon whom the end would be and it was written in English (KJV) which means that we also have to look at the English word “Castaway” and derive some meaning therein.  Cast – a – way.  Something that is thrown away.  But thrown by whom? 

Take Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they were “cast” into the furnace by the King’s men, Dan 3:21 “Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.”

Then there wasJonah, he was “cast” into the sea by the sailors for the whale to swallow him, Jon 1:12 “And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea: so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.”  

Now Stephen was “cast” out of the city to be stoned, Acts 7:58-59 “And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  

In virtually all the verses in which “cast” is used, it means to throw. 

But when you “throw” something, you throw it somewhere.  There is no nebulous place called “away”.  If I throw a wrapper “away”, I have thrown it into the garbage.  Think of all the “away” places you have thrown things and you will see that whatever “away” place has been your target, “away” has been a place.  And a “place” equals a target.

A baseball pitcher throws a baseball away from him but towards the target of the catcher’s mitt.  A quarterback throws the football towards a receiver downfield.  The whole concept of being a castaway depends on who is doing the throwing: man or God.

Now, I live on a boat, so the whole concept of casting something away took on a whole different direction.  I’m a fly-fisherman.  Norman Maclean nailed it in the final paragraphs of his book, A River Runs Through It.  Robert Redford used it as the closing soliloquy for his movie of the same name:

            “Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone, although some friends think I shouldn’t.  Like many fly fishermen in western Montana, where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening.  Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being on with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise.

            Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.  The river was cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time.  On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.

            I am haunted by waters.“

When Dr. E C Fulcher Jr talked about being a castaway, this statement flooded into my head and took on the form of an analogy.  God is the fly fisherman.  The men of God are the fly (bait) and the fish are the Hagios.  God is not seining netting the river to capture all the fish that are swimming there.  He doesn’t want them all.  He is very particular about which fish He wants.  He casts his fly, the Man of God, to a specific location and the Man of God’s message lures one fish in particular to it.  He is not casting his fly away.  Rather He is casting it to something.  The chosen, the called-out ones, are harvested one at a time, slowly with meticulous care until the creel is filled.  The creel only holds so many.  This many and no more.  Only in the eyes of an unbeliever, can the Man of God be a castaway.  To us fish, he is something to be desired above all else.  He is the direct connection to God and by him, God will reel us in.

Rev 22:1 ” And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

Written by Eric B. Ruark and Tanya J. Tillman

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My name is Dr. E C Fulcher Jr. I am the Pastor of Truth House Ministries Church Inc. in Abingdon, Md. I have been preaching full-time for over 50 years. I came to Maryland in the mid-’70s. Abingdon was not where I landed, but Harve De Grace. In November 1975, with a small nucleus of believers, I rented an old bar in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and with the nucleus of believers, I had been preaching to, established the foundation of a ministry that was to become capable of launching the message to the world via short-wave radio and eventually Internet Television.  It became known as Truth House Ministries, and my magazine changed from Crusade for Truth to The Present Testament Magazine.  Some of the goals of Truth House Ministries Church Inc are to:

1) Preach the message of grace and freedom to people who are bound by religious tradition and opinions of man, and:

2) To show that, even in today’s world, a Christian can be an intelligent, educated, and completely normal person, capable of fitting into any part of society.  All they have to do is put God first.  Christians do not have to speak in tongues or quote Bible verses to people.

By the early 2000s, it became clear that we needed a bigger space to accomplish our goals.

3303 Emmorton Road was a piece of property that was first owned by a United Christian Pentecostal Denomination. The Pastor had put a slab of concrete down and wanted to start building. Unfortunately, he did not get the county’s permission to build and was therefore shut down for not following procedures. During the same time as that, the Pastors wife had an affair leaving the Pastor feeling as if he should leave his position. He felt that since his wife had an affair, and he had not ruled over his own home, that he should not be ruling over a congregation, so he gave the property to another man, Mr. Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell had made plans for the property, but they never came to fruition. It’s funny because years prior to this, I had actually looked at this property and thought the price would be out of reach, so I moved on. During the time of Mr. Mitchell taking ownership of the property and deciding what to do with it, I was across town looking at another piece of property. I actually put a down payment on a property. During the inspection process, it was discovered that the property was unsafe and would not be a good purchase, so I withdrew from that and continued looking.

At some point, I came into contact with Mr. Mitchell and he visited my church that was located in Harve de Grace at the time. A very small building but filled with the Word. Mr. Mitchell said to me, this place is way too small for what you have going on here, you need a bigger place. So we talked and he decided to sell me the property that he was given by the other Pastor. The beginning negotiations were a little rocky and financing had not been made available at the time. Between Mr. Mitchell and I trying to work out something, he had gone back to Florida and I was here in Maryland. At some point, we spoke and continued with negotiations. I said to him, “ You have seen where I am and have acknowledged that I need a bigger space, so you acknowledge I am in need. Now the bible says in 1 John 3:17 “But if a man has this world’s goods, and sees that his brother is in need, and keeps his heart shut against his brother, how is it possible for the love of God to be in him?”  Mr. Mitchell was at a loss for words, he expressed that no one negotiates like that, at which I pointed out I do. He had nothing left to say except, ok. Let’s work something out. He came back to Maryland and we came to an agreement. I put down $100,00 with no idea where or when financing would come. I just trusted God.

At this time, the property was ours and we began working on immediately in the month of November. Instead of hiring a construction crew and spending thousands of dollars, the men, the brothers of the church answered the call to come and build a house for the Lord. Yes, we all know that we individually are houses of God, but when we gather to meet we need a physical place to do so, hence building a house for the Lord. Just like the bible says we should.

Haggai 1:2-5, 7-8 “Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the LORD’s house should be built. (3) Then came the word of the LORD by Haggai the prophet, saying, (4) Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste? (5) Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (8) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD.

I always thought it slightly comical how God gave the property to a man that never did anything with it, and I had to buy it from that man. But besides God having a sense of humor, it goes to say that God will give the opportunity for His word to come to pass. Think about it, Haggai 1:7-8 states, “(7) Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways. (8) Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD. His word doesn’t say to buy him a house, it actually tells us to go, bring wood and build the house. So maybe we had to purchase the property in order to build the Lord’s house so that His word would come to pass…..

Even if that wasn’t the case, the fact that the brothers of this church built this building, God’s House with their own hands, gave their heartbeats to fulfill this endeavor is a true blessing and testament to the love and dedication to God’s Word.

I remember the opening day celebration and service. It was surreal. My ministry is called Truth House Ministries Inc, but I dedicated this building to God and during the first service, read a verse of scripture that resonated so powerfully that it became the basis upon which the building was named the City of Truth.

Zec 8:3 “Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.”

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