Dr Paul Allen

Ministry of the Apostles, a complex multi-figure icon with a full-height image of Jesus Christ, surrounded by sectors with scenes of His disciples' calling, ministry and martyrdom. Icon from the Yaroslavl Museum Preserve. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Three days after the crucifixion, Jesus rose from the grave. In the weeks that followed, He appeared to His disciples on numerous occasions, explaining to them why His death had been necessary as the Savior of the world . The Lord interacted with His followers for forty days after His resurrection, appearing to as many as five hundred at one time. The resulting anticipation was high because the hope that had died on the cross had risen again — there was no longer any room for doubt. Nearly six weeks later, Christ assembled His disciples on the Mount of Olives for one last lesson. As they gathered around Him, He instructed them, “You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem , and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest p...

A complaint about an Auckland church billboard questioning whether Jesus was gay has been dismissed on the grounds it wasn't offensive. The St Matthew -in-the-City billboard featured an image of baby Jesus in a manger with a rainbow coloured halo and the words: "It's Christmas . Time for Jesus to come out." The complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority said the representation of Jesus was "akin to hate speech". However, a decision released yesterday found the billboard's speculation about Jesus's sexual orientation did not breach advertising codes. It was "prepared by a Christian church to promote debate within the Christian faith , as opposed to a deliberately offensive advertisement by an outside party for commercial gain, had been prepared with a due sense of social responsibility", the decision reads. The inference is that St Matthews was promoting that Jesus was homosexual, Jesus performed the sin of homosexuality. Hence, ...