Ponder is defined as “to consider something deeply and thoroughly; weigh carefully in the mind; consider thoughtfully.” [1] Something I have done a lot of pondering about began when I became aware of the stats below. (1) Christians trace the beginning of their religion to Jesus, the founder of a small Jewish sect in Palestine in 30 CE. (2) In 1970, there were 1,130,000,000 affiliated Christians who belonged to 1,449,600 congregations/churches of 18,630 denominations / paradenominations. [2] Paradenominations have existed since the 19th century, operating alongside denominations, crossing boundaries and enabling joint efforts between various groups. [3] (3) In 2000, there were 1,888,000.000 affiliated Christians who belonged to 3,447,900 congregations/churches of 33,820 denominations / paradenominations. [4] (4) In 2000 there were 322 Baptist denominations alone. [5] Some things to ponder: (1) How did a single exclusively Jewish sect in Palestine become 33,820
Blogs about the life of the real Jewish Jesus whose actual name was Yeshua. View his life, teachings and movement in the cultural context of first century Galilee and Judea. Using a Linguistic Model to more accurately understand what his words meant to his original Jewish apostles, followers and audiences.