It is easy to assume that when The Bible was compiled that it made up of the only real books that could have been included in its creation. This assumption is wrong on at least two counts.

First, a thousand years passed from when the first book of The Old Testament was written, and the last book of The New Testament was created. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that there were other writings developed during this time that educated people relied upon.

Second, the current books of The Bible reference dozens of other books that the writers relied on as they developed their own material--from The Book of Jasher and The Prophecy of Ahjah in The Old Testament, to The Book of Enoch and The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres in The New Testament.

One such series of writings was discovered in 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. They are often called The Gnostic Gospels. These 52 manuscripts present a much different view of who and what Jesus was--much different than what we see in traditional Christianity.

Join Reverend Dennis Ashley this Sunday for an explanation of what The Gnostic Gospels are, what Gnosticism means, and why it is essential to understanding the full meaning of Christianity. In honor of Valentine’s Day Weekend, he will focus specific attention on the unique nature of love as it was understood over 2000 years ago.

Our music ensemble features Julie Croteau and Patty Ashley. They will be accompanied by LeeAnn Aerlyn-Moore, Jim Turner, Dagan Williamson, and Judith Pinkerton.