However, this won’t seem to be possible whenever we lookup straight back a tiny implies into the chapel records. John Calvin blogged The new Schools of your own Religious Faith, particularly, in the 16th century. Now than one, J. Gresham Machen wrote The origin from Paul’s Faith (1921). This type of positive sources for the keyword appear to be lined up that have James 1:twenty-seven, and this states:

Religion which is natural and undefiled in advance of God the father try this: to check out orphans and widows within their affliction, in order to keep your self unstained on globe. (ESV)

But somewhere in the process, the expression “religion” already been taking opposed adversely in order to a beneficial “relationship.” Very we have found my personal matter: who was the initial Christian theologian to place what “religion” and you can “relationship” into the evident examine, with a poor meaning getting “religion”?

Remember that I am [...]