"It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research," said Gershon Galil, a professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa in Israel, who deciphered the ancient text.

BCE stands for "before common era," and is equivalent to B.C., or before Christ.

A fully orthodox treatment of sin is absent from the theology of the 1979, as well as a full-bodied treatment of the atonement, because of the theological liberalism which Gresham Machen criticized in his works. It is part of an overall return, he argued, to a pagan view of human nature marked by the belief that we may become virtuous by our own efforts.

As a young Christian I was captivated by the message of the cross, and many other doctrines of Christianity too. But predestination seemed a hateful thing to me, an ugly blot on an otherwise beautiful landscape. I believed in free will - more, I believed in the absolute sovereignty of the human will. Though a Christian, a part of me still wanted to be "captain of my fate" and "master of my soul".

This is the third in a series about biblical principles for the Anglican Church in North America (AC-NA) as we "cross-over," like Israel, from a place of bondage to a "promised place" of reformation (what we must leave behind), renewal of vision (our promised possession and dominion) and mission in North America. This week, let's focus on the next set of God's principles for a cross-over people, the three verses above from Joshua 1, verses 6, 7 and 9.