Introduction During the 2nd century early church teachings were challenged by Gnosticism a religious movement similar to Christianity. Contrary to the Christian teachings that salvation is attained through faith in Jesus Christ; Gnostics taught that salvation was attained through access to secret knowledge. Similar to the Christian tradition Gnostics claimed that the secret knowledge was passed on from the Apostles. In addition, Gnostics taught that access to the secret knowledge was only available to those who read the Bible in a specific manner. As a result, Christian leaders questioned the methods used by Gnostic writers for interpreting Scripture. The spread of Gnosticism prompted the church to develop a “traditional” method for interpreting certain scriptures. By implementing a “traditional” guide for interpreting Scripture Christian leaders could ensure that Scripture was interpreted based on the background of the history of the Christian Church. Furthermore, it would distinguish Christian tradition from Gnostic tradition. The guide for interpreting scripture became the “rule of faith”. The Content and Purpose of the Rule Consequently, Irenaeus, the first great Catholic theologian and Tertullian, the Father of Latin theology developed the idea of an authorized method for interpreting scripture. Both theologians defended the Christian faith and communicated doctrines they believed were essential to the “rule of faith.” Irenaeus defended the understanding of salvation and the role of tradition in his book entitled Against Heresies. In opposition to the secret traditions the heretics claimed to have received from the apostles, Irenaeus argued that, the teachings of the apostles, which secure salvation for th... ... middle of paper ... ...nds like a rock concert and the preaching moment is more like a motivational speech. In the traditional church service the creeds, hymns and preaching are the focal points of the service. Whereas in a contemporary service praise and worship are the focal points. In the early church tradition only apostles, bishops and elders taught the Word of God. McGrath stated that, “by their historical succession from the apostles, the bishops ensured their congregations remained faithful to their teachings and interpretations.” Sadly, there is little or no accountability for congregations to remain faithful to their teachings in the contemporary “church tradition”. I believe that adopting the practices of the early “church tradition” would be a great way for the contemporary “church tradition” to pass on the teachings of the apostles and enrich the life of the church.
It is crucial that every belief must be thoroughly explored and justified to avoid any future repercussions. Clifford provides two examples in which, regardless of the outcome, the party that creates a belief without comprehensive justification ends up at fault. It is possible to apply the situations in The Ethics of Belief to any cases of belief and end up with the conclusion that justification is of utmost importance. Justifying beliefs is so important because even the smallest beliefs affect others in the community, add to the global belief system, and alter the believer moral compass in future decisions.
Finding a way in life can be difficult. Following that way can be even more difficult, especially when it goes against someone's origin. In Acts of Faith, Eboo Patel tells his story of what it was like to struggle through finding himself. Patel asks the question of "How can I create a society of religious pluralism?" throughout the book, and raises implications about what our children are being taught in different societies throughout the world.
I agree with Kitchens, Mead, and Roxburgh who all basically say in their own way that one change in ministry that we need to focus on more is the congregational life of the church. However, I think Mead explains it best when he says that the future church must be more intentional in the spiritual formation of its laity (Mead, location 919). According to Mead, the church is moving towards becoming a more missional institution that cares for the needs of the community. Therefore, oftentimes laity will be the ones on the front lines and will need the capacity to minister to people on their own without the help of clergy. In order to do this they will need more directed and intensive training to deal with...
The rise of literacy towards the end of the Middle Ages brought with it a torrent of individuals ready to think fro themselves and formulate their own theories and ideas regarding God and the Christian faith. For a long time, the church held a near monopoly on literacy and used this to maintain control over people’s lives and beliefs. While some of these new intellectuals created ideas that would forever change the way people envision themselves and their relation to God and the universe, some simply patched together tidbits of ideas that were not born out of deep philosophical inquiry, but had more of an instinctive type of logical grounding. This was the line of thinking that made up Domenico Scandella’s beliefs.
Religious institutions have always been a fundamental piece of American culture, and their influence is evident in many aspects of American life. Especially during the 20th century, the spread of Christianity became more competitive as churches vied against one another to draw in new members. This was particularly evident in the development and growth of conservative Protestant groups. Protestant leaders responded to this competition for followers by developing radically new methods for the worship experience. They used their charisma and entrepreneurial spirit to send their messages to the masses. Protestant leader’s manipulation of these methods of outreach was able to attract many new members to the conservative protestant cause, and encouraged Americans to join these large groups of worship.
Gnosticism is defined by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary as the thought and practice especially of various cults of late pre-Christian and early Christian centuries distinguished by the conviction that matter is evil and that emancipation comes through gnosis. (King pg. 5) After reading several books, you will realize that Gnosticism is a really difficult term to define and most people have not been successful with coming up with a definition that fits what Gnosticism really is. Gnostics believed that there was no physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and that there was no way that such a good God would create evil so they believed that Jesus was adopted or transcended by God. Gnosis comes from the Greek word meaning knowledge which explains why most Gnostics believe that true salvation comes from some sort of special knowledge.
There ware many of gnostic teaching and led into what we know know as the Gnostic Gospels.
“Reaching Out without Dumbing Down” seems to be constructed for the church leader, elder, or pastor who is considering altering their current, historic worship style for a more modern one that may attract greater numbers of unsaved people. She provides excellent standards to help Pastors and Worship Leaders plan, execute, and evaluate worship services. These same standards provide a great opportunity to educate the church family on the reasons behind the use of certain worship elements. Although written for church leadership, the everyday church member would also benefit from understanding the very concepts that Dawn is directing at God-empowered leaders.
While acknowledging the divergent views of Nygren and Bornkamm that Romans reflects Paul's past experience, this essay, however, sides with the view that the Sitz im Leben of Romans manifests itself as a letter addressed to the social interactions between Jews and Gentiles and the situation of the Roman Jewish community whom Paul hopes to persuade, as in 14:1 and 15:3, to build up a Christian community net-work in order to give concrete support to his mission to Spain and spiritual support for his journey to Jerusalem (L. K. Lo, 1998 and Ziesler, 1989). This manifestation is again revealed in Paul's discussion of the commonality of sinfulness of Jews and Gentiles in 1:18-32 and 2:21-24, arguing that their solidarity in sin has put them in the same situation of guilt and powerlessness (Lo, 1998). The problem of human sin affecting Jews and Gentiles can only be solved by the divine righteousness which comes to the rescue of human beings in their collective predicament and which is, as in 1:17, primarily a saving power available to all who have faith in and respond to Jesus Christ (Ziesler, 1989). It is therefore against this background that this essay will attempt to discuss Pauline doctrine of justification by faith as understood by scholars like Ziesler, Barclay, Kasemann, Lo and Heinecken and to highlight where relevant differences in their perceptions of the doctrine. In its latter part, this essay will take issue with contentions that the doctrine constitutes only a subsidiary crater (Schweitzer), that justification is only the consequence rather than the content of the gospel (Molland) and that Christology rather than justification is the theme of the epistle (Friedrich) and will argue that the doctrine is so important and...
The definition of Gnosticism that has been developed in class is the embracing of the spiritual world. When this is done, ...
Pope John Paul II once said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” (Fallible Blogma) Based on this significant and powerful quote, one can infer that faith and reason are directly associated and related. It can also be implied that the combination of faith and reason allows one to seek information and knowledge about truth and God; based on various class discussions and past academic teachings, it is understood that both faith and reason are the instruments that diverse parties are supposed to use on this search for truth and God. There are many stances and viewpoints on the issues of faith and reason. Some believe that both of these ideas cannot and should not be combined; these parties deem that faith and reason must be taken as merely separate entities. However, this writer does not understand why both entities cannot be combined; both terms are so closely compatible that it would make sense to combine the two for a common task. Based on various class discussions and readings, there are many philosophers and theologians who have certain opinions regarding faith, reason and their compatibility; these philosophers include Hildegard of Bingen, Ibn Rushd, Moses Maimonides, and St. Thomas Aquinas. The following essay will examine each of the previously stated philosopher’s viewpoints on faith and reason, and will essentially try to determine whether or not faith and reason are ultimately one in the same.
At first glance the words “Tradition” and “tradition” may appear to be identical concepts. Upon further study, examination, and contemplation, however, these two words differ in their precise definitions. “Tradition” carries more weight and meaning than the word “tradition.” Similarly, “Truth” and “truth” do not denote the exact same principle. In fact, philosophers and religious scholars have been debating the origins of the latter two doctrines since the Middle Ages. The major dispute associated with “Truth” with a capital T and “truth” with a lower-case “t” focuses around the field of study in which each is used. According to two prominent thinkers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Truth is revealed through religion while truth can be reasoned with philosophy. Al-Ghazali and Thomas Aquinas both hold similar, basic views on the subjects of reason and faith that uncover absolute Truth. By way of relating to the practical and functional appeal of the common public, however, Aquinas provides the stronger position of thinking when compared to that of Al-Ghazali.
There are several key historical references that were influential and these references are imperative to understanding the full context of the canonical books and their relevance to the Christian faith. In most instances, the opposition of generally accepted truths is challenged and when the opposed truth is the winner, it emerges more accepted than it was before. This is the case for the canonical books as well. Challenges of opposing faiths are a major part of their emergences as the truth. Therefore, early Christianity experienced opposition from individuals and their following, thusly creating a devote need for clarification and a solidified statement of beliefs for all Christians. This was a part of the events that shaped the canonical books and it also contributed to the clarification and interpretation of what it actually meant to be a Christian and the consensus of what that meant to an individual seeking to serve the one true living God (Brueggeman 1978). In an analysis of the most prolific influences of the canonical books, the Gnostics, the ideals of...
Early Christians justified their dependence on faith in different ways. Some embraced fideism and favored faith even without or over reason. Others engaged and melded their new traditions with older ones. Thomas Aquinas describes and responds to several challenges of Christianity. Aquinas asserts that the study of God as revealed in Christianity, which he calls Sacred Doctrine, is a science which begins with divine revelations as axioms and uses human reason to build a meaningful body of information concerning who God is and how humans should behave.
Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of the people accredited for having brought theology into the limelight. However, though theology existed long before the emergence of philosophers and fathers if the church, individualistic drives such as those of Aquinas brought a deeper understanding into the mysteries of theology. Modern day theology would not have gotten any bearing without the impact of philosophers and scholars who simplified the understanding of theological concepts. While it cannot be independently verified what the motivation was behind the interest in theology, it is clear that theology is what it is because of the input of the philosophers and scholars (Thomas & Pegis, 1997).