Floyd Cunningham's "Expressing Nazarene Identity" is a comprehensive exploration of the Church of the Nazarene's formation, development, and distinct characteristics. The book meticulously charts the denomination's origins, tracing its roots back to the late 19th century Holiness Movement, and outlines its growth into a global church. Cunningham delves into the theological underpinnings that define Nazarene identity, emphasizing key doctrines such as entire sanctification and the emphasis on a holy life. He also examines the church's social and cultural engagements, highlighting its commitment to education, social justice, and mission work. Cunningham structures his work chronologically and thematically, allowing readers to see how historical contexts and theological debates have shaped Nazarene beliefs and practices. He discusses significant events, influential leaders, and pivotal moments that have contributed to the church's evolution. The book also addresses contemporary challenges and how the denomination strives to maintain its identity amidst a rapidly changing world. By blending historical analysis with theological reflection, Cunningham provides a nuanced picture of what it means to be Nazarene. …show more content…
His approach makes complex theological concepts accessible and shows how these ideas have been lived out in practical ways throughout the church's history. I found his description of the church's global expansion particularly enlightening, as it highlighted the diverse cultural contexts in which Nazarene identity is expressed. This global perspective is crucial for understanding the denomination's current dynamics and future
N.T. Wright: During my first semester at Northwestern College, I was assigned the book, “The Challenge of Jesus” by N.T. Wright for one of my Biblical Studies courses. This book and every other book Tom Wright has written has dramatically impacted my Christian faith. Dr. Wright has not only defended the basic tenants of the Christian faith, but also has shown how an academically-minded pastor ought to love and care for his or her congregants. N.T. Wright was previously the Bishop of Durham and pastored some of the poorest in the United Kingdom. His pastoral ministry has helped shape his understanding of God’s kingdom-vision which he is diagramming within his magnum opus “Christian Origins and the Question of God”. This series has instructed myself and countless other pastors to be for God’s kingdom as we eagerly await Christ’s return. Additionally, I have had the privilege of meeting with N.T. Wright one-on-one on numerous occasions to discuss faith, the Church, and his research. I firmly believe Tom Wright is the greatest New Testament scholar of our generation and he is the primary reason why I feel called into ministry.
Out of the desolation of World War II sprang the Australian Committee for the World Council of Churches. This developed into the Australian Council of Churches which, in 1994, grew to be the National Council of Churches in Australia. The NCCA is 15 Christian churches, gathered from across Australia, who have embarked on a pilgrimage together . Each brings a widely diverse record of place, experience, and theology, but all share a mutual faith and confession in the Jesus Christ as God and Savior. All share a common future as they are confident that the future of Christians in Australia lies together, not in division. The aim of the NCCA is to deepen the relationship of member churches so as to communicate more visibly the unity willed by Christ and to rally towards the achievement of their mission of common witness, proclamation and service .
Rodriguez makes a point of stating that there are tensions between the “brother religions”, religions that should be unified but instead are “united and divided by the masculine sense of faith”, still this same pattern is shown within the church (146). Rodriguez acknowledges the fact that the church is being divided each day due
With this in mind, the objective of this essay is to focus on the main ideas of each theologian, and discuss how each theologian’s ideas are compensatory to the other. This is important because even though each theologian’s writings were inspired by the harsh realities of the societies, and also by the effect each writer experienced in their moment in history, their critiques specifically of Christian institutions remain a consistent amongst all three writings. Furthermore, not only are their critiques consistent, but their goals for providing new frameworks for the future of the Church and Christian discipleship are consistent as well.
Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 19(1), 69-84. Heim, D. (1996). The 'Standard'. Phil Jackson, Seeker in Sneakers. Christian Century, 133(20), 654-656.
Mead, Frank S., and Samuel S. Hill. Handbook of Denominations in the United States. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1995. Print.
The Story of Christianity is a very informative summation; a continuation of Volume 1 which covered the beginning of the church up to the Protestant Reformation, while Vol. 2 dealt with the Protestant Reformation up to more modern time period. This author delivers a more comprehensive and deeper look into the development of Christianity, which includes particular events which had transpired throughout the world; particularly how Christianity has expanded into Central and South America. Gonzalez opens up this book with the “Call for Reformation,” where he shares with his readers the need for reform; the papacy had started to decline and was corrupt, in addition to the Great Schism, which had further weakened the papacy (p.8). The author explains how the church was not the only issue but that the church’s teachings were off track as well, seeing that the people had deviated from...
Throughout the Western culture, Christianity has played a crucial role in the spiritual life of many people. In fact, it is a one of the largest religion in the world with an estimating range from 2 to 3 billion Christians (Religions of the World: Numbers of Adherents; Growth Rates). Spreading with this worldwide religion, the idea that God is at the centre of daily life has a high importance to many people. In the early 20th Century, one of the significant developments of Christianity was the Pentecostal Movement (A Brief History of Christianity). More specifically, Pentecostalism is “the principles and practices of Pentecostal religious groups, characterized by religious excitement and talking in tongues”; its most remarkable detail is its emphasis of the Holy Spirit and the value of prayer (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). It has outspread around the world by the people who believed that they had experienced the marvelous moves of God.
Heaton, Allan. An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.
Johnson, Rev. George, Rev. Jerome D. Hannan, and Sister M. Dominica. The Story of the Church: Her Founding, Mission and Progress; A Textbook in Church History. Rockford: Tan Book and Publishers Inc., 1980.
Wuthnow, R. (2009). Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches. California: University of California Press.
What if there was a practice that took just twenty minutes a day to completely alter the way you feel, think and interact within your social and everyday activities? A woman from England was beaten, molested and suffered traumatically from her agonizing childhood; however, she claims meditation saved her live. She states it gave her inner peace and made every problem, every negative thought and every haunting memory disappear into every moment she spent focusing on herself. Meditation is more than a cultural fad, it is an altering practice that has proven benefits on the mind, body and soul.
Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier . The Alban Institute, Inc., 1991. Kindle eBook file.
The history of Pentecostalism is widely disputed amongst historians; some believe that Pentecostalism began with Jesus’ disciple’s baptism in the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost, while other historians argue that the religion itself dates as recent as the early ninety’s. In the historiographical essay, “Assessing the Roots of Pentecostalism,” Randall J. Stephens claims that the Pentecostal movement started in 1901 and the famous 1906 Los Angeles revival on Azusa Street helped the religion grow to currently contain approximately 420 million followers. The followers, being mostly lower and middle-class groups who were “multi-ethnic and often challenged racial norms” (Wilma Wells Davies 2), of the revival were unhappy...
Those who were followers of Christ began to raise the question about the person and work of Christ. Understanding this epoch of time opens the door for believers to comprehend the religious system and our roles as modern Christians in today’s society. When we as Christians can see how our historical roots connect to our personal beliefs. We strengthen our theological foundation and we develop into a persuasive witness in own