In our modern culture, The Gospel is perceived in a variety of ways. Consider that an atheist may simply view it as a legend, which offers no truth. Whereas, a Muslim is likely to view it as garbage, due to their belief that the Christian God, who is “triune,” doesn’t represent the oneness of their god. Unfortunately, many in society look at the church as an organized religion that is a collection of judgmental “Christians” who will frown upon them because of their imperfect state. This concept also contributes to the common mindset that Christians and their “Gospel” are merely hypocritical farces.
The Christian Gospel is often dispelled by people due to moral issues. Take into thought, a lesbian or gay couple, the idea of walking into a church, and being looked at in disgust may cause them not to even consider that the Christian God, is truly a God of love. Additionally, another who is sexually active, despite being unmarried may fear the ridicule that they would be subjected to if they chose to embrace the Gospel. Lastly, I would say that one’s political viewpoint may be a barrier, because of the feeling that they cannot meet the standards of the Gospel.
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Multiple issues are faced in society, although none are new under the sun. Nevertheless, one may reject the Gospel, due to deep emotional wounds that they acquired in their childhood because of someone within the church abusing them in any manner. The abuse that came from a “Christian” parent may also become a strong emotional barrier. Sadly, when someone proclaims to be a representative of the Lord, and yet they abuse His innocent lambs, those who are damaged by their acts, have a tendency of thinking that this reflects who God is. Therefore, with the mindset that God allows “His workers” to take advantage of the blameless, they reject Him as a place of
The book of Luke, found after the books Matthew and Mark, focuses on the ministry of Jesus Christ but it also gives us a look into His birth and growth in totality. In this chapter we see a historical account of some of the journeys that Christ experienced. It is important to keep in mind that the Bible and all of its books do serve as historical accounts but each book is unique in the fact that they incorporate a theological timeline. The Bible is, conceivably, the most important book that has ever been written. It gives the world eyewitness accounts to historical events that helped not only shaped a region of the world but the whole entire world. It is nearly impossible to go through some formal societal education and have never once read a part of the bible or have heard a story that adapts from the stories within the bible. The bible has helped formed institutions, associations and so much more. By reading the Gospel of Luke we are truly reading what is meant for us to read as Christians. The principal plot in the book of Luke is the life of Jesus Christ, his sacrifice, His ability to beat death and remain perfect as the son of GOD despite being human as well. Jesus is seen as the perfect savior for humans in the book of Luke. Luke not only gives multiple examples of the power of Jesus but also it gives us a look at The Lord’s triumph over temptation. Luke also depicts Jesus as a man/GOD who had a very deep concentration on people and relationships. The book of Luke gives Jesus a loving characteristic but doesn’t shy away from showing that at times Jesus got angry too. Jesus showed a great deal of compassion to the sick, those in pain, the poor, and unambiguously the sinful. Jesus had genuine love for everyone. Throughout this...
What a fascinating adjustment in perspectives, motive, and determination from the once deeply connected to God the unprofessed theologian. The man who we admired for his crafty dexterity to be a Christian Apologetic emerges to be torn from the foundations of his faith and experiences of how to respond to the unspecified. This book is openly troubling for the believer because all too often we know that this is a very real situation that our author is experiencing. However, while it may appear that a staunch believer has lost his way were hastily reminded that this not the case at all. In the book "A Grief Observed" by C. S. Lewis we see, what I call, a defining mature Christian transition, disruption to the norm, or bump in the road all Christians
This paper is written to discuss the many different ideas that have been discussed over the first half of Theology 104. This class went over many topics which gave me a much better understanding of Christianity, Jesus, and the Bible. I will be addressing two topics of which I feel are very important to Christianity. First, I will be focusing on the question did Jesus claim to be God? This is one of the biggest challenges of the Bibles that come up quite often. Secondly, I will focus on character development.
“The other Jesus”; a book that reveals the true meaning of being a Christian and gives another view on the characteristics on Jesus, Garrett shows the beauty of the Gospel and how it differs from other religions views on Jesus. In studying the Christianity of the American society he gives his own personal rendition of how this chase for the true meaning of Jesus started: “When, after twenty-five years of wondering, I came back to church, I finally encountered the Other Jesus. I discovered an authentic message of love and acceptance, the one that the Other Jesus seems to be exemplifying in the Christian Testament….I discovered believers who were trying to live lives that reflected the change this Other Jesus had wrought in them. I discovered people who practiced faith as well as preached it.” (Garrett. 8)
At this time in our nation's history, two-hundred thirty years and counting, there is a great debate raging on. In many peoples' eyes our country has made a turn for the worse. We have thrown our Forefather's to the wayside, and there belief in strong Christian influence along with it. To them all could be solved if we merely "re-instituted" the Christian morals and teachings that this country was founded on. On the other hand, there are many who are calling for the complete and utter extraction of all Christian and other religious beliefs from public life and governmental law. To these individuals nothing good and beneficial can ever come from religion. Both of these belief structures are sadly flawed to their very core. But where is the middle ground and why haven't we been able to find it. This is precisely where Jon Meacham's American Gospel shines like no other. If nothing else Meacham's book is an answer to the times. American Gospel covers religion, philosophy, and ideology that shaped American law and thought from the birth of our rich and diverse nation to the time of the Reagan presidency.
N.T Wright (2008) stated that “When we read the scriptures as Christians, we read it precisely as people of the new covenant and of the new creation” (p.281). In this statement, the author reveals a paradigm of scriptural interpretation that exists for him as a Christian, theologian, and profession and Bishop. When one surveys the entirety of modern Christendom, one finds a variety of methods and perspectives on biblical interpretation, and indeed on the how one defines the meaning in the parables of Jesus. Capon (2002) and Snodgrass (2008) offer differing perspectives on how one should approach the scriptures and how the true sense of meaning should be extracted. This paper will serve as a brief examination of the methodologies presented by these two authors. Let us begin, with an
The Christian Worldview consists of the Creator, His Creation and His son. The story began thousands of years ago and is still relevant today. This paper will give you a glimpse of the three main characters, how they relate to each other, and why I believe this is the only worldview that provides truth and hope for my life.
The teaching of Jesus Christ is hard for some cultures to grasp. Humanity is prone to question everything. How people use their worldview plays a key role. Most Christian accept the Gospel message at it full value and yet with teaching from a church they only accept part of the message. Now it seems like progressively that people are turning away from God. Since people cannot see Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God they just suppress prier teaching from the Bible. In some cultures the Bible is looked at as a taboo.
An increasingly common phenomenon in the church today, particularly in more liberal streams of Christianity, is the privileging of one attribute of God over another. Perhaps the most frequent example of this is the privileging of God's love over his justice. Those who fall prey to this dichotomy draw a distinction between God in the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, God is viewed as a being of wrath who mercilessly executes judgment on the pagan and sinner. In the New Testament, however, with the coming of Christ, God is seen as more benevolent, loving, and gracious to the sinner.
Man knows that the Gospel is God’s power to save, that the truth purifies the heart and the truth sanctifies the heart; for, that information has been revealed through His Word by the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 1:16; I Peter 1:22; John
In the 1920’s flappers brought a controversial look with the amount of skin they showed, the sorter dresses, the make-up, and the heels they used. The woman wanted to feel free from the hold people had on woman. Woman like Jane Adams and Ellen Gates Star stepped up to show woman about the importance of being clean and valued. Prior to the Social Gospel Movement, women were not allowed to work for themselves. They had no real life of their own. The 1970’s also brought a lot of new views in America. Civil rights were leading to the rise of women powers along with the rise of empowerment for the gays and young people breaking off from their parents. In the 70’s women were granted divorces and had to become the “breadwinners” for their households. They had jobs, went to college, got involved in politics, and made a name for themselves. Homosexuals were forming groups to voice themselves. The young people were looking into other religions rather than their parent religions. They had been influence by the music sensation The Beatles, who had a member that practices Hinduism. They had been looking into eastern religion since the Asian based religions had been moving into America. The Era of protest had many people losing their faith, making them more open minded to other cultures and leading to their rebellion.
Benchmark Assignment: Gospel Essentials There are several aspects to consider when exploring the Christian worldview. There are many facets and denominations and they each have their own distinct beliefs and practices, but they all share the same fundamental beliefs. In this paper we will explore the character of God, His creation, humanity and its nature, Jesus’ significance to the world, and the restoration of humanity, as well as my beliefs and the way that I interact with Christianity and my personal worldview. God In the Christian worldview, God is the one and only God. He is the sovereign creator of everything.
America so often aligns itself with that of a Godly nation; hence the nations’ founding fathers were ‘Christian’. Broadly speaking, this ‘Christianity’ America ties itself to is nothing more than a man-made religious activity that has lost its foundation. According to statistics from the Federal Government, 78% of Americans have a belief in God and claim to be “Christians”; yet Christians currently have less influence than any other time in this nations’ history. Since the majority of Americans profess Christ as their Lord and Savior, the all-powerful God, creator of heaven and earth, who is above all, in all, and through all, where is the evidence of Him? The Gospel from the Bible has been ripped out and roughly applied to the American dream, which completely contradicts Jesus: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).
he Bible teaches us regarding the incredible mystery of Jesus Christ that arrived on earth to convey immense ‘beloved knowledge’ concerning God and among this conceivably exists our Godly sexual presence within humanity. The following occurs as an “attempt” to describe the greatest happening the world has ever experienced; appropriately, I profess this endeavor has instigated a humbling, for there are no words on earth that could ever come close to the power that Jesus Christ engulfed humanity with. Truthfully, it grieves me to think of how the majority of people, lack the intelligence and clarity (including myself) to accomplish such a feat; for no amount of terminology, vocabulary, or skills expressing His true existence could ever come
Christology: A Global Introduction Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen is associate professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary and holds a teaching post at the University of Helsinki and Iso Kirja College in Finland. He is the author of Christology: A Global introduction, Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical, and Global Perspectives (Back Cover). Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen presents the latest, comprehensive introduction to the various opinions about Christology from around the world.