...Biblical theology is a Christian approach in which the theologian studies the Bible from the perspective of understanding the progressive history of God revealing Himself to humanity and following the fall and throughout the Old Testament and New Testament. Biblical theology is an attempt to articulate the theology that the Bible contains as its writers addressed their particular settings. It particularly focuses on the epochs of the Old Testament in order to understand how each part of it ultimately points forward to fulfillment in the life mission of Jesus Christ. Because scholars have tended to use the term in different ways, biblical theology has been notoriously difficult to define. Biblical theology is also study of the Bible that seeks to discover what the biblical writers, under divine guidance, believed, described, and taught in the context of their own times. Biblical theology is an attempt to understand God as He is revealed in the Bible. It seeks to discover what the biblical writers understand, believe and what they are taught. It’s based on the Bible first and then it takes scriptures from the word of God. Biblical theology pays attention to the soil of history. It studies revelation in the progressive sequence in which it was given. Also biblical theology finds its source in the Bible. Relation to Other Disciplines Biblical theology is related to but different from three other major branches of theological inquiry. Practical theology focuses on pastoral application...
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...New Life Theological Seminary The Doctrine of the Trinity Submitted to Professor Gifford In Partial Fullfillment of TH531: Systematic Theology I By Emily Ephraim The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. Wow what a concept to digest, one God within three distinct persons. When I think of the power that comes along with that I am in awe. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all humbling to the omnipresent God. How can God be all three and yet be one? God is present everywhere and cares for everyone. God as The Father Jeremiah 23:23-24 King James Version (KJV) 23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. God the Son Matthew 28:20 King James Version (KJV) 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. God the Holy Spirit Psalm 139:7 King James Version...
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...Social doctrine of the church as a social instrument of the new evangelization Three terms are present in the title of this issue: two explicit (social doctrine of the church and new evangelization) and an implicit (evangelization). We can’t talk about the new evangelization without connecting it with the evangelization itself; the relationship between the church’s social doctrine and the new evangelization comes through the evangelization. The first thing it’s the evangelization, the most original, and that goes back to the origins of the church. The church’s social doctrine, born in the 19th century as an attempt to answer of faith to the great problems which occurred with modernity, as new ideologies that give the body and the political and socioeconomic systems derived from these. The new evangelization is a most recent proposal, from Juan Pablo II, that is intended to realize the meaning and scope of evangelization in the circumstances of our historical moment. Evangelization and mission as a framework The four evangelisms present us a resurrected Jesus who appeared to theirs and charges them a mission: to be witnesses in the villages. The conscience of this mission has been realized in a different way for each historical era. To illustrate the variety and to best understand what the evangelization today is, it will be useful to distinguish the four models of the evangelization. The evangelization of the first Christian times The Christians from the origins...
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...Bronson Alcott, and James Freeman Clark, along with Emerson, were critics of their society because they didn’t like the fact that people had “unthinking conformity” (Stanford 1). Transcendentalists work to make the world better through “social reform movements” and also strongly believe that one’s intuitive ability is a gift from God (Lewis). These might be the reasons why Transcendentalists tried to build their own religion based on certain principles which they said came from the “inner essence of the human” (Wikipedia). The Transcendental movement came out of a religious group of Christians in order to create their own group in many points incompatible with Christianity (Stanford 1). This is why Transcendentalism and Christianity have incompatible beliefs. One of the ways the beliefs of Transcendentalists and Christians are incompatible is that they have incompatible beliefs about Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus came to human beings to show them the way to salvation (Certificate 2). Transcendentalists have a different opinion about that; they don’t accept the fact that Jesus has been sent by God in order for human beings to gain salvation. Transcendentalists find Jesus as only “one” of the “true race of prophets” and don’t agree with Jesus’ greatness (Stanford 4). Another point to help conclude that Christianity and Transcendentalism are incompatible is that...
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...of the New Testament. The letter can be broken down into two major sections, namely, doctrine (1:18-11:36) and then application (12:1-15:13). Romans was written on a specific occasion and is an act of communication between two parties: the apostle Paul and the Roman Christians. To aid our reading of Romans we need to learn more about both parties. The Author: Paul the Apostle Paul did not found the Roman church, nor has he ever visited there. He has gotten to know some of the Roman Christians during his travels (16:3-15), but many of them he has never met. This may explain why he spends a little more time than usual introducing himself and explaining why he writes to a church that some would claim he has no authority over. Paul considered himself a slave (dou`lo") of Christ Jesus. Paul’s desire in this context is not to simply place himself among venerated Old Testament saints, or express his gratitude to be a servant of Christ Jesus (though both are true), but rather to communicate in plain terms his commitment and devotion to the Messiah Jesus. Though there are several reasons for his allegiance to Christ, it is ultimately due to his recognition of who Jesus is. Paul’s insertion of “Christ Jesus” into the Old Testament formula “a servant of Yahweh” shows the high view of Jesus that he maintained. He considered Jesus worthy of the same obedience and devotion as Yahweh. The Roman Christians There is no direct evidence about the way the gospel was first planted in Rome, the...
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...and reflects Him to the world (1 Corinthians 12:12-17). The purpose of the church is to join people of different backgrounds and talents and provide them training and opportunities to accomplish God's work. It accomplishes these both internally, within the body, and externally, in the world. (Acts 2:42) explains the internal function of the church: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." Jesus entrusted the church with the task to teach the body sound doctrine. In addition, there are many influences in the world that claim to have the truth, but God entrusted His word to the church (Ephesians 4:14). Still, knowledge of doctrine is useless if it isn't used (1 Corinthians 13:2): "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV). Sound teaching leads to spiritual maturity which leads to building up the body of Christ. Sound teaching and unified body enables members of the church to take care of each other through prayer (Acts 2: 42). Externally, the purpose of the church is to fulfill the Great Commission as Jesus commanded in (Matthew 28:18-20). There is no nobler purpose for the church than to introduce...
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...GETTING TO KNOW THE CHURCH FATHERS An Evangelical Introduction JoHanna Gilyard-Woodward History of Christianity 1 CHHI 520 July 20, 2012 Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction By Bryan M. Litfin: BrazosPress, 2007, pp301 softback. Bryan M. Litfin at the writing of this book states that he earns his living as “a professor whose academic expertise is the early church fathers” (p.7). He is a husband and an associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute. He summarizes himself by saying that he is one who has been “taught to think like a Christian; taught to think like a scholar; and taught to think like a catholic” (p. 7). Litfin begins and ends this book with an overall theme and challenge to see how the church fathers impacted the Christian church and the life of an individual Christian on the whole. Secondary to the overall theme he lays out three misconceptions with regards to the church fathers, (1) the church fathers were not biblical; (2) the ancient church fathers were Roman Catholics; and (3) the church fathers represent the “fall” of Christianity (pp. 20-25 & pp. 255-257), and through the ten church fathers discussed in his book he seeks to prove how those misconceptions have misled some individuals. As he introduces the church fathers and deals with the misconceptions, he deals with his third theme, the historical events and places of the life of the church father. Each chapter begins by giving a modern day application...
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...there is moral evil and natural evil and both are found in deductive and inductive forms. The deductive form tends to cause from a Christian point of view, Christians are said to believe a set of propositions that are internally self-contradictory. (Nash, 180). Nash explores Mackey claim “Evil is a problem for the theist in that a contradiction is involved in the fact of evil, on the one hand, and the belief in the omnipotence and perfection of God on the other.” (Nash,...
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...The nature of God and the Trinity Belief in the Trinity is a central tenet of Christianity Christians believe that God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. In other words, God is all-knowing, all powerful and always present. Christians also believe that God is One but embodied in three persons, God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit as sanctifier. Belief in the Trinity is a central tenet of Christianity. God's promise of salvation has been fulfilled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In other words, God is revealed as the trinity. God the Father is revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures, God the Son in the Christian scriptures and God the Spirit is revealed through the Church. Trinitarian doctrine This plurality in God is evident in the way Jesus calls God "abba" which means Father. Similarly early Christian practice indicates a liturgical use of this Trinitarian formula, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit". The Trinitarian doctrine states that there are three co-eternal, equal persons in one God. This doctrine was further developed and defined at the councils of Nicaea in 325 CE and Constantinople in 381 CE. The difficulty is reconciling monotheism with the notion of the three persons. The various heresies and the councils which followed reflect a process of refining the understanding of the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the fourth century there was considerable...
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...Christian Liberty By Dr. Troy Matthews Defining Christian Liberty In the simplest of terms Christian Liberty refers to decisions and actions that we make where the Bible does not give us clear direction. Bob DeWaay defines it this way, “Christian Liberty is the freedom to make decisions about matters that are not revealed in Scriptures without fear of sinning against God” (2003, p. 1). In an article entitled “What is a Debatable disputable matter”, pastor and author Steve Cornell says, A debatable or disputable matter (Romans 14:1) is an area of behavior, doctrine or tradition on which Christians disagree because a specific biblical absolute does not regulate it. It is therefore a matter of personal preference not divine command. These matters belong to the category of Christian freedom or liberty (Cornell, 2011, p. 1). Introduction For several years I have had the privilege and responsibility of teaching college freshmen at Liberty University. Each semester I challenge my students (and myself) to meditate on Romans 12:1-2 and consider what their standard for “holiness” is. In other words, what is it in their life that defines what is holy and what is not? I then will pose several questions to reflect on. What does a living, holy, transformed life look and act like? How can I live in this world and yet avoid being conformed to its standards? I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto...
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...Defending Christian truth has been extremely important in church history. As the early church began to expand, Christianity had to compete with a number of ethnic, philosophic, and mysterious religions in the Roman world. False teachings and doctrinal error began to surface inside and outside the church. To put an end to the confusion and restore doctrinal truth, God called a group of men, known as the Apologists, to defend the truth. The Apologists were scholarly men who took on the task of composing a defense and endorsement of Christian truths. Their objective, to dispel falsehoods and misunderstandings, and to point towards Christian truth. False teachings were found inside and outside the church. Examples of heresies in the church include Marcionism, a belief that there was a creator god who was evil and a redeemer god who was good. Ebionitism taught Jesus was not the second person in the Godhead. Instead, He was the prophetic successor to Moses. Montanism believed in celibacy and prolonged fasting. It also taught obedience to the Holy Spirit through His prophet Montanus and challenged church authority. Gnosticism, Manicheanism and Neoplatonism are examples of heresies outside the church. Gnosticism and Manicheanism are closely related, teaching among other things dualism believing spirit is good, material or physical is evil. God did not create the universe. Neoplatonism is a mystical religion based on the philosophical teachings of Plato. While these errant...
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...Means to Be a Christian Name:Kuwantu Cammon What does it mean to "be a Christian " and how to be a Christian in today's world ? In some ways being a Christian is easy. Christian is a pupil and friend of Christ, both of these concepts are adjacent, although there are differences. On the one hand, we are disciples of Christ and His followers, and therefore must learn from Him through the Gospel that in which he believes the way he teaches us to live. During its development, Christianity experienced numerous changes, changes in the structure, rituals, views on certain things. As for the ritual, then I think it is worth to consider related to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and a milestone in the history of Christianity - the emergence of Calvinism and explain its features, its content and the filling, the difference. Meaning of Baptism for us is that if we dare to participate in it, then we are free to live the kind of life that does not apply to death. Instead of living in fear, we are able to love - to love God (it's not as easy as it sounds ), and to love our neighbor ( it's even harder ). Calvinism is the name given to a system of philosophical thought, we have inherited from Jean Calvin. He is recognized as the spokesman of the system, but not the generator of ideas in its foundation. Calvinism is not just a set of ideas shared by Calvin and his followers, but the organic unity with a common...
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...This article deals with a question that we must all ask ourselves as Christian educators: what real impact are we having on our students’ worldview? The authors contend that there is a dissonance between the impact that Christian education aims to have on a student’s worldview versus the impact it actually has. As a response, Iselin and Meteyard propose that the Christian doctrine of the incarnation can serve as, and offer, an “alternative perspective with the potential to liberate Christian educational communities from the “iron cage of rationality””. It is against this backdrop that the authors explore the historical perspectives on the integration of faith and learning as well as offer eight points of emphasis to be mindful of when planning, implementing, and assessing Christian curriculum. For many Christians, especially those in the West, there is a schism between so-called head-knowledge and heart-knowledge. To many Christians it comes as a surprise that making such a distinction is not “a primary emphasis of the biblical narrative” (pg. 33). Rather, the scriptures of the Old Testament seem to emphasize the unity of the whole person; human thinking goes beyond theoretical or rational contemplation and results in...
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...and was promulgated, after its Founder's death, for the acceptance of the whole world, by certain chosen men among His followers (New Advent). The goal of this paper is to provide information on the various answers about Christianity, as well as the rituals and customs that go along with them. It will attempt to summarize the general consensus of Christian beliefs on everything from God to the afterlife. Origin of Christianity and its relation with other religions According to the accepted chronology, these began their mission on the day of Pentecost, A.D. 29, which day is regarded, accordingly, as the birthday of the Christian Church. In order the better to appreciate the meaning of this event, we must first consider the religious influences and tendencies previously at work in the minds of men, both Jews and Gentiles, which prepared the way for the spread of Christianity amongst them. The whole history of the Jews as detailed in the Old Testament is seen, when read in the light of other events, to be a clear though gradual preparation for the preaching of Christianity. In that nation alone, the great truths of the existence and unity of God, His providential ruling of His creatures and their responsibility towards Him, were preserved unimpaired amidst general corruption. The ancient world was given to Pantheism and creature-worship; Israel only, not because of its "monotheistic instinct",...
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...the legacy of Rome there has been much conversation over the rise and fall of the empire. From the government and its ideas to establish an effective common law, to the economic and social status of the culture and what the values and beliefs are for Christians, the foundation of orthodoxy and the formation of the canon becomes quite influential in this process. It is my desire to explain that despite the disputes going on within the early church, the essential matters such as the nature, humanity, and deity of Christ are critical to the rise of Christianity. The fact that the “Roman law also influenced the church law,” is something that cannot go unnoticed either, as it was “derived from the Bible, the church fathers, church councils, and the decisions of popes.” [1]. In describing this and relating it to how we view the Bible today and its inerrancy, the formation of the New Testament Canon and its relationship to orthodox tradition can “accurately embody the revealed truth content of Christianity” and what that means for the church universal. [2]. In today’s world, often times people take for granted what the New Testament represents. We live day to day reading and trying to apply the teachings of Christ as Christians everywhere strive to follow God’s Word. However, we do this with no questions asked. We don’t stop to think about where did the Bible come from or what makes it accurate and true. Instead, we just accept it as infallible and reflect upon the message...
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