...Is Jesus Still Relevant in Today’s Society 1 Is Jesus Still Relevant in Today’s Society? Kevin Carr HUM 400 Professor Johns December 9, 2009 Is Jesus Still Relevant in Today’s Society 2 Abstract This paper is designed to answer the question posed in its title. In 2009, with countless religions on the horizon, numerous inspirational figures gaining popularity, and the focus on science to produce answers; the questions must be asked. Is Jesus still relevant in today’s society? That is exactly what I set out to answer throughout the course of this paper. The life of Jesus has been discussed, written about and even debated by many people in the thousands of years that have passed between his birth up until now; his life and even more so his death have undoubtedly made him a legendary figure. Some people deny he even existed, while others say his was merely a prophet and still even some call him their savior and revere him as God in the flesh. In this work I wish to uncover the overall mission of Jesus and to evaluate his effectiveness at fulfilling his stated purpose. Every messenger has a specific message. With that said we will look extensively at the message of Jesus and discover if his message has withstood the test of time. Is Jesus Still Relevant in Today’s Society 3 Most historians date the birth of Jesus to be around 5 BC. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king (Matthew 2:1). Besides his birth, the early...
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...inferior to the man who made her perform inferior tasks such as cooking and giving birth. Studies have also been carried out to show the image of women in the New Testament. Luke is one of the gospels that show the clear intention of Jesus mission on women than any other gospel. This research seeks to discuss some of the images that Luke gives to women in the society. The first part of the paper gives a brief introduction to the topic and defines some of the terms the reader will often encounter. The second part analyzes some of the images given to women in the Gospel of Luke. Finally, the third part compares the nature of women in the Gospel of Luke and their nature in the Old Testament. Data for this paper was collected from peer-reviewed journal articles and the Gospel of Luke. Table of Contents Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Definition of terms 3 The image of women in the Gospel of St. Luke 3 Introduction 3 Women as the chosen ones 4 Women as witnesses of the ministry of Jesus 4 Women as examples of faith 5 Women as good examples in Jesus teachings 6 Women as part of the mission of Jesus 7 A comparison of the image of women in ST.LUKE and in the Old Testament 8 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction The image of women in the society has been changing from the ancient times to the present (Cardozo, 2013). In the traditional context, women were considered inferior to men since the man was referred to as the head of the family. As a result, the woman was seen as a wife...
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...the 25 important things about the New Testament? Address them in relation to society, literature, early Church struggles, Church fathers, and their successes. (1) The New Testament is a collection of twenty seven books about Jesus Christ and the Church by different Authors. The first four books are known as the Gospels. The rest are epistles and letters about self-conduct relationship building, and the operation of the Church. The life of Jesus as portrayed in the Gospels, have a profoundly positive effect on society because of his doctrine of faith, peace, and righteousness. (2) The N.T portrays polarization in society due to the rejection of Christ and his message. . (3) It makes the effort to bridge gaps and heal factionalism between gentiles and Jews through the message of the Gospel. This translates into all facets of societies, from the family system to national and international relations. (4) It depicts the unique relationship between Jesus and His disciples. This has become the model for most management and leadership styles in the world. (5) The miracles of Jesus promoted the early Church, and still holds the candle of hope for today’s Church, as many come to believe in Christ due to the transformational power of the miracles. However, they were pre views of life in the coming kingdom of God that Jesus so eloquently spoke about and died for. (6) The parables of Jesus became an instrument of inclusion to those who understood and complied, and...
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...Jesus Carer of Children ----------------------- Throughout Jesus’ life, he healed many people. He healed those who were vision impaired, those who suffered from debilitating diseases such as leprosy and helped those who were deemed as outcasts. Jesus heals many in all of the Gospels, however in Matthew’s Gospel there are many examples of Jesus being seen as a ‘healer’. Some of these stories include ‘Jesus Cleanses a Leaper (Mt 8: 1 - 4)’or ‘Jesus Heals Two Blind Men (Mt 9: 27 – 31). The actions that Jesus performs in Matthew’s Gospel really accentuate Jesus as being a healer. One way that Jesus is remembered by is being a healer to society and helping many back to good health. Throughout his life, he performed many miracles, most of them helping people through illness. In Jesus time, if you had any sort of health condition, you were considered to be an outcast. Not only did Jesus physically heal them, but healing would mean that they were accepted back into society. Jesus brought many back to good health. Throughout his life, he performed many miracles, most of them helping people through illness. In Jesus time, if you had any sort of health condition, you were considered to be an outcast. Not only did Jesus physically heal them, but healing would mean that they were accepted back into society. Jesus as a healer is relevant to society today, all over the world. No matter what, there will always be those who are ill and suffering diseases, who need to recover. Finding...
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... The Man Nobody Knows: A Discovery of the Real Jesus “The Man Nobody Knows” is a historical tale illustrating the biblical work of Jesus as the “founder of modern business.” In this article, the attributes of Jesus are clearly underlined to match those of a successful business man in the modern world. The preaching and life of Christ reflect the path of any successful executive. The story comes about due to a continued revolt in a young man’s mind about the works of Jesus (Bruce Barton, 1925), he feels though Jesus came to save the world, His life and missions relate to the journey of a successful businessman. “Cultural Modernism “as a theme is brought out in this story. Cultural modernism is a philosophical movement aimed at transformation of the traditional society into an industrialized society. Though cultural modernism can be traced back in the nineteenth century in the Western Society; Jesus’ work is, however, no short of the theme. During His era, Jesus organized divided cultures into one distinct one through His executive authority. ” Having gathered together his organization, there remained for Jesus the tremendous task of training it.” In His era, religious beliefs were viewed as a hindrance to cultural modernism. With His arrival, cultural modernism was depicted in the new ways of worshiping, economic activities and communication. “His language was marvelously simple. “Mass society comprises mass culture, production and consumption. “The Man Nobody...
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...Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ lived in Israel during first century Palestine. In this period, Jesus’ words and actions were revolutionary. In first century Palestine Jesus’ unconditional love and acceptance of women clearly revealed the Kingdom of God and showed us how to act justly in today’s society. In first century Palestine Jesus preached his interpretation of a new Kingdom of God. The Jews believed the Kingdom of God was a symbol of God’s complete rule or dominion over all creation. In Psalm 103:19, “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all,” (National Council of Churches of Christ, 2011) it shows that Jewish people envisioned a political kingdom, which was to come when the Roman Empire...
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...August 17, 2013 Christian Worldview Mrs. Farley Jesus Reflection Essay What I learned from the Jesus film was about his teaching. I have to say he preached a lot of good words and I wished I can see various people practice his words in society and cultural. There are some people who follow and read the Bible to start their life on a righteous path and there are some that I see our falling into sins and wrong choices in life. In the book of Matthew I think Jesus was teaching the people how to carefully listen to one another and follow the rules and they will forever parish in God’s Kingdom. The teaching goes along with cultural because families and churches can keep the traditions going and they too can teach their children and new converts what lessons Jesus has taught to follow the rules of life. In the film Jesus preach about forgiveness, and taught the people about the rules that God have provided them with. I read Matthew 5-7 and there is a rule that said “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15, ESV). In today society there are a few people who believe in false prophet hood for an example there are devil worshiper and they believe in Satan as their true God. The book of Matthew has a lot of words of wisdom and I see why my friends have such good morals, because they follow the rules. My friend’s churches have Food Drive and help out with the homeless a lot, the same situation with my Mosque...
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...will be discussed as well as the flaws in their religion. There will be a step by step method on how to approach Jehovah’s Witnesses with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Summary of Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses are a modern-day religious sect that is Gnostic in its belief and legalistic in its religious practice . They were founded by Charles Taze Russell. As a young boy, Russell was brought up in a Presbyterian home. At age 16, he moved his membership to a Congregational church and was heavily influence by an Adventist Christian preacher by the name of Jonas Wendell. Russell had a difficult time believing in eternal punishment, the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. With these disbeliefs, he organized his own bible class in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1872, this class became known as the International Bible Students Association. Shortly afterwards in 1879, Russell help co-publish The Herald of the Morning magazine with his financial help in which he renamed it The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom. In 1884, Russell founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Today it is known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society where over two million pieces of literature are printed yearly. It was not until 1931 the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” became the official name of the Watch Tower Tract Society under the leadership of Joseph Franklin Rutherford. There have been five successors since Russell’s death in 1916 that have kept the Jehovah’s Witnesses...
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...Parables in Society What is a parable? A parable is a short story or a brief tale that is told to illustrate a religious, moral, or philosophical idea. About one third of Jesus Christ’s recorded teachings are in the form of parables. Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters are bold, and the symbolism is rich in meaning. Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using common things that would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.) and their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching. Jesus told many parables during his ministry that really spoke to the people that he was ministering to and also gave them something to think about as well. I want to know something though; have you ever thought about the parables Jesus told and the fact that they could be true for us today in our society? Have you ever thought about how these parables can be examples of homelessness, inclusion, missionaries, and many other things in our society and how we can learn a lot from these parables? The parables that Jesus told were not just for those whom he personally taught. His parables are part of his gospel and are therefore for all peoples throughout all nations and throughout all time. When he said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15)...
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...The benevolent way in which Jesus respected and valued women in first century Palestine, significantly revealed the Kingdom of God and highlighted how society can be a more inclusive and compassionate place today. This essay will explicate the Kingdom of God, exemplify the ways Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of God with women and express the importance of Jesus' teachings in today's society. • Linking sentence to Paragraph 1 The central message of Jesus's teachings, the Kingdom of God, is the conceptual spiritual realm where God reigns as king in the lives of his people. According to Zanzig, Jesus saw the Kingdom of God as the reign of God’s love over the very hearts and lives of people. This delineates that the Kingdom of God is already present among us, thus it is the saving presence of God within us and our...
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...following God’s will. The most important representation of these ethics being used in practice is by the ultimate model of goodness, Jesus Christ. Jesus’ words and actions reflect the key foundations of ethical teachings, such as agape love, compassion, and unity, through which he encouraged adherents to live their lives by through his ministry. The application of these ethical teachings into modern society, was catalyzed by Pope John XXIII. Throughout his 5 year papacy, pope john revolutionized and conformed the tradition into contemporary society in an attempt to reconnect adherents to the original teachings of jesus. In doing so, he contributed to Christianity as a living religious tradition as he encouraged adherents to apply traditional values of Christianity, towards issues that are prominent in an ever-changing modern society such as sexuality and its expression. Through following ethical teachings as reflected by Jesus’ ministry can be applied to important issues such as sexuality and its expression. By visiting prisons and hospitals, Pope John XXIII reinforces the commandment of love, the golden rule ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Prisoners are seen as outcasts of society, however Pope John XXIII understood that they are still children of God, and deserve to be loved the way we want to be loved, as reflected by the words and actions of jesus and his ministry. Pope John XXIII application of this ethical teaching, can be applied to current modern day issues regarding sexual...
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...Jesus: Advocating Community Some would say God, or the author of Genesis, got it right: "It is not good for man to be alone." For as long as there have been humans, there have been communities. We are communal beings. From the first small tribes to the modern day mega cities, communities have evolved just as much as the human species. There are many ways that one can identify with a community. Human beings as well as many other species, especially primates, need these groupings as much as most social animals. Watch as every Sunday thousands sit distant from their closest sports field, straining to see the players, although they can far more easily watch the game at home in the comfort of their living rooms. Yet, in modern times, the community seems to be falling apart. They are not as strong as they once were. It is time we look back to the social climate that forged one of the most influential revolutionaries of all time. The historical Jesus of Nazareth. As John Crossan said “If the supreme value for the twentieth-century American imagination is individualism , based on economics and property, that for the first-century Mediterranean imagination can be called, to the contrary, groupism.” Our society has experienced major social shifts that would be unimaginable to a small Jewish town in ancient Palestine. Individuals no longer realize they need to rely on others in the way they once did. Modern technology has pushed us farther and farther into our own homes and away...
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...women role-followers of Jesus’ ministry. What can we assume from the Gospels is the prominence of women in the journey of Jesus’ preachment. Though subordinated to other disciples and mentioned little in the text, Mary Magdalene is the one singling out who exemplifies the worship of Jesus in sprit and truth and her loyalty to the savior even outshines some male followers. Edith Deen’s in his All of The Women of The Bible says, “Her faith is a monument to the healing power of Jesus. Her action in serving him and ministering to him when the mob had turned against him is characteristic of woman in Bible history at her best.” Despite the danger and threat when Jesus was accused by Jewry, Mary and other female followers still keep advocating and trusting in Jesus and their commitment to Jesus are so deep inside their hearts than any other disciples, which we can observe from the critical events of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Who was actually witnessing all the events taking place and not leaving? Not the male disciples but precisely the women followers. At the time when they found out Jesus’ body were removed from the tomb, who did return first, no the women but Jesus’ beloved male followers. As we can presume, those women followers sincerely conform to Jesus and trust what he stresses, “I did not say these things to your from the beginning, because I was with you.”(John 16, 5). Possibly, those women in a sense mirror the value and sprit of Jesus who affirms belief, caring...
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...research will compare and contrast the founders of the monotheistic religions; Muhammad and Jesus. Both founders show us the way to one God, but each man has different methods of leading people to this understanding. Jesus and Muhammad considered Abraham their ancestor. Jesus was the descendant of Isaac, the son of Abraham and his wife Sarah. Jesus was born to a Jewish virgin in about 4 BCE. The Bible says that Jesus had siblings, was familiar with the Scriptures, and attended synagogue. The Bible doesn’t touch up on his teenage years and young adulthood, but according to The Lost Years of Jesus, he too, worked in the camel caravan where he learned and shared mystical insights within the diverse cultures of India, China, Tibet, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Persia (Iran/Iraq) where he is still known today by the name of Issa. There is no record or indication that Jesus was ever married. Muhammad came from his ancestor Ishmael. Ishmael was the son of Abraham born to him through his wife Sarah’s handmaiden, Hagar, who acted as a surrogate wife. Muhammad was born in Mecca in approximately 570 CE into the Hashim clam of the Kuraish Federation. He was orphaned at the age of six years. His uncle, a tribal chief, adopted and raised him to work in the camel caravan. Muhammad married a wealthy woman named Khadija when he was 25 and became a wealthy merchant and military man. Both Jesus and Muhammad shared the conviction that he had been chosen for a mission to bring a message...
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...classes within society. Jesus is the tallest figure, towering above the others making Him the most important figure of the painting.He represents the government. He rules over a group of people, has the power to do anything He pleases, and is treated with the utmost respect by those that agree with Him. The Virgin Mary, the second tallest figure in the painting represents the upper class. She has the closest connection to Jesus, (remembering He’s our government) and can have almost anything she wants by way of her relationship to Him, similar to how the people of the upper class are exempt from paying most taxes. Just as the government officials are treated similar those in the upper class, Jesus and Mary are treated similar. They both receive respect and are looked to for guidance from the rest of society. St. John represents the upper middle class and the middle class. He spends most of his time supporting Jesus and his teachings, just as the middle classes spend most of their earnings paying taxes to fund government expenses. Mary Magdalene is the fourth tallest figure and she represents the working class. She depends on Jesus for guidance in her “new” life, but has learned how not to live her life. The people of the working class depend on the government for minor things like rights to form unions, but overall they can support themselves.The Donor, the shortest figure, represents the lower classes. He has the most dependent relationship with Jesus. He looks to Jesus for spiritual...
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