...Page 1 Article Review – Evangelical Anxieties Over Spiritual Formation Steve L. Porter addresses the evangelical anxieties over spiritual formation in his article Sanctification in a New Key: Relieving Evangelical Anxieties Over Spiritual Formation. The author explains that although there are a plethora of views and meanings for the word spiritual formation, he is going to go through eight notable objections to spiritual formation with the two ideas of recognizing the cautions and corrections that need to be made, and to partially alleviate the objections. The eight objections are spiritual formation is just another passing fad, spiritual formation is Catholic, spiritual formation is new age, spiritual formation is contrary to the sufficiency of scripture, what ever happened to good old-fashioned obedience, spiritual formation encourages works righteousness, spiritual formation is overly experiential, and spiritual formation neglects missions/evangelism. The first objection, spiritual formation is just another passing fad, is concerned that “the evangelical community will have re-tooled its message and programs for the sake of what turns out to be just another passing fad” (Porter). Why would one want to partake in a movement that will ultimately die out? Porter simply puts that what Christians should focus on is the positive contribution that it makes to society through the teachings and practices of spiritual formation. The practices and teachings will become ordinary in...
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...Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary Liberty University WHAT IS THE ESSENTIAL ACTIVITY OF CHRISTIAN MINISTRY? Submitted to Dr. D. P. Moosbrugger DSMN-500 – Discipleship Ministry Jacqueline Thornton Bryan, TX May 26, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………1 EDUCATION, DISCIPLESHIP, AND SPIRITUAL FORMATION…………………..1 CHURCH MINISTRY PRIORITY……………………………………………………..4 WORSHIP CONNECTION…………………………………………………………….5 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………6 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………7 Introduction As a youth leader working with different age groups, the question of what constitutes the essential activity of Christian ministry is a critic alone. The drive can be to simply educate about the Bible in a Christian setting, to drive spiritual foundation or to nurture discipleship of Jesus Christ. What is really important is to establish what really separates these theories or whether there is significant similarity. While many answers about education have been developed and published by nonspiritual authors, finding answers in the Christian setting require a rather different considerations as the spiritual aspect is a part. God is difficult to comprehend in scientific evaluation, however we can evaluate answers to the quest for an answer based on what Scripture teaches. In Chapter 1 of our text Mitchell states “Jesus expected his disciples to follow him, experience life change, and participate in something remarkable” (p 3). So in order...
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...one finds a way to read scripture in order to provide a deeper understanding of God and allow His Word to shape one’s spiritual life. In the Introduction, in chapter 1, the reader is introduced to the idea that there is a movement in the church that seeks to become deeper and stricter in spiritual formation. He claims there are many books written for this purpose, and his intending purpose for this book is for God to use however he may want in the reader’s spiritual life. Mulholland provides the reader with a prayer to pray in preparation of reading this book and states there may be points where God is knocking and calling the reader’s attention to something new. In chapter 2, Mulholland explains how the reader is a “victim” because of one’s education and allows for the reader to control what is read, rather than letting the text control the reader. The reader is told to listen with the heart and spirit rather than with the mind, thinking and rationalizing the text. His argument for this is that God may be meeting the reader in this place where the mind thinks and the heart reads, and in saying we believe something isn’t for one’s self, there may be a point missed by God who is trying to instill this new idea. In the last chapter of the first section, Mulholland explains the meaning of spiritual formation, more explicitly, Christian spiritual formation. This definition is called “to be the image of Christ for the sake of other,” and in this definition are four elements...
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...Spiritual Disciplines: The Origin and Present Practices in Ministry Vivia J. Green Grand Canyon University: MIN:505 3/27/2013 Introduction The purpose of this paper is to explain that spiritual disciplines are trained behaviors that promote spiritual growth to full maturity in Christ which also brings about total transformation. Spiritual disciplines have historical beginnings that were practiced both in the Old Testament and the New Testament that are pattered by Christians today. These disciplines vary and are not just limited to a standardized set of disciplines. Boa (2001) outlined twenty spiritual disciplines such as Solitude and Silence. Prayer, Journaling, Study and Meditation, Fasting, and Chastity, Secrecy, Confession, Fellowship, Submission and Guidance, Simplicity, Stewardship and Sacrifice, Worship and Celebration, Service and Witness (p. 83-86). The main focuses of spiritual disciplines are to get a more intimate relationship with God and their utilization is not for self-glory. Some disciplines however, augment each other and can therefore be practiced at the same time (Boa, 2001). By examining a few of these disciplines will show that Christians can benefit from them and become more effective for the ministry. Origin of Spiritual disciplines According to Gardner (1999), “all the world’s major religions endorse fasting for spiritual, therapeutic or political purposes and fasting for Christians has an ancient and credible history (p. 32). In the Old and...
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...1) How has prayer been a factor in her spiritual formation? Prayer has been a foundation with Pastor Michelle’s love walk with God. When she really began her spiritual formation process, she began to pray for others. Prayer has allowed her to tap into God in a deeper way. She includes prayer in every aspect of her life. Which deepened when she started Seminary, she would pray before test and exams. Prayer forced her to draw closer to God as she grew in Him. If she doesn’t pray or spend enough time in prayer, she feels like something is missing. Prayer is a place of exchange for her. She really lays her burdens down that she carries in prayer. In addition, prayer has helped her to grow, and helped her become who she is today. 2) How has...
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...Spiritual Formation Ministry Plan God expects individuals that call themselves “Christian” to grow spiritually. The Word of God encourages personal examination as a part of the growth process, as found in Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” Becoming more Christ-like focuses on how He works in us and not on our work for Him. The Cycle of Works demonstrates that regardless of work we complete, the acceptance of others, the sustainability of our works and the significance it brings, we cannot compete with God’s Cycle of Grace that show us that we are significant in His sight and that brings us sustenance and acceptance as His child and that it is only by His work of dying on the cross that we can be forgiven. There are obstacles to developing any kind of plan for the church. People complain of not having enough time to study because of work, family, and other obligations. It is a matter of establishing personal priorities and because they see no tangible earthly benefits to spiritual practices, no effort is made in developing a personal plan for spiritual growth. According to Simon Chan in Spiritual Theology, we are a society of partially committed Christians (p. 105), demonstrated by his model of the world, the visible church, and the remnant. Chan contends that those in the remnant are disciplined and committed to corporate rule and prayer. Using that...
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...When it comes to discerning spiritual discernment, there are three different approaches: bull’s eye, wisdom, and relationship-formation. The “bull’s eye” approach is one of the more popular approaches of the three. Basically, the bull’s eye approach is that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan that is fully detailed for every person, past, present, and future, and He want to reveal that plan to everyone. It is up to us to discover Heavenly Father’s plan and then follow it. However, as humans we will stay from this plan, but He will never allow us to stay away from His will. Instead, we will hit the “bull’s eye” of Heavenly Father’s plan for our lives. We will do this by choosing the right, and these decisions that we make are revealed to us...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Ministry Integration Project Submitted to: Dr. Steve Waechter in partial fulfillment Of the requirements for the completion of this course SEMI 500 By Sherral R. Alford 10/10/2014 Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………1 Family Integration Project……………………………….................1 Spousal Interview……………………………………………………4 Seminary Schedule…………………………………………………..8 Spiritual Formation Refection………………………………………9 Bibliography………………………………………………………….10 Grading Rubric……………………………………………………….11 ii Introduction This paper discusses how the stress and demands of ministries and their families encounter during Seminary. It will further cover an...
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...What does the word “Christian” mean in the university’s name – Colorado Christian University? Referring back to the scripture, one can find the word “Christian” used three times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). The Reformation Study Bible (n.d.) defined Christian as “a person belonging to or following of Christ” (para. 1). Therefore, a Christian possesses these characteristics depicted in the CCU Statement of Faith (n.d.): believing in the authority and inerrancy of the Bible, believing in the trinity, believing in the deity and the work of Christ in salvation of mankind, believing in the work of the Holy Spirit in the regeneration of the believers, and believing in the spiritual unity in the believers and the eternal damnation of the unbelievers (para....
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...people and do just that. I worked in the field of retail and had many different customers throughout the years I was employed there and I loved to work with the customers and get into conversations about God with them. Most of them loved it too. I never really put it into perspective that our secular work is just as important as our spiritual work, but it should not take place over our spiritual work. "Your work matters to God" demonstrates just how important secular work is to God. Whether a man or a woman, once you realize how many different ways there are to influence your coworkers for Christ without preaching a word, you'll be challenged to develop a lifestyle so striking and true, the people you work with will be eager to let you talk about what makes you different. One statement that stuck out in my mind that the author made in the article made a lot of sense to me "For those who work secular jobs-- the vast majority of people-- it is about learning all of God's purpose for all of our lives, not just his "religious" purposes (Doug Sherman). We are constantly changing throughout adulthood and along with that our brains are changing also. What we once enjoyed as a career we may not enjoy anymore as we age and I've even experienced that myself. I feel I have gained a lot of experience and wisdom in my life throughout the work field and it's all been a part of Gods plan. Working has also gave me the chance to build new relationships...
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...McAFEE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY “RULE OF LIFE” A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. DENISE MASSEY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION: THSP 501 MASTER OF DIVINITY BY JOHN WATSON ATLANTA, GA DECEMBER 2013 At the beginning of the course we were told that we had to put together a paper that would be entitled “The Rule of Life”. At the very outset of hearing this, my mind began to wonder what in the world that is about. I didn’t really understand the concept or began to understand the concept until I had the opportunity to experience the retreat at camp Pinnacle. This opportunity to go hiking was an experience that truly changed my life and how I spend time with Christ. It also helped me understand the importance of creating and implementing rules in my life that would be beneficial to my ultimate growth while at seminary. Now I understand that the “Rule of Life” assignment is more than just an assignment but actually a diagram of my plan of action with purpose and meaning behind it. Now as I begin to think about the methodologies and routines that I want to place into my life in order to enhance my spiritual process here at seminary carries a little more meaning than just something to put on paper. I believe that these rules will not only help advance me but also my family. As a married man with two children, it is important that everything I do always reflect the survival of my wife and two kids. As I continue to learn how to be an awesome...
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...STUDY GUIDE (Quiz 1) “Communication: What Is It?” (pp. 5-14) DISCLAIMER: This guide highlights some of the most important concepts addressed in the textbook readings for which you are accountable in Quiz 1. Review this material as you prepare for the quiz. Not everything in this guide will be on the quiz, and not everything on the quiz will derive from this guide. Indeed, you should carefully review the readings for other noteworthy facts, terms, or concepts that you might encounter on the quiz. KEY TERMS Communis The expositional approach to the study of communication The rhetorical approach to the study of communication Claude Shannon, Warren Weaver, and Wilbur Schramm Sender Recipient Encoding Decoding Transmission Physical barriers to communication Linguistic barriers to communication Belief barriers to communication Stereotypes Informed generalizations SUMMARY An introductory communication text rightly begins by defining its core concept, communication. After defining communication and showing how it comes into existence, this chapter distinguishes different types of communication from each other. Communication derives from the Latin root word communis. In English, this root word means common, general, universal, or public. When a person believes, feels, values, or acts as one with another person, communis exists. Communication can be studied in two basic ways. The expositional approach studies attitudes, values, beliefs, feelings, or behaviors that unify people as a...
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...make the most fancy perfume in the world. He is a demon, but also an angel. He is the leading character in the movie, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. “Perfume” is movie adapted from the famous novel “Perfume-The Story of a Murderer” by Patrick Süskind in 1985. This is a highly stylized film, in which Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is a very special person. He lives in a uniquely spiritual world. In other words, Grenouille is a egocentric man who arouse me have great interest about his unique personality. In order to get the development of character’s thought, I will analysis his spiritual world referring the psychoanalysis method of Sigmund Freud. Freud thinks that the unconscious component is composed of three levels: the Id is the passions and possibly all inherited human knowledge, the ego is the socially conditioned and aware reason which tries to repress the Id and from this state of affairs the superego manifests itself as a moral and critical conscience.() I am on the way of thinking Grenouille as a person whose ego becomes the dominant character which is beginning from the unbalance in personality-formation. How does his ego show in his life? Grenouille’s sense of smell is sensitive; he could recognize directions and things by smell. He was attracted by the special odor of the red-hair girl when the first time he met her; he chased her at night, in the narrow old path in Paris. He tried to smell her behind her, which caused her panic, and finally killed her by accident. Grenouille...
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...Review Introduction The Celebration of Discipline[1] by Richard Foster is similar to Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching[2] and The Spirit of the Discipline[3] but provides considerably more biblical support for the practice of spiritual disciplines. All three books, however, cite their practice as the solution for carnality and spiritual ineffectiveness of the church. All claim that spiritual disciplines are the means to bring God’s grace to bear on hearts that have become blind and dull of hearing. An implicit message of these books is that the practice of spiritual disciplines has been a hidden truth since Reformation days and that by going back to medieval days and exploring mysticism to find answers has merit. As pointed out in a previous critique of Westerhoff’s book,[4] mysticism, subjectivity, intuition and imaginative reflection weave their way through the descriptions of spiritual disciplines and this is also true, to some extent, in The Celebration of Discipline and The Spirit of the Disciplines. The apparent differences in style and emphasis appear to stem from each author’s religious orientation (i.e., Westerhoff functions as a priest in the Episcopalian Church and is oriented to Roman Catholic mysticism, Foster is a Quaker grounded in the mysticism and intuitive approach of the Friends and Willard is an evangelical Baptist who embraces the spiritual formation movement). They all seem draw heavily from extra-biblical sources and not upon exegesis...
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...“Be imitators of me [Paul], just as I also am of [Jesus] Christ.” 1 Cor. 11:1 NASB It is likely that almost ever modern American has heard the slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?” Perhaps with good intentions, this is meant to be a reminder of how a person should behave but is imitating Christ only about how a person should act in a given circumstance? One may ask a serious question, how does a person, living in Montrose Colorado in the 21st century imitate a 1st century Jewish Messiah? Every year movie studios like Warner Brothers and Universal Pictures spend billions of dollars to create movies where audiences buy into illusions. We accept that the 34-year-old Hemsworth was not born in Australia but is a superhero based on a Norse god. We escape into fantasy from a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away to learn how a scruffy-looking nerf-herder ended up in a cantina on Tatooine. Finally, we believe that Jim from The Office now lives in a Post-Apocalyptic world with monsters. Could this be what Paul means by imitating? To act?...
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