...Introduction Devotional Classics is a book which contains writings by a large selection of spiritual giants. It provides an amazing perspective of Christianity from a wide variety of demonstrations, walks of faith, vocations, and time periods which started from the early church fathers up to current writers. It is an excellent compilation of portions of mostly classic Christian works in devotional format. This devotional book offers a full and a complete overview of all sides of devotional life. It is a great companion to the Scriptures as it has biblical references and study questions as part of each reading. Each chapter gives me an excerpt and some thought provoking reflections by Foster and Smith. Most of the readings are profound and worthy of in-depth reading. It has made me think, contemplate and overall grow in my spiritual journey. In this paper, I will demonstrate why John Calvin is important to be studied in the 21st century. I have chosen his devotional writing as a reflection of my spiritual insights and its application to my spiritual journey. Why John Calvin Many theologians such as Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin and more throughout history have made a big impact on their culture, times, society, and/or religion. One of the theologians that stands out to me is John Calvin, who had a great influence during his time, the early to middle sixteenth century. Calvin is considered by many to have been the father and founder of the Presbyterian and...
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...Theology Research Papers Based on the topics provided below, you will be required to submit two theological research papers for this course. Each paper should be 7–9 double-spaced pages in length, with default margins and 12-pt. font in Times New Roman. You should include sources that support and contradict a specific position. Ten sources are required. Each paper should also include a title page and bibliography, each formatted in accordance with Turabian standards. The goal of these papers is to not only conclude with a position (even if tentative) regarding the theological issue investigated, but also to interact with the content and arguments for and against the positions that entail all sides of the issue. In other words, you must interact with and respond to opposing views, as well as seriously consider the strengths and weaknesses of your position. In writing this paper, you should work with the biblical text and interact with theological and exegetical arguments used to support all sides of the issue, but nevertheless come to conclusions based upon the strength of the arguments being studied. In doing research of this kind, you are encouraged to use primary sources written by proponents of the positions being espoused. Do not exclusively use secondary sources that summarize the content of a position. Instead, be sure to use sources that argue in support of a position. The first Theological Research Paper is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week...
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...Theology Research Papers Based on the topics provided below, you will be required to submit two theological research papers for this course. Each paper should be 7–9 double-spaced pages in length, with default margins and 12-pt. font in Times New Roman. You should include sources that support and contradict a specific position. Ten sources are required. Each paper should also include a title page and bibliography, each formatted in accordance with Turabian standards. The goal of these papers is to not only conclude with a position (even if tentative) regarding the theological issue investigated, but also to interact with the content and arguments for and against the positions that entail all sides of the issue. In other words, you must interact with and respond to opposing views, as well as seriously consider the strengths and weaknesses of your position. In writing this paper, you should work with the biblical text and interact with theological and exegetical arguments used to support all sides of the issue, but nevertheless come to conclusions based upon the strength of the arguments being studied. In doing research of this kind, you are encouraged to use primary sources written by proponents of the positions being espoused. Do not exclusively use secondary sources that summarize the content of a position. Instead, be sure to use sources that argue in support of a position. The first Theological Research Paper is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week...
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...Through midrash we reveal Torah’s meanings. Midrash allows us to posit answers to our questions, to explore hidden motivations for mysterious moments in Torah, to offer explanation. Sometimes through midrash we temper Torah, rendering it more comprehensible to a contemporary audience or more in-tune with contemporary values. Midrash allows us to celebrate the loopholes and inconsistencies in Torah. They are not (only) accidents or signs of where the text was stitched together from disparate elements, but rather the hooks placed there by God precisely for the purpose of giving us something to work with. The body of Jewish midrash not only expands the universe of possible stories in our tradition, but also explores and teaches how we should live. But whether halakhic or aggadic, midrash is transformative work. Midrash is a form of rabbinic literature. There are two types of midrash: midrash aggada and midrash halakha. Midrash aggada can best be described as a form of storytelling that explores ethics and values in biblical texts. ("Aggada" literally means "story" or "telling" in Hebrew.) It can take any biblical word or verse and interpret it to answer a question or explain something in the text. For instance, a midrash may attempt to explain why Adam didn’t stop Eve from eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. One of the best-known midrashim (plural of midrash) deals with Abraham’s childhood in early Mesopotamia, where he is said to have smashed the idols in his...
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...What is Midrash? This is quite an intractable issue. It doesn’t only contain very wide and very old texts, but also multitudinous philosophers. Even though Midrash is not a good scientific source for studying Bible today, it powerfully helps us understand the spirit of authors from later the Old Treatment, the developing of Judaism, and the constitution of the New Treatment’s mission. Midrash was an exegetical method used in early Jewish religion. The word usually is used for any written or oral commentary on a biblical text. It is an interpretive act, seeking the answers to religious questions (both practical and theological) by plumbing ?? the meaning of the words of the Torah. (Efron page?) As early as the 1st c. CE rabbinic principles of hermeneutics and philology were used to bring the interpretation of difficult passages in the literal text of scripture into line with the religious and ethical values of the teachers. (Holtz 177-178) One can say that the Midrash on the verse Genesis 1:1 says that “...and some Midrashim interpretation of the verse would go here.”The original purpose of Midrash was to resolve problems in the Hebrew text of the Bible. (Malon) Thus, Midrash exposes the values and worldview of the rabbinic interpreter and audience rather than the original intention of the author of the biblical text. Midrash falls into two categories: Midrash aggada and Midrash halakha. The root of the Hebrew term is used to refer to Jewish law, halakhah, means "go" or "walk...
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...The Galatians from this passage I have just read, are actually the group of early Celtic Christians who settled in the area now known as Turkey. Paul the apostle, wrote this book, Epistle to the Galatians, originally as a letter to the Galatians. It is known that Paul was the creator of the churches of Galatia and was responsible for the alteration from Paganism to Christianity within that area. The primary copy of this letter was not found but a similar copy was located in 200AD. The original copy is said to have been written sometime during 50AD, a significant time for Christianity as Jesus had only died around 20 years prior and there was already a large flow of conversions from other religions to Christianity. In any case, the people that Paul was addressing were new Christians who had converted from Paganism but were now being tempted by other missionaries to add parts of the Jewish law to the cross of Christ as a way to salvation. Since Paul had visited, a different interpretation of Christianity had been brought to the people by converts...
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...The Galatians from this passage I have just read, are actually the group of early Celtic Christians who settled in the area now known as Turkey. Paul the apostle, wrote this book, Epistle to the Galatians, originally as a letter to the Galatians. It is known that Paul was the creator of the churches of Galatia and was responsible for the alteration from Paganism to Christianity within that area. The primary copy of this letter was not found but a similar copy was located in 200AD. The original copy is said to have been written sometime during 50AD, a significant time for Christianity as Jesus had only died around 20 years prior and there was already a large flow of conversions from other religions to Christianity. In any case, the people that...
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...The “calling” of Saul of Tarsus Online commentary: http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/acts.pdf Dyck, Harold J. “The Conversion of Paul: A Model?” Direction 9, no. 4 (O 1980): 3–9. Harrer, G. A. “Saul who also is Called Paul.” Harvard Theological Review 33, no. 1 (Ja 1940): 19–33. Hedrick, Charles W. “Paul’s Conversion/Call: A Comparative Analysis of the Three Reports in Acts.” Journal of Biblical Literature 100, no. 3 (S 1981): 415–432. Hoerber, Robert G. “Paul's Conversion/Call.” Concordia Journal 22, no. 2 (Ap 1996): 186–188. Kern, Philip H. “Paul's Conversion and Luke's Portrayal of Character in Acts 8–10.” Tyndale Bulletin 54, no. 2 (2003): 63–80. Leary, T. J. “Paul's Improper Name.” New Testament Studies 38, no. 3 (Jl 1992): 467–469.[1] McDonough, Sean M. “Small Change: Saul to Paul, Again.” Journal of Biblical Literature 125, no. 2 (Sum 2006): 390–391. Meyer, Wendel W. “The Conversion of St. Paul.” Anglican Theological Review 85, no. 1 (Winter 2003): 13–17. Ralston, Timothy J. “The Theological Significance of Paul’s Conversion.” Bibliotheca Sacra 147, no. 586 (Ap–Je 1990): 198–215. Rordorf, Willy. Translated by Peter W. Dunn. “Paul’s Conversion in the Canonical Acts and in the Acts of Paul.” Semeia 80 (1997): 137–144. Witherup, Ronald D. “Functional Redundancy in the Acts of the Apostles: A Case Study.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament 48 (D 1992): 67-86. * Book with a single author or editor Author’s Last Name...
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...Paul the Apostle (Greek: Παῦλος Paulos; c. 5 – c. 67), original name Saul of Tarsus (Greek: Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς Saulos Tarseus), was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world. He is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age. In the mid-30s to the mid-50s, he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. Paul used his status as both a Jew and aRoman citizen to advantage in his ministry to both Jewish and Roman audiences. Fourteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament have traditionally been attributed to Paul, and approximately half of the Acts of the Apostlesdeals with Paul's life and works. Seven of the epistles are undisputed by scholars as being authentic, with varying degrees of argument about the remainder. The Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews, already doubted in the 2nd and 3rd centuries but almost unquestioningly accepted from the 5th to the 16th centuries, is now almost universally rejected by scholars. The other six are believed by some scholars to have come from followers writing in his name, using material from Paul's surviving letters and letters written by him that no longer survive. Other scholars argue that the idea of a pseudonymous author for the disputed epistles raises many problems. Today, his epistles continue to be vital roots of the theology, worship, and pastoral life in the Roman and Protestant traditions of the West, as well...
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...The “Calling” of Saul of Tarsus Keith Vann Liberty University The “Calling” of Saul of Tarsus Hedrick, Charles W. “Paul’s Conversion/Call: A Comparative Analysis of the Three Reports in Acts.” Journal of Biblical Literature 100, no. 3 (September 1981): 415–432. Of great significance is the fact that Saul’s conversion experience is recounted three times in Acts. Scholars note this as being an important fact regarding the writings. The imagery of blindness is brought to the forefront. Saul was so blinded with his zeal to persecute something he felt so grievously wronged God that he tried to eliminate all who practiced this newfound religion. God blinded him to show him how much he had failed to see. When his sight is restored, he sees things from a new perspective. This is similar to the experience of those who undergo a conversion experience. Hoerber, Robert G. “Paul's Conversion/Call.” Concordia Journal 22, no. 2 (April 1996): 186–188. The controversy over whether Saul’s experience on the Damascus road was a conversion experience or simply the call to ministry. It has been suggested that Western culture has influenced the truth behind the story and what was beautiful calling of a devout man to reach the Gentiles, was turned into a conversion. There is no discounting the 180-degree turn around in Paul’s life. He went from murderous threats of anyone who called the name of Jesus to professing Jesus publically and being arrested, beaten and jailed for such...
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...EXEGESIS: GALATIANS 1:11-17 The letter to the Galatians written by Paul to the churches he established in Galatia during his first missionary journey declares that freedom in Christ flows from justification by faith through grace alone. These verses assert Paul’s divine calling to establish the gentile church and appeal to Galatian Christians to resist adding to the gospel of grace the observance of certain Jewish traditions including circumcision, Jewish festival and food laws promoted by Jewish Christians (Judaizers), thereby alienating themselves from Christ Elevating themselves these Judaizers claimed to be sent by the apostles in Jerusalem who had known Jesus in the flesh, while undermining Paul’s authority as second-hand (1:11). Paul defends his authority as neither second-hand, received nor taught by man, but direct revelation of Jesus Christ (1:12; 1Cor15:8; Acts9: 3-6; Matt16:16-17). Indeed, his life testifies to the transforming power of the gospel of grace… ‘For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism’, he continues. Cheered by Jews, feared by Christians, Paul was both famous and infamous, but not unknown. In Paul’s zeal (1:13) to uphold ‘the traditions of his fathers’ (the Law), it was not enough to expunge from Jerusalem ‘heretical’ Christians claiming this man Jesus as Messiah fulfilling the Law and bringing an end to temple sacrifice. Rather, Paul sought to annihilate the Christian cult, dragging them to prison or having them killed (Acts7:58-60...
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...on my tongue.” Further, the Psalms of imprecation are quoted in the New Testament by Christ and others as fully inspired (John 2:17; 15:25; Acts 1:20; Romans 11:9-10; 15:3). The Dispensationalist view avers that these Psalms are to be understood in light of the inferior ethical concepts of the Old Testament, which was a dispensation of law. This is now an outmoded ethical system. Therefore, the Psalms in which we find the invoking of justice, calamity, or curse, have no place in the New Testament era of grace. However, to simply relegate prayers of imprecation to the Old Testament will not do. The New Testament also contains such prayers. In Matthew 23, for example, Jesus pronounces imprecatory “woes” on the scribes and Pharisees. In Galatians 1:8-9 and 5:12, we read of Paul “anathematizing” anyone who preaches “any other gospel” besides the apostolic Gospel. In Revelation 6:10, the martyred saints cry...
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...Book critique: two views on women in ministry ___________________ A Paper Presented to Dr. Dietmar Schulze Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary ___________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course THEO 530 Systematic Theology II ___________________ by Peter Heikkinen February 17, 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..….1 SUMMARY…………………………………………………………………………………….1-3 EGALITARIAN EQUALITY…………………………………………………………..1-2 COMPLIMENTARIAN ROLES…………………………………………………….…2-3 CRITICAL INTERACTION……………………………………………………………………3-6 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………....6-7 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………....8 Introduction Within Christian controversial topics that divide the Church as a whole Woman in Ministry is one of the most divisive. The two main sides of this debate are; egalitarian’s who believe there are no role differences in gender to authority or teaching in the church biblically. The complementarian view also known as the traditional view holds that men have a position of authority before God in church teaching and authority in the church and home governing. James Beck gathers four New Testament scholars two for each side on the issue and sets out to show case two arguments for each side and room for rebuttal in consideration of the New Testament scripture dealing with woman in ministry. With my own view being that of a soft complementation; women have a role in teaching and authority...
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...scriptures and theologies of those religions from a feminist perspective. It can be argued that feminist theology just wants equality between men and women, however, It can also be put across that seeking equality is not their only aim. Liberal feminist theology is fundamentally rooted in the Enlightenment philosophers who place a high value on reason and recognise that men and women share the same powers of reason. Key thinkers, such as Immanuel Kant, think that whilst there may be physical differences between men and women, there is no difference in terms of human reason. Liberal feminist theologians argue that although the Bible is often patriarchal and biased against women, there is nevertheless a strand which runs from Genesis to Galatians which consider men and women to be created equally in the image of God and therefore entitled to equal respect. They would argue that the Bible shows that women can perform a wide variety of roles and that certain texts are particularly important in demonstrating this. One is the story of Deborah. The scripture characterises Deborah as a prophet, judge and poet. She summons the Israelite commander Barak, addresses him forcefully with a command from the Lord and gives him specific tactical orders. A stark contrast to the strength and leadership of Deborah is the submissiveness of Jephthah's daughter. Stanton rejected the way the story was interpreted and hypothesised a better ending- one which involved Jephthah's daughter standing up for...
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...Martin Luther considered by many to be a great theologian makes very strong arguments against Eramus concerning grace and free will in Bondage of the Will. Both men have strong view points and are both eloquent writers, Eramus believes that man has the power to either turn towards works that lead to salvation or he has the choice not to. Eramus writes to show that man can voluntarily choose (free will) salvation apart from God. Eramus seems to believe that there exists some type of cooperativeness with mankind and God. Whereas, Luther is writing to show that there exist no cooperativeness and salvation is the work of God alone. For the purposes of this paper I will discuss Luther’s arguments in sub-section two. In this paper I will review Luther’s argument regarding the inability of mankind to work to receive justification apart from the spirit, the strengths and weaknesses of his argument and give reasoning as to why I agree with Luther’s argument. In this section Luther is attempting to correct errors made by others teaching as it related to works and grace. Luther is trying to give readers an understanding of Paul’s writings “For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law,” (Rom 3:20). One of the key points Luther is trying to convey is that Paul is not speaking to a particular group of people. He is not referring only to the Jews, or the Pharisees or even exclusively to the Gentiles. Paul’s verbiage was inclusive in this scripture and...
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