church leadership
Leadership [Name of the writer] [Name of the institution] Abstract Th? first ?ssue which must be clarified ?n approach?ng th? subject of local ?hur?h government ?s th? question of authority. All agree that Chr?st ?s th? Head ?nd that He rules through H?s Word. But what about authority on th? level of ?ndividual ?hur?h function, teach?ng, ?nd dec?sion mak?ng? Does Chr?st delegate authority to ?nyone else? M?ny ?hur?h groups ?re sure that He does not, that each m?n h?s equal authority before God by virtue of h?s ?ndividual priesthood. Our Americ?n spirit of democracy ?n th? ?hur?h ?nd its "one m?n one vote" leaves us ?ncl?ned to agree, at le?st ?n sentiment. We feel that we ?re ?nswerable to God alone, ?nd so authority over ?nyone ?n th? very personal realm of th? spiritual ?nd religious ?s out of th? question. Our beliefs ?nd practices ?re matters between God ?nd us ?ndividually, we tend to th?nk; ?nd ?n th? affairs of th? local ?hur?h collectively, th? majority rules. But does Chr?st rule by majority vote? ?s H?s will determ?ned by popular consent? Or ?s it given once ?nd for all ?n Holy Scripture to be faithfully m?n?stered to H?s people by spiritual l?aders with?n th? ?hur?h? Th?se questions state th? ?ssue clearly. Th? New Testament ?s clear ?n its teach?ng both by precept ?nd example that th?re ?re certa?n men ?n th? ?hur?h who ?re ?nvested with th? responsibility of
Catastrophic Dimensions
Catastrophic Dimensions Abstract: This essay's intent is to assess the relationship between the anti-Catholic legislation passed by the Irish parliament of 1613-1615 and the emergence of a distinct national identity in early modern Ireland. Key Words: Catholic, Irish, National Identity For almost four centuries, the royal administration in Ireland had distinguished between the Gaelic Irish populations in the hinterlands of Leinster, Munster, Connacht, and Ulster, and the English population in the Pale, that relatively urbanized settlement centered on Dublin, and in the outlying towns and earldoms of Leinster and Munster. The parliament of 1613-1615 gave legal force to a new, equally impermeable cleavage between the two components of the Anglo-Irish(1) colonial community: the Old and New English. The New English were recent Protestant transplants, sent from England by the crown during the sixteenth century to operate the Irish government. The Catholic Old English were natives of Ireland. Descendants of the original twelfth-century Anglo-Norman conquerors, the Old English shared an Anglo-Irish heritage and the common interests shaped by that heritage.(2) By securing the rigorous enforcement of the Oath of Supremacy, the implementation of revenue-generating recusancy fines, the expulsion of all Jesuits and seminary priests from Ireland, and the confiscation of Catholic lands
There is no doctrine in the Christian church more controversial than the doctrine of original sin which has intrigued the scholars of the church for centuries.
There is no doctrine in the Christian church more controversial than the doctrine of original sin which has intrigued the scholars of the church for centuries.1 While we take a look into the writings of the apostolic fathers, we find most of them dealing with the consequence of the fall of Adam. The apologists wrote more elaborately than the apostolic fathers did about the first sin of Adam, correlating it with church sacraments. However, it was not until the period of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) that the concept of original sin came to be considered as a doctrine. As a result, many contend that Augustine is the innovator of the doctrine of original sin unknown to his predecessors, and reject his thoughts. Conversely, some scholars of the church agree with Augustine's doctrine of original sin, regarding it as a purely biblical teaching. In the exposition of his doctrine, quoting a biblical semblance, the bishop of Hippo made humans responsible for the sin committed by Adam in whom they sinned. He developed a pessimistic view that as a consequence of original sin, the will and reason of human beings were darkened so that humans can no longer do good. Moreover, going to the extreme, he argued that sin is transmitted through the human seed, and is contracted at birth. Hence, according to Augustine, the lot of unbaptized infants is to be condemned eternally in hell. It is the
How is Spiritual and Religious Awareness in the Contemporary World Reflected in Popular Music?
How is Spiritual and Religious Awareness in the Contemporary World Reflected in Popular Music? Pop music has thrived since the post-war boom in youth culture and is now an established part of our contemporary culture. Spirituality can be defined as that which affects ones inner life or spirit, an incorporeal aspect to life which is often associated with religion. This essay will look at the aspects of spirituality such as the desire for something beyond the self, the search for community, the search for meaning and the expression of love and other emotions, and whether they are reflected in popular music. This essay will look at religious awareness in the contemporary world and how this is reflected in popular music. Our post-modern society is increasingly one without a shared set of values. Society is isolated in the present with little heritage and a fear or ambivalence of the future[1]. Consumer culture places greater emphasis on ‘things’, personal relationships become devalued. Average church attendance in the Church of England in 2005 was 988,000[2] every week. CD sales in the UK in 2005 were 33,375,000, and 11,443,000 downloads[3] (with the majority of all purchases made by those aged 25-44), this equates to an average of 861,885 CD and download sales a week. What these figures don’t tell us is how many people listen to music, and those figures are much
The root of the Mass is the Last Supper, a Passover meal.
Jesus Rodriguez Diocese of Florida Most Rev. Fr. Bernie LT 602 Liturgy: The Mass/Para-liturgies/weddings/funerals June 14, 2012 Fr. Pat Gaffney THE LITURGY OF THE MASS The Mass is the most beautiful act of worship of Almighty God and a precious treasure of our Catholic Church. To fully appreciate the Mass, one has to understand its historical development. The root of the Mass is the Last Supper, a Passover meal. Here our Lord and the apostles read the Sacred Scriptures, and then for the first time our Lord Jesus Christ took bread and wine, pronounce the words of consecration, and gave His Body and Blood to them. The action of this first Mass must be understood in the whole context of our Lord's passion, death and resurrection. Since that time, the Church has offered the Mass, which participates in the ever-present, ever-lasting reality of the Last Supper and the passion, death and resurrection. Granted, the Mass has evolved over time, but the essential elements and structure have not. Three of the best references describing the Mass of the early Church are the Didache(teaching of the twelve apostles), St Justin the Martyr's First Apology, and St Hippolytus' Apostolic Tradition. These references attest to the living tradition of the Mass. The form of the Mass we have today was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969. The Order of the Mass comprises four major parts: The
Dating Joseph and the Exodus: In Search of a Consistent and Defensible Chronology
Dating Joseph and the Exodus: In Search of a Consistent and Defensible Chronology David Thatcher HIST111 James Harrison 9 September 2010 We are all likely familiar with the story of Israel in Egypt and the Exodus. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and brought down to Egypt, where he eventually ascended to a ruling position and moved all his family into Egypt, specifically the "Land of Goshen." Over time, the Egyptian rulers enslaved the Israelites because they had become numerous and feared that they would rebel. They served the Pharaohs with hard, forced labor for many years, until God sent Moses to tell the Pharaoh to let the people go. The Pharaoh would not, and so ten plagues were sent. At the end of the tenth plague the Pharaoh relented and let the people go, but then pursued them to the sea, at which point God opened up the waters to let His people pass, but closed them to destroy Pharaoh's army. The Israelites went on to conquer the land promised to them of God, the land of Canaan. If there was a migration of Israel out of Egypt to Canaan, when did it happen? The date of the Biblical Exodus is a hotly debated issue for many reasons. Probably the most important reason is the view of many Christian fundamentalists who hold the Bible to be literally inerrant in all matters. For them, defending a certain view of the Exodus is tantamount to defending the
Identify the distinctive content of Luke's gospel and discuss what is revealed there about the writer's theological perspectiv
Identify the distinctive content of Luke's gospel and discuss what is revealed there about the writer's theological perspective. Luke's gospel as part of the New Testament has been subject to a variety of forms of biblical criticism. In this essay I will attempt to use some of those forms of criticisms to identify the distinctive content of Luke and thus reveal some of his theological standpoint. It is important to note that Luke's gospel forms part of the Canon of the New Testament and was picked because its theological emphasis was in tune with the other books of the New Testament especially the synoptic gospels. Therefore any views we can ascertain from the distinct material in Luke are only part of his whole theological view and not all of it. Another important note to mention before I continue is that the Gospel of Luke is commonly recognized as part of a two-piece work alongside with the Book of Acts, as there style indicates the same author. Consequently I may on occasion refer to the Book of Acts to give a fuller view of the author Luke and his thoughts. The main biblical criticism I will be employing to identify the unique material in Luke will be redaction criticism or redaktionsgeschichte. Redaction criticism aims to reveal the changes the author has made to their sources for example the additions, omissions, modifications, and material that the author includes
Discuss the historicity of the bodily resurrection of Jesus
Discuss the historicity of the bodily resurrection of Jesus The utmost significance of the bodily resurrection of Jesus to the Christian faith has made the careful analysis of the texts and events surrounding the event extremely important. 1 Corinthians 15:14, a passage so often cited in connection with the resurrection, reads, "...and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain," and therefore Christians and historians alike have been searching for proof of Christ's resurrection. The discussion about the historicity of the resurrection centers mainly on the Gospel accounts, and the records of Paul. Some would argue that discrepancies and internal contradictions within these Biblical texts, question the validity of the resurrection record; records upon which the Christian faith so heavily relies on. Therefore this discussion must both assess the historicity of interrelation of these texts, but also must show that these texts are central to Christianity. Furthermore, Willi Marxsen writes that, "Each Gospel depicts a unity, and must not be arbitrarily chopped up into pieces..."1 Therefore it is of fundamental importance to realize that the accounts of the resurrection are tied to the style, thematic signposts and traditions from which the authors wrote their Gospels. However, a 'proof' of the resurrection is impossible
Jesus of Nazareth.
The world has never been the same since the birth of one man, Jesus of Nazareth. Very little is known of Jesus' earlier family existence, particularly of his parents, Mary and Joseph. Interestingly, only two of the four canonical Gospels recount Jesus' family origins before he began his teachings. The Gospel of Mark, believed by scholars to be the first Gospel to be written, commences at Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, when Jesus was an adult. Although John begins his Gospel by describing how the eternal Word transforms itself into flesh on earth, he does not delve into Jesus' childhood or infancy. Therefore, if one wishes to read narratives regarding Jesus' birth from the New Testament, the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are the only places one can turn to. When asked about the birth of Jesus, most people recall the coming of the magi who are guided by a star and bear gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus. Others remember shepherds inspired by angels to go and pay homage to their newborn king. While both replications are correct, one may be surprised to learn that they are not contained in both Gospels. Luke's account does mention any magi following a star; likewise, Matthew makes no reference to shepherds. Although these are only minor differences, many more do exist and create major problems for scholars trying to reconcile these contrasts.
The Theme of Suffering in the Gospel of Mark.
The Theme of Suffering in the Gospel of Mark Christians today often face times in their lives where they may experience a major crisis, the sudden death of a loved one or news of a terminal illness. While human nature dictates human efforts toward desperately finding relief, reason and understanding in times of agony and confusion, the Gospel of Mark shows us through the person of Jesus Christ that suffering is a part of the Christian's life journey. If the whole world suffers and groans, the Christian does so even more. Ultimately, Christians know that Salvation in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit do not keep the Christian from suffering; rather Salvation and the Holy Spirit sustain them through the suffering. For this reason, the Gospel of Mark is truly a gospel for those who are suffering and need to find consolation. Mark's gospel is clearly a gospel of the suffering Messiah and of suffering discipleship, concepts that Christians can perhaps relate to. In fact, the theme of Jesus suffering is illustrated not only in the New Testament but so too in the Old Testament particularly in Isaiah 53 and in a Psalm of David, Psalm 22 where the suffering of the future Messiah is foretold: "He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one form whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did esteem Him. Surely our