Buddhist Imagery

Unarguably, Buddhism has stimulated some of the most appealing artistic pieces in the world, most especially in form of images and statues. Buddhism has manifested itself visually in the Asian region particularly, Japan, China, and India[1]. Japanese images without the Buddhist inspiration of the sculptural drawing would have been denied not only its intensity but also most of the technical versatility as well as mystical enthusiasm which is termed to be the source of artistic evolution in the region. It is believed that the original Buddha image was introduced when Buddha was alive. Thus, these academics oppose that the conventional trends originated from there but the use of medium, clay, and wood in the creation of the images was unable to survive the course of time due to their perishable nature. Buddhism patented in India and traveled through China to Japan and its influence culturally and in art is evident[2]. This report will be comparing a Chinese Buddha and Japanese Buddha images which are Tian Tan Buddha and Ushiku Daibutsu respectively.

To begin with, there are several artistic aspects that are common amid the Chinese and Japanese Buddha images that are mainly inspired by the Buddhism spiritual enthusiasm[3]. The Tian Tan Buddha which is widely acknowledged as the Big Buddha statue is situated in Lantau Island, in Hong Kong China[4]. The statute was finalized in the year 1993 which is particularly comprised of bronze as the main material which its main significance is to bridge the gap amid man and nature. This image is a major symbolism of the harmony that exists between an individual, belief, and nature.[5] The image creates a serenity posture as the right hand of the Buddha is raised up thus eliminating disorder. By the left arm comfortably lying on his knee this is a major representation of delight. In addition, the image is created from the use of bronze rather than focusing on clay and other traditional art materials as a depiction of modernity. The statue consumed more than 12 years in the planning and construction and the bronze material best illustrates the steadiness of Hong Kong, the growth of China as a nation and the existing peace on the global context[6]. All the feature in the image holds a high degree of symbolic meaning which contains as religious relevance and importance. This image shows the role of Buddhism which is to spread the actual truth to everyone in regard to being kind and compassionate both to others and nature.

On the other hand, Ushiku Daibutsu remains to be amongst one of the greatest Buddha statues in Japan[7]. This image was mainly finished in the year 1933 having taken over three comprehensive decades of building through the utilization of conventional copper strategies. The initial statue had been created in 1745 which was mainly made of wood and covered with a gold coat[8]. The image was however destroyed by fire and since it has been made using wood the statue was completely damaged.  This led to the recommendation of replacing the statue while using fire resisting resources. Copper was selected to be the main material based on its long life which was drawn from the fact that more than 90 percent of the temple assets which were mainly built from copper such as bells were produced locally and had been in existence for the longest period[9]. This remains to be an appealing and unforgettable art that was made by the local craftsmen from a molded painting.

The images are similar and yet different with respect to some features. In that, for the Takaoka Daibutsu, the material used is copper while that of Tian Tan is bronze. These materials were used for different reasons being to represent prosperity and to withstand the challenges of natural calamities. Both of them are however aimed at sending a spiritual message to the public which is creating a connection with Buddhism[10]. The Chinese influence in Japanese art is evident based on the ground that the depiction of the human body is one that is religiously based on some unique characteristics. The unique Chinese art appears where the achievement of a perfect art comes from the comprehensive design of an image with more message and comprehensive assembling. On the other hand the images mainly differs on the features since as one expresses a happy feeling that is derived from contentment acquired from the prosperity and harmony of the surrounding the other one is more spiritual which portrays the significance of religion and particularly Buddhism, both of them hold a rather calm color that is not bright but blends well with the surrounding.  the fact that Ushiku Daibutsu was initially made from wood best illustrates that the Buddhist art from both states was traditionally similar as they mainly used the same materials which were not only easy to source but also assemble at convenience but not long lasting as the modern ones.

References

Fenollosa, Ernest. 2007. Epochs of Chinese and Japanese art: an outline history of East Asiatic design. Berkeley, Calif: Stone Bridge Press. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10271910.

Hida. Takaoka Daibutsu (Great Image of Buddha). N.D. Retrieved from http://www.hida.jp/english/activities/area-attractions/takaoka-daibutsu

PLM. 2010. Building the Big Buddha. Po Lin Monastery. Retrieved from https://www.plm.org.hk/eng/buddha.phpTop of Form

Bottom of Form

[1] Fenollosa, Ernest. 2007. Epochs of Chinese and Japanese art: an outline history of East Asiatic design. Berkeley, Calif: Stone Bridge Press.

[2] Fenollosa, Ernest. 2007. Epochs of Chinese and Japanese art: an outline history of East Asiatic design. Berkeley, Calif: Stone Bridge Press.

[3] PLM. 2010. Building the Big Buddha. Po Lin Monastery.

[4] PLM. 2010. Building the Big Buddha. Po Lin Monastery.

[5] PLM. 2010. Building the Big Buddha. Po Lin Monastery.

[6] PLM. 2010. Building the Big Buddha. Po Lin Monastery.

[7] Hida. Takaoka Daibutsu (Great Image of Buddha). N.D

[8] Hida. Takaoka Daibutsu (Great Image of Buddha). N.D

[9] Hida. Takaoka Daibutsu (Great Image of Buddha). N.D.

[10] Hida. Takaoka Daibutsu (Great Image of Buddha). N.D

Abortion in a Catholic Hospital

With respect to religion, abortion is not only not only controversial but also immoral as it leads to the loss of lives. The Catholic Church is universally known for its rather firm stand against abortion. It is in extremely rare scenarios when abortion becomes a requirement in the quest of saving the mother’s life. From the case, Natasha Jones being a pregnant patient at a Catholic hospital is in need of urgent care that involves conducting an abortion in order to save her life (p.58). However, the situation is a challenging one since the operation cannot be carried out in the institution based on its adherence to oppose abortion and despite her situation, the staffs are not well equipped to conduct the activity. The patient is a serious threat and the doctor is certain that keeping the baby will take both her life and that of the fetal. Even though the board does not seem to be in agreement of what should be done it is evident that based on the code of ethics they are obligated to inform the patient of her condition and the available treatment option (p.59). Transferring her to the City hospital for the abortion to be carried on is not only a moral choice but a necessary one.

In my opinion, since each abortion leads to the death of an innocent child, it remains morally objectionable to use it in infrequent cases to save the life of a mother. I believe that Catholic hospitals should mainly consider their operational practices both to safeguard the wellness of the public and their religious stands. It cannot be argued that it is better to save a life than lose two at once since such an act cannot be justified at any ground. In this case, the patient should be fully informed of her status and advised on the most viable option after which she should be transferred to the other hospital where she can acquire safe and immediate treatment.

Reference

N.D. Ethics and values in medical cases. Case 3-5: Abortion in a catholic Hospital. Pp. 58-59.

Exegetical Paper Passage and Bibliography

John 7:53- 8:11

The two verses basically talk about the adulterous lady who was brought before Jesus and asked to render a judgement. According to the people, the woman was supposed to be stoned, based on the dictates of Moses’ teachings. However, Jesus did not do according to what they expected, but instead forgave the women and asked her to go. John 7:53 is the initial part which is then continued in chapter 8 of the verse[1]. And every man went unto his own house- there is a mark of confusion and disorder while the men break up. It is consequently possible that some of the Sadducees may have joined Nicodemus in differing with the Pharisees, and hence increased the disorder. It is a most revealing and melancholy exhibition of the influence of pride, envy, disdain, and anger, when brought to bear on an inquiry, and when they are manifestly opposed to candor, to argument, and to truth. So wild and manic are the desires of men when they go against the person and claims of the son of God. It is outstanding, too, how God completes his purposes. They were determined to destroy Jesus, however, their desires were not met. God agonized their passion to be thrilled, a tumult to ensure, the assembly hence to break up in disorder, and Jesus to be safe, for his time and had not yet arrived.

This is also similar to chapter 8, whereby the verse talks about the essence of Jesus into the world. Jesus came into the world so as to act as a civil magistrate, hence he refused to adjudicate a case or to be concerned in dividing inheritance between two brothers. Similarly, he did not also come to the world to convict it, but he came to the world, that through him, it might be saved[2]. He would not therefore pass a sentence against anyone who had committed a crime or a sin. His main aim was to unite all, through his death, thus saving the humankind from destruction. Due to that reason, he did not see the reason as to why he had to pass the sentence to the woman, because his main aim was to pass the message of repentance and to save the world. While the people wanted him to rely on the teachings and commands of Moses, to the point of provoking him to make a ruling which would go hand in hand with Moses’ teachings, Jesus decides to use his own approach, and instead calls her to repentance, and asks her to go and to sin no more.

While Moses’ teachings allowed those found guilty of adultery to be stoned to death, Jesus went contrary to the law, and instead left the woman free. Just as Deuteronomy 13:5 states, Thou shalt put the evil away from the midst of thee”; it was not necessary for Jesus to make a ruling which would affect the life of an innocent woman who could have changed her life through being saved and accepting Jesus as her savior[3]. He therefore taught the people the importance of trusting on the lord and to respect the lives of those who had committed serious mistakes, as it was not necessary to kill them, because that was going against the will of God.             

Reference

Ashton, John. Understanding the Fourth Gospel. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.

Barrett, Charles Kingsley. The Gospel According to St. John. 2d ed. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978.

Brown, Raymond E. The Gospel According to John. 2 vols. Anchor Bible. Garden City: Doubleday, l966,

1970.

Bultmann, Rudolf. The Gospel of John: A Commentary. Oxford: Blackwell, 1971.

Charlesworth, James H. The Beloved Disciple: Whose Witness Validates the Gospel of John? Valley Forge,

PA: Trinity Press International, 1995.

Culpepper, R. Alan. Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel: A Study in Literary Design. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1983.

Koester, Craig. Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel: Mystery, Meaning, Community. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2003.

Martyn, J. Louis. History and Theology in the Fourth Gospel. New York: Harper & Row, 1968.

Moloney, Francis. The Gospel of John. Sacra Pagina. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1998.

[1] Ashton, John. Understanding the Fourth Gospel. Oxford University Press, 1991.

[2] Bultman, Rudolf. The Gospel According to John. 2 vols. Anchor Bible. Garden City: Doubleday, 1966.    

[3] Ashton, John. Understanding the Fourth Gospel.

Dr. Luther’s Nature of Faith and Its Relation to Salvation

Introduction

During the Reformation era in Europe, the Christian religion appeared to have detonated from the inside and everything appeared to be unusual. Reformers therefore engaged in protests against the unethical pyramid of the Roman Church which was perceived as exploitative. One of these reformers who is also accounted to be among the greatest leaders that ever lived and one that uniquely prevails as being a forerunner of the objections was Dr. Martin Luther[1]. His commencement of reformation began after he published his thesis regarding the Roman Catholic Church’s principle. Based on a number of studies, Luther himself asserted that something that made him diverse from all other reformers was the fact that he focused on the deeper theological foundation of the church’s unethical practices which is the falsification of the principle of grace and redemption[2]. The primary foundations of Luther’s reformation regarding the church were Justification by faith and the scripture alone. The justification doctrine refers to the account of how the fault of sinners is eradicated by God and receives the sinner to His spiritual union[3]. The primary issue in this regard revolves around how the tension amid human sins and heavenly righteousness is resolute. Luther’s central argument is that faith on its own defends the one that has faith in Christ based on being reached by the gospel[4].

The justification of faith on its own according to Luther means that faith has the ability to make an individual virtuous in God’s eyes. This kind of faith, in addition, influences Christ’s righteousness accusation that endorses the sinners of one that has faith[5]. Love, as well as Good deeds, are the required outcomes of justification even though they are not a necessity for the justification. However, Luther asserts that the inclination to love and performance of good work dwells in the believer via Christ who is also existing in Faith. In this context, he argues that these features do not, however, justify the authority similar to human characteristics related to faith. According to Luther, Faith incorporates effective transformation in the person that believes highly that allows an individual to maintain faith[6]. Since the justification incorporates uniting with Christ this implies the engagement in divine nature and Luther’s principles in regard to justification has common components with the thought of veneration.

No one is righteous based only on their own deeds as Christ is the ultimate source of righteousness. For Luther believing in Christ is mainly related to accepting and acquiring the love of God. Luther acquired his justification comprehension amid the issue of moralism and theology in the late unenlightened religion[7]. He worked consistently to ensure that he got a courteous God based on the scholastic theology dictations. In the end, he ended up with blocking to the point that he got desolated. Based on his beliefs one only acquired divine justification and grade after healing the damages and pain created by sins. Despite the fact that after having sinned and acquired kindness the sins are not eliminated they are forgiven and never considered against humans[8].

At the general focus of Christian faith lies the principle of salvation. In that Luther asserts that humans are wicked, broken and predetermined and thus separated from the belief of Christ[9]. They are bound to get into relationships with the existing God only via the sinless expense of Christ but this aspect was in most cases being disregarded by the church that was. This increased the attention in regard to the dilemma regarding salvation in the early 16th century particularly because of the dawning of people’s awareness that was developed by the intensification of humanism. The term justification according to Luther mainly meant getting into the rightfully situated relationship with Christ or appearing as righteous to God[10]. This was particularly perceived as dealing generally with what individuals had to perform in order to be considered as saved but controversy regarding the subject was intensifying for a number of reasons. First, the church had not made any ruling declaration in regard to the subject for years to the public with no convenience scripture entree. In addition, despite this being a discussion among theologians which was characterized by varying opinions the church failed to deal or even assess the opinions[11].

Luther in this context argued that the church, in particular, has missed the assertion of the salvation gospel. However, he never actually defended sole conclusion in regard to what he really meant by his argument. Even after focusing on teaching Psalms lectures, his focus on faith justification principle is apparent but this is clearly a more distinct perception when compared with the one that he was utilizing when campaigning for reform[12]. Basically and closely related to the Church’s perspective at the given time he held the belief that the condition in regard to God’s justification was a single task that the sinner was required to conduct. Prior he held the belief that the requirement for achieving justification was something that would be achieved by the sinner. Later after viewing the aspect as one that would not be achieved by anyone partially sunk in believing in reference to God’s righteousness as the general equality of God in adjudging everyone as equal in regard to being condemned or being saved if they were able to meet the set basics even though with different requirements[13].

Luther held that salvation is dependent on one deed but it is humans who are also sinners who are supposed to take the step of calling for the help of God after realizing that they needed to be graced and given that God is fully Righteous he is necessitated to validate them[14]. However, based on his experience his comprehension regarding salvation created minimized comfort in life. He began to establish the increasing weakness for the salvation and viewed it as attained given that he perceived his own life as completely perfect religiousness[15]. For him, he argued that faith on its own was capable of justification because humanity was completely covered by the impiety and for this reason, it was incapable of escaping which would only be achieved through the utilization of unusual divine[16].

Luther held the belief that repentance is the fruit of grace and not necessary on meeting the requirements and that this can be justified by faith on its own. He acquires a fully fresh aspect of God’s righteousness by asserting that it is justice that God offers freely to the sinners in order to bring them to salvation and to rescue them from the wrongdoings[17]. Luther asserts that faith cannot be founded mainly on historical information regarding the life of Jesus Christ but based on its meaning on an individual person. This means believing that he was intuitive, lived and later died in the quest for sins justification and as he resurrected salvation was achieved for every human. Luther associated his faith to an individual who not only views a car as a means of transportation and believing that it works as all other cars but he believed in getting into the car and permitting it to take him across locations. So in other words, he meant that an individual should trust in God’s promises and everything that He says since those promises are to be kept and fulfilled with time. He also maintained in his justification the argument that faith normally creates connection and unity amid those that believe and Christ himself relative to a marriage reunion in which all aspects of life are shared mutually. In his assertions, he noted that Christ of comprised of grace, life expectancy and salvation[18]. Despite the fact that the human soul is covered by sins, regrets, and death it is through grace that faiths creates a way between them with Christ. With grace then God will not deny a believer salvation as he is the redeemer. With all this being accounted for, faith can never be categorized as a requirement in regard to justification since God is involved in the provision of everything that is required for one to be validated and sinners are only required to achieve it via their own faith which is a God-given gift on its own[19].

When repentance and conviction prove not to be adequate or authoritative simply because of the depth or its worthiness in general grace will automatically come to the rescue of the one that has faith based on the promises and strengths that they hold[20]. In Luther’s view, actual faith is the one that embraces all well and only seeks to believe in the made promises[21].  The righteousness perfection is acquired from the note that individuals are sinners in general but it is only the gospel that makes them pure. It is not that faith is more of an association with Christ in general but it is essential in validating those that sins[22]. This connects directly with the notion that faith is more of the created association with Christ rather than the effort that is necessary for achieving salvation. The general uprightness perfection is acquired generally since individuals are sinners and they are only made virtuous by the gospel[23].

Faith is dominant in Luther’s theology. His detection of Romans 1:17 resulted in a major transformation in his entire life. Prior to this discovery, he was involved in a consistent recount of his sins and concession with the hope that he would not forget to repent for any prior to his death which would result in his faith being questioned for being doubtful. One of the primary transformation in his thesis was based on his fresh comprehension of faith in general. Rather than just perceiving faith as a form of work that should be accomplished in general for salvation to be achieved. Luther mainly perceived faith as the creation of a stronger relationship with God in general. He believed that believing that faith creates some form of relationship is necessary for withdrawing the feeling of sinning fault and the fear of ending up in hell[24].

Fait justification is rooted in the Old Testament as authored by Paul and then asserted by Luther which demonstrates the principality. It was through such writings that Luther got the understanding of the principles. He, however, asserts that despite the fact that the law was provided by God himself being obedient to this law does not seeks to bring salvation but it is having Faith in God that leads to this transformation. This faith is also categorized as perfect inactiveness based on the beliefs of Luther. This, in other words, means being placed to demise as a criminal but being brought back as a saint[25].

It is factual that Luther’s effort towards achieving salvation was more classified in his theological theses. His predestinations confidence was the result of his experience and not based on assumptions. This becomes evident in the case where he consistently emphasis of that actual connection in regard to human determination to achieve ultimate connection and makes declaration that all deeds are mainly sourced from God and also recognizes liberation in subjects that relate to salvation[26]. It is evident that his primary claim was not basically to protect the heavenly power in securing salvation. He focused on acquiring salvation via commendable effort and practices and this did not benefit but ultimately gained peace since his general vision of the general God’s love forgiveness. This developed the conviction that he acquired peace via the work of God[27].

For Luther faith is the one that works because it should be sincere. However, to be precise these works are never a requirement in relation to salvation. It should be noted that Luther’s justification doctrine has an authoritative Christological emphasis. For him, the work of Christ along with justification is an equal measure. In that Faith, justification must be debated in direct relationship with Christ’s doctrine. In regard to salvation and justification, in particular, every man should trust in. God rather than their own capabilities[28]. In the ultimate, justification is dependent on believing in Christ. This means that believing in Christ is consistent with justification. It is thus worth noting that Luther utilized Justification to create more than a single sense. In that he defended is as God’s judgment where he makes one virtuous by declaration. On the other hand, he asserts that being virtuousness is having faith which should not comprise of any form of work but it is based on the gracious kindness and God’s weighing up[29].

In addition, justification to Luther is described incorporates the process through which God considers one as righteous by believing[30]. In this context, it becomes apparent that justification and virtuousness are not complete on the universe but perfection will be achieved at the end.  The comprehensive justification is real only for the presence of sincere faith. In other words, the basic meaning of justification can be seen as the serving of God into believing, attributing and distinguishing a believer as righteous. This is the process via which God instills value in his link to the believer. In reference to the gospel, Justification can best be described as the act through which God accounts and receives as sinner who is not virtuous and considers them as virtuous. This, therefore, implies that Christ does not attribute sins but he acts on forging each of them. For him, he saves humans as though sins never existed. This forgiveness is the actual attribution of righteous[31].

Virtuous is not a man’s quality but it is of Christ. In that humans can never be righteous by themselves or through means that they have created on their own. Christ is the one that is responsible for validation of faith since humans are passive. The compassion and grace of Christ are the basic source of His righteousness and the attribution to the sinner[32]. Validation and justification to humans are from the exterior sources which is not a fundamental quality of their faith. There are no one persons that acquire validation based on their personal deed, God only validates one’s faith for the sake of Christ[33]. This means that the validation is all his doings and in order for it to be effective man should be ready to acquire it. Justification can only be obtained by humans through faith which involves believing in Christ.

Believing in Christ is consistent with a number of features. For Luther, one that believes in Christ must recognize and hold God’s love through Christ. This act according to Luther which involves exchange amid virtuousness and sins is what justification entails.  From the view of a sinner, Faith mainly incorporates the acceptance of a kind judgment over a believer. When one as a sinner maintains his faith it implies that he believes in validation and the entire working of Christ only occurs for the wellness of the sinner. Faith in this context is not a chronological aspect but a fundamental one. Christ’s death on the cross in the quest of guarding human’s salvation is historical truth and should be assumed by the devotee. This means that believing is not an intellectual activity as it incorporates trust in the compassion that Christ offers. Faith is generally made of Christ and thus He cannot be separated from faith as they are not different and they are also not in objection of each other. Faith is authoritative only due to Christ and also because it is based on a virtuous Christ[34]. The compassion promise of Christ can only be obtained through acquiring faith and this is not the work of man but it is a primary response to the heavenly context of forgiveness. Virtuousness was acquired by demise at the cross. This means that validation is directly linked to Christ’s working which is acquired by humans through faith. When doing this individual becomes fully justified since faith is the one that justifies an individual and takes righteousness. Christ is usually living in faith which is used in validation. Justification is fully linked to an individual’s belief. Faith is capable of making an individual righteous after believing fully in Christ where he lives in faith which offers humans justification. In this context, faith can be categorized as a human boldness guided by Christ[35].

While focusing on Luther’s life and theological thesis it is easier to observe the changes that he experienced throughout life. Before his acquisition of knowledge in reference to faith justification, he lived in constant anxiety of the existence of God, sins, and salvation[36]. All his deeds focused on the manner in which he would be able to be saved. His assertions demonstrate that as a reformer Luther was attempting to emphasize on the thesis that faith on its own can be validated and lead to one acquiring salvation. In that, for him, it is believing in Christ that would ensure that the Redeemer places grace on an individual based on their faith and good deeds. For him, it is not possible for one to be virtuous because that is an aspect that can only be owned by God who is the savior. This concept is applicable to the modern culture for particularly for North America and African American cultures. In that, he noted that it is through changing his belief and focusing on his faith and good deeds rather than trying to acquire uprightness that his life transformed. In the contemporary world, it is norm for people to be occupied by their personal works thus forgetting to meet the preconditions of salvation[37]. These cultures are firm and founded on traditions that might be tiring to adhere. Living depending on faith is an easy idea that individuals can understand with ease. Believing does not necessarily imply that one is happy but it creates hopes for salvation. The world is currently consumed by consumerism and the church has not been excused so that happiness can be achieved individuals would live well by considering Luther’s thoughts and live based on their faith and general trust in the promises made by Christ as well as his reappearance. Based on Luther’s ideas Christ is the actual path to the achievement of happiness and faith refers to means through which closeness with Christ[38].

Conclusion

Luther main argument is that faith alone can lead to justification. Luther’s central argument is that faith on its own defends the one that has faith in Christ based on being reached by the gospel. He argues that although the preconditions of faith cannot be based mainly on deeds as faith is the primary determinant. It is through believing that one is validated as righteous. God as the redeemer and thus he has the capability of making one righteous after believing in his promises. Luther asserts that the inclination to love and performance of good work dwells in the believer via Christ who is also existing in Faith. He argues that these features do not, however, justify the authority similar to human characteristics related to faith. According to Luther, Faith incorporates effective transformation in the person that beliefs highly that allows an individual to maintain are.

References

Bayer, Oswald. 2008. Martin Luther's theology: a contemporary interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.

Corneliu C. Simut. N.D. The Doctrine of Justification in the Theology of Martin Luther: A Sample of Theological Ethics for Romanian Evangelicals. Emanuel University. Retrieved from http://www.emanuel.ro/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/P-1.1-2003-Corneliu-C.-Simut-The-Doctrine-of-Justification-in-the-Theology-of-Martin-Luther.pdf

Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

Kolb, Robert, Irene Dingel, and L'ubomír Batka. 2016. The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1583829.

McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[1] Bayer, Oswald. 2008. Martin Luther's theology: a contemporary interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub

[2] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[3] Corneliu C. Simut. N.D. The Doctrine of Justification in the Theology of Martin Luther: A Sample of Theological Ethics for Romanian Evangelicals. Emanuel University

[4] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[5] Kolb, Robert, Irene Dingel, and L'ubomír Batka. 2016. The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. New York: Oxford University Press.

[6] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[7] Corneliu C. Simut. N.D. The Doctrine of Justification in the Theology of Martin Luther: A Sample of Theological Ethics for Romanian Evangelicals. Emanuel University

[8] Bayer, Oswald. 2008. Martin Luther's theology: a contemporary interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub

[9] Kolb, Robert, Irene Dingel, and L'ubomír Batka. 2016. The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. New York: Oxford University Press.

[10] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[11] Corneliu C. Simut. N.D. The Doctrine of Justification in the Theology of Martin Luther: A Sample of Theological Ethics for Romanian Evangelicals. Emanuel University

[12] Kolb, Robert, Irene Dingel, and L'ubomír Batka. 2016. The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. New York: Oxford University Press.

[13] Bayer, Oswald. 2008. Martin Luther's theology: a contemporary interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub

[14] Kolb, Robert, Irene Dingel, and L'ubomír Batka. 2016. The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. New York: Oxford University Press.

[15] Corneliu C. Simut. N.D. The Doctrine of Justification in the Theology of Martin Luther: A Sample of Theological Ethics for Romanian Evangelicals. Emanuel University

[16] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[17] McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[18] Bayer, Oswald. 2008. Martin Luther's theology: a contemporary interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub

[19] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[20] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[21] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[22]Corneliu C. Simut. N.D. The Doctrine of Justification in the Theology of Martin Luther: A Sample of Theological Ethics for Romanian Evangelicals. Emanuel University

[23] McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[24] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[25] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[26] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[27] McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[28] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[29] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[30] McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[31] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[32] McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[33] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

[34] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[35] McGrath, Alister E. 2011. Luther's theology of the cross: Martin Luther's theological breakthrough. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

[36] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[37] Lopes Pereira, Jairzinho. 2013. Augustine of Hippo and Martin Luther on original sin and justification of the sinner.

[38] Hamm, Berndt, and Timothy Wengert. "Martin Luther's Revolutionary Theology of Pure Gift without Reciprocation." Lutheran Quarterly 29, no. 2 (2015): 125.

 “Cross-Cultural Servanthood Serving the World in Christlike Humility Cross-cultural servant hood”

Cross-Cultural Servanthood

 Introduction

 Elmer gives great information on cross-cultural servanthood and how missionaries can serve all people regardless of geographical boundaries. An important point is that modern missionaries need to follow the footsteps of Christ and make servanthood a natural task by showing humility. There is a big problem which needs to be addressed in order to fulfill the Great Commission and reach the unreached people in the world. Today, missionaries’ actions portray superiority and imperialism toward diverse cultures or in other words they do   not offer Christlike service. Elmer recommends that missionaries should serve with sensitivity and humility and understand cross-cultural awareness to avoid offending people. Humility should be the guiding principle since it unit’s people and help servants use their natural gifts. In order to build and maintain relationships with diverse cultures, missionaries need to follow the step of Christ and show humility.

Summary section

 This book is great as it provides helpful information on cross-cultural context on servanthood.  The first important point that Elmer states is that servanthood is unnatural task-meaning that   the work is for those who desire to be cross-cultural servants in spreading the good news. However, servanthood will become a natural thing if servants   discover a deepest identification with God and understand that   the servanthood is not only based on their deeds but   also on how people define them[1]. Other important point is that in servanthood, the servants should choose between a towel and a robe. The disciples of Jesus focused on gaining royal status, prominence, special honor and powerful positions (robe) and ignored the need to serve others, meeting the need of others, seeking the lost, nurturing people and services to humankind (towel)[2]. In this point, Elmer offers a main theme of service versus greatness. This means that the goal of servanthood should be on serving others and the servant role should be characterized by   humility and obedience.  The main purpose of this book is to help and challenge the modern evangelical Christians who have the desire to follow Christ and fulfill the Great Commission. Servanthood is journey which requires guiding principles. In spreading the gospel and revealing Christ, servants need to practice openness, acceptance, trust, understanding   and learning. These principles will build a positive experience and God’s purpose will be fulfilled[3].

  Elmer states that servanthood is   characterized by set skills and missionaries must possess these skills in order to enter in cross-cultural ministry.  He notes that servanthood is a journey that needs discipline as well as perseverance in offering servant practices. Elmer states that the first step of servanthood is openness[4]. On this principle, servants cannot serve people whom they do not understand and understanding cannot be achieved without learning.  In learning, success cannot be achieved   or servants cannot derive important information about cultures if there no relationship and trust between the two.  For trust and relationship to be achieved and maintained, the servant and the people served must   value each other.  Before accepting diverse cultures, a servant should show openness to different cultures in social setting.  By being open, servants need to show acceptance through value and respecting others unconditionally[5].  The latter means that value and respect should be offered regardless of lifestyle, behaviors and so forth.  Through acceptance, servants show the glory of God,   unity in Christ   and God’s blessings. After acceptance, servants should build trust   and relationship with the new cultures. Trust can be built through learning their language, sharing and mutual learning, solving problems and showing forgiveness[6]. In addition,   servants should adhere to the principle of understanding other people’s culture.  In order to communicate effectively, create a beneficial exchange and reduce fear, servants must understand the cultures   as well as their importance in sharing the word of God. After understanding and valuing the diverse cultures, servants should serve and help them live a God-glorifying lives.

 Elmer not only provides the principles of servanthood but he also introduces the challenges that servants may come across in the cross-cultural ministry. Elmer states that the challenges in servanthood emerge as people do not understand   the meaning of servant and leadership[7].  In biblical perspective, missionaries are called for servanthood but not for leadership. The bad thing with leaderships as it is stated in the bible is that leaders can be good and others can be blatant hypocrites like the Pharisees[8].  In servanthood, leaders who tend to be servants follow their personality and ignore the biblical aspects. The point is that those who are willing to spread the gospel should act as servants of God. A servant must be humble and reflect the character of Jesus. Finally, Elmer states that missionaries should imitate the servanthood model of Joseph[9]. The latter engaged in a cross-cultural ministry and faced various challenges. However,   he did not focus on power or prominence but rather he showed openness, accepted diverse cultures, created trust and served people as Christ did.

 Critique section

 In today missionary work, Western missionaries do not reflect the character of Jesus since their servanthood is characterized by superiority and imperialism which results to unintentional insults. In addition, missionaries focus on their cultural context which presents superior attitude such as education, wealth and leadership[10]. Others have the problem of cultural misinterpretation due to race, ways of living and more. This is the high time to understand the real meaning of cross-cultural servanthood and follow the Christ services. This book is wonderful as it provides ways of ministering and giving Christlike services to people in all nations. Since there are many people who have not heard the gospel on salvation, modern missionaries are called to embrace sensitivity and humility in serving diverse cultures[11].   Missionaries should follow the footsteps of Christ be compassionate and show acts of kindness in order to change the world. Even though servanthood is unnatural things, it becomes natural when missionaries are compassionate and express the Christian life.  Note that Jesus was a good example of a servant who practices servanthood cross-culturally. Jesus entered in the Jewish culture and redeemed those who believed[12]. In order to achieve task effectiveness in fulfill the Greta Commission, the only thing to do is to built relationship with other cultures and change their behaviors.

Servanthood  is a major theme which Elmer presents , and he strengthens the theme by showing that  every person is called to be a servant of God  and  God’s desire  is to  change the  character of sinners so that they can reflect  the character of Jesus. Biblically, the role of a servant is to recognize the needs of others and meet their needs[13].  An important point that Elmer wants the reader to note is that servanthood is challenging and a rewarding job. In spreading the gospel cross-culturally, there are barriers here and there and they are also benefits which are achieved through saving souls and making people experience the transforming power and   live a Godly life[14]. Today, servanthood is imperative in spreading the gospel to the unreached people in all nations.  Servants are called to enter in every nation regardless of geographic boundaries and tell about the salvation. However, Elmer states that modern missionaries do not fully understand the cross-cultural servanthood since they do not value other cultures. Missionaries should understand that  servanthood  reflects the  discipleship, and   in order to  be great in the kingdom of God,   missionaries  should  the servant of all  and follow the footstep of Jesus  in spreading the  good news   and bringing  hope and freedom[15].

 In cross-cultural context, missionary work is hindered by ethnocentric attitudes and this book challenges the action presented by missionaries in the cross-cultural ministry and   provided approaches that missionary need to apply in the cross-cultural servanthood[16].   In servanthood,   one important thing that will make modern missionaries serve as Christ did is ignoring the robe and valuing the towel. This means that in serving cross-culturally, missionaries should not focus on gaining prominence and being connected with people of power but they should focus on meeting the needs of people, valuing other people than they value themselves and make service the main achievable goal[17]. In Mathew 20:26, missionary should be servant of all in order to be great in the kingdom of God. A point to note is that Chris was Lord and Jesus but he also showed obedience and humility. However, his followers failed to notice the humble servanthood and focused on his kingly role[18]. This teaches us that in cross-cultural servanthood, Jesus calls servants to imitate his character of humility. They should avoid showing pride which breaks the unity and causes conflict and quarrelsome relationships.

             The book has various strengths in that Elmer touches on critical issues facing missionaries and which are vital to cross-cultural ministry. The first important point to note in this book is that   servanthood is a task which requires strategies in order to fulfill the Great Commission[19]. Note that in order to be open and welcome people, missionaries should suspend judgment, tolerate ambiguity and give positive attribution.  In addition, missionaries should think gray-avoid making opinion without relevant facts.  The point is in cross-cultural setting, missionaries should monitor their thoughts, avoid fleeting thoughts and premature judgment[20]. Note that Jesus showed a countercultural act by welcoming and sharing meal with sinners, strangers and poor.  Missionaries should express openness in a cultural ways to both non-Christians and Christians.  All people from diverse cultures have a sacred dignity and this dignity should   compel the missionaries to value and accept them. To be open, missionaries should be committed and willing to built relationship with different cultures.  In cross-cultural servanthood, missionaries should follow the footsteps of Jesus in accepting others[21]. Missionaries should value others cultures and accept their values regardless of social setting.  Even though missionaries may reject sinful behaviors described by the bible, they should avoid dehumanizing behaviors and accept all people regardless of race and gender. It is also important to be aware of factors that hinder acceptance such as language, impatience, ethnocentrism, dogmatism and so forth[22]. By being open to cultural difference and accepting values, missionaries should create trust across cultures. Since different cultures build trust differently, it is important as a missionary to learn how to built trust by first maintaining trustful.  In servanthood, learning and understand are key element that modern missionaries should apply in cross-cultural ministry. In order to fulfill goals, Elmer advices missionaries to learn about the new cultures, their language, practices as well as customs[23]. Through learning, an authentic partnership will be built.  Learning will also help the missionary understand the different cultural practice, avoid ethnocentric ways, show empowering humility and act like Christ.  In serving the children of God, missionary should    have understanding, should enforce rules and practice forgiveness.  Note that these steps are abilities- meaning that missionary should make a choice, be committed and willing to serve as Christ did[24].

 Today, there is a big challenge in that modern Christian leaders are connecting servanthood with leadership. In cross-cultural ministry¸ the word servant is misused as church leaders practice servant-like practices which are characterized by dictatorship, oppression and so forth[25].  Leaders who tend to be servants act presents dictatorial styles and others are not gifted at all. They end up destructing the word of God and a big problem is that they never realize their mistake as they inwardly accept they are servants. Elmer advice modern missionaries and church leaders to avoid attaching the servant to servant-leadership since they are not common and people who desire to follow Christ are called to be servants. In addition, not only are they called to be servant but they should also be humble servants   who serves the community and who show acceptance and God’s grace to all[26].  Elmer adds that missionaries should imitate character of Joseph since he was open, welcomed people and valued the Egyptian culture. He accepted the new culture, adjusted to the ways and become an Egyptian ruler.  Joseph learned the new language, he built trust, and he was willing to understand the political economic and social affairs and served them positively through humility and obedience[27].

 The book contains shortcomings in that it mainly focuses on guidelines that missionaries should follow in serving local   cultures.  It touches much on cultural understanding but ignores the services to offer or how to share gospel with diverse cultures. Other shortcoming is apparent in part three where he introduces a new topic on leadership[28]. The topic on leadership does not play important role in the book and for this reason, he could deal on cross-culture servanthood without introducing issues on servant-leadership. Finally, the author ignores subtle cultural differences and he focuses on local cultures. Missionaries are called to serve different cultures   not only in U.S but also in other nations[29].

Conclusion

Elmer challenges modern missionaries for their actions which differ from Christ’s service.  In cross-cultural servanthood, missionaries are called to fulfilling the Great Commission to the world and to all cultures regardless of race and gender. Elmer recommends that in order to create a relationship with diverse people, missionaries need to be open, accept the diverse values, build trust and show interest in learning the new ways. Sensitivity and humility and key elements which missionaries need to apply in the missionary work and this will help spread the gospel without compromise.  The final important thing in this book is that modern missionaries need to choose towel   and not the robe. This means that in offering Christ like service,. Missionaries should have a common goal of serving and saving the soul. They should not serve to gain prominence but rather they should be humble and obedient   for them to be great in the kingdom of God.

Bibliography

Elmer Duane.  (2006). Cross-Cultural Servanthood Serving the World in Christlike Humility. InterVarsity Press.

[1] Elmer Duane.  (2006). Cross-Cultural Servanthood Serving the World in Christlike Humility. InterVarsity Press.

[2] Ibid, 24

[3] Ibid, 33

[4] Ibid, 46

[5] Ibid, 76

[6]Ibid , 223

[7] Ibid, 224

[8] Ibid, 225

[9] Ibid, 278

[10] Ibid, 8

[11] Ibid, 32

[12] Ibid, 38

[13] Ibid, 40

[14] Ibid, 41

[15] Ibid, 44

[16] Ibid, 45

[17] Ibid, 48

[18] Ibid, 50

[19] Ibid, 68

[20] Ibid, 70

[21] Ibid, 75

[22] Ibid, 97

[23] Ibid, 152

[24] Ibid, 158

[25] Ibid, 223

[26] Ibid, 228

[27] Ibid, 278

[28] Ibid, 223

[29] Ibid, 279

Article Review on Consultation on Gospel and Culture - Lausanne Movement

 Introduction

 The Lausanne Committee presents a report on gospel and culture. The report was written in 1978 by missionaries and Christian leaders from six continents, and they objective was to understand the relation between gospel and culture and how gospel can be preached cross-culturally.  After consultation, they came up with a report which involves various important issues regarding culture and gospel. They touched issues on culture in biblical perspective, understanding the word of God in cross-cultural world, conversion and culture, church and culture and more.  In the Great Commission, missionaries are called to spread the good news to every nation. Today evangelical Christians should cross all the cultural barriers, recognize the differences, appreciate the diversity, create relationships and share the good news. In this report, evangelical Christians are called to engage in cross-cultural ministry in order to spread the good news to the unreached people and fulfill the Great Commission.

Summary section

 The Committee for World Evangelization presents a wonderful report on gospel and culture. In exploring  the relationship between gospel and culture, and  how to spread the gospel  cross-culturally to all the nations, the committee start by understanding the culture in  biblical basis  and they find that  the human culture is  rooted from  the  creation where God commanded  the human being to subdue the earth  and control the nature  after creation[1]. However, since man violated the law of God, the culture in human nature does not reflect God’s goodness but rather it reflects selfishness and self-centeredness. In biblical revelation, God’s expressed himself or in others words message was expressed through cultural materials in both Old and New Testaments. For example, the word of God was written by human beings but God   understood the authors’ cultural backgrounds as well as their knowledge[2]. The committee also state that in communicating the word of God, language need to be translated for people in different cultural backgrounds to understand.  In other words, the original word has both form and meaning (formal correspondence) but it is important to change the form (dynamic equivalence) in order to maintain the meaning of the message and help Christians   from different cultures understand the scripture deeply[3].

 In spreading the gospel, the committee put emphasis that evangelical Christians should give the exact message from the scripture. Even though a little change is done for cross-cultural communication, the word of God has no errors and thus, the essential meaning should be maintained. In trying to understand the gospel and culture, the committee affirms that cultural concepts are not only reflected in the scripture but they are also reflected on how Christians interpret the scriptures[4]. An important to note from research is that people understand the word of God in different ways. For example, some people use the popular approach by reading the word without awareness of the cultural context. Note that through this method, the reader does not only fail to understand the original context but also fails understand the real meaning of the scripture. Other big problem is that some people may understand both historical and cultural background and discover the meaning but they rests on traditional meaning, ignores contemporary cultural presupposition and fails to apply the message in contemporary life[5]. The committee recommends a contextual approach which encompasses both popular and historical approach and goes further to combine the biblical context with contemporary cultural context to derive the meaning[6].  The report from the committee also touches issues of gospel in terms of   context and communication. They state that in communicating the gospel, it is important to understand the central theme of the scripture such as Lord of all, Hope in Christ, God as Creator and more. Evangelical Christians should reflect the character of Jesus   through their characters and attitude. Love and holiness should be seen by other people and they should always ensure a humble service and maintain personal authenticity[7]. Other important issue that is presented in the report is the conversion and culture. The committee says that modern evangelists focus on traditional views than biblical views. The recommendation is that on conversion, the gospel should proclaim the resurrection of Jesus and the new life. Generally, the coverts should be allowed to understand the new ways of life and the mission in Christ. It is important to value culture in church formation as well as in communication. The church should express the image of Christ through own culture. However, they should abandon the cultural values which do not relate to the word of God and maintain the good things within the cultural context[8]. The last message communicated by the committee is that after conversion and positive cultural aspects in the Christian life, Christians’ lifestyle and behaviors should adhere to ethical standards and refrain from the world’s standards.  

Critique section

The Willowbank Report provides a cultural insight and how people from difference cultures can receive the message of Christ through cross-cultural ministry. Cross-cultural ministry is imperative in spreading the gospel to the unreached people in all nations. The report makes a call for a cross-cultural missionary since in the contemporary world there is an enormous unfinished task. The evangelical Christians should move to all nations not considering geographical boundaries[9]. The main purpose of the report is to inform the evangelical Christians that the word of God should be preached cross-culturally as much as tools for adequate communication are available. There are many unreached religious people in the world and this is the high time to embrace the cross-cultural evangelism in order to save the lost souls. However, dedication, resources and the power of God are necessary element needed in finishing the unfinished task. The report reminds the evangelical Christian that we are in a missionary era and it is the high time to unite in spreading the good news. Other important point is that evangelical Christians should be Christ-centered-meaning that they should maintain the biblical truth[10]. Note that when Christ was on earth, he created a cross-cultural ministry where   people from different background were included. For example, he preached to the Samaritan, the Canaanite among others.  This means that in modern world, evangelical Christians are expected to deliver the biblical reality and proclaim the message of salvation to all nations. Since they are many people who have not heard the gospel of salvation, evangelical Christian should avoid creating a ‘sacred-secular divide’.  The point is that a cross-cultural ministry encompasses all tribes and races and   aims at creating a positive interaction with diverse people.  In order to accomplish the great commission, there are must be cultural engagement which aims at removing the society conflict and implementing moral and spiritual truth[11].

 According to the Willowbank Report, cultural aspects are important in spreading the gospel. This is because; culture involves actions, agreement and how thing should be done.  Culture is  related with gospel in that in spreading  the good news,  the  evangelical Christian proclaim  salvation  to different  cultures while respecting  and maintaining  the cultural value as well as the  power of the  scripture[12].  In connecting the gospel with culture, evangelical Christians should   have mutual commitment and show love.  In cross-cultural evangelism, evangelical Christian should understand that culture has its origin from God’s creation. This means that culture has an ultimate meaning, it is associated with reality and normative, and help people as well the society create identity and dignity. Thus, since the creation, God has been revealing his character or cultural values through his deeds[13].  The point is  in today’s missionary work, evangelical Christians should understand the culture of God. The problem with modern missionaries is that they undervalues diverse cultures and views them with negative attitude.  They reflect on the fall of man and the sinful nature, but fail to discover the salvation in Christ. Thus, in spreading the gospel, evangelical Christians should always remember the culture that existed   before the fall of man and move forward to value the human culture remembering that Jesus died and washed way the sins[14].  Note that culture creates a social community where community people are unified, develops sense of belonging, developed identity and dignity.  A point to note is that in spreading the gospel to the unreached people, evangelical Christians  should  remember that the cultures reflect the image of God  and for this reason,  they should respect the cultures and show love in order to share the message.  On bases of culture, evangelical Christians are called to enter in the secular society and interact with non-Christians to tell them the good news about salvation[15].

 The first important things that evangelical Christians should know is that in  cross-cultural ministry, they  should understand the  form and meaning of the word of God  before sharing it with the multi-ethnic people. When interaction with ethnic groups, evangelical Christians should change the form of the message and maintain the meaning. This means that they should create a dynamic equivalence so that different people can understand the real meaning of the scripture and apply it to their life and live a Godly life[16].  Other important point is that evangelical Christians should know that the word is God is pure and thus should maintain the essential meaning. Even though a translation is required for cross-cultural communication, the formulation and explanation should have a normative quality. Today, the Willbank Report encourages the evangelical Christians to change the negative perceptions they have on the word of God. For example, majority use the traditional and popular approach which direct them toward understand thing the biblical context without the need discover the cultural background[17].  On traditional approach, people read the scripture and understand the historical and cultural background and how it relates with the Scripture. However, these approach  have weakness in that  failure to understand the  cultural context  misses  the real meaning of the word and  understanding  the historical cultural background  and relating it to the scripture  misses  the  deeper meaning  in the contemporary world[18].  In this case, the Willowbank report encourages the evangelical Christians to understand both historical and cultural background of the text and relate it to modern times in order to give the real meaning. The recommended approach is the contextual approach which involves reading the word of God, taking the positive elements and understanding the original context. Having gained knowledge on what the word says and historical background, there should be a dynamic interplay where awareness of concern is valued.  In other words, the word should be connected with personal situation, and cultural background and this will help get the deeper meaning.  The contextual approach leads to growth in knowledge and a transforming experience[19].

            Other area that needs change is on the content and communication. In the evangelistic ministry, evangelical Christians are encouraged to consider the content and spread the positive aspects to different cultures. They are called to understand the heart of the gospel else the central themes and offer theological formulation[20].  In fulfilling the Great Commission in cross-cultural areas, there are cultural barriers that evangelical Christians come across. For example, some cultures believe that the gospel will affects the solidarity and the stability of the society.  People also believe that the evangelical Christians from alien cultures violate the customs and cultural values by presenting their racial superiority and ways of life.  However, evangelical Christians should be aware of the local cultural values and create peace as Jesus did[21].   They should reflect the character of Jesus and move from negative cultural aspects to the love of Christ and salvation. The Willowbank Report makes a call and encourages the evangelical Christian to be humble messagers. In other words, they should show  humility  in  facing  the cultural problems , humility in accepting diverse cultural values, humility in communicating in unfriendly  social  conditions, humility in  translating the language and  humility in  following the Holy Spirit of God[22].   After showing humility, other important thing that evangelical Christians should adhere to is conversion and culture. When people are converted, it is the responsibility of evangelical Christians to preach the goods   news of salvation, news ways of life and the new life in Christ. In fulfilling the Great Commission, the inverted Christians should be taught that there is a radical change and the need to have fundamental convictions[23].  In addition, the converted Christians should reflect the character of Jesus by adhering to moral standards and refrain from forming relationship with the crooked generation. Finally, the church should connect cultural values with scripture   but not on historical views.  The point is that all that is evil should be abandoned and all cultures should reflect the good work. Cultures should be encouraged to adhere to moral standards, the love and truth.  It is role of the church to transform the culture and implement   good things that reflect the glory of God[24].

 Conclusion

 Willowbank Report had offered an important message on the importance of culture and how culture influences the Scripture reading, the gospel and the conversion. Evangelical Christians are called for a cross cultural ministry where they will move to the world and spread the gospel of salvation to the unreached groups. In spreading the gospel, evangelical Christians should value the human culture; understand the standards of conduct, customs and the ways of life.  Given than some people may resist the gospel due to fear that it will affect their ways  of life,  it is the role of the evangelical Christians  to transform the cultures and  encourage them to follow  what is good and refrain from  evil. The important thing is to understand the culture and be humble on the diverse values the culture presents.  This is also reinforced by the need to understand the scripture through historical and contextual approach in order to tranform the society from old ways to new ways.

Bibliography

Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. (1978). LOP 2 – The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and Culture. Retrieved from: http://www.lausanne.org/content/lop/lop-2

[1] Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. (1978). LOP 2 – The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and Culture.

[2] Ibid

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid

[5] Ibid

[6] Ibid

[7] Ibid

[8] Ibid

[9] Ibid

[10] Ibid

[11] Ibid

[12] Ibid

[13] Ibid

[14] Ibid

[15] Ibid

[16] Ibid

[17] Ibid

[18] Ibid

[19] Ibid

[20] Ibid

[21] Ibid

[22] Ibid

[23] Ibid

[24] Ibid

"The Master Plan of Evangelism"

Introduction

 Coleman’s book offers helpful information which evangelists in the Christian world can apply in fulfilling the Great Commission. The author has a single purpose of challenging modern methodology in evangelistic ministry and offers a clear explanation of model that should be applied.  This is a must read book for people who needed to follow Christ and who are committed to spread the gospel to the whole world.  In spreading the good news to all people,   the church should follow the guiding principles of Jesus. For example, church leaders should select evangelists who will go to all nations and spread the Gospel of Salvation. In preparing to accomplish the Great Commission, church leaders and followers are expected to collaborate in spiritual growth, obey the God’s command, love each other and demonstrate the character of Jesus. Followers who are selected to follow Christ should be assigned task, leaders should supervise their performance and the evangelistic ministry should accomplish the mission of winning souls. Today, the church as well as the evangelical Christians should emulate the character of Jesus and his model   in order to fulfill the Great Commission of spreading the good news to all the nations.

Summary section

 Jesus acted as a perfect example in fulfilling the Great Commission and his central purpose in spreading the gospel was to redeem the world. However, rather than spreading the gospel to a multitude, his mission was to make disciples and teach them on how to spread the good news to all nations. In the concept of evangelism, Jesus had set guiding principles, objectives and relevance, and these assisted him in setting long-range goals and taking course of action[1].  The interesting thing with the ‘Master’s plan’ is that Jesus’ goal in preaching the gospel was to make disciples who would help other people to follow Jesus. In spreading the gospel, Jesus had clear objectives to save souls and ensure that through saving the world, all people are entitled to inherit the kingdom of God. He did not exclude nations of tribes; instead his objective was ‘all world evangelism’ so that all can have eternal life.  The overall purpose of the book is to make   a call to emulating the character of Jesus in fulfilling the Great Commission and use the Jesus’ approach to spread the good news to all the nations telling about them about the salvation, the love of God and his forgiveness[2].

In his evangelistic plan, Jesus had the following strategies; Firsts, Jesus selected   men who were willing to follow him and who could later spread the good news to the multitude.  In other words, Jesus wanted men who would offer proper care to the multitude and who would teach them the truth and help them stay away from the false prophet who would lead them astray[3].  After selecting a few men, Jesus developed a training program and taught them about the law, rituals and formulas which they were to follow to be different from world people. They walked with Jesus and witnessed his action and this helped them increase their faith and live a Christian life[4]. Third, Jesus ensured consecration in his evangelistic plan. The followers were taught to have self-denial and to obey his word.  In order to have a strong faith and trust Jesus, obedience was a key element. Fourth, Impartation was a principle in the Master’s plan. In this principle, Jesus wanted the disciples to receive the spirit of God for them to increase their faith. For this reason, he offered peace, joy glory and everything he had and by so doing, he showed them love in an infinite way[5]. After Jesus created a spiritual communion with followers, he guided them on how to live a Christian life. For example, he told showed how to pray and the need to pray without ceasing, reading the Holy Scripture, winning souls and teaching naturally.   In his evangelistic plan, Jesus sixth plan was delegation- assigned task to his followers. For example, Jesus assigned tasks such as caring, baptizing, healing,   casting out demons, raising the dead and more.  After assigned tasks, Jesus supervised their work for the purpose of rejoicing for the good work; making corrections and helping them achieve the goals. Jesus’ last element in his evangelistic plan was reproduction.  In this principle Jesus ensured that his followers’ work was productive in terms of being victories despite being in the mists of challenges, rejection, persecution and struggle[6].

Critique section

  In modern evangelistic ministry, evangelical Christians are called to apply the model which Jesus used in fulfilling the Great Commission. In the time of Jesus, disciples or the followers of Jesus played a significant role in spreading the gospel to the whole world[7].  However, the modern evangelistic ministry is flawed in that evangelical Christian is not following the model of Christ. Note that in modern world, the Christian population is increasing dramatically but evangelists are few. What happens is that the evangelical Christians are not winning the souls. Today the evangelical ministry starts by spreading the gospel to the multitude where they get many convert and baptized them. According to Coleman, the church leadership should first lay a strong foundation to the evangelical Christians through evaluating talents and training them. Church members are gifted with different gifts and these people should utilize their talents to perform the service of God to the multitude[8].  The argument is that it is the high time for the church to set evangelistic programs   where people who are committed to spread the gospel are trained.  The point is that before engaging   in the evangelistic ministry, the church should begin from the top and allow the few members who are willing to become the followers of Jesus get training. In evangelism, modern churches do not  provide  young converts with training program  or follow-up services,  but the converts are  left alone to  find own means for spiritual growth. The point is that in the evangelistic ministry, there should be a personal guardian   who will assist the new believes on growth and development in spiritual life[9].  There should be committed counselors who will to protect the converts from Satan’s snare.

            In the evangelistic ministry, the selected evangelical Christians should understand that as servants of God, they should adhere to the orders.  There is a big problem in modern churches in that evangelists have stunted growth and their faith remains weak. The reason is because they are indifference toward the God’s commandment and their life is characterized by complacency with mediocrity[10].  According to Coleman, this is high time for the evangelical Christians to emulate Jesus and present Christian discipleship. To accomplish this, there should be competent leaders in the church who will teach the evangelists to be obedient.  The problem with modern evangelical Christians is that they have not devoted their life for Christ. They fail to understand they should reflect the Christ while spreading the gospel.  Thus, evangelical Christians should reflect the character of Jesus and preach relevant gospel to all nations[11]. As stated above, the population is rising dramatically and churches may face challenges on how to spread the good news to them.  By following the model of Christ, the church leadership should   be Christ followers before training evangelists.  In other words, when the evangelical Christians enter in the world, they should present the character of leaders as disciples presented the character of Jesus. Leaders must have personal responsibility and present the spiritual realities. Thus, Jesus’ methodology is effective in that the evangelical Christians will gain knowledge   and skills on God’s salvation and they will have a high level of preparedness when entering in the world to save souls[12].

 The apparent problem with evangelical Christians today is that they perform the service for human impression.  In other words, their work is an optional accessory but not a call to spread the good news. However, Jesus ensured that disciple followed a definite command and that all followers   preached the gospel and fulfilled the mission.  To achieve this in modern world,   the church leadership should teach the evangelical Christians and assign them tasks[13].  After assigning role, church leadership should offer direct supervision to evaluate innumerable things that emerge and which may discourage them.    The role of evaluation is to encourage each others to move on without losing hope in order to accomplish the mission and win many souls. In  addition,  supervision  encourage the evangelical Christians that  the Holy Spirit  is with them and will renew their faith and  provide them  with power  and strength  reach  to all people.   Other change that modern churches should strive to achieve in spreading the gospel is great revival.  In the evangelistic ministry, the church should be influenced by the love of God and should be committed to present the character of God[14].  Nonetheless, the evangelical Christians should not be motivated by recognition, commission, ceremonies and more. Though the latter play role in helping the church achieve the mission, the church should incorporate the personal mission in the Christ model and selected evangelists who will deny their life for the sake of winning souls[15].

Strengths

Biblicism and simplicity are quality elements that make the work of Coleman to be amazing.  He uses a biblical perspective and shows that no skills or knowledge are needed in order to start the evangelistic ministry. The only thing   is to reflect on the work of Jesus and the model he used in the Great Commission[16]. The book is useful in modern Christian world as modern evangelical Christians   are allowed to learn the devotional theology useful in the spreading the gospel. Other  apparent strengthen  in this book is that before  telling the audiences the  needed changes in the evangelistic ministry, he reflects on the character of God and offer clear illustrations  which allows the audience  to emulate the character of Jesus as a  perfect example[17]. The model allows audiences understand the real meaning of the Great Commission in modern world.  Through the He offers thorough information on philosophy of evangelism,   those people who are willing to follow Jesus can derive an important message on how to spread the gospel. The message is rooted from Jesus’ work and the important point to derive is that discipleship and evangelism are two key elements needed in fulfilling the Great Commission. This means that in order to reach all nations, one should follow Christ and at the same   adhere to Christian obedience[18]. 

Weaknesses

 Coleman work is associated with weaknesses in that some theological formulations do not meet his purpose. For example,   he puts emphasize on the character of Jesus and how he accomplished his mission. However, he does not offer a theological perspective on what Jesus is revealed through his work.  He fails to offer important message regarding Christ especially the foundation role[19].  Generally, Coleman rests on the idea that in the evangelistic ministry, church or else leaders should be in the frontline to act the way Jesus acted in fulfilling the mission. However, the point is that evangelists should   reflect the image of Christ and avoid emulating the character of their pastors[20].  Even though his work   is based on theology, this book does not offer quality biblical information on someone who wants to grow spiritually.  Other weakness is that the book concentrates on Jesus life and fails to offer information on discipleship.  He could touch on discipleship growth so that modern believers can emuklate the human character and live a Christian life.

Conclusion

 In fulfilling the Great Commission, everyone should show faith in action, and go to the world to spread the good news to the people. Those who are willing to follow Christ are given the authority to spread the Gospel of Salvation.  The book by Coleman gives an analysis of the gospel of Jesus in a deeper way by telling how Jesus accomplished the Great Commission.  He  says that Jesus had a strategic plan  which started with selecting few men,  teaching them,  giving to  them  all he had including love and peace,  demonstrated  the  character of God toward them, assigned task and supervise the work. Today, the information offered by Coleman is applicable in our lives especially in our church and the evangelistic ministry. In order to accomplish the Great Commission, the only thing to do is to emulate the character of Jesus by applying his strategic plan.  

Reference

Coleman E. Robert.  1972. The MASTER PLAN of EVANGELISM. Fleming H. Revell Company

[1] Coleman E. Robert.  1972. The MASTER PLAN of EVANGELISM. Fleming H. Revell Company, 8

[2] Ibid, 9

[3] Ibid, 21

[4] Ibid, 24

[5] Ibid, 39

[6] Ibid,47

[7] Ibid, 19

[8] Ibid, 26

[9] Ibid, 34

[10] Ibid, 30

[11] Ibid, 40

[12] Ibid, 67

[13] Ibid,  53

[14] Ibid, 64

[15] Ibid, 70

[16] Ibid, 10

[17] Ibid, 11

[18] Ibid, 33

[19] Ibid, 10

[20] Ibid, 47

Augustine and Christianity

Augustine was born in 354 in Western Roman Empire by his parents Patricius (pagan) and Monica (Christian).  In 386, he was baptized, confessed his sins and dedicated his life to God. Later, he accepted the beliefs of Manichaeism which offered a special knowledge on good and evil (Puchner, 234).  He learned that evil directed a person to do against the will of God.  He discovered the truth and the nature of God which helped him live a Godly life. Before his baptismal and confession in 387, Augustine  developed personal thought on loving the soul  and wrote a book known as on ‘Free Choice of the Will’ where he wrote issues based on evil, unjust law, happiness and sorrow and more (Puchner, 238).

 In 391, Augustine was ordained as a pastor in the Numidian port and in 396, he was ordained as the assistant bishop of Tagatse and later became a bishop following the death of bishop Valerius. In his work as a bishop, he was settling disputes between Christians and non-believers and in most cases he emphasized on the need to forgive sins (Puchner, 256).  In 397, he wrote  “On Christian  Doctrine” and  touched on  things like the role of a Christian  teachers  in  instructing  other people,  helping  non-believers discover the truth  and live a life in harmony.  In his work, he also wrote ‘The Trinity’ and ‘On Lying’ which emphasized on God’s mercy, the grace of Christ and the need to follow the God’s commandment. However, Augustine experienced an ecclesiastical conflict with Donatist bishop on Christian teaching, but the conflict was solved by holding a conference.  In 413, Augustine wrote the “The City of God’ for the purpose defending his truth on Christianity (Puchner, 288).

 Work cited

 Puchner Martin. Norton Anthology World Literature Vol D. , 2012. Print.

Work cited

Faith Integration in Community Psychology

Christians recognize Jesus as Supreme over all life’s scopes and not only from a religious sphere of influence. There is not even a single religious scope regarding life and nonspiritual ones that can be separated comprehensively (Briner & Pritchard, 2008). In this context, the central matter is not whether Jesus is pertinent and of the essence in psychology therapy but how the two should be integrated. In the most recent period, psychologists have acknowledged that spirituality influences individual’s lives but its authority for existence is yet to be acknowledged (Obiezu, 2007). There is a great necessity for faith and psychology integration because while most of the conventional and secular psychology models and concepts are insufficient based on a Christian worldview, not all of the conventional psychology is immoral (Briner & Pritchard, 2008). The notion of integrating Jesus in the psychological community can be derived from his extensive association with persons characterized by diverse beliefs, social as well as economic restrictions.

Jesus via his interactions demonstrated a desirable personality that created a favorable surrounding for everyone to relate to him which created more opportunities for him to comprehending their social, beliefs and financial concerns after which he focused on addressing all of them (Briner & Pritchard, 2008). His ethical values and considerations were the ruling forces that enabled him to interact at ease with individuals in spite of their socio-economic and ethnic differences (Obiezu, 2007). His approach was not mainly intended at understanding individual’s concerns but he utilized his relationships to challenge the existing immoralities in communities that had been planted conventionally to create diversity in social living and only subjected agony to the poor and feeble societal members. He confronted unfair conducts that encouraged discrimination based on gender, socio-economic status, and disability and he focused on the restoration of self-worth among the deprived persons. For instance, He challenged the community members in the instance where a lady had been caught in an adulterous doing and He confronted those that were adjudicating her and yet they also had their weak moments (Obiezu, 2007).

Jesus model mainly incorporates a request to take part in social transformation by focusing on sympathetic experiences. This is the best approach via which harassment and sorrow in the communities can be confronted (Denton, 2011). In that, He confronted the immoral class’s quo via social and personal actions that worked against unreasonable social structures. The strategy utilized by Jesus was a customized one that brought social transformation. He concentrated mainly on the general needs of individuals either bodily, psychological or social (Briner & Pritchard, 2008). In ensuring that the changes occurred in these different communities he applied participatory approaches that are more democratic and inclusive. He accomplished this through the utilization of philosophical teaching to instill proper principles on the basis of the individuals need and also to denounce different injustices existing in the society (Denton, 2011). It is through listening and teaching that Jesus offered knowledge for He believed that it was only through knowledge that transformation would be acquired given that people fail for the deficiency of knowledge. Through this session, He interacted with the oppressed and confronted the oppressors and the oppressed and ultimately transformed their religious as well as communal opinions (Denton, 2011).

Jesus mainly dealt with community health needs by healing the affected ones which empowered him to win their senses and beliefs (Denton, 2011). In the quest of reaching out to humankind, Jesus created a fresh perspective on the manner in which one should exist while focusing on themselves but based on the needs of the larger community. While those that surrounded Him mainly established superiority in regard to possessions, authority and social positions at the expense of others, He launched the approach of servant leadership (Loftus, 2014). Changes are mainly brought by commencing with mental changes particularly for individuals whose traditions promotes less care for other privileges and particularly the weak. For Jesus, His greatness measurement was that based on services offered to humankind and not on individual’s status. This notion was particularly different from the belief of superiority that existed during that period and thus, He had a challenging moment while He tried to change communal practices and notions (Loftus, 2014).

In summing up, Jesus offered the best sample of an operative community leader based on his general capability to motivate individuals via participative leadership (Youssef, 2013). A leader can best be described as an individual who motivates his or her followers to share and work towards the fulfillment of a set vision (Youssef, 2013). In that leadership is not mainly about the delegation of duties and rules rather it is more of highlighting how the perfect sphere should be. In that, a perfect world based on Jesus Paradigm is that where the sick are restored and all kinds of restoration for the deprived persons such as feeding and clothing were done. He existed as the best example in regard of how he wished communities to be even when characterized by diverse persons who regardless of their weaknesses strive to adhere to his teachings (Youssef, 2013). In this practices Jesus that involved building authoritative teams and relationships, he was able to win the attention of disparate individuals and triggered them to be driven by ethics and standards rather than greed and desires.

References

Briner, B., & Pritchard, R. (2008). Leadership lessons of Jesus: A timeless model for today's leaders. Nashville, Tenn: B & H Publishing Group.

Denton, A. (2011). Christian outdoor leadership: Theology, theory, and practice: how to use time in the wilderness and backcountry adventure camping for leadership development, evangelism, discipleship, and spiritual formation--with experiential learning and Bible study resources. Fort Collins, Colo: Smooth Stone Publishing. 255-257

Loftus, G., (2014).The Greatest Leader of All. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffloftus/2014/04/02/lead-like-jesus/#43db563b63b9

Obiezu, E. C. (2007). Towards a politics of compassion: Socio-political dimensions of Christian responses to suffering. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse. 19 -21

Youssef, M., (2013). The leadership style of Jesus. 49-55

Faith Integration in Community Psychology

Jesus as a community psychologist

 Community psychologists face challenges brought by the confrontation between biblical truth and worldviews. Scientific truth tend to oppose  the theology and doctrines of Christianity and for this reason, community psychologists  need to be thoughtful and honest in order to  ensure  ethical interrogation, perspective integration and  humanizer  integration (Nworie et al, 2016). Jesus as a community psychologist played a significant in letting people know the truth since truth is the source of freedom. Jesus was knowledge and he convinced people to follow the right route and more importantly helped them identify truth and error. As a community psychologist, Jesus had the power to restore physical and spiritual health (Nworie et al, 2016).

 The same way a community psychologist promotes the community wellbeing, Jesus as a psychologist focused on social transformation in the society. Jesus showed charity and compassion in dealing with suffering and sociopolitical issues. Jesus healed the sick and showed compassion as a core value in his work in the community (Nworie et al, 2016). In the community, Jesus led to social transformation by challenging the status quo. Fiord example, he admonished the sociopolitical structure and the unjust system which marginalized the oppressors.  In addition, he broke the complicated religious laws which made religious leaders to ignore love and people and focused on rules and obedience. He also brought social change by shunning politics.  Jesus preached about the kingdom of God and he was not interested in being a king after feeding a crown of people.  Jesus brought a radical change and a long-range vision which could be achieved through conventional path- focused on Roman’s status quo, the counter path and the creative path (Nworie et al, 2016). Jesus brought change at a micro level by urging people to be connected with God as his kingdom was at hand. People were not only urged to form a connection with God but they were also influenced in building relationship with community of believers. Community members formed a culture of service and sacrifice where they loved one another (Nworie et al, 2016).

 Jesus changed the community by providing people with freedom such as right to vote, social order and more. Christianity shaped the human governments since people faced harsh control from massacres and tyrants (Harris, 2004). Jesus brought democratic principles which play important roles. In bringing change, growth and repentance, Jesus preached and urged people to change their behaviors and turn to God.  People turned from worldly things and followed the God’s law which is the Ten Commandments. They surrendered their lives and lived a life of faith.  As a community psychologist, Jesus changes the lives of human beings through giving them hope of life after death.  In the community, Jesus showed love through his death, healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding people, casting out demons and more (Harris, 2004). Through parables and miracles, Jesus revealed the spiritual truth and people repented their sins and followed him.

 Change, growth and repentance in the community were influenced by effective leadership.  His leadership transformed a lost world through collaborating with disciples. To reach all people in the community, he selected men and gave them instructions.  In serving the community, Jesus showed empathy and mercy to weak people (Harris, 2004).  He was a leader who focuses on building a team to spread the mission. The 12 disciples worked with him in his ministry and saved many souls. Jesus showed integrity and honest through adhering to artistic values and rebuking the devil during temptation. Jesus was a dedicated person who sacrificed himself for the sake of poor and needy people. He visited the poor and shared meal with them.  Even though he faced many challenges, he was optimistic since God was with him in all situations. When interacting with people, he showed humility regardless of being the son of God (Harris, 2004).

Reference

Harris, R. A. (2004). The integration of faith and learning: A worldview approach. Eugene, OR: Cascade

Books.

In Nworie, B., Latunde, Y., Lee, H. K., Freeman, M., DomNwachukwu, C. S., & Hetzel, J.

(2016). Integrating faith and special education: A Christian faith approach to special education practice.

Theology

Introduction

Theology is the study of religion which aims at giving believers an inner understanding of the religion. In so doing, believers can be able to understand how to best praise God, and to do according to the will of God. In addition, theology also provides Christians with proper ways of relating with each other, and how to conduct themselves in their daily lives. In order to provide a broad understanding of theology, this paper will explain the role of reason within theology as it seeks to deepen its understanding of the mysteries of faith.    

Theology is a science which majorly concentrates on religious studies and beliefs and practices. It consequently attempts in aiding believers in understanding God better (Geertz, 43). Through studying theology, believers are able to understand the dictates of the bible, and what they are supposed to do in order to remain loyal, to the word (Smith, 15). Theology, being a science provides different methods of making believers to understand the dictates of the religion, and this is usually through illustrations hence making it easier for them to easily understand the essence of faith.

Theology provides the basic rules and principles of the religion, which is necessary for the believers to understand in order to be able to interpret the word of God in the best way. This is usually because, the word of God is usually written in parabolic form, thus making it hard to interpret without having basic theological knowledge of the bible (Jensen, 23). Through understanding the rules and principles of the religion, one is able to understand the parables and proverbs provided in the bible, hence being able to easily understand how to interpret the bible (Geertz, 43).

Theology is responsible for changing the reasoning of a human being, thus transforming it into spiritual reasoning. Spiritual reasoning allows a believer to be able to reason differently, thus being able to maintain a different faith in God (Smith, 17). Theological thinking is more like biblical thinking, which allows s believer have faith in God, in the word of God, and to also live a life trusting in the lord. Faith is the power to believe what you have reason to think is true. In order to have faith in God, the reasoning of a human is supposed to be changed, and this can only be done through theology. This is basically because theology opens the mind of a believer, thus changing the biblical understanding of the person, a move which makes the person reason differently (Geertz, 44).

Theology plays a very critical role in making the believers to understand what God wants them to do (Geertz, 46). In so doing, it enables them to be able to know their roles as Christians both in the church and in the market place. In addition, it enables them to be able to relate with people from different walks of life, a move which allows proper relationships between people from different parts of the world (Jensen, 25).   

Reason is used in the development of theology in different ways, because reason allows us to be able to connect the ideas which we find in the scripture, hence being able to complete ideas which might not be found in the scriptures (Jensen, 25). Reason therefore explains why we consequently why people make certain conclusions regarding God, thus allowing them to have faith, or to even believe what the scriptures provide (Smith, 19). The main role of reason within theology is therefore to open up the inner understanding of a person, thus making it easier to broaden his or her understanding of the God, according to the dictates of the scriptures. In so doing, believers get to know how to conduct themselves, and the reasons as to why they should have faith in the God which they believe in.

Reason is more like an exercise in discovery, thus reason in theology provides ways through which believers can be able to internalize and understand the way the scripture portrays different rules and laws (Geertz, 48). In so doing, believers are able to easily comprehend the scriptures, hence having faith in God, a move which makes it easier for them to be able to carry on with their own lives. furthermore, through having a theological reasoning, believers are able to easily read and understand the scriptures, hence being able to develop a theological reasoning and mentality which makes it easier for them to know how to grow spiritually and in the lord, a move which makes it easier for them to be able to develop a sense of faith, hence being able to have faith in the religion which makes it easier for them to fully follow the dictates of the religion (Smith, 20).    

Reason works to change the understanding of believers, thus allowing them to be able to develop new ways of thinking, thus forgetting their former ways of thinking and reasoning. Theological reasoning is different from that of ordinary reasoning, a factor which makes most believers to develop an understanding of the religion, how God works and how they should be able to follow the teachings of God which are provided in the scriptures (Jensen, 27).

The main aim of theology is to enable believers to understand the religion, without having any doubts. In as much as their might be different forms of religions or theological teachings, theology only provides ways through which believers can broaden their understanding of the religion (Smith, 21). This is consequently done through changing the reasoning of the believers, thus making them to develop theological reasoning, which aims at wiping out their past modes of reasoning, hence allowing them to be able to grow in the religion, thus having a deep understanding of how the religion operates, how God works, how He reaches his people and how God answers the prayers of his followers. Through understanding the way God works, believers become faithful to God, through having faith in Him, and what the scriptures say God will do (Jensen, 28).

Reason and scripture in theology are meant to alter traditions, through changing the beliefs of the believer. Each and every believer tends to have a certain belief, depending on the traditions which surround the person (Jensen, 30). This is a factor which affects the reasoning of the person, since his or her mind and reasoning is usually based on the traditions. In order to change the way the person reasons, theology comes up with scriptures, and a new form of reasoning, which aims at changing the way the person lives, reasons and understands different things. Traditions tend to make people have a different way of reasoning, thus limiting them from being able to understand the religion and to have faith in God. Through scriptures and reason, theology provides new mode of understanding to the believers and nonbelievers, thus making them to believe (Smith, 22).

Reason is the backbone of theology, as it provides nonbelievers with an understanding of the scriptures (Geertz, 50). The reasoning of believers should be inclined with theological teachings, in order to make them to understand the scriptures, hence developing faith. However, of the reasoning of the believers is not inclined on theology, then they will not be able to understand whatever teachings they might be getting, hence they may not develop faith, thus they will not trust in God, a factor which will affect their religious lives (Jensen, 31). Theology must therefore be accompanied by reason, as it allows believers to change their ways of thinking, relating and understanding the religion, hence being able to easily develop faith in God.

Conclusion

This paper has discussed the role of reason within theology in fostering faith and its mysteries. It is evident to state that reason provides believers with an inner understanding of the religion, thus allowing them to be able to easily develop faith in God. The paper has also provided ways through which theology provides ways through which people can be able to interpret and understand the scriptures, hence being able to have faith in the religion and in God. Finally, the paper has critically analysed the basic importance of reason in theology, in explaining the mysteries of faith. In this part, the paper has consequently focused on the way reason changes the actual beliefs of the believers, thus making them to develop new ways of reasoning, a factor which makes it easier for them to be able to live according to the dictates of the scriptures.       

Work Cited

Smith, Amos. Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity's Mystic Roots. Eugene, Ore: Resource Publications, 2013. Print.

Jensen, Robert. All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice. Brooklyn: Soft Skull Press, 2009. Internet resource.

Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays. , 2016. Print.

Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. , 2014. Print.

Moran, Gabriel. Believing in a Revealing God: The Basis of the Christian Life. Collegeville, Minn: Liturgical Press, 2009. Internet resource.

Anti-Muslim Hatred in America

The issue of Muslim hatred in America has been on the rise, due to the immigration laws which were imposed by Trump’s administration (Sebastian, 2017). Most people have ended up regarding Muslims as terrorists, a move which has resulted in general hatred of the Muslims by the public. In addition, most Americans tend to link terrorists attacks to Muslims, hence terming Muslims as the black sheep. After the election of the President Donald Trump, most people have ended up hating Muslims, terming them as terrorists (Jonathan, 2017). This is a move which has led to racism in the US, where Arabs, and other Muslims are really hated, and they cannot be trusted by the general public, which is pushing the government to deport Muslims back to their own countries. Due to that reason, this paper will analyse the representation of Muslim hatred on three different newspapers, namely: The New York Times, The Huffington Post and The New York Post. 

The New York Post

The New York Post has represented the issue in a critical way, such that it has focused on the factors which led to hatred of Muslims in America. Among the reasons provided was the 2015, elections campaign, which fuelled much hatred towards Muslims. In addition, due to Donald Trump’s criticism of the Muslims, most people became very sensitive towards the Islamic religion, a move which resulted in huge number of hatred. This consequently resulted in an equal reaction from other people, who perceive Muslims as equally as other people in the country. In order to support the Muslims, most people consequently decided to hold protests in support of Muslims, who they perceived as good people (Associated Press, 2017).

The newspaper has focused on the trends of hatred whereby the levels of hatred rose three times in the year 2016, due to the strong campaigns. Donald Trump’s campaigns in the year 2016 were more focused on Muslims and immigrants, making most people to have a negative attitude towards Muslims. Most people were also lured into believing that a Trump presidency would mean the deportation of all Muslims immigrants from America. This made the country to hate Muslims, knowing very well that they were the reasons for their failure. However things started to change after Trump became the president, whereby most people realized that it was just but propaganda, this made many people to change their view of the Muslim community. This is the main reason as to why most people started the anti-Muslim campaigns (Associated Press, 2017).

 This is a move which has seen most people shifting their hatred from Muslims, thus focusing on uniting all Muslims with other people in the U.S. In general, this newspaper mainly focuses on the factors which influenced anti hatred movements in the U.S (Associated Press, 2017). However, the author has left out the issue of how people benefit from holding anti-Muslim campaigns.

The Huffington Post

On the Huffington Post, the newspaper has focused on the essence of the movement, which is to stop hate speech against Muslims. The author provides the modes which were used to carry on with the peaceful demonstrations (Sebastian, 2017). In the newspaper, the author provides tweets, which were used by the demonstrators, to reach the white house, and to also pass the information in different parts of the country, thus reducing the chances of hate speech towards the Muslims in the U.S.A. in addition, the author focuses on the results of the demonstration, which led to violent attacks and arrests from the police, who seemed to use a lot of force in dealing with the issue.

The author of this newspaper does not provide the history of this issue, but instead the author focuses on the actual happenings of the event. The author has therefore provided the consequences of the demonstrations, which were violent attacks and arrests. In order to understand this issue, the author has only provided the reasons as to why the police had to react, the methods which the police used in order to deal with the demonstrators, and the methods used by the demonstrators to pass their information, which included: shouting in the streets, in order to alert everyone about the issue at hand (Sebastian, 2017). The demonstrations were however faced with a lot of challenges which included a fight with the fascists.

The author has emphasized more on the effects of the demonstrations, and not on the chronological events or the past events which fuelled the demonstrations. The newspaper has basically provided the effects of the demonstrations and forgot about providing the reasons as to why the demonstrations were held, and how they changed the perception of most people towards the Muslims (Sebastian, 2017). The Huffington Post has consequently provided the information regarding the actual happenings of the demonstration, hence it has not provided information on the way the demonstration has either helped or reduced the effect of hate speech in the country.       

The New York Times

The New York Times basically focuses on the attacks of a Mosque in Minnesota, where the governor termed the incident as an act of terrorism. The author provides information based on the way leaders perceive the Muslim community in Minnesota (Jonathan, 2017). In as much as some leaders may not value or respect Muslims, Minnesota Governor has strongly come out to support the Muslims in the region even after the attack. This was after an explosion in a mosque, where no one was report to have lost his or her life. The F.B.I said the attacker used an improvised explosive, which was aimed at the Imam’s office, however, the explosion did not have very adverse effects.

This newspaper basically emphasizes on the way the State government of Minnesota is determined to ensure the safety of Muslims in the State (Jonathan, 2017). In addition, it clearly shows how the perception of Muslim hatred in the U.S is slowly changing, with some leaders in different states across the country respecting Muslims and offering their support towards them in times of need such as this time. Furthermore, the author has also highlighted on the issues which affect the lives of Muslims, and how leaders have offered their help.

Similarities and differences of the Newspapers

The three newspapers have carefully provided news based on the changes in the relationships between Muslims and Americans of other religions. The newspapers are therefore similar in the sense that they have provided information based on changes in the perception of Muslims in America (Sebastian, 2017). On the other hand, the newspapers are different in the sense that they have focused on different topics with some focusing on demonstrations while others on the leadership of certain areas in the country. However, the presentation of information was also different since some newspapers have only provided information lightly (Jonathan, 2017).  

Reference

Jonathan, E. B. (2017). Minnesota Governor Calls Mosque Attack a Criminal Act of Terrorism: The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/us/minnesota-mosque-explosion.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FMuslim%20Americans&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection

Associated Press. (2017). Number of ant-Muslim hate groups Tripled in two Years: Report: New York Post. Retrieved from: http://nypost.com/2017/02/16/number-of-anti-muslim-hate-groups-tripled-in-two-years-report/

Sebastian M. (2017). Anti-Muslim hate Marches Across U.S. Draw Violence, Arrests: Huffington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/anti-muslim-hate-marches-across-us-draw-violence-arrests_us_593c5971e4b0c5a35ca01d01