The Roman and Barbarian Armies both had someone, be it the military commander or someone else acting in what would be the position of a chaplain. Their responsibility for the most part was to promote the idea of the righteousness of their Christian kingdom, their efforts and the great rewards that await them if they die in battle etc. Most if not all accomplished this through sacraments, visions and icons with no real apparent focus on personal spiritual care. You will find an interesting bit of psychology in this interaction. After viewing history and oftentimes witnessing the success of soldiers that fought in the name of their king and pope, they fought ever more fervently with the belief that God was with them.
In an effort to promote Christianity the Peyote Religion incorporated in 1918 to form the Native American Church. This is the church that uses a psychedelic as a sacrament, an alignment with bread and wine. In the articles and text I’ve read, the one-sidedness of Christian dominance, instruction and conversion is very clear. One article written by a Catholic priest, A Cross-Cultural Approach to Catechesis Among Native Americans, depicts the steps necessary to blend the hold out traditional Native Americans with Christianity to a new breed of Christians. “Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their
Introduction My purpose in writing this paper is to examine one of the most significant passages of scripture in one of the most significant books in the New Testament. Romans 1:14-17 can be described as the mission statement of the Apostle Paul in all of his missionary endeavors. Understanding this passage is the key in understanding the core Christian doctrines that the Apostle Paul would articulate in this letter to the Romans. In this report, I intend to answer the following questions: What is the gospel? How does the power of the gospel translate to sinful man?
Yes, of the Gentiles also:” (Romans 3:29). Christianity is for the whole world, not just a particular class, creed or race of people. For the human identity, Paul wanted everyone to know about their salvation through Jesus Christ. The universal uniqueness, of the Jews remained and stands that they are the selected people of God, therefore, as such that they are bound to a greater standard under the law. ” By works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight” (Piper,
Now an interesting question to ponder would be which symbol if presented to 10,000 Christians with the history of the cross and anchor would have a deeper faithful connection with one over the other? The anchor became a key Christian symbol during the period of Roman persecution. Christian use of the anchor echoed Hebrews 6:19: "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (NIV) Epitaphs on believers' tombs dating as far back as the end of the first century frequently displayed anchors alongside messages of hope. Such expressions as pax tecum, pax tibi, in pace, or "peace be with you" speak to the hope Christians felt in their anticipation of heaven.
Christianity teaches that people should not work on the day of Sabbath as God himself didn’t and that it should be the day of rest. However, Jesus didn’t follow these rules and decided to do the most loving thing and heal a sick person on this day even though he wasn’t supposed to. Some could argue that situation ethics and its ideas about love fit into Christian theology perfectly because even Jesus broke rules to do the most loving thing possible. Johns part of the gospels state that “God is love” and from this we can interpret that Christians must live their lives by trying to be Omnibenevolent and doing the most loving thing in all situations no matter how extreme. Fletcher incorporated the quote from the gospels into his ethical theory and devised six propositions and four principles.
The gospels and other ancient literature tell his fascinating story. John preached a compelling message to the Jewish people, drawing large crowds and creating quite a buzz. He claimed that God was about to do something new and thus people should repent of their sins and prepare for God’s saving work. In keeping with this message, John urged the crowds who heard him to be baptized, thereby symbolizing their willingness to identify with and embrace his message. As many came forward, John became known as the Baptizer, or John the Baptist.
While few Methodists pastors believe in inerrancy, conservatives view scripture as the unique revelation of God. The Bible contains all we need to know to be saved and to live the Christian life. Conservatives believe that the four gospels are the heart of scripture and accurately portray the life of Christ. Christian Ethics- Because of their skepticism of human nature and reason, conservatives believe we must be guided by the principles found in the Old and New Covenants. Christian love must be guided by the moral teachings of scripture and the church.
We are not allowed to choose what we like to worship and rejected what we do not like. We cannot just worship God for what he has done but also for what he will do. The ideal state of worship is to be close to Isaiah like he was in chapter six of that book of the Bible. When we are lost we need to seek (and hope to find) the holiness of God and become aware of our sin in order to truly worship. Instead of going through the motions at church, we need to truly focus on what we are worshiping.
Byzantine art did grow from the art of Ancient Greece but with some significant differences. Since the main purpose of Byzantine art was the glorification of God and his son, Jesus, the classical artistic tradition of depicting nude figures was banned. Replacing the classical preoccupation with the human body, the focus became the elevation of the figures of the Father, Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints. Thus we get the most important form of Byzantine art, the icon. Used as an object or veneration (object of respect) in Orthodox churches and private homes, the icon has been called the prayer, hymn, and sermon in form and color.