“In God We Trust” is America's motto, introduced in 1956 to replace the original motto E Pluribus Unum, but was America Founded as a Christian nation? The major hurdle in answering the question is to define terms properly. The concept of a Christian nation is often written off because of misconceptions as to what this means. A Christian nation is not one in which all people in a society are all Christians, just as in an Islamic country, not all people are necessarily Moslems. But in a Christian nation, as our Founders would have defined it, the principles and institutional foundations are Biblically based and the people in general share a Biblical world-view.
Paul's gospel is deeply theological, but it is also eminently practical. The Good News of Jesus Christ is intended to transform a person's life. Until individual Christians own and live out the theology, the gospel has not accomplished its purpose. Paul has briefly touched on the practical significance of what he writes throughout Romans 1-11. But beginning in chapter 12 Paul turns his full attention on the ethical implications of the gospel.” (393) The process of sanctification is constant.
What motivated men to join the crusades led by Louis IX? Throughout the Middle Ages the idea of the crusade was employed by both the Church and the secular rulers of Western Christendom as a weapon against the infidels of the Holy Land. Shortly after Pope Urban II proclaimed the First Crusade to a large clerical gathering at Clermont in November 1095, the crusade became a traditional element of both Christian and knightly life. The notion of the crusade as both an act of service to God and as a means of celestial improvement inspired a number of Christian men to join the crusading movement. [1] The loss of the territory of Jerusalem in the summer of 1244 had unravelled the unexpected success of the Sixth Crusade and as a result King Louis IX of France, as a devout Christian, wished to travel to the East to reclaim the lost Christian lands.
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.
He fought for Christian civilization against nihilism. Dedication Questions: 1. The “great face” is King Alfred who faced the darkness, which descended on his kingdom. The “great limbs” are those of the Christian and pagan heroes who fought to decide whether the Christian or heathen way of life would prevail. 2.
Constantine included Christianity along without alienating other religions. This wasn’t viewed as unusual; the Roman culture was typically accepting of other religions. It was the previous Emperor “Dioclestian” that instigated Christian persecution. In ancient Egypt “Akhenaten” was viewed as the persecutor of the Old Gods, first demoting them and finally eliminating them. When he and his co-ruler died, “Tutankamun” became Pharaoh and the priesthood resumed control of their temples.
It lead to the Latin west taking precious relics home and advocating their victory which they believed God had proclaimed to them, however Pope Innocent III debarred their actions and accused them of losing their purity and faith. The Crusades were informed by chivalric and religious ideals about the sanctity of certain types of violence throughout all crusades however the later crusades were a contradiction with horrible atrocities, attacks with the only purpose of wealth and fighting and attacking Christians. Bibliography Primary Sources De Villehardouin, Geoffrey, Memoirs or Chronicle of the Fourth Crusade and the Conquest of Constantinople, translation by Frank T. Marzials, London, 1908 Jonathan Riley- Smith, Crusades: Idea and Reality, 1095 – 1274, London, 1981 Robert the Monk, Historia Hierosolymitana, Dana C. Munro, "Urban
The Disguised Truth About American Christianity In “The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong,” Bill Mckibben argues that the way Americans view the messages and teachings Christianity displays are far from what the Gospels of the Bible actually say and teach. McKibben points out how our nation is the most outspoken when it comes to Christianity. However, he later goes on to claim that as the most outspoken of the Christian nations our actions and decisions do not reflect what we preach. It is this contradiction that McKibben insists is the paradox of our Christianity in America. According to a statistic laid out by McKibben, seventy-five percent of the American population is under the belief that “God helps those who
Donald Trump demonstrates a character that is shrewd and uncaring for his employees. Donald Trump is about establishing an empire here on the earth more so than one in heaven. The Scripture says, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Although he does profess to be a Christian his character unlike Coach Dungy does not validate it. The Christian worldview understands that everything is the Lords and we are to treat it as such.
On October 27, 312 while Constantine’s armies were preparing for battle as they started marching Constantine looked up to the sun and saw a cross of light above the cross were the words “You shall conquer”. That same night he had a vision. The God of Christianity told him he would intervene and help him win the battle, but Constantine had to fulfill his commandment. God commanded Constantine to delineate a heavenly sing on the shields of all his soldiers. The sign was the first two letters of the word Christ.