Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza “If they are right—and they certainly have the text on their side—that G*d is male, Lord, King, and Father because it is revealed in Scripture, then only elite males, but not wo/men and non-elite men, are made in the image of G*d”( Norton), Elizabeth Fiorenza stated in an interview conducted at Villanova University. This is one of the foundational beliefs of the widely recognized and respected feminist theologian. She currently serves as Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. Her writings and theologies are Christian based although she identifies with the Catholic religion. She has collected several awards and recognitions during her lifetime including: becoming the first woman president
Personal prayer can be in words. But it can also take the form of "inexpressible groanings" ( speaking in tongues ) as the Holy Spirit may guide the soul. There are two major categories of personal devotion in Christianity, traditional and formal prayer and informal and spontaneous prayer. Traditional and formal types of personal for example, Hail Mary and the Lord’s Prayer are more commonly used in certain communities. Informal and spontaneous prayers on the other hand are widely used by adherents across the spectrum of Christian denominations Traditional and formal prayer covers a wide range of occasions.
Over the years sociologists have managed to come up with several different explanations to examine the relationship between gender, religious belief and practice. Issues to do with membership of different religious groups, changing forms of worship and belief, ethnicity, social class and age are just some of the issues that been brought up as a topic up for discussion. This essay will look to examine these issues and bring up a range of different views from perspectives such as feminism, functionalism, Marxism and post-modernism. There are clear differences in religious belief and participation. While the priesthoods of most religious are male, more women than men participate in religious activities and believe in god, sin, evil, the devil and life after death.
While Mary, the mother of Jesus may sometimes be treated as if she had divine qualities, God is the father, a male figure, and Jesus took the human shape of a man. Woman is portrayed as created from the rib taken from a man." (Giddens 1997). Similarly, Karen Armstrong argues that; "None of the major religions have been particularly good to women." She argues that women continue to be excluded from key roles in religion despite the fact that woman participate more in organised religion.
Despite the previous public activity of Christian women, the majority of Christian churches in the second century went with the majority of the middle class in opposing the move toward equality, which found its support primarily in the rich or bohemian circles (Pagels, 63). Gnostic Christians correlate their description of God in both masculine and feminine terms with a complementary description of human nature. Most often they refer to the creation account of Genesis, which suggests an equal or androgynous human creation. Gnostic Christians often take the principle of equality between men and women into the social and political structures of their communities. The orthodox
Lesson 1: The Mix-up of the Identity of Mary Magdalene IV. Lesson 2: Transformation of Mary Magdalene V. Lesson 3: Devotion of Mary Magdalene VI. Conclusion VII. Bibliography Introduction Matthew, Mark, Luke and John make mention of many of the male disciples and followers of Jesus repeatedly, bur few about the women who were followers of Jesus. There were several women who had a close relationship with Jesus.
As a Christian chaplain candidate, My desire is to wear the cross, and my actions speak volumes about my faith. Because of some of the restrictions on direct evangelism, the most important call is to show Christ through my life, and allow others to ask the questions. The Holy Spirit will work through both our words and our actions. People have to understand that the chaplaincy in the United States Military has a long history dating back to the Revolution. The role of the chaplain has changed considerably.
The medieval church: The Christian church influenced life in the middle ages by numerous church activities, such as spiritual services, political powers, economic activities, social services, educational work and missionary work. Spiritual Services: The sacraments were a sacred ritual of the church and they were the only way to avoid eternal suffering in hell. By participation in the sacraments and following your faith you could avoid that eternal suffering. Political Powers: The Church has absolute power over the religious life of Christians in the middle ages. The church had created its own set of laws, which applied to religious teachings, behavior of the clergy and it also provided morals for life and marriage.
Dress Code in Christian Churches With times changing and the world becoming less focused on strict religious values, there has been a loss on moral conduct when it comes to dress in the church. “Until recently, dressing up for Church was generally expected. But, over the past couple of decades, the dress code for Church has changed. Casual attire is the new norm for most Churches and many of the older folks don’t like it.” (Cornell) This attire has changed throughout the years and now has become more casual with people wearing slacks and a shirt or sweater sometimes shorts and a T-shirt. Dressing casually is not a problem in most churches but one still has to consider the views of the Bible.
Over the centuries, a distinct change has occurred involving the influence of unwed motherhood, which significantly impacts society, the church, and individuals. After a person commits such a sin, many life-changing decisions must be made, including whether to follow the Bible or to turn towards fleshly direction. Mothers going through this difficult time need love and guidance to make these important decisions, and the church should be there to help. The role of the Christian church in this situation, however, has changed drastically over the years, but certain fundamentals and beliefs remain intact. Looking back, these opinions of acceptance and guidance were not always evident in the early church; some believed it was best to judge and punish the unwed mothers for their sin.