Christianity Commons^™

Some Reflections On The Field Of Sermon Studies, Robert Ellison

Robert Ellison

Multidisciplinary endeavours with the word ‘studies’ in their names have brought like-minded scholars together for over sixty years. Those specializing in certain parts of the world, for example, can join the North American Conference on British Studies (founded in 1950), the British Association for American Studies (1955), the African Studies Association (1957), or a host of other groups. Similarly, organisations for scholars interested in specific time periods include the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies (1983), the Society for Renaissance Studies (1967) and the European Network for Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies. Finally, students of politics, gender and other aspects …

Review: Liturgy And Personality, By Dietrich Von Hildebrand, Thomas V. Gourlay 402884

Thomas V. Gourlay

No abstract provided.

Obedient Unto Death: Philippians 2:8, Gethsemane, And The Historical Jesus, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

Luther Goes Viral: Mass Communication In The Lutheran Reformation, Brent A. R. Hege

Brent A. R. Hege

Presentation given at the Indiana Association of Historians Annual Meeting on February 18, 2017 in Lafayette, Indiana.

The Politics Of Special Collections And Museum Exhibits: A Civil War Or The War Of Northern Aggression?, Christopher J. Anderson

Christopher Anderson

This essay examines the political nature of curating special collections and museum exhibits. Exhibits are designed to draw attention to historical or contemporary issues in order for viewers to reflect on the past and to ask questions in the present. The contents of an exhibit also echo the educational backgrounds, interests, and biases of both curator and curatorial team. As a result exhibits are framed ideologically, sociologically, and even theologically in order to give voice to the voiceless and to champion certain positions from history. This essay investigates the contested nature of exhibits by highlighting their basic and complicated spectrums …

How Jesus Became God: One Scholar’S View, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

Dr. James McGrath's brief analysis of early Christology. Originally presented as a seminar paper at the University of Michigan, March 19, 2015.

Forward To The Son Of God: Three Views Of The Identity Of Jesus, James F. Mcgrath

James F. McGrath

James McGrath's Forward to: The Son of God: Three Views of the Identity of Jesus, by Charles Lee Irons, Danny Andre Dixon, and Dustin R. Smith. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2015.

Biographies On 5 Old Testament Scholars, David Pettus

David D Pettus

No abstract provided.

The Catholic Enlightenment. The Forgotten History Of A Global Movement, Ulrich Lehner

Ulrich L. Lehner

No abstract provided.

The Militarization Of Prayer In America: White And Native American Spiritual Warfare, Elizabeth Mcalister

Elizabeth McAlister

This article examines how militarism has come to be one of the generative forces of the prayer practices of millions of Christians across the globe. To understand this process, I focus on the articulation between militarization and aggressive forms of prayer, especially the evangelical warfare prayer developed by North Americans since the 1980s. Against the backdrop of the rise in military spending and neoliberal economic policies, spiritual warfare evangelicals have taken on the project of defending the United States on the “spiritual” plane. They have elaborated a complex theology and prayer practice with a highly militarized discourse and set of …

The Chosen People: Election, Paul, And Second Temple Judaism, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

Anti-Social Media: Communal Transformation And The Barriers Of Technology, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

In light of the proliferation of social media consumption in the West and across the world, this paper considers the implications for communal participation and transformation, particularly for the Christian community. The paper argues that God intends for our formation as human beings in general, and as Christians in particular, to occur primarily in the context of interdependent relationships with others, and particularly within our faith family.

The Jewish Nature Of The First Century Church, Barry D. Fike

Barry D. Fike

“When men realized that the teaching of God was no heritage that one accepts passively but rather a heritage that has to be won, they began to see this relationship to the Bible as a religious obligation. It became a supreme commandment to “study”, to explore the Scriptures. To explore means to consider the Bible as a challenge rather than a gift…..The duty to “explore” requires further rethinking: each end becomes a new beginning and each solution a new problem…Once Today’s Church is fully aware of the vast importance of learning, it too will realize that it cannot afford to …

Cyprian, Mortality, And Future Hope, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

Fundamentalism, William Vance Trollinger

William Vance Trollinger Jr.

In America fundamentalism is a movement within Protestantism that was organized immediately after World War I in opposition to "modernism," which included liberal theology primarily, and also Darwinism and secularism. A subgroup of evangelicalism, fundamentalism staunchly affirmed with evangelicals "fundamentals of the faith," including the deity of Christ, his virgin birth, his bodily resurrection, and his substitutionary atonement. What distinguishes fundamentalists from other evangelicals is their strident opposition to modernism. They are, to quote George Marsden, "militant anti-modernist evangelicals."

All Suffer The Affliction Of The One: Metaphysical Holism And The Presence Of The Spirit, Brad Kallenberg

Brad J. Kallenberg

When Copernicus and Galileo proposed that the earth circled the sun and not the 217 other way around, Christian believers faced the difficult prospect of surrendering a long-held belief that had seemingly undeniable support from the biblical text. After all, Joshua reported that the sun, not the earth, stood still; what could this mean if not that the sun orbited the earth? Today, centuries later, believers unanimously hold a heliocentric view of the solar system and are somewhat embarrassed by the ignorance of our pre-Enlightenment brothers and sisters. Ironically, however, such embarrassment masks the possibility that we ourselves may one …

Defending Hauerwas, Brad Kallenberg, Terrence Tilley, M. Lysaught

Brad J. Kallenberg

The commentary begins: Jeffrey Stout and Stanley Hauerwas have long been friends and conversation partners. One would not know that from reading Stout’s “Not of This World” (October 10). Nor does one emerge from Stout’s essay with an accurate sense of Hauerwas’s position. Stout’s presentation is incomplete in many ways. For example, he labels Hauerwas’s ethic as “perfectionist,” implying that it is, in the words of the article’s title, unrealistic or “not of this world.” However, Stout fails to mention Hauerwas’s untiring emphasis on human sinfulness and-most crucially- the subsequent centrality of the practices of forgiveness and reconciliation. This is …

Some Practices Of Theological Reasoning, Or, How To Work Well With Words, Brad Kallenberg

Brad J. Kallenberg

This Companion introduces readers to the practice of Christian theology, covering what theologians do, why they do it, and what steps readers can take in order to become theological practitioners themselves. The volume aims to capture the variety of practices involved in doing theology, highlighting the virtues that guide them and the responsibilities that shape them. It also shows that the description of these practices, virtues and responsibilities is itself theological: what Christian theologians do is shaped by the wider practices and beliefs of Christianity. Written by a team of leading theologians, the Companion provides a unique resource for students …

Does Donald Trump Need To Repent?, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

Otto Semmelroth And The Advance Of The Church As Sacrament At Vatican Ii, Dennis M. (Dennis Michael) Doyle

Dennis M. Doyle

Otto Semmelroth played a major role in advancing the notion of the church as sacrament at Vatican II. His preconciliar works as well as his participation in working groups and committees were instrumental in introducing this systematic concept into the 1963 draft of Lumen gentium. His commentaries on the document disclose how his own understanding of the historical and eschatological dimensions of the church as sacrament was enriched through the process of developing the final 1964 text. Semmelroth’s nuanced treatment of this progressive theme enables him to serve as a mediating figure in the continuing ecclesiological controversies of today.

Irenaeus Of Lyons: A Defense Of Recapitulation, Mathew Thomas Hollen

Mathew Thomas Hollen

Abstract This work sets out to explain the atonement theory of Irenaeus of Lyons. Irenaeus’ atonement theology is often described simply as “Christus Victor” but I argue that is simply a narrow sliver of the wider atonement theory of recapitulation. In this thesis I systematically try to expound what it is Irenaeus believed and why he believed it. In the first chapter I explain the problem at hand and a short biography of the bishop. In the second chapter I seek to summarize the Gnostic school of Valentinianism, which is the key opponent against Irenaeus writes in his best-known work …

The Decline Of Christianity In Modern Europe, David C. Taylor Jr

David C Taylor Jr

Europe was once considered the epicenter of the Christian religion. For centuries Christianity was not only the main religion of Europe it was also a main political power. The Roman Catholic church, and in turn the Christian faith, enjoyed great power at various times throughout history in the European countries and influenced the culture in many ways. However, today there has been a moral and spiritual decline in Europe of staggering numbers. This short essay will explore possible reasons for Christianity’s decline in Europe in the last century and whether or not there is a possibility that the church could …

The Impeccability And Humanity Of Jesus, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

Forty Years Of Greatness Crowned: A Narrative Of The History Of Asbury Theological Seminary, David M. Burkett, Ralph Loren White, Ralph L. Lewis, Willard R. Holman

Ralph E. White

No abstract provided.

Gregory Of Nyssa, The Death Of Infants, And The Life Of God, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

The Fourth Gospel - An Aramaic Source Part 1, Philomena M. French

Philomena M French

This is the first in a series of papers which will seek to identify the original sources underlying the Greek text of the Gospel of John. The proposal will be made a) that at least one authoritative source can be identified which was originally compiled in Aramaic and which goes right back to the primitive community in Palestine before the destruction of the Second Temple b) that the Gospel is a compilation of different sources which have been arranged by a final redactor who has left the sources as he received them largely untouched c) that the principle sources pre-date …

Hilary Of Poitiers On Prohibition And Imperative In The Christian Life., A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

Epiphany Reflection, A. Thornhill

A. Chadwick Thornhill

No abstract provided.

The Author Of The Gospel Of John, Gary E. Silvers Ph.D.

Gary E. Silvers Ph.D.

Who actually wrote the gospel John? Many have debated this issue for years. This paper explores the arguments that against the apostle John as the author. The paper concludes that both the internal and external evidence points to non other than the apostle John the son of Zebedee as the author of this gospel.

Pastoral Care: From Past To Present, Ann Marie Kerlin

Ann Marie Kerlin

According to the U.S. National Conference on Mental Health, “Nationally, an estimated 45 million Americans suffer from illnesses like depression, schizophrenia or post-traumatic stress syndrome.” In a speech at this conference, President Obama stated that one out of five Americans experience mental illness in any year. A study published in 2013 surveyed prescription drug use and found that the second most common prescribed drugs were anti-depressants. Obviously there is a great demand for counseling and psychological care in the United States, and both secular and religious approaches to care are available. The purpose of this article is to review briefly …