Religion Commons^™

The Ministry During The Period From Saint Clement Of Rome To Saint Cyprian Of Carthage, James Fackler

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

It is the intention of this writer to present a systematic consideration or the concept or the ministry from documents or the Christian Church outside the New Testament to the middle or the third century. To do this it will be necessary to take into consideration the historical development of thought through the period. History, or tradition, will present vignettes with which this writer intends to give you, the reader, a concept of the ministry from St. Clement or Rome to St. Cyprian of Carthage.

Early Christian Attitudes Toward The Roman State, Walter W. Oetting

Concordia Theological Monthly

The church always confronts the state. Sometimes the relationship is casual, as in the United States, where, generally speaking, the church is allowed to carry on its work with little interference. Often, however, the relationship is one of antagonism, as in the Soviet Union, where the state insists that it has no concern at all about religion but where the Communist party, closely tied to the State, is in continuous struggle to convince the people to forsake their piety. Sometimes the relationship is one of domination. Either the church dominates the state, as was theoretically true during the Middle Ages …

An Alternative To War, Gordon C. Zahn

Van Sickle Leftist Pamphlet Collection, 1900-1993

No abstract provided.

Toward A Japanese Theology: Kitamori's Theology Of The Pain Of God, Richard Meyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Christian theologians of the younger churches in Asia have complained, perhaps facetiously, perhaps seriously, that they have not yet produced a serious indigenous heresy. Behind this is the realization that Christianity is still largely a foreign, an imported, religion for most people of Asia. Christians gather in buildings of foreign architecture, sing unfamiliar melodies, and hear the Gospel preached in strangely foreign thought patterns. Their concern is not merely nationalistic but also evangelical They want the Gospel to be meaningful and relevant also in Asia.

The Foolishness Of Christ Crucified Viewed From The Point Of Incipient Gnosticism At Corinth, William Goerss

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The thesis of this paper is that at Corinth Paul did take over some of the thought patterns and vocabulary of an incipient Gnosticism with Judaic overtones. But instead of being influenced theologically by the borrowed terms, he used them for his consistent preaching of the crucified Savior, the true Wisdom of God. He was well aware of the uniqueness of the religion he preached; its real source lay not in the current thought forms of either Judaism or Hellenism, but in the Person, 'Preaching and redemptive work of the crucified Son of God.

The Readiness Of The World For The Mission, R. Pierce Beaver

Concordia Theological Monthly

"The Readiness of the World for the Mission" or "for the Gospel" has been a favorite argument in the promotion of the mission in Protestant churches for at least a century and a half. Thus John M. Mason, preaching in 1797, exulted in the fact that by the providence of God the most formidable obstacles to the spread of the faith, such as travel, language, manners, had already been overcome by those persons who were primarily serving science, wealth, and fame.

Faith Is My Fortune: A Life Story Of George Pepperdine, Richard L. Clark, Jack Ward Bates

Churches of Christ Heritage Collection

This memoir, dictated to the authors by George Pepperdine, is subtitled “actual experiences, business success and reverses, stewardship and philanthropy, which have proved that strong religious faith is a greater fortune, more to be desired than riches, or any other assets.” This is the story of George Pepperdine (1886-1962), founder of Western Auto Supply and, later, Pepperdine University in Southern California. Pepperdine was a noted businessman, philanthropist, and a lifelong member of Churches of Christ.

A Study Of Certain Unique Claims Of Christianity, Kenneth Dean Tollefson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Christian Education In Protestant Primary Schools In Belgian Congo, Allan Wiebe

Student Work

The term "religious education", although traditionally referring to the teaching ministry of the Christian church, has now become so general as to include practically all religions that are propagated through instruction including Jewish, Mohammedan, Hindu and most other non-Christian religions, as well as Christian. Consequently, a trend has recently developed in the direction of the use of the more exclusive term "Christian education" although the two terms are used interchangeably in many Christian circles.

In this study the term "Christian education" is preferred and refers to the process by which individuals are confronted with and controlled by the Christian gospel. …

Creative Activities For Child Evangelism, Adela Kamaleson

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Friends And The Race Problem: An Outline For Study, North Carolina Yearly Meeting

Historical Quaker Books

10 pages, 23 cm.

Christian Love According To 1 Cor. 13, George Klien

Concordia Theological Monthly

The cry for love is heard today particularly in connection with the union movements.

The appeal to the principle of love in the life and work of the church is certainly in order within the Christian communion. It is well that we beseech all our brethren by the mercies of God to have fervent charity among themselves, whether in correcting those who would put a "strait jacket of legalism" on the church, or in rebuking those who would license the church to appear in the daring dress of "evangelical" liberalism. The admonition to evidence love has always been needed; the …

The Eschatology Of Acts And Contemporary Exegesis, Robert H. Smith

Concordia Theological Monthly

For half a century New Testament exegesis has stood at the center of a storm over eschatology, and the eye of this storm is not all calmness. Two different exegetes skillfully and deliberately lay open the same passage of Scripture and arrive at conclusions that collide head on. Scholars disagree not only concerning what the New Testament says but especially about what the New Testament means in its eschatological statements.

Christian Worship In The Rural Church In India, Pratap T. Gaekwad

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

3. Bonaventura And Medieval Mysticism, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section IV: The Medieval Ferment

Throughout the whole history of religious experience there have been two supplementary emphases, the rational and the non-rational, which have vied with each other for men's allegiance. The Thomistic synthesis, with its stress on reason and how reason could prove the existence of God, was thought by many, including St. Bonaventura (1221-1274), to press too far the rational side of religion and thus to detract from the other side, which emphasizes the free g~it of faith, intuitive insight, and mystical experience. This rational emphasis, thought Bonaventura, could lead to intellectual pride and arrogance. It could also lead to a minimizing …

6. Catholic Revival And Counter Reformation, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section VII: The Protestant Movement

Contemporary with Luther and Calvin, there were once again powerful constructive forces at work within the Roman Catholic church. A reformed and rededicated papacy, a revived and purified clergy, a militant spearhead in the Jesuits, and an unequivocal statement of doctrine at the Council of Trent not only contained and turned back the Protestant tide, but also helped the Roman Catholic church become once more a dynamic force in Western Civilization. What happened in the Roman Catholic West during the sixteenth century has frequently been called the Counter Reformation. This term is not altogether accurate, since Catholic revival was only …

4. Jerusalem: "The Blood Of The Martyrs Was The Seed Of The Church", Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section I: Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem: Background of Western Civilization

Sooner or later the Christians were bound to collide with the Roman government. This collision came not primarily on religious grounds, for the Romans had long tolerated Eastern faiths, even in Rome. It came simply because they could not understand as anything but subversive or treasonous some of the practices of the early Christians: their refusal to worship (even the nominal worship which would have satisfied the government completely) either living or deceased emperors or other gods of the state; their strong bent to pacifism; their withdrawal from significant aspects of community life, such as games or festivals; and, perhaps …

6. Jerusalem: The Development Of A Theology, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section I: Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem: Background of Western Civilization

Christianity began as a religion centering around the person of Jesus, and not as a philosophy. It was rooted in Judaism, likewise a religion, not a philosophy. The truths of both were held to have been revealed by God and hence the need for a rational inquiry into their nature was minimized. Many individuals to whom Christianity appealed were satisfied with the simple message of repentance and salvation, but there were many others whose minds were more inquiring and who could not rest until they had explored in a rational way the deep questions which Christianity posed. Most early Christians …

8. Jerusalem: Summary, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section I: Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem: Background of Western Civilization

In this section an attempt has been made to sketch some of the most important developments of the first five hundred years of Christian history. By the year 500 the Church had been for more than a century the only legal religious institution in what remained of the Western Roman Empire, whose subjects were thus, nominally at least, Christians. The Church was an essentially new institution in the Mediterranean World, one with which no previous tribe, polis, nation, or empire had had to come to terms. Because of the position which it enjoyed, the Church had called into existence a …

3. Jerusalem: Jesus Christ And St. Paul, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section I: Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem: Background of Western Civilization

What we know of the actual life of Jesus comes almost exclusively from the four gospels, primarily from the first three. The earliest of these, believed to be Mark, was written about thirty years after the death of Jesus. Neither Mark nor the other gospels was compiled with a strictly biographical purpose in mind. Each writer selected from written and oral sources what he thought was necessary to provide the Church with an inspiring account of the sayings and acts of its founder, an account which could be used for edifying the faithful and for spreading the gospel In all …

3. The Church's Bid For Worldwide Leadership, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section III: The Medieval Church

The Church in the West had made the claim that it could and would bring all men into subjection to godliness, and that in so doing it would create a universal Christian society. Because of the great influence wielded in medieval society by the feudal nobles, the Church was particularly interested in directing their activities to what it considered to be useful ends. Accordingly, as we have already seen, it gave a religious coloration to knighthood and preached that knights should fight only in such just causes as defending the helpless and protecting the innocent. About the year 1000, synods …

2. The Means Of Grace, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section III: The Medieval Church

Central to the medieval Church and the ultimate source of its power, both spiritual and temporal, was its possession of the sacraments. The sacraments were based on the belief that what man could not do for himself God could and would do for him. Medieval man believed that there were at least two things that it was impossible for him to do: he could not create himself and he could not save himself. But the same God who had created man stood ready to snatch him from the terrible consequences of his sinfulness. This great favor was accomplished through the …

6. The Church In The Economic Sphere, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section III: The Medieval Church

Since the Church in the Middle Ages claimed to teach "in all its fulness every doctrine that men ought to be brought to know," it was obligated to enunciate and propagate a set of definite principles for guiding medieval men as, in one way or another, they engaged in making a living. The Church did, in fact; enter the Middle Ages with a set of general presuppositions regarding economic activity, a legacy from its first five hundred years of existence. The way in which it sought to apply these presuppositions during the succeeding thousand years is a good example of …

4. The Church's Bid For Intellectual Leadership, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section III: The Medieval Church

We have already noted the Church's claim to teach "in all its fulness every doctrine that men ought to be brought to know, and that regarding things visible and invisible, in heaven and on earth." During the Dark Ages it was too busy with other problems to be able to concern itself much with education. While there were sporadic attempts earlier, it was only during the eleventh and twelfth centuries that the Church turned more seriously to the problem of educating its members. This work was carried on primarily in the monastery and cathedral schools. But, because the monasteries of …

5. Marsiglio And The Defensor Pacis, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section IV: The Medieval Ferment

While the struggle between Boniface VIII and Philip IV of France may have marked the decline of papal temporal power, it did not end the efforts of the popes to restore themselves to their former position in European politics. Despite the fact that such a restoration became increasingly unlikely during the fourteenth century, these efforts were vigorously pursued by the Avignon papacy. At times they were merged with the execution of the historic papal policy of discouraging the creation of any strong power in Italy which might threaten the security of the Papal States. On one of these occasions the …

1. Prelude To Reform, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section VII: The Protestant Movement

The more immediate background for the Age of Reformation includes factors which precede Luther by a Century and more. While the reformers themselves felt that these factors had roots in first century Christian history and literature, more directly relevant to the movement were political, social, and economic changes which produced severe tensions in the late medieval world. Some of these contributed significantly to the Protestant upheaval. Still more important, however, were diverse streams of religious ferment, such as late medieval scholasticism, mysticism, humanism, heretical propaganda , and anti-clericalism, which flowed toward a junction in the Reformation. While it must be …

4. The Anglican Settlement, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section VII: The Protestant Movement

Before turning to the radical reformers who regarded Luther and Calvin as too compromising, let us consider another land in which a conservative expression of the Reformation developed. If the first important center of the Protestant movement was a university community, and the second a thriving commercial city, the third was the royal court of England. The English Reformation was an act of state. Until the occasion of his break with Rome, Henry VIII (1509-1547) was considered a faithful son of the Church. He had burned several Lutheran heretics and had written a tract against Luther's Babylonian Captivity. The pope …

2. The Lutheran Affirmation, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section VII: The Protestant Movement

The individual who first brought the Reformation into full focus was Martin Luther (1483-1546). There are few more controversial personalities in history and few about whom it is less possible to get an unbiased estimate. He has been portrayed as a genial conversationalist fond of good living, as a sensualist who condoned immorality, as a patriotic and courageous prophet, as a moody neurotic, and as a man for whom the encounter with God was overwhelming. The abundant literature from many camps makes clear that Luther was both a giant figure in history and a very complex personality. [excerpt]

7. A Postscript To The Age Of Reformation, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section VII: The Protestant Movement

Estimates regarding the results of the Reformation differ as widely as do the names used to characterize it. As it has been called a revolt, a reaffirmation, a reaction, or a reformation, so its results have been assessed as a shattering of Christendom, a resurgence of the gospel, a return to religious scholasticism, or a real quickening in the faith of Western man. Therefore, any conclusions as to its influence which we might draw will of necessity be somewhat affected by the views of the writers. With this in mind, we shall examine several important ramifications of the Reformation. [ …

2. St. Francis Of Assisi, Robert L. Bloom, Basil L. Crapster, Harold A. Dunkelberger, Charles H. Glatfelter, Richard T. Mara, Norman E. Richardson, W. Richard Schubart

Section IV: The Medieval Ferment

A much different expression of the love of this world, and yet one which had certain similarities to the Goliard's, came from St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). He is probably the one person most people would name as having been most like Jesus. Born in the Italian town of Assisi, the son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he early enjoyed the good things of this life which easily came his way. A desire for military glory was frustrated by illness and imprisonment in an enemy city. During his convalescence something within him began to change. His father, perfectly willing to …