Leadership Of The Church And Its Mission

Leadership Of The Church And Its Mission
This course has helped me prepare for ministry in the twenty–first century by enlightening me in
areas and categories I knew nothing about. Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest
to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children". Knowledge is
powerful, and the desire to obtain it, especially when it's conducive to our walk of faith should be
something we strive to achieve daily. There are several areas in ministry, and church affairs that I
have a general knowledge of now, after taking this course.
The very first chapter "Transformational leadership in a technological age" in our textbook
captivated my attention. It gives an understanding of the church and how it's viewed. The purpose of
the church and its mission is information all believers should know and understand in order to serve
and lead effectively. I realize in order to minister productively and persuasively I need to be abreast
of the times in which we live. This world has changed drastically, and the channels we use in order
to minister to this dying world needs to as well, without compromising the word of God, our
standards, or our integrity.
This course allowed me to think differently about ministry and observe it from a different
perspective. Ministry is any platform and opportunity made available to you by God in order to
spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must
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The First Jewish Roman War
As briefly stated in the previous section of this paper, John was writing to both Jewish and Gentile
Christians, post the First Jewish–Roman war. The era of his writing and the audience to which he
was writing greatly affected what he was communicating with this passage of Scripture. The logos
in the 90's CE would have been understood by Greeks through a Platonic and Stoic worldview as a
mediatory means between the divine and human realms or as the "reason", the force by which the
universe was structured. Philo, a first–century philosopher combined this understanding of the logos
with the Jewish conception of "wisdom personified." Before the writings of John's Gospel, the
Jewish writings personified Wisdom as a divine mediator of God's person and intent (see Proverbs
8:27; 29–30; 35–36). One can see how language like this shapes and forms the understanding of
Jesus that John wanted to convey to his audience. The Hellenistic audience, influenced by Plato
would see Jesus as the mediating agent between heaven and earth, which was confirmed by Jesus in
John 1:51, while Jewish readers would understand the Word of God through an Old Testament
worldview as God in action, specifically in creation, revelation and deliverance. Craig Keener talks
of John's usage of logos in this way,
By calling Jesus 'the Word,' John calls him the embodiment of all God's revelation in the Scriptures
and thus declares that only those who accept Jesus honor the law, fully (1:17). Jewish

The Gnostic Gospels By Elaine Pagels
The role of women in human affairs, religious beliefs, and social practices are highly concerned by
scholars when women involved religious life. "God the Father/God the Mother", third chapter in the
book The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels, examines major distinctions between Orthodox
Christianity and Gnostic community in the concerns of the roles and characterizations of women by
relating scriptural views and texts. While sharing a common topic of women's role in religious life,
"Images of Women in Early Buddhism and Christian Gnosticism" is an article in the book Buddhist–
Christian Studies by Karen Christina Lang that discusses the major images and examines four
categories of women whose participated in the religious activities of both Buddhist and Gnostics
communities. In "God the Father/God the Mother", Pagels compares the views of women between
Orthodox communities and Gnostic sources. The Orthodox Christianity continuous the convention
of Trinitarian terms from Jewish description of God that God is considered as masculine and never
identified as feminine element while most Near East religions included female and male God. In
fact, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theologians usually refrain from framing their God in sexual
terms. In Catholics, the "God the Mother" is not defined when people viewing ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
In this regard, the gnostic writings follow Judaism, which including the female aspect of God.
Gnostics stated in Genesis that God created humanity in both "the male and female elements"
according to the "image and likeness of God" (Pagels 56). This explains that the humanity must
have the feminine elements from God. Similarly, there is an example of the male and female
elements in humanity which Adam included both sexuality and Eve was born from his side.
Orthodox Christians exclude any hints that God hasn't completely masculine or

Essay about The Gospel of Thomas
Discovered in the twentieth century, The Gospel of Thomas was founded by peasants that were
digging for fertilizer close to the village of Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The peasants revealed a container
containing thirteen leather–bound manuscripts that were buried in the fourteenth century. The
container contained fifty–two tractates that represented "heretical" writings of Gnostic Christians.
Dated back to 200 A.D., there was not much known about the Gospel of Thomas besides that there
were only three small fragments from Oxyrynchus. The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of literary
works that contains 114 'opaque sayings' of Jesus that were collected and written down by St.
Didymus Jude Thomas, but nobody knows if St. Didymus Jude Thomas wrote the ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
For example, the Gospel of Thomas includes salvation by secret knowledge, polytheism, disregard
for the bodily appetites, and the thought of a blissful teaching Christ who is not necessarily human.
It is likely related to Sethian Gnosticism. However, "Gnosticism" is largely an umbrella term for the
beliefs of several movements in the post–Apostolic era that sought out special knowledge.
Gnosticism is a term that is used for spiritual practices and religious beliefs. This term was very
common for early Christians, as well as Zoroastrianism, Hellenistic Judaism, and Neoplatonism.
The discovery of this Gospel, which was founded in 1945, along with the rest of the Nag–Hamaddi
library is very revealing of certain gnostic groups that we previously had less knowledge of. We
knew of Gnosticism from other texts and witnesses to them (Irenaeus) before. However, now there
are many more source texts. There is also a difference between Gnostics and Orthodox Christianity.
The Old Testament prophecies were described as fulfilled by Jesus. That is that Jesus was explained
in the canonical Gospels as the Messiah. The Canonical Gospels are highly Jewish in their language
and references. They were written by Hebrews. The Gnostic Gospels seem to be ignorant of the fact
of the Jewish nature of Christ. They basically use His name but attach it

The Canon of Scripture Essay
Most Christians do not think about the canon of scripture or know what it is or means in theology.
Most take for granted the Bible they have and never question how it came into being. Today, we
have 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. There was a time,
however, that we did not have a canon. Bruce defines canon as books of the Bible that were
recognized to be considered scripture (p. 17). The importance of the canon and how it was
developed was intriguing to professor and author F.F. Bruce. He dedicated his book The Canon of
Scripture to explore and explain the formulation of the canon we have today. Bruce taught in
universities, including the University of Manchester, where he began to lecture students on the ...
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The third section dissects the formation of the New Testament with more historical context and
views of other writings defined as Gnostic writing. Bruce explains the spoken words of the apostles
carried as much authority as their written words and gives an in depth explanation how the Gospels
and Pauline writings were viewed by the Church Fathers. The rest of the section demonstrates the
Church Fathers and their views of what was to be considered scripture and the councils that affirmed
the inspired scripture. Bruce concludes by explaining the criteria used for writings to be considered
canon. He goes into more depth on the inspiration of the scriptures – an integral part of how the
canon came together. The close of the book is appended by two lectures that explore the "secret"
gospel of Mark and the Primary Sense and Plenary Sense of scripture. Bruce offers a solid
explanation of the formation of the canon chronologically starting with the Hebrew scriptures (p.
21) until the 4th century where church councils started to present the first spoken finished canon (p.
97). Bruce shows the importance of the Old Testament scriptures, but writes most about the New
Testament. He not only shows how the New Testament came to be a canon but offers a deep analysis
of non–canonical scripture called the Apocrypha (pp. 48, 90–93). Bruce offers impressive
observation into the Gnostic writers as it regards the

The Epistle Of 1st John
AUTHORSHIP
The author of the Epistle of 1st John is not named in the letter, but church tradition has been strong
in affirming John the Apostle, "that disciple whom Jesus loved" from (Jn. 21:7), as the author. The
author declares himself as one who "we have seen with our eyes...and our hands have handled" (1:1)
declaring him an eyewitness to the life and ministry of Jesus. John's authorship was not brought into
question until the twentieth century. The epistles of 2nd and 3rd John add to the controversy as they
are attributed to a person called "The elder" who's identity is also unknown (see v.1 in 2nd and 3rd
John). The discussion of authorship asks two basic questions in the case of the Johannine corpus,
first, were the books all written by the same author and second who was that author.
Comprehensive studies of both the style and content of the three epistles shows "striking
similarities" indicative of single authorship. Even the casual reader of the Gospel of John and his
First Epistle will be impressed by the similarity of words and phrases in the two books. John's
authorship of The Revelation has also been debated despite the four claims by John to be the author
within the text its self (see 1:1, 4, 9, 22:8). According to Walvoord, attributing the authorship to John
the Apostle depends on the validity of his being exiled to the island of Patmos, for which historical
evidence is good.
The lack of evidence against Johannine authorship does not stop sceptics from

The Gnostic Gospels
The Gnostic Gospels
In this essay, I will discuss about the Gnostic Gospels. To discuss this matter,
I will divide this paper in a few key points. The first is what Gnosticism is. The second is the
Gnostic gospels miscellaneous literature and the last is the conclusion of the Gnostic gospels.
What is Gnosticism?
According to Bentley (1987): " Gnosis derives from Greek, and connotes "knowledge" or the "act of
Knowing ". (On first hearing, it is sometimes confused with another more Common term of the
same root but opposite sense: agnostic, literally " not knowing ", A knower of nothing).The Greek
language differentiates between rational, Propositional knowledge, and the distinct form of knowing
obtained not by Reason, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Repertoire or library owned Gnostic community in Egypt at that time was probably due to their
opposition papers hidden. Gnosticism is esoteric mystical teachings are then be lieved to be
syncretism with Christianity by followers. Gnostic comes from the Greek gnosis, which means
secret knowledge revealed to man. Flow offers a Gnostic secret knowledge about the divine reality.
Divine spark or a good seed that fell from a transcendent reality to the two evil matters, and
imprisoned in the human body. Awakened by secret knowledge, the divine spark that can come back
to the world where he actually comes that transcendent spiritual world. For the followers of the
Gnostic, there is the highest good source called the one divine mind which are spiritual in nature
beyond this material nature is basically good. Divine mind lower radiated out from sources that are
multilevel. The last of the series of jets that is Sophia
(wisdom) that contains a desire to find out the source of the unknown goodness. This desire
produces divine shadow evil or defective and is believed to be the Demiurge created the uni verse.
Divine spark that inhabit the man fell into the realm of matter to liberate humanity.
People assume Gnostic Demiurge as Yahweh of the Old Testament who created the heavens and the
earth from a desire to maintain their humanity back to its

The Four Gospels: The Book Of John
An overarching purpose of the four gospels was to give Christians an account of Christ and the
everlasting life that has been offered through him. In giving readers a picture of Christ, the gospels
are presenting a model to emulate in order to receive everlasting life. The power behind the
synoptics would not stand without John and his ability to make a case for following Christ. The
book of John is included within the four gospels because it is a record of Jesus' teaching and life.
While the book of John is similar to the other gospels in regards to it's contents, the book is not
included into the synoptic category. John's gospel is clearly different from the other gospels in that
John was writing with an intention to make a case for Christ ... Show more content on
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First, the gospel gives readers profound reasons to believe the accounts that have been made about
Jesus' time on earth. Without these profound reasons, the gospels may not have had as much power
to stand the test of time. Second, the argument that Jesus was fully God and fully human prompts
Christians to focus on how Jesus spent his time on earth. Jesus and God, the creator, are the same.
Therefore, the Gospels give readers an account of how the creator interacted with his own creation.
Through the story of the Samaritan woman and many others, John shares Jesus' teachings that the
gift of eternal life begins when people believe, not when they die. This gift is given with the
responsibility to live a life modeled after Christ. Today, this life model is especially difficult to
follow in a world that offers pleasures that Jesus did not partake in or condone. John's focus on
Christ offers Christians the understanding that Jesus, as the creator understands how to live in this
world better than any human. In addition, Jesus, as a human, understands the temptations that this
world contains. This gives Christians today inspiration to follow Jesus when the world offers so
many reasons not

Apocryphal Gospels Research Paper
Apocryphal Gospels "...are those which the Church did not accept as part of the genuine apostolic
tradition, even though they themselves claim to have been written by one of the apostles" ("What
Are the Canonical and the Apocryphal Gospels? How Many Are There?"). The word "apocryphal"
originally was translated to mean "secret" and would later become to mean "heretical". Apocryphal
writings started very early in the history of the church with their main purpose serving to fill in the
early details of Jesus' life that had not been provided in the other gospels. While there is no exact
number for how many Apocryphal Gospels exist, it is known that the number possibly exceeds fifty
("What Are the Canonical and the Apocryphal Gospels? How Many Are There?"). ... Show more
These include "those of which only a few papyrus fragments remain and that resemble the canonical
gospels to a large extent [,] those that have been preserved intact, and narrate pious stories
pertaining to the life of our Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary; and those that have been put under
the name of an apostle, but promulgate doctrines contrary to what the Church believed to be true
according to apostolic tradition" ("What Do the Apocryphal Gospels Say?"). Famous examples of
these three different types include: "Gospel of Peter", "Infancy Gospel of James" and "Pseudo

No Other Gospels Of Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John
Perrin, Nicholas. "No Other Gospel." Christian History and Biography Fall 2007: 27–30. Print
Thesis: The only true, accurate, and proven gospels are the original four gospels of Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John, despite what other scholars and other fictitious gospels claim.
Main Ideas: In the early days of the church, there were four original gospels, the gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is estimated that the four gospels were written around 50 to 100
A.D., making them the earliest and first record of Jesus's life ever recorded. All four gospels were
either written by or under the supervision of an apostle, a person who followed Jesus during his
travels. Meanwhile, other false, fictitious gospels were written hundreds of years

The Historical Context Of The Letter To The Colossians
The letter to the Colossians was written by the apostle Paul. It is likely that Paul wrote the letter of
Colossians in the late AD "50's or 60's," while he was imprisoned. This letter was written to a gentile
church plant located in Colossae, a city of Rome. Paul planted churches in Ephesus which is 100
miles west from Colossae. However, it is improbable that Paul is the founder of the church of the
Colossians since he was imprisoned at the time. For example, Paul said, "Aristarchus my fellow
prisoner greets you," (Col. 4:10, ESV) indicating his imprisonment as he mentioned his fellow
inmate. The book of Colossians is not the only prison epistle that Paul wrote; The book of
Ephesians, the book of Philippians and the book of Philemon are all prison epistles. So, perhaps, it
was Epaphras who planted the Colossians' church. This exegetical study will explore the historical
context of the Book of Colossians to understand why Paul exhorted and prayed for the Colossians to
be filled with God's divine will. Colossians 1:9–14 is relevant in today's time because it proves that
the power of intercessory prayer edifies the Church to defend the gospel from false teaching.
Historical Context
It is apparent within the letter of Colossians that Paul cautioned them to abstain from false teachings
and philosophies that usurp "the sufficiency of Christ, his grace, and their faith in Christ [and which
it enabled] them to reach the desired goal of glorification and perfect

The Major Literary Forms Of The New Testament
1. The major literary forms (genres) contained in the New Testament. Literary forms and style
consist of different kinds of writing determined by their literary style, context, voice, and purpose
(how the author wants to reader to be affected)––ex: psalms, historical books, letters, gospels, and
the stories Jesus said to the people. These forms of writing consist of different types of books, which
involves apocalyptic (uses dramatic symbols to give hope to those in a crisis), advice, genealogies,
and prayers. The gospel stems from a Greek word meaning "good news" that describes the
scriptures delivered by the ministry the early Christians concerning the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1–8). Also, the genres are ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, this book was written before the destruction of the Jewish temple because in Matt. 24–25
he predicted the temple destruction. Matthew was the son of Alphaeus he was a Jew who had
become a tax collector for the Roman Government. The citizens disliked tax collectors during this
time frame, so this could be seen as a motivator to follow Christ since others within the community
did not care for him. (Located in Matt. 9:9–13) One may feel this is why Matthew answered Jesus
call so quickly and to commit to his discipleship. Many other tax collectors join the banquet that
Matthew was hosting for Jesus to preach publicly to the sinners. However, Matthew's purpose in
listing his works first was in illustrate Jesus fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah the coming
of the King!
3. The evidence of diversity in the early Christian community, some people believed that the
churches begin with Adam or Abraham. Various spectators feel that the Christian community begins
with the ministry of John the Baptist. They base their rationale on the fact that their evidence can be
traced back to the baptism, therefore validating their logical reasoning. While others believe the
churches begin with the ministry of Jesus Christ due to him calling his Apostle together. The word
church originated from the term to call out. So these individuals justify their claim by saying it is the
acceptance of a group, which started on

1.The Major Literary Forms (Genres) Contained In The New
1. The major literary forms (genres) contained in the New Testament.
Literary forms and style consist of different kinds of writing determined by their literary style,
context, voice, and purpose (how the author wants to reader to be affected)––ex: psalms, historical
books, letters, gospels, and the stories Jesus told to the people. These form of writing consist of
different types of books, which involves apocalyptic (uses dramatic symbols to give hope to those in
a crisis), advice, genealogies, and prayers. The gospel stems from a Greek word meaning "good
news" that describes the scriptures delivered by the ministry the early Christians concerning the life,
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:1–8). Also, the genres are ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
However, this book was written before the destruction of the Jewish temple because in Matt. 24–25
he predicted the temple destruction. Matthew was the son of Alphaeus he was a Jew who had
became a tax collector for the Roman Government. The citizens disliked tax collectors during this
timeframe, so this could be seen as a motivator to follow Christ since others within the community
did not care for him. (Located in Matt. 9:9–13) One may feel this is why Matthew answered Jesus
call so quickly and to commit to his discipleship. Many other tax collectors join the banquet that
Matthew was hosting for Jesus to preach publically to the sinners. However, Matthew's purpose for
listing his works first was to illustrate Jesus fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah the coming
of the King!
3. The evidence of diversity in the early Christian community some people believed that the
churches begin with Adam or Abraham. Various spectators feel that the Christian community begins
with the ministry of John the Baptist. They base their rationale on the fact that their evidence can be
traced back to the baptism, therefore validating their logical reasoning. While others believe the
churches begin with the ministry of Jesus Christ due to him calling his Apostle together. The word
church originated from the term to call out. So these individuals justify their claim by saying it is the
acceptance of a group, which

Who Marcion Is Important For The Development Of Early...
Not all would call him a Christian scholar, but he was the most interesting second century Christian
and also the most detrimental to the development of early Christianity and his name was Marcion. In
this essay I will be explaining who Marcion is and why he was so important for the development of
early Christianity. To start off my research paper my first resource was by Peter Head, The Foreign
God And The Sudden Christ : Theology And Christology In Marcion 's Gospel Redaction, in which
he talks about how many people back in the second century would not call Marcion a good
Christian, leader, or a reformer but was later a great influence for the New Testament. Head then
briefly introduces Marcion and who he was. Also, Peter Head ... Show more content on
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My next source by David William, Reconsidering Marcion's Gospel, addresses in his article that
Marcion was gathered from multiple different resources. Marcion's gospel was not written into the
text and was basically the same thoughts as Paul just with a few different ideas. Williams also states
his three general findings that he has as he studied Marcion thought out his life. Around 144 AD
Marcion expressed his beliefs to everyone and not just to the church. Most people at that time
thought that his beliefs were outrageous and they were frowned upon in that society. Marcion still
believed what he thought was right and created his own church. Even though he knew that giving
his opinion on religion was not a good idea during that time period he still did and got followers that
believed in what he was creating. Everyone that followed his lead and believed the same thing that
he did were called "Marcionites." (Head) According to David Williams not much information on
Marcion's gospel is found. Most of the information is gathered up from references and quotes found
in other literatures. (Williams) Marcion's gospel that they have pieced together are said to look
exactly like Luke's gospel. If Marcion was asked the question himself, he would say that he was
more like Paul rather than Luke. Marcion's belief was in some ways similar to Gnostic Christian
theology. Marcion was considered not a good Christian,

Church History Paper I
The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Cannon A Paper Presented to Dr. Keith Goad of Liberty
University Lynchburg, VA In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for Church History CHHI 301
By Brittany N. Askew February 6, 2012 Brittany Askew 06 February 2012 CHHI301_B04 Paper 1
Introduction The process by which Scripture has been preserved and compiled is one whose history
is worth noting. The early church had many opportunities to share the Good News of Christ via
word of mouth, but from the time of Christ's resurrection until the mid–second century, there had not
been a single culmination of writings considered to be essential for the purposes of ... Show more
Marcion believed that the Jewish Scriptures only concerned the covenant between God and the Jews
of Israel, and therefore was no longer valid for the Christian church. In his mind, these were two
very separate Gods. When noticing that several of Paul's writings made mention of the God of
Israel, Marcion claimed that those writings were not Paul's original texts, and should be considered
counterfeit. Marcion's views of Paul's "forged" portions of his letters can be attributed to what many
theologians today might call the Slippery Slope Argument. In this case, Marcion chose not to trust in
the inerrancy of what God had spoken to Paul. Paul's writing's were flawed, or someone must have
tampered with them. This lack of trust in inerrancy would ultimately allow Marcion to fall down a
"slippery slope", giving way to forsake other important Christian foundational truths. As his
ideologies became more widespread, it became obvious that Marcion's views on creation were
radically reinterpreted (or misinterpreted, better yet), as well as his opinions on the doctrines of
incarnation and the resurrection. Ultimately, the church at large came to the conclusion that his
doctrines contradicted several fundamental points in Christian doctrine. It forced the church to make
a case for the value and status of the Jewish scriptures it had adopted as its own, and it prompted

The Gospel Of Judas '
The Gospel of Judas was discovered in the late 1970's near El Minya in Egypt however the gospel
was not available to scholars until 2006 when National Geographic published a translation of the
Coptic text. The Gospel of Judas, believed to be written sometime in the second century, contains
sixteen chapters that document Jesus teaching spiritual matters and cosmology to Judas. In 2006,
when the translation was released, National Geographic came out and said that this text reveals
Judas as the perfect gnostic where his act of betrayal is righteous and allows him to surpass all other
disciples. One of the major problems with the release of this translation was that scholars, like April
DeConick, began realizing that some words and phrases ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Before Rodolphe Kasser worked on preserving the text in 2004, the Tchacos Codex, the manuscript
in which the Gospel of Judas can be found, changed hands many times. At one point the codex
landed into the hands of an antiques dealer who wanted an enormous amount of money. However,
what he came to realize was that anyone who wanted the manuscript could not afford his price. At
this point, the manuscript ended up in a safety deposit box in New York until 2000. Eventually, a
Swiss individual bought the codex and finally the manuscript was reconstructed by Kasser. In 2008,
scholarship began associating the final redactor of the gospel with Sethian Gnosticism. The Ohio
fragments were photographed and reconstructed in 2009 leading to much of the missing text being
added. By 2011, the basic established theory was that the Gospel of Judas was a second century
polemic Sethian Gnostic text that was against the apostolic and Orthodox Christianity.
The opening of the Gospel of Judas finds the disciples offering thanks over bread in which Jesus
laughs because they are offering thanks to their 'God.' Then Jesus asks them who he truly is but none
could answer, except Judas. Judas said that he came from the realm of the immortal Barbelo but he
cannot say the name of the one who sent him. In which Jesus then tells Judas to separate from the
others and he will reveal the mysteries of the kingdom. When Judas comes to Jesus a vision in
which he saw a

The Gospel Of Thomas Research Paper
Kenneth Beiter
Short Paper
REl 4499 Tues/Thurs 2:00–4:10
6/11/2015
A Child's Purity: Further from Death, but Closer to Heaven.
Throughout the recorded history of the Christian religion, countless writings, both canonical and
non–canonical, have been discovered and translated. As is the issue with most religious texts,
scholars fiercely engage each other's interpretations and opinions regarding these texts. The Gospel
of Thomas is no different. Considered Gnostic by some and canon by others, the Gospel of Thomas
is a collection of sayings that were spoken by the living Jesus, and recorded by Didymos Judas
Thomas. Throughout the length of the text, there are a number of common themes; the most notable
being the idea that the people look to Jesus ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Satiating the lust of the flesh is frowned heavily upon in most religions. Because Adam and Eve
gave into this temptation, all humans are born with some semblance of the original sin. However,
the blank–slate nature of a child is as close to perfect as one can hope to be. Many of Jesus's sayings
in the Gospel of Thomas suggest that children, babies in particular, have everything they need to be
almost perfect; for they are born with that of the light of the Father, and therefore hold some divinity
(Litwa, 2015). Jesus tells his disciples that circumcision is not useful, for if it was, the Father would
have made babies circumcised. Jesus says congratulations to the poor and the meek, for the
Heaven's Kingdom shall belong to them. A child– a baby– is nothing if it is not poor and meek. A
child has done nothing, earned nothing, and truly cannot be anything other than poor, and meek. It is
with age, and sin, that a child loses their sight of the path to Heaven. At several points in the text,
Jesus talks about the intrinsic war between father and son, and the necessary hatred for one's parents.
It is entirely possible that Jesus could be describing the struggle that a good child faces in attempting
to separate themselves from their parents, who have become old and deep in sin. Jesus speaks of an
anecdote about a slave being unable to sever two masters, for he would be

The Syncretity Of Christianity : The Four Gospels Of The...
Not long after the Day of Pentecost believers had to defend their faith from false teachers seeking to
dilute, or subdue the power in the Gospel of Jesus. To combat heresy, orthodoxy had to be defined
both by creed, and by the approval of writings recognized as God's inspired Word. The Canon we
study today remains the same powerful Scripture that has been transforming lives for thousands of
years. Alternate doctrines and beliefs of the person of Christ and proper worship sprang up within
the time of the first apostles. It was for this reason the first writings to the Churches and then the
four Gospels of the New Testament were written to believers (Shelly, & Hatchett, 2013, p.51–53).
Paul wrote the letter to the church at Colossae addressing syncretism within the church. Paul urged
the Colossians to trust in the supremacy of Christ, and to do away with ideas added to the truth of
the Gospel (Alexander & Alexander, 2009, p.723; Cairns, 1996, p.97). John's Gospel expresses both
Christ as fully human, and declares Christ is also fully God. Written in the late first century, John's
gospel is written to those who already knew the facts of Jesus life, but concepts are dealt with
concerning both the Jewish and Hellenistic worldviews (Alexander & Alexander, 2009, p.621–22).
Wither rebuking the forced circumcision of Christians, or declaring the Deity and incarnation of
Christ, many of the writings of the New Testament were written in part to dispel wrong beliefs and
practices

The Rise Of Christianity And Christianity
Christianity began its succession into the most dominant worldwide religion after Jesus' crucifixion
and resurrection. "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and within three
days build another made without hands." Upon Jesus' death and resurrection, he completed this task
setting forth the development of Christianity. Since Jesus left no formal authoritative power,
organization, or agreed upon scriptures, a wide variety of sects gained popularity in the development
of Christianity. Most of these sects were later deemed as heretic, one of the most notable being
Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a dualist religion believing the material world evil and the invisible
spirit realm good. This belief obligated Gnosticism to follow Docetic interpretations. Docetism is
the belief that Jesus was never truly man but rather a divine from the spirit world. All forms of
Christianity, however, believe Jesus is son of God sent as humanity's savior from damnation.
Docetism, along with other aspects of Gnosticism, drove other Christians condemn Gnosticism as
heresy. Gnosticism, however, is more comparable to Canonical Christians than realized.
Specifically, the distinction between Docetism and strict Canonical belief is not only insignificant
but also justifiable due to Canonical contradictions surrounding Jesus' existence.
Canonical Christians' belief on Jesus' time on earth is exhibited clearly by The Gospel of John, "The
Word became flesh and made his dwelling among

Was Jesus Simply a Good Man? Essay
Was Jesus Simply a Good Man?
I feel that to truly understand the significance of this quotation we should define the real meaning of
the word "good." This quotation raises the issues of Jesus simply as a man who was good or that it
emphasises the special relationship between Jesus and God. (Jesus was often referred to as the Son
of God.) I feel that these are the two main ways that we can interpret the quotation.
To look at Jesus as simply a good man who had a philosophy of doing good and showing
compassion to others is safe but we already know that Jesus is not a mere man. He is so much more
than a man; we can see this by looking at the way the gospel of Mark begins:
"This is the Good News ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Jesus shows kindness and compassion in many of his actions. To a certain extent it is kindness and
compassion that provides Jesus a motive to perform miracles. For example when "Jesus Feeds a
Great Crowd":
======================================================================
"When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw this large crowd, and his heart was filled with pity for them,
because they were like sheep without a shepherd"
(Mark Chapter 6 Verse 34)
This is a rare occasion when his act was driven by pure pity, which constitutes goodness. This is rare
because most of his miracles are not performed out of goodness alone, most of them require
acceptance and belief on the person's part: so much so that they have complete and utter faith in
Jesus himself for example in the healing of Jarius' daughter and the woman with a
haemorrhage(Mark chapter 5). His actions are not just acts of sympathy and consideration but they
are a direct reference to the Kingdom of God.
======================================================================
Jesus has a human side. This human side shows through particularly during the last few days of his
life. In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus experiences many human emotions like anguish, distress
and a certain amount of anger. Also physically Jesus would have looked like any other man, not
extraordinarily different. Yet

Differences Of The Three Synoptic Gospels And The Gospel...
Christianism is shown these days to be a religion along with other sub–religions. There is wide array
of different beliefs and views about the same divinities, such as God and Jesus. There are many
religions like Protestantism, Catholicism, Evangelism, Jehovah's Witness and many more with
different perspectives about Jesus in the New Testament. Many questions come into our mind when
it comes to Jesus, such as: who is he? Is he really human or divine? Which Gospel is actually telling
us the truth? In fact, even the gospels in the New Testament have many different perspectives about
Jesus Christ. To be precise, the first four gospels from the New Testament, which are the three
Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John have many differences among each other with their
portrayal of Jesus. In the following paragraphs, I will be exploring in depth these differences by
describing how these texts describes Jesus' deeds, message and his title of who he is. First of all, the
gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke are known to be the Synoptic Gospels. The word "Synoptic"
means "seen together" (Ehrman, p.121). In other words, these gospels all have common stories that
are often really similar from one another (Ehrman, p.121). The Gospel of John is not considered as a
Synoptic, since it's not near having common story patterns and repetitions like them, it is considered
as distinctive and popular Gospel from the New Testament (Ehrman, p.169). The first topic that
shows a prominent distinction

The Purpose of Suffering: a Christian Perspective
The Purpose of Suffering:
A Christian Perspective
The concept of suffering plays an important role in Christianity, regarding such matters as moral
conduct, spiritual advancement and ultimate destiny. Indeed an emphasis on suffering pervades the
Gospel of Mark where, it can be argued, we are shown how to "journey through suffering" (Ditzel
2001) in the image of the "Suffering Son of Man" (Mark 8:32), Jesus Christ. Although theologians
have suggested that Mark was written to strengthen the resolve of the early Christian community
(Halpern 2002, Mayerfeld 2005), the underlying moral is not lost on a modern reader grappling with
multifarious challenges regarding faith in the face of suffering. In his article "A Christian Response
to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Personally I think people need guidance and to know they are not alone when pain overwhelms
them or their loved ones. To know that God is present, albeit in a way "which is beyond us", can
help those who suffer to come to terms with suffering, perhaps even achieve "a freedom, a serenity,
a wholeness" on account of it; often despite not being cured (Marravee 1987). From Christian author
and disability advocate, Joni Eareckson Tada, we find an inspiring example. In her books, Tada
speaks of how a belief in the solidarity of God has helped her in her difficult journey through
suffering .
A common reaction to suffering is to ask "Why?" – "Why did God let it happen to me?" Jesus'
reaction however, lies in stark contrast. Notably, Jesus does not self pity or place blame . The
message here, according to Oswald Chambers, is:
No sin is worse than the sin of self pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives,
replacing Him with our own self interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we
simply become spiritual sponges – always absorbing, never giving and never being satisfied. And
there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives. Jesus' reaction in Mark is one of total submission
to suffering; Jesus knows He must suffer and accepts it as divine necessity. Although Jesus is
vulnerable and fearful of His imminent death (shown through His prayer to Abba (Daddy) in the
Garden of Gethsemane), Jesus does not shirk

Thomas And Two Different Jesus
Joel Brizzee 10/17/14 REL 321/ Shoemaker Luke, Thomas and Two Different Jesus' The
juxtaposition of any two writings is a formidable task. The content of each, even if they seem alike,
is a small part in determining similarities and differences. One must also look at the styles, authors,
themes, supposed audiences and authorial intent. This front becomes even more difficult while
exegeting and deciphering ancient texts because of how far removed the writings are from modern
understanding and scholarship. It is also further complicated when one lacks the factual knowledge
of which piece was written first and/or if both texts were using a third source at the time of their
creation. These difficulties find their apex at the study of Christian history and all of its subsequent
writings. In particular, the gospels according to Thomas and Luke, while they have similarities and
at times identical phraseology are vastly different when one considers their theological
understandings, themes, format and style. Firstly, format and style will be considered. This is one of
the biggest differences between the two gospels. The format of Luke's gospel and Thomas' are
clearly different. Luke, as much as it is technically a narrative, has elements which can be argued
that it is an epistle as well. For example, in his opening verses, Luke is addressing this letter to
Theophilus. Not only is this different than Thomas', which lacks this style, but also unique to Luke
as a gospel itself.

Jesus Came As The Savior And The World, The Supreme Leader...
Jesus came as the Savior to Israel and the world, the supreme leader of Heaven. In the three and a
half years He ministered, He performed and accomplished astonishing feats. He preached life
changing sermons, and taught captivating parables that remain to test today's most educated
scholars. He healed hundreds of incurable diseases, provided food for thousands extraordinarily,
calmed storms suddenly, walked on water confidently, brought people back to life, and selected just
a dozen men, eleven of whom would go on to spend the rest of their lives fulfilling His mission. He
selected hard working people such as fishermen to be His apprentices, and helped and ate with
regular people. He challenged and condemned religious leaders, who resented and despised Him. He
taught in Jerusalem, the cities of Judea, out in the rural areas, in meadows, on mounds, and from
boats in the water while multitudes attended attentively from the shore. Jesus taught about a place,
but not a place of this world. He never had a family, owned a home, held an office, or even wrote a
book. Though some would debate as Christians we are children of God, He is seated at the gates of
our eternal home in Heaven, sits at the right hand of God, and played a major role and character in
the bestselling book and greatest story ever told. Many centuries have gone by and He still remains
the focus and shining light for most of the world. Jesus became and is the highest foundation of
direction and motivation from one

The Discovery Of The Traditional Orthodox Form Of...
Gnosticism can be defined as the mystical perception of knowledge and was considered to be a
heresy that was condemned by those who followed the traditional Orthodox form of Christianity. In
the second century the movement of Gnostic Christianity occurred; it is also referred to as a
Christian sect (Carus). Though people viewed Gnostic Christianity as a sect, it has never been
denied that Gnosticism is older than Christianity and the relation and importance between the two
groups have never been acknowledged (Gnostic Discoveries). Since the discovery of texts found at
Nag Hammadi which presents Jesus as a Gnostic teacher, the connection between the two groups
has grown exponentially, and Paul Carus the author of The Monist even believes that Christianity is
a branch of Gnosticism. Marvin Meyer a professor of Bible and Christian studies, has found that the
discovery of the Gnostic texts allows scholars to get a deeper understanding of Christian teachings
and relate the findings to biblical texts (Gnostic Discoveries). It is said that Gnosticism formed when
early Christians did not agree with the Old Testament and that Gnosticism was another way for them
to understand Jesus' teachings, which is why there are differences between Orthodox beliefs and
Gnostic beliefs (Mansager). In Gnosticism, Jesus, instead of being looked at as a human, is only
looked at as a divine being and the divine being presents the key to reaching salvation. In line 39 of
the Gospel of Thomas it is

Unity And Gospel Advance ( 2 : 1-2 ) Essay
I. Unity and Gospel Advance (2:1–2)
"So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit,
any affection and sympathy [...]," Paul lays out the conditions for what he is about to ask. If we have
the God who actively participates in our lives, and you have experienced His goodness, as I know
you have, then "complete my joy." For Paul, the "if–then" clause was more clearly understood as
Gordon Fee notes, "The 'if' clauses turn out not to express supposition, but presupposition, and
should therefore be translated something closer to 'since there is ...'; and the apodosis, instead of
expressing the 'then' side of a supposition, takes the form of an imperative based on the
presuppositions." Now, it is true that Paul found his joy in Christ, yet it is also true that his joy in
Christ was not separated from the external circumstances of his brothers and sisters in Christ. As
such, the completion of his joy was entangled with his longing for the church at Philippi to be a
reflection of the gospel (vv. 1:27; 2:5–8). But, how were they to complete his joy? Paul said, "by
being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." Being read
aloud, the echo of Philippians 1:27 would still be ringing in their heads, "[stand] firm in one spirit,
with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel." Paul contended that the reason the
Philippians are to be united was because of the gospel. As is illuminated in

God's Sovereign Rule Comes on Earth in Tom Wright's...
Surprised by Hope is broken down into three parts. In Part One, "Setting the Scene," Wright
addresses the confusion of heaven and God's Kingdom. Many Christians, according to Wright, view
heaven as the place you go when you die (p. 18). If this is what has been taught for many years,
what could be the alternative? Wright argues that "the language of heaven in the New Testament
doesn't work that way. 'God's kingdom' in the preaching of Jesus refers not to postmortem destiny,
not to our escape from this world into another one, but to God's sovereign rule coming 'on earth as it
is in heaven'" (p. 18).
Wright turns his attention to the word "resurrection." He explores the way ancient writers and
thinkers have used the term. He writes: "The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
56).
In part two, Wright explores God's future plan. He suggests there are two secular ways to look at the
future of the world. These myths have crept into modern day Christian beliefs. The first way is the
myth of progress. This is was Wright calls "evolutionary optimism" (p. 81). This states that humans
and the cosmos are in a continual state of improvement, moving toward perfection. The problem
with this myth, as Wright points out, is that is cannot deal with evil. The second myth is the idea
people are souls in transit. It was early philosophers like Plato and the Gnostics who claimed that
people are all immortal souls just passing through this world on the way to their spiritual destiny (p.
70–71). This myth obviously dismisses creation and the responsibility to care for creation.
Wright then takes the two secular myths and holds them against the views of the early Christians.
There are three themes drawn from the New Testament and Revelation that support God was going
to do the whole cosmos what he did for Jesus at Easter: theme of the goodness of creation, the
nature of evil, and the plan of redemption (p. 93). Redemption "is the remaking of creation, having
dealt with the evil that is defacing and distorting it. And it is accomplished by the same God, now
known in Jesus Christ, through whom it was made in the first place" (p. 97).
Wright continues by further exploring some misconceptions about Christ's ascension, the second
coming, and

The Teachings Of The Gospel
Culture is the behavior and beliefs as well as characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age
group.(Dictionary.com) The gospel, in sum is the teachings of Christ and the record of his life found
in the first four books of the new testament.An age long struggle, since the Gospel message began to
spread has been the issue of evangelizing to various cultures and presenting the Gospel in a way
relevant to the people. This is the struggle that many missionaries face who work in the fields
amongst various indigenous and foreign cultures that carry practices that are strictly against the
Gospel. "In proclaiming the Gospel, missionaries should respond to the individual elements of other
cultures in various ways. Condemnation of Culture– Missionaries must require the local people to
separate from practices which are prohibited in Scripture such as idolatry, cannibalism, and so forth.
Toleration of Culture– Missionaries will also teach against certain practices which violate Christian
ideals, although temporarily tolerate them while waiting for the development of a more sensitive
conscience on the part of the local people, such as slavery or scarification of the body (when done
for ornamentation).Conversion of Culture– Missionaries may retain certain local patterns and
practices while giving them a new content, meaning or purpose––introducing functional substitutes
in order to avoid creating a cultural vacuum in the lives of the believers and churches––for example,
using

Christian Fellowship Have Heard Of Evangelism Essay
Many within the Christian fellowship have heard of evangelism. Nevertheless, it is not at all
surprising that many aren't quite familiar with the true definition of the term. Furthermore, there are
many Christians whom would consider themselves to be faithful and committed followers of Christ
who obey and believe the Word of God with a testimony that reveals that they are being the best
servant that he or she can be towards the risen Savior. Often times, Christians lead their lives
without much consideration about sharing the gospel with anyone other than their immediate family
members or close friends. Event then, Christians aren't too sure of what they should say or how it
should be said. Christians have become extremely sensitive of not offending another individual
when it comes to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is often considered that evangelism is the
responsibility of the senior pastor and staff ministers. "Sometimes our problem may be any one of a
long list of excuses. Perhaps we don't know the gospel well enough – or we don't think we do.
Maybe we think it's someone else's job, the work of a minister or a missionary" (Dever, 2007, p. 16).
Dever asks the question, "What is the gospel" (Dever, 2007, p. 31)? For Christians who have been
saved for any good length of time, the gospel is commonly known as the good news of the Lord
Jesus Christ being full of love and compassion, who was born to a virgin mother in a manger who
came to save a dying world from their

The Label Of Gnostic Gospel
The label "Gnostic gospel" was used for the revelation dialogues between Jesus and his disciples,
which form a prominent group of Gnostic writings. Titles of the form "gospel according to ..."
became attached to the canonical Gospels in order to distinguish another writing in a collection; this
was a development in the mid to late second century. In addition, when copying collections of
writings, scribes had to assign titles to individual Gnostic works. Based on how rarely "gospel"
appears as a title, one would have to conclude that Gnostics had little interest in the specification.
Gnosticism is a religion that differentiates the evil god of this world from a higher, more abstract
God revealed by Jesus Christ. It is a religion that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Once attributions with no basis in the works themselves are discounted, the number of Gnostic texts
entitled "gospel" shrinks even further. The Valentinian entries, the Gospel of Truth and the Gospel of
Philip, have no ties to the genre "gospel." Valentinian teachers interpret Gospels that are common
property of the larger Christian community. In the remaining cases, both the Gospel of Thomas and
the Gospel of Judas have an incipit that employs a different literary designation. A later scribe took
the apostle 's name from the incipit to create the title. The opening pages of the Gospel of Mary have
been lost. Her prominence in the second half of the text may have provided a scribe with the name
for a title. None of the Gnostic tractates entitled "gospel" initially had that designation.
Used in the oral sense for preaching a message about salvation revealed through the coming of
Jesus, it is the content of their soteriology, not the term that distinguishes Gnostics from other
Christians. Used in the mid–second century forward for written accounts of Jesus and his teaching
commonly circulated among Christians, there is no special Gnostic Gospel. Gnostic teachers rely on
the range of gospel traditions being circulated among Christians, with no greater tendency than
believers to exploit apocryphal Gospels. In addition, the poetics of the Gnostic universe push its
teachers away from imaginative engagement with the historical or physical world such as might
produce additional

Christianity And Gnosticism: The Gospel Of Judas
As said in the National Geographic documentary The Gospel of Judas, the Gospel of Judas was
discovered in 1978 by a farmer searching for valuables among ancient Egyptian burial chambers.
The papyrus book had been stored in a stone box within the chambers, presumably not having seen
daylight since its original storage. Some portions are missing from the text, but there is more than
enough surviving papyrus to translate and get an idea of the theology found within its pages. The
book presents a strange belief system, and brings in a number of elements that point to a strong basis
in Gnosticism. It also stands as an indication of just how diverse early Christianity truly was.
The motives of whoever wrote the Gospel of Judas are only speculation for the most part. However,
it stands to reason that one of the driving forces behind the book's writing may have been to spread
the beliefs of the author in a time when Christianity was incredibly diverse. The documentary
suggests that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For example, there are quite a few references to each person having his own star, an idea that closely
resembles the Gnostic idea of each person having an inner "spark." It is also referenced that each
person's soul will be "taken up," a wording that is consistent with Gnostic ideas of being taken up
upon achieving "gnosis."
Other examples are more obvious. In the Gospel of Judas, there is an entire section that talks about
the "luminous clouds," from which everything seemed to come. References to the "cosmos," "great
generations," and a "cloud of knowledge" all appear to match with similar elements of the Gnostic
belief system. In addition to these terms, Jesus asks the disciples to "bring out the perfect human"
and even makes statements that almost seem to say that the apostles are worshipping the wrong god.
As a result, we can roughly claim that most, if not all, of the text is written by a Gnostic

For many years after the death of Christ, Christianity had...
For many years after the death of Christ, Christianity had many sectarian groups until it was
standardized by the late fourth century in the Roman Empire. One of these groups was the Gnostic
Christians. They believed God was a dyad, or as one having both male and female characteristics
and as a result, practiced this equality between men and women in their communities. They clashed
with the orthodox community during the second to fourth century and their teachings were excluded
from the canonical teachings known as the New Testament. The standardized scriptures influenced
the doctrine known today as orthodox, or correct teachings (Bentley and Zeigler 251). The
traditional orthodox beliefs that women are to be subordinate to men are a ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The erasure of feminine imagery for God can be attributed to the social consequences that came
from believing in a God that had masculine and feminine characteristics.
The gnostics belief in their God also translated over into the gender roles of their communities.
Women in the church were allowed hold roles that for the orthodox church were reserved only for
men such as being a priest, prophet, healer, and evangelist. Though several women also held those
roles ten to twenty years after Jesus' death, prominent men in the Orthodox Church such as Bishop
Irenaeus and Tertullian labeled the gnostics as heretics and expressed blasphemy over the fact that
women were treated as equals (85). This patriarchal view may have been influenced due to various
cultural influences in the churches of the Roman Empire, such as the arrival of Hellenized Jews.
Traditional Jewish beliefs are seen in Paul's viewpoint of the role of women as he argues from a
conception of a masculine God. He says, "...a man...is the image and glory of God; but woman is the
glory of man" (qtd. in Pagels 86) for his justification of the subordination of women. By 200 BC,
majority of Christian churches supported the pseudo–Pauline letter of Timothy, which read "Let a
woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority
over men; she is to keep silent" (qtd. in Pagels 86), which correlated to the start of the

The Gnostic Gospels By Elaine Pagel
The Gnostic Gospels written by Elaine Pagel discusses the origins of the Christian faith and the true
reasons behind some of the Christian's beliefs. Pagel claims that the theological disputes between
the Orthodox Church and Gnostics in the early stages of Christianity were largely motivated by the
political struggle for leadership of the religion. Orthodox Christians supported texts and
interpretations to strengthen their goal which was to create an organization of believers. Gnostics,
who was not necessarily seeking authority over Christianity, were eventually overshadowed by the
supremacy of the Orthodox. Prior to the discovery of the artifact at Nag Hammadi in Egypt 1945
there were only had texts that support the Orthodox Christians belief, now historians were able to
fully evaluate the two groups in a new prospective. Some of the writings found in this newly
discovered artifact are believed to be the Gospel of Thomas and Mary Magdalene. Although Mary
Magdalene does not have a book in the current bible, it is believed by many gnostic Christians that
Jesus came to her in spirit after his death and passed on to her the secret knowledge of
enlightenment. The new gospels that were discovered in Nag Hammadi doesn't emphases on the
birth or death of Jesus as the current biblical gospels do, but focuses more on Jesus' life. Each
chapter is devoted to a major theological problem that divides the Orthodox from the Gnostic. Pagel
makes a compelling case that theological beliefs

A Reflection On The American Culture
When people think of missions, they think its missioners going out to help the poor by giving them
money, food, or something materialistic. Missionary's primary goal should be to bring honor to God.
Missions are not just providing materialistically but it's a way to grow relationally. We aren't meant
to bring out the great potential in God's creation, by being relational to our selves, with others, and
with the rest of creation for we all have a broken in spirit. We are meant to feel a sense of dignity in
ourselves for we were created in the image of God. Culture has an influence in the way we feel
about ourselves, all of our societies are different. As believers we are meant not to make ourselves
feel high but equal because we are all broken instead we need join hands with people. Intercultural
studies come in play because it allows us to understand a foreign culture to accomplish a certain
goal. The goal which we are to accomplish first is to know that we are not the savers but we are
called to help others discover that they are a value meanwhile walking humbly with them as Jesus
transforms both of us. Our relationships with others make a difference not only for us but the
community. The poor need access to prayer, preachers, and to the body. I have learned missions are
not just us going into another country to help the poor but to heal a community. We need to
recognize that we are not the only answer to that community but we are a part of it. We need to be
able to

How Much Deviation from Religious Doctrine is Acceptable?...
Central to any religion is a unified set of beliefs that is shared amongst all its followers. These can
range from stories about the origin of the universe or the lives of prophets or other important
religious figures to sets of rules governing how you live your daily life. It is these beliefs that define
who is a follower of that religion, and deviation from them could result in a person being outcast,
persecuted, or even put to death in various areas and time periods. However, these beliefs are by no
means universal. Interpretations of religious doctrines may strongly differ even between members of
the same religious sect. These issues are very relevant even to non–believers as they have a strong
influence on people's opinions of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Christianity can be divided into three main denominations: Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern
Orthodox. The doctrines of each of these divisions are based on the books of the Old and New
Testament. Although their central texts are almost exactly the same (a few books are different), their
interpretations of them differ greatly. Each asserts that their own interpretation is the only correct
one and that all other doctrines are false (this is slightly less true of many protestants, owing to the
lack of a central protestant church). Obviously, the most central part of Christian belief is the
teachings of Jesus Christ, as described in the four Gospels. In the Book of Mark, believed to be the
earliest of the four, it states "He who believes [the gospel] and is baptized will be saved, but he who
disbelieves it will be condemned" (p106). This immediately creates an ideology based entirely on
one's faith rather than reason or even one's actions. Jesus himself says "All their sins shall be
forgiven unto the sons of men... but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never
forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" (Mark p71). This allows a system to be set up which
requires above all a rigid belief in a central doctrine, deviation from which is punished by eternal
damnation. It is then very easy for the church to present one interpretation which it deems correct
and feel justified in enforcing strict adherence

Gospel Is The Good News
The word gospel is derived from Old English meaning "good news" or "glad tidings". The Greek
word euangelion which means good message is the the source for the word evangelist. 1.
Mark's Gospel, now considered the first of the synoptic gospels makes no delay in the identification
of who this man, Jesus, is. He is the Messiah, the anointed one, from the Greek word Christos. From
the very first verse of this Gospel, the evangelist knows and proclaims who Jesus is: "the Messiah,
the Son of God. 2. Now this evangelist will, through his Gospel, begin a discourse which will allow
all the characters from the disciples to the centurion to realize that "Surely, this was the Son of
God." Mark 15: 39.
One of themes of Mark's gospel is the Good ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Jesus' authority to forgive sins is central to the good news. However, for Mark it is more than
forgiveness. John baptized with water, but the good news of Jesus' coming is that he will baptize
with the Holy Spirit which is proclaimed by John the Baptist in verse 8. 7. When Jesus heals the
paralyzed man and then tells him that his sins are forgiven the teachers of the law are incredulous.
This is part of the good news. Jesus has the power to forgive sins however upsetting it is to the
religious establishment.
Mark 1:15 goes up to say to "believe" in the good news. Belief, faith, is the core of the good news.
Mark 9:23 sums it best: "Everything is possible for one who believes". Mark 11: 24; Therefore I tell
you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours". Jesus also
shows the healing power of faith in Mark 2:5,34 and 10:52 as he heals the paralytic man and the
woman who touched his clothes wishing to be healed. He teaches us a valuable lesson in that it was
their faith that healed them which should be an example for us today.
Another motif which is sewn in the fabric of the good news is what William Loder calls the "radical
inclusiveness of Jesus" or simply put "we are all part of God's kingdom". 8. He enlists fisherman, a
tax collector, and the open sharing of a meal

Being About Our Father 's Business
Being About Our Father's Business Jennifer Butler PT Summer 2014 Dean Lee August 16, 2014
When looking at the three dimensions of worship, our first instinct is to put them in order of priority
for ourselves. This is what I did. I remember a pastor saying once in a sermon that if your
relationship with God is right, then you, your relationships, and your service/ministries will fall in
line. I truly believe that. So, I believe that the most important of the three is Upward Worship. Our
main purpose in life is to give God all of our praises and all of our honor. It's not about me. It's about
living in God and for God. Colossians 1:16 says "For in him all things were created: things in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things have been created through him and for him." This means that we should be about our Father
and not about ourselves. This doesn't mean that on Sunday, we spend a couple of hours in church, it
means that in everything we think, say, or do we do to glorify and honor God. Some examples of
Upward Worship would be prayer, praise and thanksgiving, listen to his word in study and
meditation. It is when we dedicate ourselves to His will and His edification that we have the security
of knowing that this "upward" form is fulfilling. The Inward dimension of worship refers to our
relationships with others. We are called to serve, and serve with humility. When we are serving

The Four Gospels: Mark, Luke, John
A) The are four Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John) are the books in the New Testament. Each
book tells its own story about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
B) Synoptic means to take a common view of something. The Gospel of John is not referred to as a
synoptic gospel is because 75% of Matthew, Mark and Luke are all the same in each Gospel. 90% of
John's Gospel can not be found anywhere else in the Bible.
C)
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Author
Matthew was a Jewish Christian
John Mark, cousin of Barnabas, companion of Paul
Luke was a Gentile, companion of Paul. Doctor and wrote the Acts
Disciple of John. Jewish. Believed to be in Ephesus (Turkey)
Date
80's CE
65–70 CE
80's CE
90–100 CE
Place
Syrian Antioch
Rome
Asia Minor, Achaia ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
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