Being a Christian is difficult for several reasons:
1. Following Christ requires changing one's character, which is an extremely difficult task that seems almost impossible.
2. There is confusion, anger, judgment, and violence among Christian traditions and between Christians and non-Christians, which makes Christianity unappealing.
3. Most Christians are nominal and leave their faith outside of church, failing to live authentically or take social action as called for by Christ. This dims Christianity's light for transforming society.
4. The biggest impediment to living out faith is ourselves - our pride, arrogance, lack of interest in others, and failure to use our time, talents, and resources to demonstrate
Truth is relative in the minds of post-Christian, post-modern and Emergent type "followers" of Christ. The authentic Truth is under attack and often by our very own family members and closest friends. Finding a friend who believes what Proverbs 27:6 says is simply quite rare now days:
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
It is rare that a believer holds to the Truth in absolute fact, value and doctrine in all places, situations and relationships. -Dr. Stephen Phinney
Doing Pastoral theology as a course in the academic world has opened our understanding of the true mission of Jesus Christ to the world, a mission which has its focal point as the redemption of the human race. One very important part of this human race is the group of persons who are suffering around the world and begging for alms to make their daily living. This mission which was handed over to the Church as a continuation of the mission, and beckoning on all people of good will to get involved in this mission to ensure the common good of all. Benedict Azebeokhai Oshiokhamele "Almsgiving: A Case for Pastoral Theology" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-2 , February 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd38363.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/other/38363/almsgiving-a-case-for-pastoral-theology/benedict-azebeokhai-oshiokhamele
The question that Jesus put was so definite
and personal as to be almost pathetic.
*' When the Son of man cometh shall he find
the faith on the earth ? ' ' He who was giving
to the world an idea, a faith the most precious
which had ever entered the mind of man, a
faith which was to be consecrated by His pas-
sion and transfigured by His resurrection,
and then to go out into all the earth, recover-
ing so many individual lives and changing so
often the face of society asks if, in the event
of His coming again, He shall find the idea
alive, the faith burning at the heart of human-
ity. This question, falling from the lips of
Christ is, I say, almost pathetic. We can see
in it one of the sorrows of Jesus.
Truth is relative in the minds of post-Christian, post-modern and Emergent type "followers" of Christ. The authentic Truth is under attack and often by our very own family members and closest friends. Finding a friend who believes what Proverbs 27:6 says is simply quite rare now days:
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.
It is rare that a believer holds to the Truth in absolute fact, value and doctrine in all places, situations and relationships. -Dr. Stephen Phinney
Doing Pastoral theology as a course in the academic world has opened our understanding of the true mission of Jesus Christ to the world, a mission which has its focal point as the redemption of the human race. One very important part of this human race is the group of persons who are suffering around the world and begging for alms to make their daily living. This mission which was handed over to the Church as a continuation of the mission, and beckoning on all people of good will to get involved in this mission to ensure the common good of all. Benedict Azebeokhai Oshiokhamele "Almsgiving: A Case for Pastoral Theology" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-5 | Issue-2 , February 2021, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd38363.pdf Paper Url: https://www.ijtsrd.com/humanities-and-the-arts/other/38363/almsgiving-a-case-for-pastoral-theology/benedict-azebeokhai-oshiokhamele
The question that Jesus put was so definite
and personal as to be almost pathetic.
*' When the Son of man cometh shall he find
the faith on the earth ? ' ' He who was giving
to the world an idea, a faith the most precious
which had ever entered the mind of man, a
faith which was to be consecrated by His pas-
sion and transfigured by His resurrection,
and then to go out into all the earth, recover-
ing so many individual lives and changing so
often the face of society asks if, in the event
of His coming again, He shall find the idea
alive, the faith burning at the heart of human-
ity. This question, falling from the lips of
Christ is, I say, almost pathetic. We can see
in it one of the sorrows of Jesus.
Today’s Gospel may be one of the earliest instances recorded in the Bible of clericalism, for we hear the disciples arguing as to who, among themselves, is the greatest. The second reading warns - “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.
Interesting timing for these readings as the Church continues to deal with the fallout from the recent report from the Attorney’s General’s office in Pennsylvania...as well as the public uncovering of some 40 years of abuse by Cardinal McCarrick, known for decades within the Church leadership and left unchecked.
What can we do? The answer Jesus gives us today is focused around – a child. Why a child and what are we called to do?
Check it all out….
Compilation of all feature articles written for the bi-annual Ram Catholic donor newsletter. Spring/Summer 2015 articles include senior highlights and personal reflection on the adoration chapel. Fall 2014 article about new program called Fit Catholic.
Photos and layout by Josh Applegate.
Reformed & Reforming: Christian Vocation in the 21st CenturyGreg Klimovitz
Christian vocation can be framed as our individual and corporate call to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in our particular time and place. While true of disciples throughout the ages, the present realities of the twenty-first century dare us to embrace a renewed, adaptive, and intersectional understanding of our vocation rooted in a conversant theological traditioning of our faith that speaks into our cities, neighborhoods, and larger world. This work invites all to reimagine how our gifts, talents,passions, entrepreneurial ideas, artistic expressions, and public professions can be pursued in light of our central identity as the people of God called and sent into the world.
www.gregklimovitz.blogspot.com
@gklimovitz
greg.klimovitz@gmail.com
Although COVETING is a sinful thought, it is still a very serious sin, as coveting can lead to all the other sins, including murder, theft, and adultery.
If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will want the best for your neighbor, you will not be angry if he has something you do not, if your neighbor is more fortunate than you, if your neighbor is wealthier than you; rather, you will rejoice in your neighbor’s good fortune. Envy and covetousness is a dangerous sin, it leads to all the other sins, before you steal, before you adulter, before you murder, you covet. Envy is the enemy of friendship. Envy is a sin of your thoughts, that leads to a sin of your words, and ultimately leads to sins of commission, the sins of orneriness, theft, adultery, and murder.
These biblical stories demonstrate how envy can lead to all the other sins:
• David and Bathsheba
• Cain and Abel
• Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent Satan
We are inspired by the teachings of the Eastern Church Fathers and other writings:
• St Gregory Palamas
• St Maximus the Confessor
• St John Climacus
• St Thallassios
• Dwight Moody
• Dr Laura and her rabbi
Please view our blog: https://wp.me/pachSU-dR
To purchase the books we discuss from Amazon, we receive a small associate’s commission:
John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (Classics of Western Spirituality)
https://amzn.to/3jMLomA
The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 2): The Complete Text; Compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain & St. Markarios of Corinth
https://amzn.to/3sUC303
The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 4)
https://amzn.to/3zpDqGs
Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments, by D. L. Moody
https://amzn.to/38gF1T5
The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life, by Laura Schlessinger and her rabbi, Stewart Vogel
https://amzn.to/3BgwhZL
YouTube Video, scheduled for 9/1/2021, 2 PM: https://youtu.be/7uPNXJuDi0A
Today’s Gospel may be one of the earliest instances recorded in the Bible of clericalism, for we hear the disciples arguing as to who, among themselves, is the greatest. The second reading warns - “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.
Interesting timing for these readings as the Church continues to deal with the fallout from the recent report from the Attorney’s General’s office in Pennsylvania...as well as the public uncovering of some 40 years of abuse by Cardinal McCarrick, known for decades within the Church leadership and left unchecked.
What can we do? The answer Jesus gives us today is focused around – a child. Why a child and what are we called to do?
Check it all out….
Compilation of all feature articles written for the bi-annual Ram Catholic donor newsletter. Spring/Summer 2015 articles include senior highlights and personal reflection on the adoration chapel. Fall 2014 article about new program called Fit Catholic.
Photos and layout by Josh Applegate.
Reformed & Reforming: Christian Vocation in the 21st CenturyGreg Klimovitz
Christian vocation can be framed as our individual and corporate call to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ in our particular time and place. While true of disciples throughout the ages, the present realities of the twenty-first century dare us to embrace a renewed, adaptive, and intersectional understanding of our vocation rooted in a conversant theological traditioning of our faith that speaks into our cities, neighborhoods, and larger world. This work invites all to reimagine how our gifts, talents,passions, entrepreneurial ideas, artistic expressions, and public professions can be pursued in light of our central identity as the people of God called and sent into the world.
www.gregklimovitz.blogspot.com
@gklimovitz
greg.klimovitz@gmail.com
Although COVETING is a sinful thought, it is still a very serious sin, as coveting can lead to all the other sins, including murder, theft, and adultery.
If you love your neighbor as yourself, you will want the best for your neighbor, you will not be angry if he has something you do not, if your neighbor is more fortunate than you, if your neighbor is wealthier than you; rather, you will rejoice in your neighbor’s good fortune. Envy and covetousness is a dangerous sin, it leads to all the other sins, before you steal, before you adulter, before you murder, you covet. Envy is the enemy of friendship. Envy is a sin of your thoughts, that leads to a sin of your words, and ultimately leads to sins of commission, the sins of orneriness, theft, adultery, and murder.
These biblical stories demonstrate how envy can lead to all the other sins:
• David and Bathsheba
• Cain and Abel
• Adam and Eve are tempted by the serpent Satan
We are inspired by the teachings of the Eastern Church Fathers and other writings:
• St Gregory Palamas
• St Maximus the Confessor
• St John Climacus
• St Thallassios
• Dwight Moody
• Dr Laura and her rabbi
Please view our blog: https://wp.me/pachSU-dR
To purchase the books we discuss from Amazon, we receive a small associate’s commission:
John Climacus: The Ladder of Divine Ascent (Classics of Western Spirituality)
https://amzn.to/3jMLomA
The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 2): The Complete Text; Compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain & St. Markarios of Corinth
https://amzn.to/3sUC303
The Philokalia: The Complete Text (Vol. 4)
https://amzn.to/3zpDqGs
Weighed and Wanting: Addresses on the Ten Commandments, by D. L. Moody
https://amzn.to/38gF1T5
The Ten Commandments: The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life, by Laura Schlessinger and her rabbi, Stewart Vogel
https://amzn.to/3BgwhZL
YouTube Video, scheduled for 9/1/2021, 2 PM: https://youtu.be/7uPNXJuDi0A
Teaching academic vocabulary can enhance language development in a variety of ways. It can be challenging to teach language learners the meaning of words located in tier 2 and 3, since they require mastery of the language. In many cases,students struggle with knowing when and how to use an academic word. To address this issue, educators need to integrate appropriate scaffolding strategies in vocabulary building. For instance, students could explore the components of what it means to “know a word”. They could engage in activities in which they are ask to define a word using a dictionary, its synonyms, what it looks like, how to use it in a sentence, and its part of speech. By spending time examining words in multiple aspects could help my students build their mental lexicon in the second language.
Teach What You Know: Translating technical knowledge into curriculumCaro Griffin
When you know something really well, or have been doing it for a long time, you can be too close to the topic to find a foothold. But that knowledge should be shared! And it doesn't have to be painful.
1. 1
Why is it so difficult to be Christian ?
Christianity like “old age” is not for the faint of heart.
I know; I qualify on both fronts.
As a young man at age 12, I asked to be baptised. I felt a strong urgeto have a
relationship with my 12 year old idea of God. And so, my parents took me to our
pastor who, after asking somequestions, agreed to baptise me. But, afterwards,
when nothing much had changed, I still wanted a better understanding of who
God was and how God related to me.
At age 13 my parents divorced, and my life was turned up-sidedown. My father
moved away; I was sentto boarding school, and my mother went on to a very
self-destructivelifestyle.
So, like so many other children of all ethnicities and socio-economic groups,
growing up in turmoil without a father, without a positive senseof self, and no
guidance was very difficult. In retrospectmy early life became an emotionally
painful, and lonely journey. By my early twenties I was fully aware my life needed
to change. In 1973 atage 25 years, I was married and had graduated law school.
As I began my professionallife, I wanted to be an excellent attorney. I was very
idealistic about whatthat meant, and it was very importantto me to do my best
for my firm and clients. But, one of my early goals was to be like other successful
attorneys and own a yellow gold Rolex watch. In 1976 on a trip to Hong Kong, I
achieved this goal by purchasing my watch. I couldn’t wait to get home and show
everyonethat I had become a successfulperson. You didn’teven have to ask me,
you justhad to see my gold Rolex. On that sametrip my wife asked me to
purchaseher a $ 60 Rado watch. I said no, we couldn’tafford it.
In 1986, after somethought and reflection, I decided to be confirmed in the
Catholic Church. Later that year my wife and a friend encouraged me to attend a
Cursillo weekend retreat. That weekend experience was truly life changing – on
the weekend I had a very powerfulspiritual experience. I did not come home a
completely new person, but I did come home believing I needed to make changes
2. 2
in my life. I thought of it as a journey to maturity. The path would not be easy, but
it’s a journey “good” men musttake. I had a better understanding of St.
Augustine’s often quoted, “God, you havemade us for yourself, and our hearts
are restless till they find their rest in you.”
As I thought about it, I saw maturity as trying to be the best person I could be or,
put in a faith based way, the person God created me to be. I saw four aspects of
this journey: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual.
I had this senseof whatDavid Brooks in The Road to Character explains as moral
realism where, “we cannotreally grasp the complexity of the world or the full
truth about ourselves … there are bugs in our souls that lead us toward
selfishness and pride, that tempt us to put lower loves over higher loves … the
need to distrustoneself even while waging a noble crusade.”
Of the four aspects, the spiritual battle is the most difficult for me. I’mtoo easily
distracted. As has been said, I love mankind; it’s justpeople I don’t like. In Cursillo
emphasis is placed on spiritual growth through study, piety and action. In my
study I began to see an ongoing and sometimes heated battle between Christian
traditions aboutwho has the “truth”. Christians often get very defensivewhen
another group of Christians claim a superior perspective.
Previously, I had an employee who refused to give away Bibles to inmates
because he believed our American Society Bibles (Good News Translation)
included what this person believed to be non-canonicalmaterial even though this
same material was contained in the original King James translation. Itis this spirit
of division and false piety which makes Christianity so unappealing to many.
Itcan be difficult to understand the Christian community. MostChristians seem to
be non-committal about their faith; they may attend services and say the
politically correctthings, but leave their faith in the parking lot. Having said that,
there are many who are introspectiveand serious and try their best to practice
their faith, and, of course, some Christians arejudgmental and legalistic. The
legalistic ones claim to know God’s intentions in every circumstance. I wish them
well; I justdon’t want to be one of them. I’mcontent to let God be God and
accept my inability to fully understand Him. I desire to be part of a community
trying to express Christ’s callby promoting God’s grace through our lives and
actions. (John 7:20-23).
3. 3
We say the Christian God is all about love. What does that suppose aboutother
faith traditions? The confusion, anger, judgment, and violence among the various
Christian and Non-Christian traditions is almost enough to make one walk away
fromorganized religion. Mahatma Gandhi is often quoted as having said: “ I like
your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians areso unlike your Christ.”
How are we to understand the overwhelming majority of Christians throughout
the western world who are nominal Christians? The common explanation is that
these millions have been corrupted by our society. Or is it that whatthey
experience in their lives as Christianity is not authentic nor compelling?
The understanding that salvation comes fromfaith in Jesus Christwhile truthful is
not the full truth unless it also means that the fullness of this faith includes social
action as defined by Christ – James 2: 14-17, Matthew 25:31-46, and perhaps
most importantly, Matthew 5:1-16. Itis this light to the world which seems so dim
at times – not the light of many individuals whoseaction is amazing, but the light
of the Christian community as a whole. Some think to make Christianity more
appealing we must changethe church experience - so the modern trend to
exciting music and highly emotional sermons. In our facebook/twitter society this
trend is understandable, butwith this effort, we often fail to make our churches
new radical communities.
As Ronald J. Sider says in The Scandalof the Evangelical Conscience, “If we grasp
the New testament understanding of the church, then we realize that the
modern, evangelical reduction of Christianity to somepersonal, privatized affair
that only affects my personalrelationship with God and perhaps my personal
family life is blatant heresy. The church is a new, visible social order. Itis a radical
new community visibly living a challenge to the sexual insanity, the racial and
social prejudice, and the economic injustice that pervade the rest of society.”
I am not wise enough to fully understand how we as Christians can more fully
implement Christ’s call to action. But, faced with the marginalization and
impoverishmentof mostof the world, can we at least ask ourselves how wemight
live our Christian faith so as to transformsociety in the direction of true Christian
fellowship.
On a serious journey to be God’s people would we exploit the labor of the poor;
would we fail to educate and provide medical care for children or would we be
4. 4
more intentional in our actions to reducethe oppression of discrimination and
social inequality? We might consider setting appropriateboundaries on
governmentaland private institutions which, whether intended or not, through
their social, economic, and political dysfunction areactually preventing true
freedom - true freedommust havesomething to do with promoting
circumstances whereeach individual has an opportunity to develop their
spirituality, their talents and abilities in safety.
That opportunity does not exist for all is not necessarily the fault of any particular
economic or governmentalsystem. To blame a systemor a sub-setof society
misses the point, diverts attention, and keeps us distracted fromaddressing these
spiritual issues. Theproblem is us. In Cursillo we are taught that if you want to
truly understand a person examine how they use their free time, their talent(s),
and their resources. Thesame is also likely true for faith based groups and society
in general.
We shine God’s light by demonstrating love and humility in our daily actions.
Thus Christian action is action motivated by our love of God that seeks to change
the world. How might the world be different, if Christians assumed the
responsibility of living their faith? Our biggest impediment seems to be ourselves
- our pride, the arroganceof human logic and knowledge, and our lack of a
sincere interest in others.
So, a clue to the question of why is it so difficult to be a Christian is justthat it is
extremely difficult. Changing one’s character as Christrequests is so difficult that
it is almostimpossible. But, in every Christian faith tradition we do haveexamples
of men and women who despite their human nature havehelped show us the
path – the path I’mcalling the journey to maturity – the path of restoration to be
the persons God calls us to be.
jat