This document discusses paradigms and paradigm shifts within Christianity. It explores how paradigms of power, certainty, and security are collapsing and argues for a new paradigm focused on faith, hope, and love. This new paradigm, called "incarnational orthodoxy," emphasizes relationship with Christ over doctrinal beliefs or ethical practices. It promotes oneness in Christ, the law of love, transformational living, radical hospitality, and inclusive community. The document provides examples of how this new paradigm could shape church ministries and calls readers to discern how to apply its principles within their own congregational contexts.
This document provides an overview of Islam to help Christians understand and build relationships with Muslim neighbors. It discusses the origins and key beliefs of Islam, including the five pillars and the Quran, as well as areas of agreement and disagreement between Islam and Christianity. The goal is to equip Christians to have respectful, truth-seeking discussions about faith with those of other religious backgrounds.
The document provides an overview of world religions and discusses building relationships with those of other faiths, including agnosticism. It introduces agnosticism and compares its beliefs to Christianity. Specifically, it outlines areas of agreement such as the importance of questions and spirituality. It also examines areas of disagreement between agnosticism and Christianity regarding the existence and role of God, human fulfillment, authority, and religious institutions. The overall goal discussed is equipping readers to have truthful conversations with those of other beliefs.
Evangelism is a scary word. But when we understand the foundation of the Gospel is that God became one of us to befriend us, sharing that good news with people of other faiths becomes less frightening.
Does the bible command us to share our faith? Is there basis for doing Apologetics in the bible? That is the questions we will be looking at during this presentation.
The document provides guidance on how Christians should respond when asked to explain their faith. It advises that believers should always be prepared to give reasons for their hope in Jesus Christ, but to do so with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. It quotes 1 Peter 3:15-16 to support this.
This document provides an overview of atheism from a Christian perspective. It begins by asking what readers know about atheism and questions they have. It then outlines a methodology for introducing and discussing other faiths or worldviews. The document proceeds to define key terms related to atheism and trace its historical development. It identifies some influential atheist thinkers and common beliefs among atheists today such as materialism, progressivism, and humanism. The document notes areas of agreement and disagreement between Christianity and atheism, such as views on morality, human nature, and the nature of the world. It concludes by offering advice on how to build respectful relationships with atheists.
I. Christian moral life is about following Christ and becoming loving persons in community before God. It is living out one's faith through daily actions, not just rituals or beliefs.
II. There is often a gap between outward devotion and true discipleship, between professing faith (fides quae) and living it (fides qua). Authentic faith inspires witness and service through both prayer and moral action.
III. As moral agents, humans are called to imitate Christ through humane acts - acts of mercy that affirm our shared humanity - not involuntary acts like pollution that lack full consent and reason.
The concept of discipleship lesson 3 for simple bible basicsminjack5
The document discusses the concept of discipleship, describing a disciple as a student or learner. It notes that Plato discipled Aristotle, imparting his teachings and influencing the development of Aristotle's philosophy. The key aspects of discipleship discussed are acquiring the right information, typically from the Bible, mastering the necessary body of knowledge, and modeling the right skills through intentional spiritual development and progression toward maturity as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
This document provides an overview of Islam to help Christians understand and build relationships with Muslim neighbors. It discusses the origins and key beliefs of Islam, including the five pillars and the Quran, as well as areas of agreement and disagreement between Islam and Christianity. The goal is to equip Christians to have respectful, truth-seeking discussions about faith with those of other religious backgrounds.
The document provides an overview of world religions and discusses building relationships with those of other faiths, including agnosticism. It introduces agnosticism and compares its beliefs to Christianity. Specifically, it outlines areas of agreement such as the importance of questions and spirituality. It also examines areas of disagreement between agnosticism and Christianity regarding the existence and role of God, human fulfillment, authority, and religious institutions. The overall goal discussed is equipping readers to have truthful conversations with those of other beliefs.
Evangelism is a scary word. But when we understand the foundation of the Gospel is that God became one of us to befriend us, sharing that good news with people of other faiths becomes less frightening.
Does the bible command us to share our faith? Is there basis for doing Apologetics in the bible? That is the questions we will be looking at during this presentation.
The document provides guidance on how Christians should respond when asked to explain their faith. It advises that believers should always be prepared to give reasons for their hope in Jesus Christ, but to do so with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience. It quotes 1 Peter 3:15-16 to support this.
This document provides an overview of atheism from a Christian perspective. It begins by asking what readers know about atheism and questions they have. It then outlines a methodology for introducing and discussing other faiths or worldviews. The document proceeds to define key terms related to atheism and trace its historical development. It identifies some influential atheist thinkers and common beliefs among atheists today such as materialism, progressivism, and humanism. The document notes areas of agreement and disagreement between Christianity and atheism, such as views on morality, human nature, and the nature of the world. It concludes by offering advice on how to build respectful relationships with atheists.
I. Christian moral life is about following Christ and becoming loving persons in community before God. It is living out one's faith through daily actions, not just rituals or beliefs.
II. There is often a gap between outward devotion and true discipleship, between professing faith (fides quae) and living it (fides qua). Authentic faith inspires witness and service through both prayer and moral action.
III. As moral agents, humans are called to imitate Christ through humane acts - acts of mercy that affirm our shared humanity - not involuntary acts like pollution that lack full consent and reason.
The concept of discipleship lesson 3 for simple bible basicsminjack5
The document discusses the concept of discipleship, describing a disciple as a student or learner. It notes that Plato discipled Aristotle, imparting his teachings and influencing the development of Aristotle's philosophy. The key aspects of discipleship discussed are acquiring the right information, typically from the Bible, mastering the necessary body of knowledge, and modeling the right skills through intentional spiritual development and progression toward maturity as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Christian ethics provides the highest moral standard derived from God's revelation in the Bible. It represents how Christianity guides private, social, and communal life through Christ's teachings. Biblical ethics manifests God's grace by showing believers how to remain morally pure through righteousness. Jesus lived a perfect life of highest order by translating virtue into holiness and duty into privilege through self-sacrifice. He enacted divine laws for humanity and revealed how they can be adapted for human needs by subjecting himself to full obedience. The epistles provide rules and directions for private and social conduct, teaching that belief and behavior must be aligned.
St. Clement of Rome was a bishop of Rome in the late 1st century who authored an influential letter to the church in Corinth. In the letter, he draws analogies between the church and an army or body to emphasize that the church is a unified whole under the authority of its leaders, with different roles and gifts. He argues the church should obey authorities appointed by God rather than those who cause divisions. St. Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of John the Evangelist who succeeded Evodius as bishop of Antioch around the year 70. He strengthened the church during Roman persecution in the 1st century through preaching, prayer, and fasting. The document provides background on patrology
The document discusses three possible futures for Christianity: continuing contraction, conservative resurgence, or pregnancy. It argues that pregnancy, characterized by theological and liturgical renewal, missional reorientation, and new ecumenical alliances, is the best future. For Christianity to experience pregnancy, it will require convergence between progressive Catholics, evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and other groups. Pregnancy will convert, cost, and change Christians, and will require a romance between social movements and institutions.
Spiritual Leadership - What spiritism teaches us about being a leaderGlaucio Pessoa, P.E.
This is a work which has been presented at the 3rd Spiritist Conference of Atlanta in 2010. The paper goes into detail of how the spiritism help us better understand the role of the leader as a spiritual being.
This document discusses the nature of faith from a Catholic perspective. It defines two aspects of faith: fides quae, which is the body of truths believed, such as the creed; and fides qua, the act of believing. It addresses degrees of faith in God, the Gospel, and the Church. Faith involves both intellect and will. While feelings can influence faith, it comes from within through grace and free will. The document provides ways to lose faith through ignorance or doubt, and ways to strengthen it through community, prayer, and study.
This document provides an overview of Islam and compares it to Christianity as competing worldviews. It discusses key Islamic theological concepts such as sins and salvation through good works. The document also examines Islamic scriptures, views of Christianity like the Trinity, and opportunities to engage Muslims in apologetics by responding to perceived errors in the Quran regarding Jesus and other topics. The overall purpose is to understand Islam and analyze whether it constitutes a "good" worldview according to the criteria outlined.
Comparison chart of Presbyterian DenominationsJeff Gissing
This document provides a comparison of the Presbyterian Church (USA) [PCUSA], the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians [ECO], and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church [EPC] across various theological and organizational issues. Some key differences include:
- The PCUSA allows for more flexibility in beliefs around issues like salvation, the authority of Scripture, and homosexuality. The ECO and EPC take more traditionally conservative stances.
- The ECO and EPC affirm theological essentials/creeds and consider them authoritative, while the PCUSA does not have consensus on essential beliefs.
- The ECO and EPC require ordination vows affirming core doctrines like the authority
This document discusses worldviews and provides a survey to assess whether one has a biblical worldview. The survey asks questions about moral truths, the accuracy and authority of the Bible, God as creator, Jesus's sinless life, salvation as a gift from God, Satan's existence, and a Christian's duty to share their faith. According to research, only 4% of Americans and 9% of self-identified Christians have a biblical worldview. The document contrasts biblical and worldly perspectives and concludes that God considers only two worldviews - his biblical one and the world's alternative view.
In the modern era leadership is often understood in secular terms, such as political or corporate leadership. This presentation considers the relevance of religion and spirituality to leadership and good governance. Themes include spiritual growth, life after death, and the existence of a spiritual world.
Theology is the study of God and divine revelation. There are two main branches: dogmatic theology, which examines theological truths about God; and moral theology, which guides Christians in living according to divine truths. Moral theology draws on sacred scripture and tradition to teach Christians how to live virtuously and act in a loving manner according to God's will. The ultimate goal of moral theology is to help Christians develop morally and attain salvation by living as disciples of Christ.
The document discusses reasons for believing that the Bible is authoritative. It argues that the Bible has authority because it comes from God, not just from human authors. It provides 6 reasons for this: 1) The amazing unity of the Bible despite being written by many authors over many years, 2) Fulfilled prophecies that could only come from divine knowledge, 3) Historical accuracy even when recording supernatural events, 4) Surviving extensive copying and persecution, 5) Answering fundamental questions of human existence, and 6) Changing lives over thousands of years. Each reason is examined in more detail, providing evidence for the divine inspiration of Scripture.
The document provides an overview of a theology course, including its objectives, structure, assignments and expectations. It discusses key topics that will be covered across 7 sections, such as the Bible, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, dispensations and covenants, angels, and man and sin. Students will be assigned to work in groups of 3 to compile a 2-page summary sheet for each section, called an "Irreducible Minimum", highlighting the essential information and concepts.
An insight on the essence of Christian Morality in today's generation and what it means to be good or bad. It also gives a retrospect of Different Philosophies spread around the world. It gives the meaning of being righteous and just.
The document discusses the dimensions of faith from a Catholic perspective. It describes faith as having 3 dimensions - believing with the head (doctrine), doing with the hands (morals), and trusting with the heart (worship). It states that authentic Christian faith integrates believing, doing, and trusting, embracing Gospel truth, committing to God's will, and offering worship to God. The document emphasizes that faith should be both orthodox in doctrine and orthopraxis (right practice), grounded in Scripture and tradition but also human experience.
The document discusses various perspectives on theology and the gospel. It addresses shifting understandings of theology from being a systematic outline of truth to being a creative model-making enterprise. It also discusses different views of the gospel, including emphasizing the kingdom of God narrative over theories of atonement or moralistic messages. The document advocates for theology that is coherent, contextual, conversational, and comprehensive.
The document discusses Pope John Paul II's theology of the body and its application to understanding freedom, love, and human sexuality. It explains that the body reveals spiritual truths about God and humanity. The theology of the body shows that God created humans with bodies and sexuality to live in communion and express love. It counters modern cultural views that often promote distorted understandings of sex, love, and the human person.
The document outlines the 3 dimensions of faith: doctrine which involves believing in God and answers the question "What can I know?"; morals which involves doing God's will and answers "What should I do?"; and worship which involves entrusting God and answers "What I hope for?". Each dimension is associated with a question, subjective experience, Filipino equivalent, focus (creed, commandments, or prayers), human faculty (mind, will, or heart), apostolic prayer (to know, to serve, or to love), and value (maturity, freedom, or spiritual joy).
Christian ethics provides the highest moral standard derived from God's revelation in the Bible. It represents how Christianity guides private, social, and communal life through Christ's teachings. Biblical ethics manifests God's grace by showing believers how to remain morally pure through righteousness. Jesus lived a perfect life of highest order by translating virtue into holiness and duty into privilege through self-sacrifice. He enacted divine laws for humanity and revealed how they can be adapted for human needs by subjecting himself to full obedience. The epistles provide rules and directions for private and social conduct, teaching that belief and behavior must be aligned.
St. Clement of Rome was a bishop of Rome in the late 1st century who authored an influential letter to the church in Corinth. In the letter, he draws analogies between the church and an army or body to emphasize that the church is a unified whole under the authority of its leaders, with different roles and gifts. He argues the church should obey authorities appointed by God rather than those who cause divisions. St. Ignatius of Antioch was a disciple of John the Evangelist who succeeded Evodius as bishop of Antioch around the year 70. He strengthened the church during Roman persecution in the 1st century through preaching, prayer, and fasting. The document provides background on patrology
The document discusses three possible futures for Christianity: continuing contraction, conservative resurgence, or pregnancy. It argues that pregnancy, characterized by theological and liturgical renewal, missional reorientation, and new ecumenical alliances, is the best future. For Christianity to experience pregnancy, it will require convergence between progressive Catholics, evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and other groups. Pregnancy will convert, cost, and change Christians, and will require a romance between social movements and institutions.
Spiritual Leadership - What spiritism teaches us about being a leaderGlaucio Pessoa, P.E.
This is a work which has been presented at the 3rd Spiritist Conference of Atlanta in 2010. The paper goes into detail of how the spiritism help us better understand the role of the leader as a spiritual being.
This document discusses the nature of faith from a Catholic perspective. It defines two aspects of faith: fides quae, which is the body of truths believed, such as the creed; and fides qua, the act of believing. It addresses degrees of faith in God, the Gospel, and the Church. Faith involves both intellect and will. While feelings can influence faith, it comes from within through grace and free will. The document provides ways to lose faith through ignorance or doubt, and ways to strengthen it through community, prayer, and study.
This document provides an overview of Islam and compares it to Christianity as competing worldviews. It discusses key Islamic theological concepts such as sins and salvation through good works. The document also examines Islamic scriptures, views of Christianity like the Trinity, and opportunities to engage Muslims in apologetics by responding to perceived errors in the Quran regarding Jesus and other topics. The overall purpose is to understand Islam and analyze whether it constitutes a "good" worldview according to the criteria outlined.
Comparison chart of Presbyterian DenominationsJeff Gissing
This document provides a comparison of the Presbyterian Church (USA) [PCUSA], the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians [ECO], and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church [EPC] across various theological and organizational issues. Some key differences include:
- The PCUSA allows for more flexibility in beliefs around issues like salvation, the authority of Scripture, and homosexuality. The ECO and EPC take more traditionally conservative stances.
- The ECO and EPC affirm theological essentials/creeds and consider them authoritative, while the PCUSA does not have consensus on essential beliefs.
- The ECO and EPC require ordination vows affirming core doctrines like the authority
This document discusses worldviews and provides a survey to assess whether one has a biblical worldview. The survey asks questions about moral truths, the accuracy and authority of the Bible, God as creator, Jesus's sinless life, salvation as a gift from God, Satan's existence, and a Christian's duty to share their faith. According to research, only 4% of Americans and 9% of self-identified Christians have a biblical worldview. The document contrasts biblical and worldly perspectives and concludes that God considers only two worldviews - his biblical one and the world's alternative view.
In the modern era leadership is often understood in secular terms, such as political or corporate leadership. This presentation considers the relevance of religion and spirituality to leadership and good governance. Themes include spiritual growth, life after death, and the existence of a spiritual world.
Theology is the study of God and divine revelation. There are two main branches: dogmatic theology, which examines theological truths about God; and moral theology, which guides Christians in living according to divine truths. Moral theology draws on sacred scripture and tradition to teach Christians how to live virtuously and act in a loving manner according to God's will. The ultimate goal of moral theology is to help Christians develop morally and attain salvation by living as disciples of Christ.
The document discusses reasons for believing that the Bible is authoritative. It argues that the Bible has authority because it comes from God, not just from human authors. It provides 6 reasons for this: 1) The amazing unity of the Bible despite being written by many authors over many years, 2) Fulfilled prophecies that could only come from divine knowledge, 3) Historical accuracy even when recording supernatural events, 4) Surviving extensive copying and persecution, 5) Answering fundamental questions of human existence, and 6) Changing lives over thousands of years. Each reason is examined in more detail, providing evidence for the divine inspiration of Scripture.
The document provides an overview of a theology course, including its objectives, structure, assignments and expectations. It discusses key topics that will be covered across 7 sections, such as the Bible, God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, dispensations and covenants, angels, and man and sin. Students will be assigned to work in groups of 3 to compile a 2-page summary sheet for each section, called an "Irreducible Minimum", highlighting the essential information and concepts.
An insight on the essence of Christian Morality in today's generation and what it means to be good or bad. It also gives a retrospect of Different Philosophies spread around the world. It gives the meaning of being righteous and just.
The document discusses the dimensions of faith from a Catholic perspective. It describes faith as having 3 dimensions - believing with the head (doctrine), doing with the hands (morals), and trusting with the heart (worship). It states that authentic Christian faith integrates believing, doing, and trusting, embracing Gospel truth, committing to God's will, and offering worship to God. The document emphasizes that faith should be both orthodox in doctrine and orthopraxis (right practice), grounded in Scripture and tradition but also human experience.
The document discusses various perspectives on theology and the gospel. It addresses shifting understandings of theology from being a systematic outline of truth to being a creative model-making enterprise. It also discusses different views of the gospel, including emphasizing the kingdom of God narrative over theories of atonement or moralistic messages. The document advocates for theology that is coherent, contextual, conversational, and comprehensive.
The document discusses Pope John Paul II's theology of the body and its application to understanding freedom, love, and human sexuality. It explains that the body reveals spiritual truths about God and humanity. The theology of the body shows that God created humans with bodies and sexuality to live in communion and express love. It counters modern cultural views that often promote distorted understandings of sex, love, and the human person.
The document outlines the 3 dimensions of faith: doctrine which involves believing in God and answers the question "What can I know?"; morals which involves doing God's will and answers "What should I do?"; and worship which involves entrusting God and answers "What I hope for?". Each dimension is associated with a question, subjective experience, Filipino equivalent, focus (creed, commandments, or prayers), human faculty (mind, will, or heart), apostolic prayer (to know, to serve, or to love), and value (maturity, freedom, or spiritual joy).
The Effects of Expectations on Acceptance of Innovation & Change Ken Howard
If change is catchy, how come so many innovations don't catch on. This presentation illustrates why that is and what to do about it.
http://practicingparadoxy.com
The Difference between Religion and Faith (in two pictures)Ken Howard
A colleague asked me to illustrate the difference between "religion" and "faith" in two slides. This is my response (3 slides, but the title page doesn't count).
http://practicingparadoxy.com
Conflict Transformation: Understanding the Difference Between Healthy & Unhea...Ken Howard
The document outlines steps for transforming conflict through understanding different perspectives and building agreement. It discusses 5 steps: 1) reflection and centering to understand each party's perspective, 2) setting a respectful tone, 3) sharing perspectives through active listening and clarifying assumptions, 4) building understanding by addressing issues and interests, and 5) reaching closure through mutually agreed upon solutions. The overall approach is to treat conflict as an opportunity for growth, respect each other's good intentions, and find creative solutions that address both parties' interests.
A look at what the Bible has to say about whether our secular culture can really live without God, and what the Gospel is, and how it meets the needs of mankind.
This document provides an introduction to world religions and belief systems. It discusses key concepts like worldview, religion, spirituality and belief systems. It explains that worldviews are shaped by religions and beliefs. Various religious worldviews emphasize different aspects like sacred texts, traditions or nature. The characteristics of religion are also outlined. Activities encourage analyzing different perspectives on faith. The relationship between religion and spirituality is explored, noting religion involves membership while spirituality is personal. Theology is defined as the systematic study of God using reason.
Introduction to the Trinity_March 15, 2009BertBrim
Our SS community is transitioning from 8 months of teaching on Bible reading, devotion and study to the Doctrine of God. Here are the notes from our class yesterday.
The search for an ethos in which the poor also have a space. We wish to articulate a minimum consensus to save and regenerate our common home, today crucified due to ecological devastation, international systemic injustice, violence… we are called today to ensure a future for Earth-Humanity. To update our identity…to overcome our crisis before it is too late…
by Guillermo Campuzano, CM
Dr. John Oakes taught a class titled Christianity in a Postmodern World at the 2013 ICEC at San Diego State University. He proposes a rational Christian response to both the good and the bad which comes with postmodern thinking. The class covers the history of modernism and why it was replaced by postmodernism, as well as a brief bio of the major influences in the movement as well as suggesting both the strengths and weaknesses of the postmodern mood.
This document provides an introduction to world religions and belief systems. It defines key concepts like worldview, belief systems, religion, and spirituality. A worldview is the basic way a person interprets reality based on their culture and upbringing. Belief systems shape one's worldview and are influenced by religion. Religions have common elements like belief in supernatural powers, sacred texts or places, rituals, concepts of sin and salvation. The document differentiates religion from spirituality and provides examples of different types of belief systems like theism, pantheism and naturalism.
Epiphany: Finding Truth Without Losing Faith. It challenges readers to celebrate and applaud their differences – as God does – and to seek their personal truth wherever it may come.
- The document is a summary of workshops from a biblical literature class covering various themes like the cosmos, God, humanity, values vs sin, and more.
- It discusses the scientific approach to understanding the cosmos versus the biblical approach from Genesis and addresses limitations of science.
- On humanity, it examines what it means to be fully human through relationships with God, Earth, and other people.
- Sections on values and sin explore different categories of values and how sin progresses and relates to God's character.
The document discusses different worldviews and their perspectives on the purpose of life. It analyzes the Judeo-Christian, polytheistic/pantheistic, monotheistic/deistic, humanist/atheistic, and Christian biblical worldviews. It explores how each worldview defines purpose and meaning in life. The Christian biblical worldview is highlighted as providing the most coherent answers to life's essential questions by establishing purpose and meaning through God's unconditional love and assurance of an eternal future.
Gandhi believed that all religions contain both truth and error, and that the goal of religious followers should not be to convert others but rather to improve themselves and their own faith. He felt Hindus should strive to be better Hindus, Muslims better Muslims, and Christians better Christians.
This document provides guidance for starting new worshipping communities from Rev. Zac Morton. It discusses the Mustard Seed Project model of church planting, emerging patterns in American spirituality, key questions to consider in discerning a new community, and tips for "meeting people where they are." Morton emphasizes listening to understand the needs and perspectives of target audiences, developing community around shared interests, and allowing failures as part of the process of persistence. The goal is to form spiritual homes that challenge growth through practices of hospitality, tradition exploration, and compassionate action.
The document discusses several "roads" in the Bible that point to Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified.
1) The Road to Damascus represents conversion and transformation from unbelief to belief. It discusses Paul's conversion experience and what it symbolizes for Christians today.
2) The Road to the Wilderness symbolizes separation from the world, spiritual warfare, solitude, and preparation for ministry. It discusses how Jesus and John the Baptist spent time in the wilderness and what Christians can learn from this.
3) All the roads ultimately lead to Golgotha, where Jesus died on the cross as the only way to salvation and forgiveness of sins. The choice is to either accept Jesus or reject Him
This document summarizes a presentation on commitment to life, charity, and justice. It discusses biblical roots of justice in the Old and New Testaments. It emphasizes that all human life is sacred and created in God's image. The presentation examines issues like abortion, euthanasia, and the death penalty from a pro-life perspective. It encourages participants to reflect on how they can promote justice and dignity for all people, especially the vulnerable. The goal is to help form a community committed to Gospel values of protecting life, practicing charity, and pursuing social justice.
Using Media & Popular Culture to Facilitate Encounters with ChristRose Pacatte, D. Min.
This is a presentation for those involved in evangelization and catechesis and offers a media literacy/media mindfulness approach to popular culture in faith formation. It defines culture, popular culture, and considers approaching these through the route of values and virtue. It invites catechists to embrace a life of prayer and cultural mysticism in their own lives to be witnesses to those with whom they share faith.
Dwyer argues that there are only two ways to resolve the ambiguities of determining right and wrong based on feelings: 1) we must agree that some actions are inherently worthy or unworthy, whether we admit it or not, or 2) we have no coherent arguments to claim that atrocities like Auschwitz were wrong. If morality is truly relative, we could not consistently call any actions wrong or make ethical judgments as a group. Theology and ethics are connected, with theology describing life's purpose and ethics prescribing how to live to attain that purpose, as defined by God and exemplified by Jesus Christ. Catholic Christian ethics is informed by Scripture, natural law, tradition, and experience, with the Church hierarchy serving as
The document provides an overview of major Christian doctrines, including:
- The inspiration of Scripture comes from God superintending human authors to compose the Bible without error.
- Key doctrines like the Trinity, deity of Christ, salvation, and last things are based on what is clearly stated in the Bible.
- Heresies and errors arose when people rejected what was written in Scripture and accepted their own revelations instead of what the apostles and prophets taught.
- Church councils helped formally define doctrines to protect the clear meaning of Scripture in response to heresies.
Is the Christian Worldview objective or subjective? Does objective truth claims actually exist? This is part 2 in the basic epistomology that is the foundation for Christian Apologetics.
What is the difference between objectivity and subjectivity? Do objective "anythings" truly exist? Is the Christian faith founded on an outside truth claim, or an inward experience?
Similar to Practicing Paradoxy: Exploring Incarnational Christianity (20)
A Free eBook ~ Valuable LIFE Lessons to Learn ( 5 Sets of Presentations)...OH TEIK BIN
A free eBook comprising 5 sets of PowerPoint presentations of meaningful stories /Inspirational pieces that teach important Dhamma/Life lessons. For reflection and practice to develop the mind to grow in love, compassion and wisdom. The texts are in English and Chinese.
My other free eBooks can be obtained from the following Links:
https://www.slideshare.net/ohteikbin/presentations
https://www.slideshare.net/ohteikbin/documents
The Enchantment and Shadows_ Unveiling the Mysteries of Magic and Black Magic...Phoenix O
This manual will guide you through basic skills and tasks to help you get started with various aspects of Magic. Each section is designed to be easy to follow, with step-by-step instructions.
The Hope of Salvation - Jude 1:24-25 - MessageCole Hartman
Jude gives us hope at the end of a dark letter. In a dark world like today, we need the light of Christ to shine brighter and brighter. Jude shows us where to fix our focus so we can be filled with God's goodness and glory. Join us to explore this incredible passage.
Why is this So? ~ Do Seek to KNOW (English & Chinese).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma teaching of Kamma-Vipaka (Intentional Actions-Ripening Effects).
A Presentation for developing morality, concentration and wisdom and to spur us to practice the Dhamma diligently.
The texts are in English and Chinese.
A375 Example Taste the taste of the Lord, the taste of the Lord The taste of...franktsao4
It seems that current missionary work requires spending a lot of money, preparing a lot of materials, and traveling to far away places, so that it feels like missionary work. But what was the result they brought back? It's just a lot of photos of activities, fun eating, drinking and some playing games. And then we have to do the same thing next year, never ending. The church once mentioned that a certain missionary would go to the field where she used to work before the end of his life. It seemed that if she had not gone, no one would be willing to go. The reason why these missionary work is so difficult is that no one obeys God’s words, and the Bible is not the main content during missionary work, because in the eyes of those who do not obey God’s words, the Bible is just words and cannot be connected with life, so Reading out God's words is boring because it doesn't have any life experience, so it cannot be connected with human life. I will give a few examples in the hope that this situation can be changed. A375
The forces involved in this witchcraft spell will re-establish the loving bond between you and help to build a strong, loving relationship from which to start anew. Despite any previous hardships or problems, the spell work will re-establish the strong bonds of friendship and love upon which the marriage and relationship originated. Have faith, these stop divorce and stop separation spells are extremely powerful and will reconnect you and your partner in a strong and harmonious relationship.
My ritual will not only stop separation and divorce, but rebuild a strong bond between you and your partner that is based on truth, honesty, and unconditional love. For an even stronger effect, you may want to consider using the Eternal Love Bond spell to ensure your relationship and love will last through all tests of time. If you have not yet determined if your partner is considering separation or divorce, but are aware of rifts in the relationship, try the Love Spells to remove problems in a relationship or marriage. Keep in mind that all my love spells are 100% customized and that you'll only need 1 spell to address all problems/wishes.
Save your marriage from divorce & make your relationship stronger using anti divorce spells to make him or her fall back in love with you. End your marriage if you are no longer in love with your husband or wife. Permanently end your marriage using divorce spells that work fast. Protect your marriage from divorce using love spells to boost commitment, love & bind your hearts together for a stronger marriage that will last. Get your ex lover who has remarried using divorce spells to break up a couple & make your ex lost lover come back to you permanently.
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2. Who am I?
Why is this important to me?
What do I hope to leave you with?
3ImportantQuestions
Getting On Board
3. Who are you?
Why is this important to you?
What do you hope to leave with?
3ImportantQuestions
Getting On Board
4. What do I hope
to leave you with?
PROVISIONAL ANSWERS
TO THREE QUESTIONS
Where are we?
How did we get here?
Where do we go from here?
5. Starting Places
The Transforming Power of Christ’s Love
The Reality of Death & Resurrection
Concursis Dei
Believing Our Belovedness
Overcoming Our Fear of Failure (Death)
Imanu-El (With-Us God)
10. It all depends on your
point of view
world view
conceptual framework
PARADIGM
11. It should be the law:
If you use the word ‘paradigm’
without knowing what the dictionary says it means,
you go to jail.
No exceptions.
– David B. Jones, CTO of Innovative Robotics
A word about Paradigms
12. “A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices
that constitutes a way of viewing reality
for the community that shares them.”
– American Heritage Dictionary
Paradigm (Definition)
16. 1. Unchallenged Dominant Paradigm
2. Discrepant Data
3. Anxiety & Reactivity
4. Conservative & Progressive Camps
5. Demonizing of Opposition
6. Dominant Paradigm Collapses
7. New Paradigm Emerges
How Scientific Paradigms Shift
17. Not entirely what the conservatives feared,
nor entirely what the progressives proposed.
Elements of both…and neither.
In other words, paradoxical & transcendent.
Characteristics
of Emerging Paradigms
19. Paradigms
can be useful
when we recognize they are models of reality
can be harmful
when we confuse them with actual reality
(or truth)
Living in “Interesting” Times
21. Every 500 years,
the Church feels compelled
to hold a giant rummage sale
– Phyllis Tickle
(quoting Mark Dyer)
The 500 Year Rummage Sale
22. Century Sale
Early 1st The Great Incarnation
Mid 5th The Great Excommunication
11th The Great Schism
16th The Great Reformation
21st The Great _________?
Living in “Interesting” Times
32. perhaps a little
insight
into our
BLIND SPOTS
liberal: a conservative who’s been mugged
conservative: a liberal who’s been arrested
33. perhaps a little
Compassion
for our
FELLOW TRAVELERS
all of us are trying to find a path into our
future that does not leave behind
the heart of who we are
34. Recognize/Resist
Anxious Reactivity
Respond to change with
more compassion
Recognize/Resist
tendency to demonize
Deal with opponents
not as enemies
but as fellow travelers
whose insights we need
36. Century Sale
Early 1st The Great Incarnation
Mid 5th The Great Excommunication
11th The Great Schism
16th The Great Reformation
21st The Great _________?
Living in “Interesting” Times
37. Paradigms of Unity
Paradigm Premise Presumption Prognosis
Christendom Power
Power
w/o
Corruption
Dead
but
not buried
Foundationalism Certainty
Rationality
w/o
Sin
Auto-
Immune
Syndrome
Religion Security
Stability
w/o
Death
Imagine
no
Religion
38. Foundationalism:
Two Paths to Certainty
Outside-In (Locke)
Process
Objective observation of
outside world
Progeny
Modern science
Modern Fundamentalism
(Inerrant Scripture)
Inside-Out (Descartes)
Process
Objective analysis of
internal experience
Progeny
Modern philosophy
Liberal Biblical Analysis
(If in doubt, throw it out)
39. Questions for Contemplation
In what ways might these collapsing paradigms
be continuing to affect:
• Your ministry?
• Your congregation’s ministry?
• Your diocese’s ministry?
• Your denominations ministry?
40. Where do we go from here?
Tools for the journey
41. THE QUESTION
When Our Old Paradigms
Collapse…
WHAT WILL REMAIN?
What will put the
UNITY
in Christian
COMMUNITY?
49. FAITH + HOPE + LOVE
What would it be like
if we applied them
TO THE CHURCH?
50. Orthodoxy is my doxy.
Heterodoxy is another man's doxy.
William Warburton
English literary critic and churchman, 1698-1779
(Bishop of Gloucester from 1759)
The Problem
Orthodoxy has come to mean
different things to different people.
53. to move
INTO OUR FUTURE
taking with us
THE HEART OF WHAT WE ARE
we need a new way of thinking
about
ORTHODOXY
54. a way that recognizes that
ORTHOPROXY & ORTHOPRAXY
are just
TWO DIFFERENT SHELLS
for protecting the same
PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST
58. Getting to the Root of
ORTHODOXY
ORTHO (lit. “Right”) + DOXY (lit. “Praise”)
=
“RIGHT PRAISE”
or
“APPROPRIATE RESPONSE”
(to the incarnate presence of God)
61. WHAT IS AN
APPROPRIATE RESPONSE?
(to the incarnate presence of God)
Awe & Wonder
Overflowing Love
Yearning to Worship
Desire for Relationship
62. Promising Principles
of a New Way of Being Church
Oneness in Christ
Law of Love over Love of Law
Transformational Living
Radical Hospitality/Agape Relationships
Organism over Organization
Inclusive/Interdependent Community
63. Oneness in Christ
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Christ came
not to Teach the Truth
nor to Live the Truth
but to BE the TRUTH
Christ’s love
is the only sufficient basis
for Christian community
As Christ’s
adopted family
we are stuck with each other
(“Walton’s Mountain” Theology)
64. Law of Love over Love of Law
This is my commandment: that you love one another.
Fundamentalists
about the Law of Love
Christ’s love
creates community
Christ’s community
manifests love
65. Transformational Living
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation
Curbing Our
Dogma
Embracing
Divine Mystery
Emersion Into
New Creation
(If Christ, so what?)
68. Organism over Organization
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Member-Driven
Vision & Mission
Gifts-Based
Leadership & Organization
Provisional
Structures & Processes
69. Church as Fractal Organism
Vestry Worship
5pm
11am
9am
Choir
Christian
Educ.
AdultTeen
Sunday
School
K-6
Middle
School
Pre-K
?
TaizeAdult
?
Outreach LocalIntl
?
70. Inclusive/Interdependent Community
When I am lifted up… I will draw all people to myself.
Community as a
Centered Set
Clear Focus on
WHO
is at the Center
Boundaries few/low
No Tests for Admission
(Incarnational Community)
74. FAITH
Our faith is not in Doctrine
(believing things about Christ)
Our faith is not in Practice
(trying to live like Christ)
Our faith is in Relationship
(loving the incarnate person of Christ)
the Church’s one foundation
75. HOPE
Christ’s love transforms
(the Community and the Creation)
Changing hearts is Christ’s job, not ours
(we set aside our need to convert others)
Our job is to make Christ’s love tangible.
(we welcome all unconditionally)
if anyone is in Christ, there is a New Creation
76. LOVE
Christ’s love for us creates Christian community
(everything else is secondary)
We welcome and engage diversity
(love where it “shouldn’t” be -- a sign of the Holy Spirit)
We believe Christ’s love for us has made us a family
(we are stuck with each other even when we disagree)
We are Fundamentalists about the Law of Love
(love God, love each other, the rest is commentary)
the greatest of these
78. Questions for Contemplation
Imagine what your church would it would feel like for
your church to leave behind the paradigms of Security,
Certainty, and Power (Control), and move toward
becoming a community based on Faith, Hope, and
Love.
• What is the cost of becoming a new kind of community?
• What is the promise?
• What is the cost of staying as you are?
• What is the promise?
82. 3-Step Discernment Process
1. Ministry Transformation Inquiry (Repeat PRN)
• Review Paradoxy-Ministry Matrix.
• Choose a Paradoxy Principle that calls out.
• Imagine what each ministry area looks like if applied.
2. People-Gifts Inquiry (Repeat PRN)
• Review People-Gifts Matrix.
• Choose a Leadership Gift that calls out.
• Imagine who in your congregation might have that gift.
3. People-Ministry Midrash (Repeat PRN)
• Review People-Gifts Matrix & Paradoxy-Ministry Matrix.
• Let the two matrices “wrestle” & see what emerges,
83. An Exercise to Try
• Review the Paradoxy Ministry Matrix.
• Pick a Paradoxy Principle that calls out to you.
• Imagine what your church’s various ministry
areas would look like (how they would change)
as you applied that principle.
(free association is encouraged)
89. Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and leader of the fight
against the armies of the Crusades, was out riding his warhorse
near Jerusalem one day when he came upon a tiny little sparrow,
lying in the middle of the road with its feet in the air.
At first Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn thought the sparrow dead, but as he drew
closer he discovered that the bird was alive and had assumed
the position on purpose.
93. “O great and mighty Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn,”
said the sparrow,
“I am holding up the sky because I heard it was falling.”
94. “Tiny sparrow,”
said Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn,
now mocking the little bird,
“How could one as small as you, with your spindly little legs,
have any hope of holding up the sky?”
95. “One does what one can,”
said the sparrow,
“One does what one can.”
96. Closing Prayer
Grant that we may maintain
that middle way,
not as a compromise
for the sake of peace,
but as a comprehension
for the sake of truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord…
Amen.
Lesser Feasts and Fasts (TEC, 2006)
97. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.
To view a copy of this license, visit: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
by
The Rev. Ken Howard
www.PracticingParadoxy.com
Germantown, Maryland