The Book Of Acts Essay

The Book of Acts Essay
The Book of Acts The book of Acts is known as 'the birth of the church'. Acts recounts the story of
the early church from the time of Jesus' ascension to Paul's arrival as a prisoner in Rome. Acts was
written by the author of Luke's gospel, Luke. Although the author does not name himself, evidence
from the book itself proves that the author was Luke. Luke was a physician. Scriptural evidence of
this includes Colossians 4:14: "Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings." Luke
often used medical language. For instance, he finds the sailors bandaging the ship in Acts 27:17:
"When the men had hoisted in aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together.
Fearing that they would run ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This is found by comparing Acts 1:1 with Luke 1:3–4. Acts 1:1: "In my former book, Theophilus, I
wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after
giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen." Luke 1: 3–4: " (3)
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good
also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, (4) so that you may know
the certainty of things you have been taught." Because Luke's first book was written to Theophilus
as was Acts, Luke must be the author of both. Another reason to believe that Luke is the author of
Acts is the way both the book of Acts and Luke are written. The vocabulary, grammar and style are
not only consistent throughout both gospels. Luke was an eyewitness of some of the events in
chapters 16–28, where he changes his 'they' statements to 'we' statements. An example of this is in
Acts16:10–11, 16: " (10) And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into
Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. (11)
Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia and the next day to
Neapolis. (16) And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit
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The Forgotten Legacy Of The ' Power Of Possession '
oday, the forgotten legacy of the 'power of possession' appears evident; however, during the time of
Christ the belief in the destructive forces of this occurrence emerges as a severe issue for the general
public. Eusebius, a Roman historian, exegete and Christian polemicist, became the Bishop of
various Christian centers in Caesarea near the year 314 A.D.; notably, an exceptional Biblical
scholar of his time. Eusebius tells of the events of "Jesus ridding human life from demons of every
kind, so that there were some of them now kneeling before Him and beseeching Him not to deliver
them over to the Tartarus that awaited them." Furthermore, Eusebius specifically identifies the goat
god Pan as being "overthrown by Jesus during His ministry."
If you are a true Christian, "the realism of the devil" and its forces manifestly stand out as crucial,
for Jesus' warfare against Satan endures as critical nucleus of His teachings. Principally, one of the
major 'realities' of Satan, devil(s) ever documented persists as that of Jesus Christ's exposure of this
evil presence in the New Testament; which occurs as a key happening within Jesus' ministry (Matt
8:28, Mark 5:15, Luke 8:36). For with the appearance of Christ, 'a miracle erupts,' challenging
among other things, humanity's sexuality, (although the majority of people remain unaware of the
true mystery that Christ came to earth to expose concerning people's misguided beliefs regarding
their sexuality). Inevitably, this explosive

The Role Of Hierarchy In The Early Church
As the early church expanded some teaching weren't clear that they were the word of God. One of
the teaching is apostolic succession. Hierarchy is a system or organization in which people or groups
are ranked one above the other according to status or authority. Through hierarchy many beliefs
were passed down the ministry by popes and bishops. Many of these belief include the canon,
eucatist,hierarchies and etc. In order to find out what the was really said back then we must go back
to the early church fathers and read their manuscripts. In Matthew 16:19 Jesus says "I will give you
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." With this Jesus passes on his teaching ...
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From the book of Isaiah 22:22 "Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When
he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.". The house of David represents the
church in which Jesus gives the key to Peter and with them never his doors close for anyone.
Therefore Peter is the first to have authority over the church. Peter is also head of the church is in
Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.Whatever you bind on earth will
be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Meaning that Peter
does just hold the keys of the the physical Church but also the spiritual one. Therefore Peter is the
first out of the twelve to receive spiritual authority over the Church. Even so in Matthew 16:18 Jesus
says that "And I tell you that you are Peter,and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of
Hades will not prevail against it." Meaning that peter is the source of all the churches knowledge
since he is the foundation that the Church will grow from. With this we a can now say that Peter is
the head of the

Christianity
He tells the church to rule among yourselves, which are then broken down into four parts. We are to
be watchful so that any under our charge or that we are ministering to do don't fall into the traps of
the evil one. We are to rule amongst ourselves, in which certain people take the leadership roles in
the church and guide the congregation. We as a congregation are called to lead, just as it said in
Hebrews 13:17 not with pushing, or demanding, but rather commanding, not as Gods, but as leaders.
Finally to live as example in all that we do ethically, morally, family, work, service to others. We can
se this idea of "rule among you" in 1 Peter 5:2 when it says, " 2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is
under your care, watching over them–not because you must, but because you are willing, as God
wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; " (NIV) Campbell calls us to have
congregational autonomy "in every city" as to appoint elders in every city so that they may watch
over their flock that they are now responsible for, as it says in Titus 1:5, "5 The reason I left you in
Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I
directed you." (NIV) Lastly when talking about congregational autonomy Campbell tells us that we
need to have "overseers" as in elders. Elders originally meant an older man, because older men have
wisdom and experience through age which then gives then the capability to oversee, as it

The Y2k Hysteria By Richard Landes
This phrase and the belief that the world was formed in 6 days with a 7th for rest, gave the early
Christians a view that the world would last for 6000 years. According to scriptures the world had a
beginning, it had a "now" in which they were living and a promised end. This end was proclaimed in
the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13), but with warnings that none on Earth would
know when. The Y2K hysteria caused many scholar to wonder how the millennial dates past where
thought of by those that lived in that time.
This essay is a discussion on whether merging of dates with the idea of six millennia (1000 year)
periods was just an intellectual exercise or directly gave rise to apocalyptic thought. Richard Landes'
papers ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This was part of the problem chronologists had in merging dates systems.
Landes' diagram showing the various chronological systems, that highlights when they hit the 6th
Millennium. Note: the vertical dotted lines, of the changing a date system to avert the "dangerous"
millennium. From this it seems obvious that the church fathers of Augustine and later Boniface must
have made the decision to change dating to avoid the Millennium fever. But that is not quite the full
picture. It does not consider the intervening centuries of learning, translation and scholarship
creating better methods of calculations. Figure 1 – chronographical shifts and apocalyptic target
dates. (illustration by Richard Landes.)
The study of chronology has been a pursuit of many a scholar over the ages. We should note that it
was not just early Christians who were interested in this. Rabbi Yossi ben Halafta, a 2nd century
scholar, calculated the beginning date of the Hebrew calendar from when Adam & Eve were created
(Year 1 of Jewish calendar) which (adjusted for modern calendar) was October 7, 3761BC. . The old
Testament part of the Bible was a collection of the religious writings from Jewish Torah, giving a
chronology from Genesis to well before the Coming of Jesus. Various

Early Church Worship Practices And The Psalms
3. Early church worship practices and the Psalms The purpose of this section is to clarify major
historical foundations of Christian worship practiced by the early church and its relation to the book
of Psalms. The primary objective is to explain the influence of the Psalms on the worship life of the
early church. By analyzing the New Testament context, believers can have a clear perception of the
meaning of the book of Psalms in the worship life of the early church. Therefore, scholars assume
that is fundamental to learn about the interaction between the book of Psalms and the New
Testament in order to define Christian worship in the New Testament context. Moreover, this unit
will exemplify aspects that influenced worship in the New Testament. Scholars support the argument
that Christian worship is definitely associate with culture. A research on church history must also
consider the cultural aspects of the early church period. Indeed, cultural influences affected the
worship life of the early church. Furthermore, culture involves a style of life where tradition,
religion, and moral values are particularly interrelated. Music was a major part of the cultural life of
the early church. Moreover, there was a spiritual emphasis on music and on worship in the New
Testament period. Early Christians were responsible to adapt and accept the main principles related
to worship. Additionally, the worship principles from the Old Testament had a significant influence
on early

The Early Church Essay
Over the past years of my life I have seen many changes, some for the good and others not as good.
Change can be demanding and also crucial. The early believers would encounter this. One can see
that significant change happened, when reading through the gospels and the book of acts it is
obvious to the reader that the believers who followed Jesus would never be the same again.
They had enjoyed a time of fellowship with Jesus and teaching from Him. But He was now
preparing them to understand that he was going to leave them. This was one of the factors that were
going to turn these believers world upside down and bring and opportunity to turn the world upside
down. Because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is ... Show more
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But only when they received this power that Comes from God. But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth." (Acts1:7)
Jesus tells the church before his ascension that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit come
upon them and the power of the Holy Spirit was going to bring them from Jerusalem to the ends of
the earth they would be a witness in all the earth. We are told in this scripture that they would
receive power; Jesus told them that they were going to receive power, there is no reason for these
believers to not except his word for everything He had said thus so far had come to pass. They
where an expectant believers waiting on the promise
It is also important to see their obedience Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem (acts 1:12) Jesus
told them to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and that is exactly what
they did. They heard what he had sad and responded to what Jesus told them to do, even though He
was no longer physically present with them. This was major key in ushering in the power of the holy
Spirit.
What happen next was to change the believers and establish the early church, when the day of
Pentecost came, they were all together

The Creation Of The Church
The landscape of the church has changed greatly since the early days of the 1st century. The small
groups, seen in the Book of Acts, have been replaced by large centralized denominations and
religious institutions, and in the process, the idea that the Body of Christ is a family has been
relegated into large groups of strangers. The early church was a family unit that extended far beyond
the ideals and principles experienced in the church today (Sprinkle, 2015). The 1st–century church
exemplified fellowship, commitment, and service to others and was held together by an
unconditional bond made possible by Jesus Christ (Sprinkle, 2015). The church in Acts was also
devoid of hierarchy and actual buildings, except for synagogues. Christians, in the 1st century, were
neither militaristic nor voracious for power; instead, they looked to the cross and overcame evil
through suffering and love, rather than weaponry (Sprinkle, 2015). Early Christians took the church
to the people as Christ intended, as such; it was not uncommon for many to gather in the homes of
others or any other place suitable for fellowship, worship, and the study of God's Word. The church
was more about people, rather than the four walls containing the people of the modern day church
(Sprinkle, 2015). Characteristics of the early church comprised of total acceptance of others,
complete fellowship with God, and the spiritual dynamics of teaching, eating together, praying
together, singing together, and even

The Foundation Of Orthodoxy And The Canon
The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon Laurie Pelosi Liberty University Online History of the
Church Submitted: April 8, 2016 1. This research paper is rich in documented history, but ultimately
all who contributed to the New Testament understood that Jesus was the main influence. Our
Christian Orthodox founder is Jesus and His word. After Jesus's death and resurrection he promised
the Apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them in their missionary tasks. As promised, the
beginnings of Jesus deity began to a new growth and height of worshipers. The Age of the Apostles
began the shaping of our New Testament Cannon in our affirmation of the deity of Jesus and how
we can confirm that He ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In theory all their contributions always linked to Jesus and his divinity. The New Testament Canon
to be authorative has to date back to the time of the Apostles, which as we will see our early church
fathers were groomed by them. Additionally, the New Testament Canon was a slow paced process
with interruptions of wars, violence and persecution. All of those martyred made their sacrifices for
the truth known. Despite such complexities, the church growth continued and the influence of
outside beliefs were becoming unmanageable there was a felt need to establish the works of God,
"the church grew in Asia, Africa and Europe, it became important to establish, which books
originated from apostolic authority 1. Since the churches used the writing of the apostles to establish
doctrine and teach, it was mandatory to discriminate against books, which had dubious origins."2
____________ 1. Origins of the Bible, http://www.truthnet.org/ 2. I.BID 3. After the apostolic
period we now enter the apologist period where thought was highly regarded and defense of our
Christian faith was still a dynamic with persecution still on the up rise. Historically we can see that
many views of our faith were deceptive, and doctrine was important so our church fathers, the
Apologist, tried to legitimize the Christian faith and answer concerns. This is why it was absolutely
necessary to disavow

The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon
The Foundation of Orthodoxy and the Canon: There are several areas in the early church on
essential issues such as the deity of Christ, nature, and humanity. This period of dispute was also
characterized with the emergence of groups like Gnostics, which brought a completely new set of
presumed beliefs to the faith that came alongside the faith and in total compromised tenets of the
faith. These new beliefs were supposedly based on the truth of Christ's teachings as presented to his
followers. Consequently, there was a great need to explain the true writings that presented the truth
of Christ. The need for clarifications of these truths was necessary because of the fact that heretical
parties involved would constantly present texts and teach them as being the writings of the Apostles.
This process should include clarification of key events and movements that impacted the
acknowledgment of the canonical books. Orthodoxy and Canon: Canon is a term that is generally
used to refer to the identity of a group of people through differentiating a line around a group of
texts that are associated with the beliefs and values of these individuals. Canon basically plays a
crucial role in the social, political, and economic roles mainly because of its ideological function. In
essence, canon defines the identity of the believing community and the ownership claims of the
standardized texts by this community. On the contrary, orthodoxy refers to the accurate, traditional
or

Early Church Fathers Attitudes Toward Women Essay
Chapter 6 Early Church Fathers' Attitudes Toward Women "Then, as the church became fused with
the secular, misogynistic society of Rome, Christ's attitude toward women and the doctrine of
equality were purposely forgotten," 21, 34 Following are only a few of the mean–spirited quotes
made by the early church so–called fathers and from modern preachers. This researcher believes this
kind of leadership has instigated erroneous beliefs about women and their place in the Christian
church. Furthermore, it has promoted discrimination against women in general and female clergy in
particular. Quotes are courtesy of John Wijngaards34 (2015) and Valerie Tarico35 (2013). The
feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti–family political
movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft,
destroy capitalism and become lesbians.". Pat Robertson, Southern Baptist leader (1930–), In
Huffington Post (2014). "Most of these feminists are radical, frustrated lesbians, many of them, and
man–haters, and failures in their relationships with men, and who have declared war on the male
gender. The Biblical condemnation of feminism has to do with its radical philosophy and goals. That
's the bottom line."–Jerry Falwell. In Religious Tolerance (2016). "Wife: Be content to be
insignificant. What loss would it be to God or man had you never been born." ––– John Wesley
(1703–91). "The word and works of God

The American Dream and College Essay
The American Dream and College
My junior year of high school was filled with high emotions, stressful moments, and tension about
where to apply to college and where I would be accepted and ultimately attend. At a "Making the
Most out of your Sixth Semester" forum that year, the entire junior class experienced lectures from
the school's college resource counselors about how to prepare for this arduous battle of college
admissions. The way Sue Biermert, who is the College Admissions Counselor at my high school,
opened the forum was by asking a question to the parents that put everything into perspective: "How
many of you parents feel like you are successful?" Every single hand shot up from the 500 parents
in the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Though, the majority of students who go through this inevitable admissions procedure typically do
not meet the Wizard of Oz after traveling the yellow brick road in hopes of being granted their first
choice for higher education.
Sue Biermert explained to our junior class that night that life is about taking risks and facing
problem after problem. It was obviously not getting any easier by applying to colleges. However,
this is what we all had to do in order to feel like our parents in thirty years, because our culture has
forced us to be part of the system of going to some sort of university. She admitted that many of us
would feel rejected, literally and emotionally, in a year from our top choice. Though, one never
knows until you take that leap of faith as she quoted a popular Michael Jordan poster in our
Chicago–suburban high school that reads: "I miss 100% of all the shots I don't take." Biermert
reiterated to us that we were there that night to be part of the process, therefore we must be willing
to tackle the admissions problem head on and do the best we can.
The admissions process is analyzed by determining what "ideal students" are, as a more concrete
answer may be deduced about how this admissions game works and how to solve this equation. A
profitable university to try and examine is The George Washington University in Washington D.C.,
as this is the university that I am currently attending.

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
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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

Examples Of Supernatural Elements In Jane Eyre
In addition to introducing the supernatural element of the story, the early chapters serve as a base for
Jane's future character and thought process. The way she is treated by Mrs. Reed, the children and
the servants influences and shapes the way she treats herself and the world around her throughout
the novel. From the very beginning, Jane's rebellious, free mind and her strong sense of justice are
undermined the constant self–doubt and a tendency to compare herself with others. While she is
aware that much of what she suffers is unjustified, the constancy of the abuse over time does largely
succeed to crush her sense of righteousness and instil in her the thought that she is only being treated
badly because of her character and physical appearance. She constantly compares herself with her
cousins, saying that 'Eliza, who was headstrong and selfish, was respected', and 'Georgiana, who had
a spoiled temper, a very acrid spite, a captious and insolent carriage, was universally indulged',
always forgiven because of 'her beauty, her pink cheeks and golden curls.' By using negative words
such as 'headstrong' or 'insolent' when she could alternatively describe them as strong–willed or
independent, Jane leaves no doubt that, if she envies the treatment afforded to her cousins, she does
not envy their character. Her sense of injustice, however, seems to be directed more towards nature
than the adults around her, as if she thought that more agreeable or beautiful feature could

Good Shepherd : A Formal Analysis : Iconography Of The...
Iconography of the Good Shepherd: A Formal Analysis
This paper will analyze the iconography of the mosaic, Good Shepherd (lunette, Oratory of Galla
Placidia, c. 425–26, Ravenna, Italy), that is located on the lunette over the north doorway of the
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna. The iconography has been one of the most recognized and
admired works of art since the 3rd century AD. In the mosaic, the artists present a depiction of
Christ symbolic and traditional of Byzantine art during the conversion of Christianity in Roman
provinces.
Shortly after Rome made the transition from pagan practices to embracing Christianity as their
formal faith, Christ's depiction in art went through various restorations. Some of the most widely
popular illustrations were that of Christ sacrificed on the cross to his ultimate ascension into the
Kingdom of Heaven after overcoming death. Since the image portrays Christ in luxurious attire
resembling the Roman toga, the viewer can perceive that the mosaic was meant to present Christ in
an imperialistic fashion. This is perhaps directed in part to the Byzantine emperors preferring to
worship Christ in a way traditional and symbolic of their historical and early customs rather than
how he really looked.
When tracing the past history of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, we learn that Galla Placidia was
half sister to Emperor Flavius Honorius Augustus. The mausoleum was believed to have been
named after Placidia. Before her death in 450, it was

What Were The Key Social And Cultural Factors That Enabled...
Assessment 3 Short Essay 1000 words
What were the key social and cultural factors that enabled the Gospel to spread so quickly through
the Roman Empire? Using primary and secondary sources, discuss with particular reference to
Paul's writings and the Book of Acts.
Paul more than anyone was responsible for the spread of the Jesus movement into the Gentile world.
By the end of the first century Christianity had become an important religious force. Paul while
respectful of its Jewish origins moved the Christian faith into a position where it was no longer
bound by Jewish law and was able to embrace people of any cultural background. After his own
conversion, Paul passionately espoused his message from the Palestinian world through Asia Minor
and southern Europe to Rome, the heart of the empire. Some of his letters by Paul to fledgling
churches throughout the Roman Empire are contained in the New Testament and outline Paul 's
theology. He insisted that Gentiles had as much access to the faith as Jews and that freedom from
the Law set everyone free. It was this teaching which was essential for the development and success
of the early church which would otherwise have remained another Jewish sect.
The culture of Paul's time was Greco–Roman. In the fourth century BC Alexander the Great
dominated the Near Eastern world and was a strong devotee of Greek culture. He brought the Greek
language to the Eastern world, a tongue that became the Lingua franca of early Christianity with

Biblical Interpretation Of The Book ' Theophilus '
Scripture: Acts1:1–13 [Acts 1:1] In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began
to do and to teach[Acts 1:2] until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions
through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. As we are heading toward Pentecost, let us
look at the book of Acts deeply together. Who is Theophilus? People are interested in knowing who
he is. In Luke, the writer referred to him as "most excellent." When we look at this title, we can see
that he must have been one with a high position in Rome. But in Acts, he is simply referred to in
title as "Theophilus." Luke was known as a doctor. But In those days, doctors did not hold positions
of high status. The ones with high social positions would take the doctors around with them as their
personal physicians. Luke must have been a doctor who was attached to someone 's house. And so
Luke must have evangelized Theophilus and changed him. Luke wanted to testify the faith of of
apostle to him. "Theophilus" consists of two syllables in Greek, meaning "Loving God."theos(God)
+ philein (love) : the one who loves God. The name of the person Luke evangelized holds the
meaning of "the one who loves God." Therefore, in his name lies the meaning, "the one who loves
God." It can therefore be said that underlying Acts is a dedication to the ones who love God. 1) you
will receive baptism of the Holy Spirit. [Acts 1:3] After his suffering, he showed himself to these
men and gave

The Age And Stages Questionnaire
Introduction Children in the early childhood stage are always striving for independence. They are at
the age where they are learning self–control and starting to recognize the needs of others (Ashford &
LeCroy, 2013). How do delays in development impact these desires? For my developmental and
biopsychosocial assessment I interviewed a 5–year–old boy who I will refer to as "John." He was
recently diagnosed with developmental delays, and currently receives speech and physical therapy
services. This paper will explore his assessment using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ), as
well as how John's age and environment impacts his development.
Age Assessment– Communication
During the assessment John's mother reported that his speech had improved significantly after
seeing a speech therapist for the past year and a half. She also shared that John was not speaking at
all up until February of 2016, and now he uses one or two word phrases. I saw this during my time
with John, where he was unable to form complete sentences. Instead of saying "I want a drink" he
would point to his cup and whimper. Mom encouraged him to "use his words," which resulted in
him saying, "drink."
John also struggled with following multistep directions that were unrelated to each other. We started
with an activity where I gave mom three different steps, then her and John preformed them together.
I instructed, "walk to the window, touch your head, and come back." John was able to preform all 3

Lost Christianities : The Battles For Scripture And The...
There are many different components that make up the Christian religion and ideology. The chapters
and stories that made it into the Bible are what people see as the foundation of the different
denominations of Christianity. However, what a lot of people do not realize is that there are several
stories that did not make it into the Bible as well as a few denominations that have become
"forgotten." Those lost stories and denominations are the focus of Bart Ehrman's book, Lost
Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. The book was split into
three parts and then each part had between three and five chapters. Part one discussed different
discoveries that were made throughout Christian history. The second part covered the different types
of Christianity that were fighting for power and competing against each other to be the successful
form of Christianity. Lastly, the third section shows which texts and beliefs gained popularity and
formed the Christian religion that is practiced today. The four chapters of part one each focus on
different Christian stories that are believed to be forgeries. Ehrman points out that there are many
forgeries that have been discovered in both ancient and modern times and that it is difficult to prove
if a scripture truly has been forged. When discussing whether or not a document is artificial, Ehrman
does not strongly voice his opinion. He makes it a clear point that it is possible for each to be a
forgery but does not

How Has Christianity Impacted My Life
Ultimately, it was through the work of the early Church, Christianity had been able to have its
magnitude. It makes one wonder, what did they bring up that brought multitudes to Christ? Well, it
was a very simple tool that it is in the hand of every believer today–the testimony. Their testimony
and our testimony centers around the Resurrection and the transformative power of Christ. Yet, what
makes each testimony unique is God's unique plan for everyone's life. Our lives and how God
intervened in them provides an avenue for us to relate to the struggles of others showing them that
God can change their life too. All my blessings and struggles have been beautifully woven into a
testimony that I can share with those that need to hear the Gospel, yet there wouldn't be a testimony
if God didn't save my life. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
From my distant childhood memories, I believe that our family went to church regularly. However,
after Hurricane Katrina, our family didn't attend church because we were so occupied with
rebuilding our lives. Yet, I was still able to have exposure to Christ from my God–fearing parents
and my Catholic school. Eventually, due to the conviction in my parents' hearts, we found a church
home. From there on, I could receive the Word in a church setting regularly. As time went on, I
matured in my faith and became fond of the things of God. I wanted to discover him and understand
why I believed in Him. In my early high school years, I talked about Him with my friends for I had
a passion for Him. However, it was becoming increasingly aware to me that I was being a lukewarm

The Book Of Acts By The Bible
The Book of Acts is a book about the beginning of the first Christians and the growth of the Church.
Acts explains how Christianity began and also spread about. It explains how Jesus used some of the
apostles to teach through the Holy Spirit after ascending into Heaven. The writer of the Book of
Acts is the apostle Luke, who gives us insight into the different things the disciples, mainly Peter
and Paul, had went through during this time. Luke describes these instances but rarely indicates how
Christians today should respond. What would Christianity look like today if only the Book of Acts
was written in the New Testament?
The Early Church started with Peter, who told the people to repent and be baptized, only then would
they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. After 3,000 were baptized, the very first Church was started.
The early Church had a focus on the Bible and it's teachings, the stories the apostles shared,
breaking the bread, meal sharing, prayer, and fellowship. Today, Christians might only continue to
share stories that the apostles shared, be baptized, pray, and get to know members of their Church if
this was the only book written in the New Testament. Peter "gives Jesus" to people in need in the
Book of Acts, and this is a difference in what we don't see sometimes practiced in Churches today.
Christians learning to ask Jesus into their heart was a major milestone in the early Church. The Book
of Acts, as discussed by Michael Morrison, the author of

Women And Spiritual Equality : New York : Saint Martin 's...
Mary McDowell
Book Review–596
Ranft, Patricia. Women and Spiritual Equality in Christian Tradition. New York: Saint Martin's
Press, 1998.
In the book Women and Spiritual Equality in Christian Tradition, by Patricia Ranft, a new and
innovative look at the role of women in the sphere of Christianity is examined. In a total of twelve
chapters, the Central Michigan University professor discusses the role that women played in the first
fifteen hundred years of Christianity and she disputes the contention that the church was
traditionally misogynistic. She writes in her introduction, "that within Christianity there exists a
strong and enduring tradition that maintains the spiritual equality of women," (xi) and she takes this
idea a step further to support her thesis by writing that there is no foundation to the argument that
"Christianity was largely responsible for western misogynism," (ix). Instead, she tries to show that
these misogynistic tendencies stemmed not from Christianity, but from the surrounding secular
cultures. Throughout the text, Ranft will be attempting to show the reader that women maintained
more spiritual equality with men before the modern era. However, it is the author's intention in the
book "merely to document the presence of a tradition of women 's spiritual equality throughout the
centuries," (xii) not to provide analysis of this presence.
Ranft is able to reveal the depth of her argument through a number of varying sources, including the
customary

Paul Of Tarsus : A Christian Perspective Essay
Paul of Tarsus was not one of the original twelve apostles, but apparently he had an epiphany while
traveling to Damascus and became a Christian. Even more than that, Paul founded many of the
tenets of Christianity and transformed it into a universal religion. Because of Paul, Christianity wasn
't limited to Judaism, but became a Greco–Roman religion, open to all. He made Jesus divine, born
of a Virgin, descended from the House of David, laid the basis for Original Sin, redefined the
definition of "chosen people" to mean those who accept Jesus as Savior and put forth the idea of
transubstantiation. Note that the Gospels were written after Paul 's conversion and his own writings.
It was important that Paul was a Roman citizen; he was able to travel about the Empire freely. Paul
argued that the message, the "good news" should not be limited to Jews, but that Jesus of Nazareth
came to save all mankind and his death atoned for the sins of all humans and makes possible their
salvation (another Pauline concept). After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Christians spread
throughout the Mediterranean, taking their religion with them. Since they believe that Judgment Day
was any day now, it was important to convert as many people as possible so they could be saved.
Christianity was an urban movement. Rural areas tend to be very conservative and traditional. Every
major urban center in the Empire had some sort of Christian community. At first, these Christian
communities

Rhetorical Analysis : Greeting And Jesus 's Departing...
COLUMN 1
PARAGRAPHS COLUMN 2
IMMEDIATE CONTEXT
(STORIES OR SPEECHES) COLUMN 3
MAJOR POINTS COLUMN 4
PANEL TITLE AND THEMATIC SUMMARY STATEMENT
1:1–5 Luke introduces his letter to Theophilus and provides the beginning context. There is nothing
before this paragraph; however, all of Acts remains after this paragraph. First, Luke greets
Theophilus.  Immediately after, the disciples are watching Jesus ascend to heaven. Jesus also
begins to remind them, in a speech, of the promise of the Holy Spirit. 
Title: Greeting and Jesus's Departing Speech  Luke's Acts is a continuation of the Lukan Gospel
that he also wrote to Theophilus. In the Gospel, Jesus enters the scene, whereas, in Acts, Jesus is
leaving. Luke desires to assure Theophilus, although He is ascending to heaven, He is leaving His
Holy Spirit.
Title: A Continuation of Luke's Gospel and
Jesus is Leaving, but His Spirit Remains Luke, the writer of both the Lukan Gospel and the book
of Acts, commences the book of Acts by revealing that this book will differ from the Gospel: in the
Gospel, Jesus personally taught; in Acts, Jesus teaches by His Spirit through His people.
Seeing their Master on the verge of leaving, the Apostles were concerned regarding the restoration
of the kingdom. By answering that the timing of the restoration is unknown, Jesus had the disciples
once again focus on the Holy Spirit. His ascension shocked the disciples still. Again, their focus had
to center in the Holy Spirit; thus, angels comforted

Christianity And The First Generation Polycarp
As christianity began its transition from the original apostles onto the second generation Polycarp
became one of the most instrumental figures in the development of the religion. Despite lacking
formal education, Polycarp was christian since his childhood as he was said to be personally
discipled by the apostle John. He became a bishop of the church and was widely regarded as a direct
and humble teacher. During his lifetime he settled many issues surrounding christianity, such as
clarifying the day in which to celebrate Easter, confronting many of the churches heretics and also
successfully converted many people from gnosticism to christianity. For all his teachings and impact
in the formative years of christianity Polycarp left just one ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
He would then become the first recorded martyr in the post–new testament church history.
Polycarp is regarded as one of the most important people in christian history, the text The
Martyrdom of Polycarp specifically gives him high praise as they proclaim his actions
"courageous", "apostolic" and even "prophetic" as his martyrdom "glorified God almighty" and in
turn making his christian status immortal. A nod to his prophetic actions is illustrated in the text
saying that "Every word which he uttered from his mouth both was fulfilled and will be fulfilled".
The Romans, who were polytheistic and were not open to differing beliefs, the punishment for
which is execution. Despite being a christian his entire life it was not until Polycarp was eighty–six
years old and was already a significant figure in the second generation of christian believers that the
Romans set out to find him. However, it took longer than expected to find him, as he moved a few
times before being betrayed by one of his peers. He was accused of not following roman religious
customs, including praying, and offering sacrifices to Caesar. They brought him to the arena in
Smyrna to persecute him.
While in the arena the romans tried to persuade Polycarp to take the oath to Caesar and deny Christ
but he refused. Subsequently they began threatening him, and considering his old age and the threat
of death, they

The Jesus Movement Occurred Within The Intertestamental Era
The Jesus Movement occurred within the intertestamental era. The movement had one foot in the
past on the other in the future as this period emerged. Before Christianity stepped out on its own, it
was considered to be a sect of Judaism. Hellenism acted as a veneer over the everyday life of Jews,
but beneath that veneer, the Jewish worldview dominated the Gospel, not pagan Hellenism (Eddy,
2014). The claim that the Trinity is a Hellenistic pagan corruption of the early church was denied by
recent research. Early Christianity was rooted in Jewish theological thought and like Judaism, the
new faith guarded its identity (Eddy, 2014).
One of the best kept secrets in the Christian church is the large role that women played in the early
church. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Christian and secular writers credited women with the growth of the church (Krueger and Kroger,
2012).
There is nothing inherent in the character of Christian ministry as it is presented in the writings of
the New Testament which would give reason for the exclusion of women. On the contrary, the New
Testament portrays Jesus treating women as equal human beings. It also portrays women and men
serving side by side in the various ministries of the early church . . . According to the evidence, the
exclusion of women from ecclesiastical ministry is neither in accord with the teaching or practice of
Jesus with that of the first century church" (Bacchiocchi, 1987).
Contrary to Rabbi ben Azariah's remark that "Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than
entrusted to a woman . . . Whoever teaches his daughter the Torah is like one who teaches her
obscenities," the Holy Spirit was poured out on all the disciples, men and women alike, on the Day
of Pentecost (Bacchiocchi, 1987). Peter quoted Joel to solidify that "Your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy. . . and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my
Spirit" (Acts 2:17–18). Maidservants meant that women had received the gift of the Holy Spirit
(Bacchiocchi, 1987).
Jesus was revolutionary in that he treated women and men as equals and violated many Old
Testament regulations and traditions that indicated gender inequality. Robinson (2012) stated many
examples of how Jesus treated women

How Did Early Holiness Themes Influence John Wesley?
In what ways did early Holiness themes influence John Wesley?
Important to the Wesleyan–Holiness tradition is understanding Wesley didn't develop the doctrine of
Holiness from a bias, rather the Holiness message was at the heart of the early Christian church
(Leclerc, 2014). Though Wesley's delineation of entire sanctification differs from many early
writers, the idea of Christian perfection has remain alive since the days of the apostles (Bassett &
Greathouse, 1985) In the first five centuries the early writers such as Irenaeus a native of Asia Minor
who became the bishop of Lyons, wrote primarily to refute Gnosticism, yet became most notable for
his elaboration and development of recapitation soteriology, which was later utilized by Wesley
(Leclerc, 2014). Other writers including Clement of Alexandria and Origen were greatly influenced
by the stoics, yet affirmed the Christian perfecting that comes from a life entirely devoted to God.
Further, Clément's contributed greatly to Wesley's understanding of a personal responsibility to one's
own spirituality (Bassett & Greathouse, 1985). Consequently, after the development of holiness in
the early writers, the Post–Nicene period built on the early writers and thinkers and developed
further holiness concepts that eventually formed the thinking of Wesley. The development of
mysticism and asceticism create a quest for personal holiness and devout life fully yielded to God.
Further, authors such as Macarius development

Adam and Eve Essay 3
Adam and Eve
Marcie Smith
REL 250
Paxton Reed
November 16, 2008
Adam and Eve
The term subordination is used frequently in the context of Trinitarian discussion, and has a clearly
defined usage. Theologians of the past have spoken in some sense of the subordination of the Son
and the Spirit within the boundaries of orthodoxy. However, how do we define it when it comes to
women and the church? The story of Adam and Eve is a great place to start. It brings with it all of
the elements of love, respect, partnership, and subordination all rolled together. When I first started
to research this paper I was under the misguided assumption that Adam and Eve went down
together. As my paper evolved you will see I learned a little bit differently. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Feminists argue that women have had to struggle to overcome the patriarchally structured churches.
While scholars in ecclesiastical history and related fields have undoubtedly been influenced by the
huge developments in both women's history and gender history in the larger arena of historical
scholarship, they have also been influenced by the questions raised by feminist theologians about
the viability of women remaining within the Churches and the outworking of Christian doctrine in
the women's lives.
"Origins have therefore become important to some feminist scholars, especially those of faith, in a
rather distinctive way, as they have sought to bring to light–and , in some cases, discover–evidence
for the ways in which the Christian tradition has in at least some of its roots an equal place for
women" (Shaw, 2004). The place of women–and, indeed, men–in the early Churches is a historical
subject which is seen to have relevance to individuals and the Churches today: while Churches are
still debating the validity of the ordination of women, and even the extent to which laywomen can
participate in the worship and ministry of the Church, it is not possible to shy away from this.
One of the great strengths of feminist scholarship has been to show that no scholar works from a
neutral starting–point: the selection of topic and the evidence on which historians choose to focus
are shaped by their presuppositions. Ecclesiastical historians, influenced by their

The Diversity Found in Christianity in Its First Three...
The Diversity Found in Christianity in Its First Three Centuries
Â"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though
many, are one body, so it is with Christ.Â" (1Cor 12: 12–13)
The Christian religion is said to be a Â"diverse phenomenonÂ".[1] This is because there is so much
diversity existing in it although it claims to be a religion with unity based at the very core of its
teachings.
According to the Oxford English dictionary, Christianity isÂ"the religion based on the person and
teachings of Jesus Christ.Â" [2]
Considered to be the Messiah and Â"Son of GodÂ", JesusÂ' teachings and words of wisdom were
not recorded until after his death around 30 ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Gnostics were dualists and they claimed there must be two Gods: a God of the material world in
which we live in now, and a Supreme, remote and unknowable Divine Being. The God of the
material world was called a Â"DemiurgeÂ" (a term once used by Plato) or Â"CreatorÂ"[7]. The
Demiurge God was the immediate source of creation and ruled the world we lived in. This God was
the God of the Jews. Valentius, a Gnostic theologian, further claimed that the emergence of the
Demiurge was due to the fall of Sophia the last of the three Â"aeonsÂ". The spiritual world or
Â"pleromaÂ" is compromised of 30 Â"aeonsÂ" emanated by the Primal Ground of Being. Sophia
was one of these Â"aeonsÂ".[8]
The Gnostics argued that the God of the Jews either did not know about the Supreme Being or if he
did know, he concealed the identity. The Gnostics went on to argue that Jesus Christ came as a
messenger of the Supreme Being to bring Â"gnosisÂ". As he was Divine, he temporarily inhabited a
human body which was that of Jesus. He did not die and he was not resurrected. They were just
Â"play actingÂ" (the doctrine known as Â"docetismÂ")[9]
Like the Gnostics, a Christian thinker called Marcion was determined to pull Christianity away from
its Jewish roots. He maintained, like the Gnostics, that the God of the Old

The Question Of Canon As A Good Deal Of Modern Day...
Introduction In his book The Question of Canon, Michael Kruger disputes the overriding image in a
good deal of modern–day biblical scholarship, which regards the concept of canon as something
completely extraneous from early Christian religion and as merely an ecclesiastical production of
the second through fourth centuries. While answering different tenets of this view; what he defines
as the extrinsic model, Kruger proposes the merits of an mutually exclusive model, which he defines
as the intrinsic model, which comprises "that the idea of Canon is not something imposed from the
outside but develops more organically from within the early Christian religion itself". (21) Kruger
carefully surveys the extrinsic model by locating five of its major tenets and disclosing its major
trouble. Each chapter critiques the extrinsic model and opens up the threshold for the intrinsic
model. Chapter Summaries Chapter 1 – The Definition of Cannon analyzes the definitions of Canon
and Scripture and how we must make a sharp distinction between the two. Kruger paints a picture
that the direction forward in this argument over nomenclature is to define canon in a "integrative and
multidimensional manner" comprising of three different definitions. First, the exclusive definition
reminds us that the canon took several centuries for the edges of the canon to solidify and was not
achieved until the fourth century; or later. (29) Second, the functional definition centers on when
books started

Leadership Styles : Jesus As A Servant Leader
Leadership Styles Jesus as a Servant Leader Leadership from a Christian perspective focus on
theological expositional, worship facilitation and communication skills. Many leadership styles pass
over the one role model Jesus Christ, who should be the main focus of any leadership style. The
focus of growth on each individual and their achievements and full potential distinguishes servant
leadership from all other leadership styles. The service of the followers is the main concern of the
servant leader. Jesus submitted himself under the will of God for sacrificial service. Jesus made the
choice to serve others freely by doing so. Jesus was God's son and the most powerful leader than
any other in the world. He was a leader that healed ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
As a voluntary servant one must be willing to submit themselves beyond the interest of themselves
and also the interest of others. These are individuals that out of love are willing to serve the needs of
others before their own needs. Applying Jesus as a role model for Christian leaders' Christian
servant leaders are Christ centered, committed to serve, accept feedback and are consistently
developing. Servant Christian leaders are servants in all things and in their relationship with God. As
followers of Jesus Christ we are all called to serve as one of God's servant in every aspect of our
lives. The bible teaches that one should serve in accordance with the higher purpose of serving God
also. Servant Christian leaders are leaders that are grown and led by the Holy Spirit. Without a heart
to serve and loving others genuinely it is impossible to become a servant leader of Christ.
Leadership Styles Used By the Apostles in the Early Church Jesus gathered many disciples around
himself some of whom he also called apostles. These individual was sent out to preach and teach the
gospel to others. According to Shaw (2013), "In reflecting on early church leadership there is a
frequent tendency among Christian writers to seek justification for contemporary church governance
and administrative practice through reading of texts that describe the developing life of the early
church (p.131)." The apostles, in

The Foundation Of Orthodoxy And The Canon
THE FOUNDATION OF ORTHODOXY AND THE CANON
A Paper
Presented to Dr. Nickens of
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
Church History CHHI 301
by
Whitney J. Fitzwater
April 6, 2015
INTRODUCTION The history of the Church has seen key event and movements that influenced the
New Testament canon. The way by which the New Testament cannon was formed as it was is a
subject of debate to this day. To truly know and begin to understand God, one must be able to
understand that Scripture is God–breathed. This is crucial for Christ followers in order to be
sanctified and mature in their walk with Christ. In order to best understand the canon, one must be
able to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
[or] Finally, the term includes the interpretive activity of the modern Christian reader who seeks not
only to identify with the received tradition but also truthfully to appropriate the message and to be a
faithful recipient of the gospel for the present age.
It is always best to first define and understand the context of the content in order to further the
knowledge of it. This helps understand the way by which the canon has affected the message of the
Gospel and the Church throughout history. The early Church could not have been able to decipher
between right and wrong claims without a process to do so. The foundation of the canon has enabled
the New Testament to remain true to the original writings. Furthermore, the movements surrounding
the time of the New Testament canon are crucial to take note of. The most known books of the New
Testament are the Gospels. These four books are written by four different people, yet they all align
with the same content. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John present the good news as eyewitnesses.
Although the canon was not yet formed, the agreement by the four men on the actual occurrence of
the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus aligned to the others. The Gospel had been known in the
churches. Alexander Souter states, The Gospel was something well known in the churches, a

document or body of documents, to which it was sufficient to appeal without further specification."
The letters written by Paul in the New

Analysis Of Acts ' Portrayal Of Receiving The Holy Spirit
An Analysis of Acts' Portrayal of Receiving the Holy Spirit
Introduction
Christians have consistently struggled with defining the nature of the Triune God: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit. The Old Testament clearly spoke of the majesty and sovereignty of the Father. The Son
was foretold in the Old Testament and manifested in the incarnation of Jesus, who walked among
mankind and gave men direction by His words. Jesus described that He would send the Holy Spirit
to help and minister to believers after Jesus went to be with the Father in heaven. The Holy Spirit
showed evidence of His coming in the testimony of the writer of Acts. Since that time, theologians
have debated the work that the Holy Spirit continues to conduct and certain actions that some
believe to have been discontinued. This paper will consider how the author of Acts' described the
"receiving of the Holy Spirit" which the apostles and other believers experienced and how other
theologians have interpreted the descriptions provided in the book of Acts.
The Holy Spirit's Action of Coming to the Apostles in Acts
Jesus spoke to His disciples after His resurrection and shared that He would leave them, but that the
Father would send what He had promised (Luke 24:49). The author of the book of Luke, which was
written by the same person who wrote the books of Acts, continues this conversation in Acts 1:4–8.
Jesus described that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). He also said that they

Factors Influencing The Collaboration Of The New Testament
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY FACTORS INFLUENCING THE COLLABORATION OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT By Daniel Surmi CHHI 520 05 October, 2014 INTRODUCTION This paper will
examine the internal and external factors which spurred and led to the well–known theologian
Athanasius proposing the now existing New Testament books of the Holy Scriptures. The internal
factors that will be examined in this paper include: Docetism, Judaism, Gnosticism, Marcionism,
Montanism, and Apollinarianism. Secondly this paper will view how the false prophets influenced
not only the doctrine of Christ but sought to take advantage of the Church's generous heart for
personal profit and gain. The external factors this paper will evaluate are: the persecution of the
church and the influence of pagan cultures surrounding the Christian Gentiles. The events and topics
covered will be from the 1st to 3rd century AD. Lastly this paper will look at the churches response
to these factors as they will create an authoritative list of writings in which Christians can rest on
and use as a foundation for their belief in Christ. All information and data in this paper is gathered
from peer reviewed, published journals and vetted educational websites. TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTERNAL FACTORS..................................................................................................................4
EXTERNAL

Martha Stewart: The Goddess of Greed Essay examples
Everywhere you look, there she is. Martha Stewart has invaded every avenue of domesticity. Her
"radiant presence... seems to be infinite, like that of the Almighty, or of Starbucks" (Lippert &
Ferguson: 26*) The outposts of her "omnimedia empire" are quite fortified (Africannet page).
Reigning over a vast technical spectrum, her multi–million, multi–media kingdom includes a
magazine with a circulation of 1.2 million, a syndicated column, and a TV show with audience of
5.3 million, but she does not have an official web site (Lippert & Ferguson: 26). There are numerous
webpages that fans and foes have dedicated to her.
Martha Stewart is energizing the homemaking marketplace. The home is a key part of the American
Dream, Her ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The world of Martha Stewart is a White Wonderland. In the April edition of her magazine, there is
only one image of a person of color, and it is in an ad for the American Association of University
Women, which does not specifically support women of color. All of the other ads and the entirety of
the magazine is White.
Living, Martha style is not without it's touch of PC. The calendar in the first pages of text in Martha
Stewart Living. It details all of Martha's plans for the month. For 3 April, it states that she will be on
the Today show and will be having dinner with the Grubmans. For 4 April, she will be purchasing
her Easter ham. (While it does not day that the dinner on the third is in celebration of a Jewish
holiday, if its so, it quite humorous to purchase a ham the very next day)
April's Living has a section on preparing the proper Easter ham, as well as recipes for a Greek
Easter dinner, It does its best to promote a superficial multiculturalism: one can experience a foreign
culture by preparing and eating foreign food. The main body of Living details ways to experience
traditional Americana customs. Making your own soap is not exactly an embodiment of rugged
individualism. It is a one–time event, a whim to try–out pioneer

The Opening Scene Of The Book Acts Essay
In the opening scene of the book Acts, Luke records Jesus, who has recently risen, addressing the
Apostles. Before He ascended into heaven, He left His disciples with a commission: to be witnesses.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus stated, "[Y]ou will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you
will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Contextually, these last words of Jesus were remarkable to the immediate audience, and His last
words are remarkable to those who properly interpret Acts 1:8. The context of Acts 1:8, the
interpretation, and the practically of Acts 1:8 reveal effective principles for Christians who desire to
spread the Gospel throughout the ends of the earth.
Acts is a historically accurate book that a human author wrote in a particular time, in a specific
place, and to a certain audience. Although there are people today who believe that the Bible
magically arrived and that it is full of fantasy stories, the truth is that God divinely used man to
record actual events. In Acts, He used Luke to record worth noting events. There are, according to
Thomas L. Constable, primarily two supporting arguments for Lukan's authorship in Acts: (1)
internal evidence, such as certain passages that use the first person plural that can refer to Luke, and
(2) external evidence. External evidence refers to the early church fathers that referred to Luke as
the author of Acts. God had divinely instilled a purpose for Luke to

Christian Doctrine And The Doctrine Of A New Testament
THE POLEMICISTS
As the apostle passed from the scene, other leaders arose in the church to take their place. These
leaders are fathers because of the esteem in which they were held by loyal church members. They
were call bishops and had authority over an area to maintain discipline the church. These fathers can
be classified in certain times or divided into four groups. The first groups would be the apostolic
fathers, the apologists, the Polemicists, and the scientific theologians.
As like the rest of the early church fathers, The Polemicists raised up to defend the faith. Their
reaction by concern church fathers against the action of the heretic let to the development of
Christian doctrine and the formulation of a New Testament Canon. They fought the heresies that
were damaging the church. In refuting error, they used much of the New Testament as the source of
the true doctrine. The work of the Polemicists also gave rise to the concept of an orthodox catholic
church which was opposed to heresy. While most of the Apologists were from the East, most of the
Polemicists were from the West. The Eastern mind was more concerned with speculative theology,
whereas the Western mind was concerned with church organization and practical doctrine for
solving problems. These were the Polemicists. Irenaeus (A.D. 120–202): Irenaeus was born in
Smyrna and later moved to Lyons in Gaul, now France, where he became bishop. He wrote Against
Heresies in five books, in which he refuted the

Eusebius's Expository Essay
Eusebius emphasizes the importance of academic study for effective pastoral care and defense of the
community both within, and outside of the community. I wonder if this may have been a response to
widespread suspicion among other Christians of the philosophical and esoteric brand of Christianity
that seems to have been quite prevalent in 4th century Alexandria and Caesarea. His insistence on
the concrete value of intellectual pursuits is in part to rehabilitate his heritage and connection to
Origen. It may also be a response in part due to what Eusebius would call elite prejudice against the
isolated philosopher. However, as Origen's attitude toward the leadership of the church had evolved
from that of Clement of Rome, Eusebius attempts to take a step or two beyond Origen. Eusebius
both does justice to his heritage in Origen, while shaping it into his 4th century rhetoric and
ideology of legitimate authority. For Origen, the free obedience of the student to the teacher was
vital, and Eusebius does not ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In addition to these ideals, Eusebius writes about the manner of leadership of those who are
entrusted with the ecclesiastical public services, both the duties of the deacons, and highest of all
being that which is entrusted to the preeminent bishop. Eusebius sets Bishops and clerics as the
climax of his discussion of the first Christian school, revealing the school's ultimate role in his
ideological model of Christian leadership and the picture of the church that it not only enables, but
strengthens overall, having produced the ideal cleric and literati

Paul's Letter For The Romans
Paul's letter to the Romans is special in many ways. It has provided the church with such theological
doctrine. Within its long text, Paul assures equal judgment by God as well as equal chances to
pursue righteousness to God. Paul addresses the debacle of Israel and the implications of that on the
Gentiles. Paul looks to the Roman house–churches and tackles possible issues within their context.
Paul encourages the Romans to respect and not resist governing authorities. One topic Paul does not
touch explicitly is the role of women in the church, but implicitly Paul speaks volumes about
women within the church. In chapter 16, Paul commends and greets several women. His language
gives strong clues to the state of women in the ministry of the early church. This paper will explore
the way Paul commends and greets Phoebe, Prisca, Mary, and Junia and the implications of those
greetings to reach beyond the belittling of women in the church.
Women in the Early Church It is difficult to address the topic of women in the early church because
culturally, Women were not accepted. Generally, it has not been acceptable for women to have a
teaching role within the church. More conservative denominations may even limit that more. Aside
from a general lack of woman's rights throughout time within many cultures, Christians cite the idea
that women cannot have positions of authority within the Church from passages like 1 Corinthians
14:34 where Paul says, "The women should keep silent in the

The Book Of Acts Essay

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