differentiate between classical Christian teachings regarding the above doctrines and those teachings which fall outside of the evangelical Christian faith

This essay should identify properly the core content of the doctrines of anthropology, hamartiology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology; differentiate between classical Christian teachings regarding the above doctrines and those teachings which fall outside of the evangelical Christian faith; and distinguish sсrіptural passages supporting the above Christian doctrines. Subject: The Theological Method In no less than 300 words using 3 sources one being cited from the Bible, list the major areas of investigation in the theological method. Explain the ways in which the theological method can be described in terms of steps. Explain the ways it cannot be described in terms of steps. The Second Part of the essay which should also be no less than 300 words, describe which step of the theological method you believe is most often omit. How does this omission shape ones theology? TOTAL WORD COUNT = 600

Discuss the overall role of women in the Islamic religion

“The Role of the Torah and Special Covenant” Please respond to the following:
Discuss the significance of the “special covenant” between the Jewish people and God. Name at least two examples of this covenant in the Jewish religion.

1.7
“Why Can’t We Just Get Along?” Please respond to the following:
Explain at least three reasons why there are so many divisions / denominations in the Christian religion.
Explain what is meant by the term “synoptic gospels”, and discuss why this term is important for Christians when reading the Bible

1.8
“Differences in Islam” Please respond to the following:
Discuss the main similarities and differences between at least two sects of the Islamic religion.
Discuss the overall role of women in the Islamic religion. Name at least two ways in which the role of women is different in Islam from the role of women in another mainstream religion we have studie

What does Cone mean by this?

2. The second part of this semester has focused on how we might become “men and women for others.” Part of this process is looking honestly at the injustices and forms of oppression that exist in our world, and beginning to grapple with how we might rectify them. Bearing this in mind, discuss TWO of the following in an essay:
a. In her essay, “The God Who Breaks Chains,” Elizabeth Johnson discusses the Black liberation theology of James Cone, amongst others. Cone affirms that, in a racist society, “God is Black.” What does Cone mean by this? If it’s not meant to say that God is literally black (as opposed to white, Asian, lighter skinned, etc.), what is this statement meant to do? What kind of response does this require from black people? What response is it meant to elicit in white people?
b. Dr. King believed that non-violent resistance was an essential part of working for concrete social change. Using the situation in Birmingham at his time as an example, discuss the four parts of non-violent action that he lays out in the “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” Why is the order of them important? Why is it essential that direct action trigger a response that can be publicized?
c. Elizabeth Johnson writes that some feminists see Jesus’ maleness as legitimizing patriarchy and androcentrism. What do these terms mean? Why do some see Jesus’ sex as doing this? What are two arguments or examples Johnson gives to argue that Jesus is actually liberating for women?

Identify the literary features of the Fourth Gospel’s “scenes.”

The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in our New Testament canon. We read it, rightfully so, as a book that speaks to us/the Church today. But this book also represents an ancient writing written by an author in the first century to his community/church. Our goal in this course is to re-discover, with the help of Culpepper and Koester, this 1st century community of faith and their encounter with the proclamation of Jesus.

Although we will not be reading 1, 2, and 3 John, scholars believe these books originated from the same School or Community as the Gospel. That is, although they were probably written by different authors, they originated from the same community of believers who held to the teaching of the Christian faith as offered by the Fourth Gospel. Generally, the Book of Revelation is considered outside this Community. The members of the Johannine community shared a similar theology or outlook based on their view and practice of Christianity in the 1st century. The Johannine community is easier “to see” in the letters than it is in the Fourth Gospel as an author explicitly addresses a particular church or community of faith and even in some cases names certain people. However, the Fourth Gospel also reflects the theology/ beliefs/social practices of a community that lived after Jesus had died. That is, while the Gospel of John narrates the story of Jesus and his works and deeds, the author is selective in the history and emphases he chooses to underscore. The selection and shaping of these stories of Jesus tell us not only something about Jesus, but they also tell us something about the Johannine community and what was central to its theology.

Think of this dynamic in terms analogous to churches today. While many denominations can properly be characterized as “Christian,” and there is a great deal of unity between these denominations or church groups in their beliefs, there are also some distinctive trademarks of these denominations/church groups. Such emphases allow us to speak of Baptist, Church of God, Episcopalians, Methodists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. We are all basically reading the same Bible, but these denominations pull out certain distinctions that become identifying marks.

Another example might be how different a minister from these various traditions would preach the same biblical passage. So the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John are unified in telling the story of Jesus, but they do so in different terms with degrees of differences and emphases that often tell us about what was important to the author and his community from a later period than Jesus. As we already noted, the Gospel of John is profoundly different from the Synoptics. If we read the story of Jesus in this gospel closely we not only discover more about Jesus and his followers, but we learn something about the author and his community of a later period. For instance, on the one hand, John tells us many stories about the disciples. But what he chooses to tell and what he chose to emphasize may reflect on John’s church. That is, the disciples function as representatives of what a community member should believe and do.

We can read John for what the author believes on a number of issues. So in this section, Culpepper explore how the author thought about such issues as ‘sin,’ ‘revelation,’ ‘faith,’ ‘the church,’, and ‘eternal life.’ We could take these same issues and ask what Mark or even Paul thought about them and we would find both unity and diversity. In the Koester volume, the author explores one category (“God”) in great detail. In his exploration of the Fourth Gospel, Koester is interested in describing how John’s community thought about God. So the views of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel are understood to represent what the Johannine community would believe in and emphasize. Koester explores God as John presents God. Such categories or types are used of God as “creator God,” Father, Sender, etc. In the telling of that history of Jesus and his followers, an ancient author used his literacy and literary skill to tell this story of Jesus and his community.

UNIT TWO OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this unit you should be able to:

  1. Utilize the complimentary methods of interpreting John as both literature and history.
  2. Grasp the features and implications of the Fourth Gospel’s particular theology.
  3. Articulate John’s understanding of the condition of humanity and the role of faith in addressing the human predicament.
  4. Identify the literary features of the Fourth Gospel’s “scenes.”

 

UNIT TWO RESOURCES

 Textbook: The Gospel and Letters of John

 Textbook: The Word of Life

 Bible

 

2.1 TEXT/MEDIA: TEXTBOOKS; BIBLE

 

INTRODUCTION AND ALIGNMENT

Overview of the Gospel of John as a work, with a particular theology and literary strategy.

 

RESOURCES

 Textbook: The Gospel and Letters of John

 Textbook: The Word of Life

 Bible

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Read chapters 4-5 in The Gospel and Letters of John.
  2. Read chapters 1-2 in The Word of Life.

 

2.7 UNIT ASSIGNMENT: REFLECTION PAPER 1 – JOHN AND THE SYNOPTICS

INTRODUCTION AND ALIGNMENT

Upon completion of this assignment you should be able to:

 Utilize the complimentary methods of interpreting John as both literature and history.

 Grasp the features and implications of the Fourth Gospel’s particular theology.

 Articulate John’s understanding of the condition of humanity and the role of faith in addressing the human predicament.

 Identify the literary features of the Fourth Gospel’s “scenes.”

RESOURCES

 Textbook: The Gospel and Letters of John

 Textbook: The Word of Life

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. You will write a 5 page reflection paper on the subject of John’s relationship to the synoptic gospels. 2. Both textbooks should be used as sources and your paper should be written based on the SOR Manual of Style. Structure your reflection paper by writing on the following topics:
  2. How is John similar to and different from the synoptic gospels? Is there evidence that John is aware of the existence of the synoptic gospels?
  3. What difference would it make to Christian belief today if the Gospel of John was never written? How would the central themes of the Christian faith change?
  4. If you had to choose your favorite gospel, what would it be? How does it relate to the Gospel of John? Or, if it is the Gospel of John, why are you drawn to it?
  5. You must write your paper as a MS Word document (.doc or .docx). Use Times New Roman 12 pt. font and double-space your paper.

Articulate a simple theology for the Compassionate/Caring Ministry

Write an Essay on the topic: A Philosophy of Ministry (for the Church) that reflects the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as this relates to his Compassionate/Caring Ministry.

*In the essay, give attention to the following:

1. Articulate a simple theology for the Compassionate/Caring Ministry

2.Give examples of the way the Minister might care for the grieving.

3.Give thought to the place of religion in coping with grief and the pain of it.

4.Show how the Christian Story of God’s love can be helpful to the grieving.

The term “pointed arches” best describes which style?

The term “pointed arches” best describes which style?
Which word best describes the culture that gave rise to Romanesque architecture?
Historians have traditionally described how Europe fell into a period of the “Dark Ages” after which date?
Perhaps the best example of the early Gothic style of architecture is found in which city?
In medieval literature, the word “romance” is most closely associated with what?
What term is used to describe richly decorated medieval manuscripts?
The concept of the “Great Chain of Being” illustrates which important idea in late medieval culture?
Who described the cosmos as an intricately arranged hierarchy?
What did medieval pilgrims travel to a cathedral to see?
Medieval dramas that narrate the life of a local saint are called what?
Charlemagne’s brutal reign destroyed much learning and education in Europe
Gothic cathedrals were considerably darker than Romanesque cathedrals
Western culture in the Middle Ages was formed a combination of classical, Christian, and Islamic influences
Augustine wrote a spiritual autobiography called “Confessions”
Gregory the Great was the first church leader to claim Petrine authority
The term “three estates” is used to describe the three spheres of the cosmos in medieval theology.
Despite the authority of the medieval Catholic Church, there was a tremendous amount of diversity within medieval literature
The early spreading of Islam could be described as rapid and violent
Historians have recently explored the possibility that lead poisoning contributed to the collapse and fall of the Roman Empire.
The French term “Notre Dame” refers to the Virgin Mary.

Who is associated with the so-called “Christian” answer for the fall of Rome?(Ch.13)
Which 18th-century historian can be associated with the “rationalist” answer for the fall of Rome?(Ch.13)
The question of of why Rome fell is not really as complex as most people make it out to be.(Ch.13)
He wrote “The City of God”(Ch.13)
He helped to formulate principles of biblical interpretation(Ch.13)
Confronted Attila the Hun(Ch.13)
He was active in sending missionaries(Ch.13)
He translated the Bible(Ch.13)
A Romanesque cathedral would most likely be built in what year?(Ch.14)
Romanesque architecture is most closely associated with which type of structure?(Ch.14)
The towers on Romanesque cathedrals served a purely practical function, as watch towers in time of danger.(Ch.14)
What did medieval pilgrims travel to a cathedral to see?(Ch.14)
We looked closely at Alfred the Great as a key example of the character and nature of early medieval culture.(Ch.14)
What term is used to describe richly decorated medieval manuscripts?(Ch.14)
Historians have traditionally described how Europe fell into a period of the “Dark Ages” after which date?(Ch.14)
Which word best describes the culture that gave rise to Romanesque architecture?(Ch.14)
Early medieval culture emerged as a blend of the following three cultures: classical culture, Christianity, and Islam.(Ch.14)
Charlemagne’s brutal reign destroyed much learning and education in Europe and brought western culture into a new “dark ages.”(Ch.14)
Which of the following is an important illuminated manuscript?(Ch.14)
Though monasteries were important across Europe in the early medieval centuries, the Irish monks in particular were important in preserving knowledge, learning, and manuscripts.(Ch.14)
We credit Abbott Suger for developing the Gothic style of architecture.(Ch.15)
Which of the following was not cited as an example of the medieval hierarchical worldview?(Ch.15)
Gothic cathedrals were known for having darker interiors than Romanesque cathedrals.(Ch.15)
Arthurian adventure stories (Ch.15)
sermons(Ch.15)
secular “dirty stories”(Ch.15)
the Nibelungenlied (Ch.15)
lyric poets (Ch.15)

What are some of the questions Philosophy of Religion deals with?

Instructions: Please note that the questions below are based on the Unit readings and are intended to be both an outline of the units’ material and the basis for your Unit Assessment, so please give your best effort to answering them thoroughly. The task is to respond to all 30 of the questions below. Each question will be worth one point.
The format for submission is to include the questions with the replies. Example:

How does one know what the good life is?
– The good life is…

1. Define Theology. How is Theology different from the Philosophy of Religion?
2. What are some of the questions Philosophy of Religion deals with?
3. What are some of the difficulties and misconceptions associated with asking the question, what is Religion?
4. List some of the common characteristics of religion.
5. What are some of the common traits shared by the Religions of the West, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?
6. Define Theism, Monotheism, Pantheism, Panentheism, Polytheism, and Agnosticism.
7. What are the three necessary properties associated with God in Western religious thought? Explain what each one means.
8. What are some of the philosophical problem associated with the characteristics given to God in the Western Religious traditions?
9. Briefly describe the Ontological Argument. (75-100 words)
10. Briefly describe the Cosmological argument. (75-100 words)
11. Briefly describe the Teleological Argument. (75-100 words)
12. List and briefly explain the arguments that strive to prove God’s existence through experience.
13. What is the philosophical Problem of Evil?
14. What is a Theodicy?
15. What is Natural Evil and how is it distinguished form Moral Evil? Give examples of both.
16. What is Physical and Metaphysical evil? Give examples.
17. What is the argument against God’s existence based on Natural Evil? Explain.
18. Briefly describe the Theodicies of Augustine, Iraneus and John Hick.
19. Contrast the claims of J.L. Makie and Alvin Plantinga.
20. What is the meaning behind Alvin Plantinga’s Trans World Depravity?
21. Explain the Free-Will arguments, and the counter arguments as they relate to the problem of moral evil.
22. Briefly summarize the theodicy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz. Be sure to include his idea of the “best of all possible worlds.”(75-100 words)
23. What is Process Theology? What is Open theism? What is Dipolar theism?
24. How does Atheism resolve the problem of Evil?
25. What is a Blik? What is a religious Blik? Give an example of both.
26. What were Wittgenstein observations about the limits of language? How does it relate to foundational beliefs?
27. Explain the Evidentialist Position on Basic Belief Systems.
28. How does Thomas Aquinas explain the relationship between faith and reason? What is the difference between the commensurable, incommensurable, irrational and translational explanations of the relationship of faith and reason?
29. Describe the reasoning involved in Pascal’s Wager? (75-100 words)
30. What is Fideism? And, what is the Coherentist explanation of the relationship between faith and reason?

When you hear the word theology, what comes to your mind?

For this essay, you will be asked to write a 600-word essay answering the following 3 prompts:

1. When you hear the word theology, what comes to your mind? (200 words)
2. What experience have you had in your past with the study of theology? (200 words)
3. Besides a passing grade, what do you hope to take away from this course over the next 8 modules/weeks? (200 words)

Does the narrative theology of suffering proposed in these two literary masterpieces speak human experience of suffering?

A compare a contrast essay. The essay should compare and contrast two masters pieces: Leo Tolstoy, The death of Ivan Ilyich and Night by Elie Wiesel. The essay should answer the following questions:

1. Are the questions and problems raised in the Wiesel’s book acknowledged and answered in Tolstoy’s? How and why or why not?
2. What kind of transformation must the human person undergo in order to be able to perceive God present and at work in the midst of suffering?
4. How does God relate to and acts upon human suffering?
5. Does the narrative theology of suffering proposed in these two literary masterpieces speak human experience of suffering? How and why?

What factors led to the transformation of Southern attitudes toward slavery?

What factors led to the transformation of Southern attitudes toward slavery?
What did the popularity of sentimental novels and the board game “The Mansion of Happiness” reveal about the cult of true womanhood?
The Female Moral Reform Society attempted to vanquish
The “gag rule” was a procedural motion that
In 1848, women in New York won the right to
Phrenology studied the connection between a person’s character and
Horace Mann’s most notable contributions were in the field of
Reformers such as minister Lyman Beecher cast the problem of intemperance in
What was the Second Great Awakening?
Such reformers as Mary Gove and Paulina Wright were interested in
Why might slave religion be regarded as a form of resistance?
The importance of festivities combining work and leisure to traditional community life most likely indicated that before the market revolution
All of the following are true of marriages among slaves EXCEPT that
During the 1840s and 1850s, the greatest proportion of immigrants to the United States came from
By 1860, free blacks accounted for what percentage of the South’s African¬American population?
Which of the following does NOT characterize the New York neighborhood of Five Points?
By 1840, which means of transportation had the greatest impact on the speed with which goods and people could move around the country?
Which is the best definition of an artisan?
Through the first part of the nineteenth century, on average, Americans
In the first half of the nineteenth century, why was a city like St. Louis poised for growth?
What resulted from a strike by white workers at the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia?
What did author Alexis de Tocqueville believe caused “almost all the differences which may be noticed between the characters of the Americans in the Southern and in the Northern states”?
Most Southern states enacted laws against enclosing unused land because many Southern farmers
What did a neighborhood like Gramercy Park reveal about the urban elite?
Which of the following best describes Charles Grandison Finney’s theology?
Which of the following best describes the stance of Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville to contemporary American society?
In the Eastern State Penitentiary at Philadelphia, prisoners
How did Greece’s war for independence influence America?
According to the video presentation, who was the founder of the Shakers?
According to the video presentation, what is the belief that man is sinful, but can be perfected through a moderate and moral lifestyle in adherence to God’s precipices?