J. Matthew Pinson's Perspectives On Contemporary Christian Worship

This is a reflection on Larry Osbornes book, Sticky Church, I did read the entire book. I have enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Each vice president, chair at least one standing commissions, whether it is Finance and Statistics, Pensions, Publications, Minimum Salary, Church Extension and Evangelism, Missions, Higher Education, Research and Development, Christian Education, Social Action, and the Lay Commission. Each commission in turn is responsible for one or more departments that actually implement the programs (Lincoln, 1244-1247 Kindle). The judicial council of the African Methodist Episcopal Church functions as an appellate court, and it handles the appeals and any decisions affecting any member or minister within the church. The African Methodist Episcopal Church Board of Bishops has the responsibilities of supervising of the church bodies in between the quadrennial sessions of the General Conference. They meet twice a year, once at the same time as the Connectional Council, (Lincoln, 1308 Kindle). The African Methodist Episcopal Bishops seem to have authority that is probably more pronounced by virtue, unlike the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Not one Methodist church is an entity all of its own. They are connected at assorted levels to other units and offices of the national body. Every bishop is elected by the General Conference. Each one has an oversight of an Episcopal district which is made up of two or more

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1: l, New International Version). This is where it all began. God’s perfect Creation included night and day, sky and land and sea, the moon and the stars, all the birds and fish and animals, and humankind. Man quickly messed it up and the Fall hit hard. No more was humanity right with God. But God loved his people so much that his Son, Jesus Christ came to earth to make them right with God by dying on the cross to wash away all of their sins, and through God’s grace, they received salvation and restored their heart relationship with God. In this paper, I will discuss within the context of the Christian worldview who God is, what

This article, written by a highly-respected author, effectively discusses topics that I will be utilizing for the problem and solution sections of my final paper. For the solution section, Ehrenreich reports that “we should just stop the meanness, the relentless persecution of people who are already having a hard time.” In her article, Barbara Ehrenreich discusses the relevance of an argument she made a couple of years back in a book called Nickel and Dimed regarding the unfair conditions poor people often face. Essentially, an extreme number of Americans are paid less than what they can live on. Ehrenreich advocates for the creation of opportunities to allow poor people to get back on their feet and live a

Ignatius of Antioch is also called Ignatius Theophoros, meaning “God Bearer” (Greek). He was the second Bishop of Antioch in Syria at the time of his arrest- 107A.D. He is mainly known from seven highly regarded letters that he wrote during a trip to Rome, as a prisoner condemned to be executed for his belief and is believed to have died c.110, in Rome by martyrdom during Trajan’s reign (AD. 98-117).

Martin Luther King Jr. describes his visit to Alabama, Mississippi and detects the outer beauty of churches to contradict the church’s inside. “churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward” (line), “Where were their voices of support when bruised and weary Negro men and women decided to rise from the dark dungeons of complacency to the bright hills of creative protest” (line)? Martin Luther King Jr. feels discomfort from the beautiful churches that are pointing towards heaven with the church inside. Martin Luther supports this device by asking questions. One of the questions were, “ Over and over I have found myself asking: "What kind of people worship here” (line)? The series of questions produces discomfort to the clergymen and the guiltiness of the white churches. Martin Luther compares ideas in order to express his disappointment, guiltiness, lachrymose feeling, and injustice in

Dr. Ed Stetzer is the Executive Director of the Lifeway Research Division. Stetzer has obtained two masters degrees and two doctorate degrees, and he currently serves as pastor of Grace Church in Tennessee. In addition to being the Executive Director for a division of lifeway and a pastor, Stetzer is also a contributing author for Christianity Today, Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, Executive Editor of Facts & Trends Magazine, co-host of the BreakPoint This Week Radio Program, and a columnist for Outreach Magazine.

It is important to understand the history and culture of these two societies, as well as some important factors that went into the creation of this religion. Also this paper will explain what Christianity really is and where it came from. People played a valuable role that went into shaping this religion as well. Within these societies, there were small groups of those who helped the religion survive, despite the struggles they faced and had to overcome. There was different types of leaders throughout this process who each had their own effect on the religion as a whole. These people were tremendously diverse, but each one had unique way of making a difference. Some of these people include Constantine the Great, who was the emperor of the Romans. Another person who helped construct and aid in the expansion of the religion was the Apostle Paul, a Roman born missionary who preached his ideas amongst others. Paul was one of the most important people in the history of Christianity. This was due to the fact that he was one of the original missionaries and it was said that Jesus had came to

Fundamentally, idolatry is the worship of an image or object or the excessive devotion towards a person or item. From a religious perspective, idolatry is the worship of images and representations other than the true God. Idolatry is a practice whose scope is often misunderstood, prompting the efforts by different people to demystify the practice both in the past and in the world today. Martin Luther, for instance, explores his understanding of the practice in his Large Catechism, a text meant to guide Lutheran clergymen in their service. This essay discusses idolatry, with specific emphasis on Luther’s ideas and presentation of the same and its prevalence in the modern world.

In Thomas Long’s The Witness of Preaching, he aims to urge the reader to become a reliable witness of the gospel by way of ample preparation before entering a pulpit. The text offers to the reader a deeper understanding of the ministry of preaching. A useful component of the text contains informative bits of information that make the reader aware of the lengthy but necessary preparation needed for an adequate explanation of the scripture. Of primary importance is the consideration of the congregation when a preacher is first approaching the text. This point is of vital importance as it signifies that the speaker is a member of the body of Christ and the congregation. Such understanding is a reminder that the preacher is an unworthy vessel being

Given the vast number of issues that Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity share, it is not contestable that there must be clear connection between them. The concern, therefore, should not focus on the existence of connection, but how the connections came into existence. Considering the religions from another point of view, they still reflect a dozen of differences. The current paper seeks to compare and contrast the three religions: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity.

Basic Christianity is a crucial foundation that must be deeply entrenched within the hearts and minds of believers. The essential and basic principles aid every Christian by showing and teaching them how great God’s love is for us. In John Stott’s Book, “Basic Christianity,” he reveals insight on what it is to be a Christian. He also dispels many erroneous teachings that have been brought into the Christian community. Stott states in the beginning of his book that many have held the assumption that God sits on His throne, aloof, distant, and unconcerned for our needs and problems (Stott, pg. 17). The fact that these people are unaware of is that God took the initiative and acted first as seen in Genesis 1:1, where it states ”In the beginning God….” This clearly shows that God in His omnipotence took time to create you, me, and everything in existence today. It is also stated in Genesis 1, God formed us in His image and breathed into us the breathe of “LIFE”; therefore a part of the Almighty is in the fibers of our being. Seeing that part of Him was separated, He sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins to redeem the relationship that once was.

The Four Theological Voices Model was developed by the Action Research: Church and Society team (ARCS), consisting of Helen Cameron, Deborah Bhatti, Catherine Duce, James Sweeney and Clare Watkins. In the book Talking about God in Practice, the ARCS team explains four theological voices which they discovered as they examined the practice of the Church. The four voices are: (i) normative theology, (ii) formal theology, (iii) espoused theology and (iv) operant theology.3 Cameron et al argue that these voices are intertwined, and that together they express the whole of Christian theology.4 The team 's main thesis is that practice is essentially theology, and that theology subsequently is embodied throughout the life of the Church and expressed in the lived practice of the Church through these four theological voices.5 Cameron et al is clear that this model should not be seen a complete description, but rather serve as a interpretative working tool for theological reflection upon how practice and theology are connected.6

As Philip Brooks pointed out that, “Preaching is the communication of truth by man to men” Philip Brooks bring out two essential things in his definition. Truth and personality of the preachers are playing important role in the preaching.

The key to the Trinitarian doctrine is the Father-Son relationship. In Christian theology, God is symbolised as a divine Father primarily because Christ is symbolised as the divine Son. Not the other way around. The Gospel of Mark describes Jesus as the Son of man and the Son of God. The contrast and connection are dramatically portrayed in the anguish of the Gethsemane prayer where Jesus begins: “ “ Mark 14:36.The untranslated Aramaic address to the heavenly Father, abba, seems important. It marks a special relationship between Jesus and the holy One of Israel. From the Talmud and writings from first-century Antioch we learn that abba meaning “daddy” and imma meaning “mommy” were terms used by small children when speaking