Christianity has been a driving force of the Western world. However, there is another predominant force and it is science. Faith and science are the two fundamental parameters of the modern civilized world. D N Entwistle amalgamates these two features of civilization and indicates that the only true development of the human mind comes from the merger of these two disciplines. Thus, the focal point of this paper is to evaluate and review D N Entwistle’s Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, published in 2004.
This book is an attempt to integrate the apparently opposite positions of psychology and Christianity. It is an attempt to amalgamate these two elements. The author then works with five fundamental models that lead to integration. These models can be enumerated as allies, neutral parties, colonialists, spies and enemies. These models are exploded as One Sovereign and through these models he establishes the alignment of the two different subjects in one domain.
In accordance to the enemies model the two subjects, psychology and Christianity, are regarded as conflicting elements and thus should be kept part. On the other hand the author defines the spies’ model as a situation where psychology and Christianity interact with each other in accordance to favorable conditions. The colonial model takes control of the other subject establishing one over the other.
Whereas, in the neural model recognition is mutual and there is an element of understanding between psychology and Christianity but there is a limit if boundary and that boundary should not be crossed. Lastly, in the concept of model of the allies it is regarded as model that is One Sovereign and both psychology and Christianity are working together in order to help and provide common good for the people.
The author also makes it a point to clarify the concept that there are fundamentally two books of God. One is Works and the other is Words and the job of psychology is to work on the context of Works, whereas, the objective of Christianity is to work on the elements of Words. Thus, in accordance to the author the amalgamation of the two disciplines are well established and verified. In the context of practical use as a Christian counselor it is important to read and understand these two books of God and use it for the good of the people.
The author even indicates that there are chances that one would find the two concepts as opposite disciplines and it would appear that these two are conflicting with each other. However, if one reads through the two books with more intensity the reader would be able to see the alignments between the two. The author made it is point that reader should interpret the two books with much care and only then the proper meaning would be revealed.
Concrete responses
From my personal experience it can be stated that I happened to observe a clear symmetry between Christianity and psychology. The Christian oriented group that was attended was held in St. Wilshire Community Church on Friday, 6 pm. It was a Christian Single Mom group. The majority of the mother’s in this class lost or was widowed from their husband’s in a traumatic way. The fundamental intention of this group was to give them hope through the learning of Christian faith. This group consisted of mainly women who were lively and caring for their children. It was inspiring to learn that though these women wet through unthinkable misery in life, they chose life and love over melancholy and were very optimistic. (Grasmick, 2007)
This one-hour group was aligned towards Bible study but there were much individual inputs. Here, along with the learning of Christianity, the members shared their stories and inspired each other with their feelings. The environment was warm and welcoming and the essence of the conversation made every participant feel safe and protected. Person to person communication carried on even after the end of the study hour, as they were all comfortable with the surroundings.
It was an environment that bridged personalities and all the women became very close. It was a family-like attachment and everybody shared her snacks. (Darling, 2004) Thus, this mode of group meeting was comparatively lifeless and looked more of a therapy rather than a process of inspiration and self belief development.
Reflection
I feel this book is really helpful. Not just for individuals but also for the nation as a whole. The nation is becoming multicultural day by day and it is good for the nation. However, there are many differences among the cultures. Under such parameters I feel it is important to look closely in terms of religion and psychology. In my personal experiences I have come across other cultures that are not receptive towards Christianity. Thus, for there to be a true multiracial and multicultural society, social barriers must not impede any individual at the same time, there should be enough channels for them in society to take responsibility for their lives without sacrificing their heritage or culture.
When there is a loss of history and heritage, the tragedy is that people loss the opportunity to build a society that does not only recognize but also celebrates differences. Thus the amalgamation between psychology and Christianity becomes the dominant and major feature of the nation. It is the responsibility of a Christian to make the others understand the value of being good neighbor. (Jansen, 1993) I have seen that the use of psychology is very effective in making people understand the value of coexistence and Christianity as a major help in this approach of nation building and peaceful social life.
Action
To me the context where the book, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, could be best applicable is when one corporate house is going through a complete change or reconstruction and there is an immediate need of a moral boosting tool. This book serves the purpose and not only that this book serves the purpose with “a spoon full of sugar” to get the needed “medicine go down” and yes- it is “in the most delightful way”.
Thus, as the first action, I would recommend such a book to all my friends, known and semi known persons. Understanding this book is vital for the betterment of the self, the society and the nation and thus the fundamental action would be to practice the teachings of the book for self development and for a better tomorrow. The Bible states that law is regarded as a schoolmaster and it helps the mass to reach Christ and the entire process is justified by faith. Here the schoolmaster is psychology and faith is Christianity.
Reference
Darling, C. (2004). Understanding stress and quality of life for clergy and clergy spouses. Stress and Health, 20(5), 261-277.
Entwistle, D. N. (2004). Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity. NY: Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Grasmick, H. G. (2007). The Effects of Religious Fundamentalism and Religiosity on Preference for Traditional Family Norms. Sociological Inquiry, 60(4), 352 – 369.
Jansen, W. 1993, ‘Creating Identities: Gender, Religion and Women’s Property in Jordan’, in: M. Brügmann, S. Heebing, D. Long & M. Michielsens (eds), Who’s Afraid of Femininity? Questions of Identity. Amsterdam & Atlanta, GA: Editions Rodopi.
It is important to point out first that living out a Christian lifestyle is not what so many people perceive it to be. Many people through ignorance think it is a lifestyle chosen by those who are desperate, bored, and having nothing else to do with their lives. Indeed to live out a lifestyle of following Christ is not for the feeble, cowards, and for the people pleasers. The lifestyle is a life characterized by self-denial, discipline, and commitment.
But who is a Christian? The word Christian first appears in the Bible in Acts 11:26 which reads “And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26b). The word Christian, therefore, was a word first used in Antioch to describe the disciples of Jesus who were living there. The word Christian is derived from the name “Christ” and is used for someone who is Christ-like. The disciples in Antioch had certain characteristics that made them stand out as the followers of Jesus. In essence, what this means is that even today there are certain characteristics that need to stand out in every Christian that are easily identifiable even without saying word, it is a lifestyle that can be deduced by just observing the kind of lifestyle that a person leads.
In contemporary society, the word Christian has been watered down so much to an extent that one only qualifies to be a Christian only by virtue that they go to church occasionally, have a baptismal name, and have Christian parents. This is not what is reflected in the Bible wherein many instances we see Jesus telling his listeners that to follow him should not be taken lightly and it should be a life that sometimes will attract persecution, hardship, and a lot of counting the cost.
For me there are certain salient features that a life of a Christian should have which I am going to discuss using the Holy Scriptures as the basis.
Faith
Before making the decision to follow Christ the first and the most important step is to have faith that God exists, to have faith that Jesus is His son who came and lived on earth, was crucified died, and shed His blood on the cross for the forgiveness of sin and on the third day, he resurrected and ascended to heaven and will come back one day to pick those who are his. With this faith, a Christian can live a life that is pleasing to God because he/she is very much aware of His presence and is in the knowledge that ” without faith, it is hard to please God in any way” Hebrews10:23.
Obedience to the word of God
The Bible is the inherent word of God and forms the bedrock of the Christian faith. Without the Bible, it would be extremely difficult to know how to live as a Christian. The Bible is the manual for any person who wants to live a successful Christian life. Reading the Bible alone does not necessarily mean that one now is leaving the Christian life out rather, one needs to read and put what he/she reads into practice, the book of James explicitly states this where it says:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror” James 1:22-23.
Therefore reading the word of God and obeying it is very important and this shows whether one loves God or not.
Loving God with all our hearts
When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment he replied:
“ You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself”. Luke 10:26-28.
The lifestyle of a Christian should be characterized by the love of God more than anything else. To God, this way means that one has to discard the notion that proclaiming to love God is not enough but obeying His words in actual sense is a show that one really loves God.
The other important aspect of a Christian is to “love thy neighbor as thy self”. One characteristic that a Christian should have is that one of love and compassion for others and especially for those who are lost. When one loves their neighbors, he/she is extending the love of God to them. In fact, the Bible is very clear on this issue where it says that it would be impossible to love God if we do not love our neighbors.
For me, these are the three main lifestyles that every Christian should possess, because they form the basis of Christianity without which that life is untenable.
Suffering and death are issues of major concern in Christianity today. The meaning conveyed by these two terms is dependent on the perspective from which an individual views it. The ordinary meaning of suffering is the process of undergoing physical or mental pain.
On the other hand, the meaning of suffering from a Christian view is similar to the ordinary view, but differs in the way Christians explain its origin. Christians earnestly accept as true the idea that suffering comes as a way of testing one’s faith and as a punishment for of sin. Christians also connect human suffering to the suffering that Jesus endured on the cross and believe that it saved humanity. As such, Christians should emulate Jesus and endure the suffering they undergo.
Death, on the other hand, is a subject matter whose interpretation depends on personal judgment. The usual meaning of death is a stage of life whereby a living thing seizes to exist physically. In other words, it is a state of existence associated with detachment of the spirit from the flesh. The Christian point of view about death articulates that, death is a stage of existence during which the soul and flesh exist separately.
To distinguish this view from the normal perspective, it further articulates that there is life after death, which can be a rebirth or eternal life. Eternal life implies that the spirit reunites with the soul that it originally paired with to form a new everlasting life. Rebirth implies that after separation of body and soul at death, the spirit joins another body to form a new life. Christian belief in life after death originates from the time of Jesus, who died on the cross and came back to life three days later.
They argue that even if the flesh dies, there is a comforting hope that another life awaits after death. An in-depth understanding of Christian suffering and death is essential in daily Christian life and existence. As such, church leaders should teach and disseminate the doctrines that underscore this understanding to the Christian community. Although many myths that explain the existence of suffering and death do exist, this essay will only focus on suffering and death from a Christian point of view.
Christian Beliefs on Suffering
There exist six major perspectives that try to explain the meaning and existence of suffering in Christianity: First, the Bible exploits well the subject of suffering; it does not leave it to the believers’ own judgment as the other religions do. The book of Job for example exploits all ideas that a Christians needs to know about suffering (Brown 1997, 39). In this book, Job undergoes a series of sufferings ranging from disease, death of his livestock to his own family.
His wife tries to convince him to abandon God who has seen him suffer without intervening. Job, however, ignores her and decides to endure his suffering. In the end, God not only takes away Job’s suffering, he restores his health and gives him back all the property and livestock that he had lost. Job’s story tells Christians that regardless of how much or how long they suffer, God is aware about it and all they need to do is to endure for His time of intervention will surely come.
Secondly, it is common knowledge that God made humans in his own image and made them possess some of his characters; a privilege that animals do not possess. Like God, humans possess traits such as love, anger, happiness, jealous, sympathy, and pride. This explains God’s love for humanity.
Besides God giving humans all these character traits that are inherent in Him, He also gives them the freedom of choosing whether to embrace His love or ignore it (Timothy 1995, 60). As it is evident all over the world, people have instead turned their backs on God and embraced worldly pleasures. In other words, they have decided to shun heaven to embrace hell (Isa. 53:6 New International Version). Hell is a destiny preserved for sinners and involves eternal suffering.
The argument here is that people are responsible for their own suffering. Take for example a smoker; such a person knows very well the dangers of smoking to his/her health because besides the bible discouraging this habit, the cigarette packets have warnings printed on them. If such a person’s health deteriorates due to this habit, then it is clear that s/he actually anticipated it.
This truth stands because s/he decided to ignore the apparent smoking effects and chose to suffer the consequences. Other habits like inebriation, fornication, crime, and adultery fall in the same bracket as smoking. Therefore, for one to avoid suffering in hell, s/he should embrace God’s love. People should also utilize their freedom to choose in embracing the doctrines that govern Christianity.
Thirdly, Christians believe that sin and suffering are closely related. In other words, human beings suffer because of the sins they commit. The freedom to chose bestowed upon humans has led to sinfulness that has also brought forth suffering. In other words, the suffering that people undergo emanates from people misusing their freedom to choose.
Humans, for example, despite God-given authority over the rest of nature, have neglected the environment and as a result brought about suffering in form of global warming. Some religious sects like Hinduism “have chosen to ignore the clear drawing a line between evil and suffering” (Brown 1997, 39). This negligence has played a major role in many believers going astray. Since it is supposedly hard to separate good and bad, all humans have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.
God himself has not punished people for their sinful nature but one day He surely will as promised in His word. Making a choice that will not lead to suffering depends on one’s ability to distinguish good and evil. God gives Christians some hope; He guarantees them the possibility of obviating suffering brought by evil. He has sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to humanity so that through him, perishing souls may find safety.
Fourthly, Christians argue that God is aware of the suffering that they undergo. The Bible says that though Jesus was the son of God, He himself is God. Jesus knows much about suffering because he actually went through it. The book of (Isaiah 53:3) describes Him as a man associated with sorrows and suffering. Right from the time of His birth, King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. On his mission to “preach the gospel and save humankind, Jesus underwent suffering, even worse than normal human beings do” (Miller 1994, 13).
People mocked him for being a friend to outcasts in the society. This included people like tax collectors, prostitutes, and thieves. At times, His close friends for example, Peter, betrayed him. Desire for worldly treasures obligated Judas to betray Jesus for only thirty pieces of silver. Jesus endured more sufferings when the Pharisees tortured him, forcing him to carry his own cross to Golgotha.
Worst suffering came at the point where they crucified him alongside two thieves. Jesus endured pain inflicted through nailing, not forgetting to mention the pain of a spear on his ribs. This truly explains that Jesus went through suffering as humans do, even though He was the son of God. From the Biblical history, the scripture says that God entered humanity through Jesus Christ. As such, through Jesus, He also knows all about Christians’ suffering.
The fifth belief of Christians about Suffering is that Jesus’ death was meant to set them free from sin. If people trust in Him and honor his name, then Jesus will dwell inside them and grant them life full of holiness. He will then transform their lives and make them worthy to spread God’s word. He does this by subjecting believers to suffering. If anything, if Jesus being righteous suffered, man in his fallen nature must suffer.
From this perspective therefore, suffering is not bad but just a way through which Jesus transforms people’s lives. The bible stipulates that it is God’s desire to mold the lives of Christians by subjecting them to trials. As they try to overcome these trials, His name receives glorification and those who overcome become better people. As such, suffering is not bad and God allows it for purposes of glorifying His name and for the benefit of humans.
Lastly, Christians believe in the final elimination of suffering from existence. The bible says that the death and resurrection of Jesus implies that he overcame death so that all humans may receive redemption from sin. They hope for that time that will mark the second coming of Jesus. During this time, there will be no more death, pain or crying in anguish (Rev. 21:4 NIV). People will live in harmony; they will be full of love for one another for they shall have triumphed over evil, having overcome temptations of this world.
The bible explains how the new heaven and earth will be; it will be full of righteous people worthy to stand for and speak in favor of God’s name (II Pet. 3:13 NIV). However, nobody knows when the time of elimination of suffering from the face of the earth is due. The closest clue that believers have is that this time is near, actually nearer than people have ever thought before.
This belief stands because people have already seen or witnessed the signs that the bible says would signify his second coming. These include the emergence of many churches and false prophets; occurrence of many calamities like the recent Japanese landslide that displaced millions of people and killed thousands of them; presence of civil wars, widespread immorality, and massive lawlessness.
Thus, all is upon everyone to prepare himself or herself for the second coming of Jesus so that when the hour comes, Jesus counts them among the few chosen ones who will occupy the new heaven that is void of suffering. For those who shall have not prepared themselves, there is only one destination: hell, the lake of burning sulphur, for eternal suffering.
Christian Beliefs on Death
Having exhausted on what Christians believe about suffering, the rest of this essay will focus on Christian belief about death. At many instances, people have really wondered what death is all about. It is also not clear where one’s spirit goes after death. However, the Christian perspective explores every aspect of death from theological point of view to examine what God requires humans to know about it (Kilgallen 1989, 25).
Death, as already defined, is a state of existence in which the flesh and the soul separate. After death, Christians believe that the soul goes either to heaven or to hell. Heaven has characteristics such as eternal life, full of peace, love, and happiness. Some denominations have defined hell as the final or complete state of death of the spirit that completely excludes an individual from the presence of God physically as well as spiritually.
Death can be in two forms: spiritual or physical. Physical death means the ordinary separation of the body and soul, leaving the body to rot away whereas spiritual death, which is a consequence of sin, means the separation of one’s spirit from God. Believers in spiritual death also call it the second death because besides one dying physically, the spiritual part that establishes link with God for those who die in Christ is also absent.
Only God has” control over death and knows when and how every human being is going to meet his/her death” (Lund 1990). It came because of sin as brought out in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament. After the snake lied to Eve, she in turn convinced Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. This action angered God who decided to curse humanity by introducing death, a thing they have no control over.
Therefore, whether physical or spiritual, death came in as a punishment for sin. From the apostolic books in the New Testament, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, one is able to learn about the life of Jesus on earth until he met his death on the cross. His death was not ordinary death because he rose to life again three days later. Through his death, humanity received redemption from sin.
One mystery that people have been unable to ascertain about death is whether there is life after death. This is because no living example that can prove the existence of life beyond death. Thus, to many people, life after death is a notion rather than an experience. The theological point of view however gives a clearer dimension about life after death.
One may wonder why God leaves good people to die if death came because of sin. However, the answer to this is simple; even though good people die, they encounter new life after death in which they live eternally in happiness while bad people experience eternal suffering.
Though it came as a punishment for sin in the Garden of Eden, God, through the holy bible and scriptures reveals that, “so long as people live sanctified lives, they are able to overcome death as Jesus did on the cross” (Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy1990, 30). Another example from the Bible that illustrates that God has power over death is the act of Jesus raising Lazarus whose body people believed had already decomposed.
The son of God actually brought Lazarus back to life so that all may see and acknowledge His power over death. The Bible also reveals that besides Jesus, Enoch and Elijah surpassed death and went to heaven. The Bible goes on and explains the requirements for one to overcome death. The requirement is simple; s/he should be born again, live a holy life and believe that there is life beyond death.
Conclusion
People around the world view death and suffering differently and at any instance, the interpretation depends on the perspective from which an individual is viewing it. Christianity has its own view of suffering and death that differs from the ordinary view and views from other denominations.
About suffering, Christians believe that it is a consequence of sin. They further believe that God allows His people to suffer so that they can grow in faith and his name be glorified. He gave humans the freedom to take or disregard His love but many have decided to ignore it. Interestingly, people conclude that humans choose to suffer directly or indirectly through their actions. Whether their suffering is because of their own actions or God’s choice, endurance is inevitable.
About death, Christians say that it originated from sin. This occurred in the Garden of Eden in which God cursed humankind for giving in to temptation. Death can be physical or spiritual depending on what an individual believes. Different denominations have different views about death and life after death but Christian doctrines articulate that there is life after death, only if one dies in Christ, meaning that he/she adhered to Christian doctrines before death.
Reference List
Brown, Raymond E. 1997. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday.
Brown, Raymond E. et al. 1990. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Kilgallen, John J. 1989. A Brief Commentary on the Gospel of Mark. New York: Paulist Press.
Christmas has brought me to reflect on my life as a pilgrim on earth and as a member of the family of God. The revelry of the holidays, the parties and get-togethers sometimes allowed me to pause for a while and meditate there in the confines of my room, questions like: is this how Jesus really wants his Christian family on earth to celebrate his birthday? Are we doing all this to please Jesus or ourselves? And can we relate all these celebrations to our Christian lives and to the Christian ministry?
If all of the questions above are answered in the affirmative, then there must be something wrong with our Christian lives and the way we look at Christianity.
Main text
Evading from the noises and the sounds that I considered disturbances to my prayers and meditations, I concentrated and focused myself on what I wanted of my life; particularly my Christian life and most specifically the Christian ministry.
How can I start my ministry? Before I can answer this, I think I have to understand what the Christian Ministry is. Edmund Clowney (1964) states that to be in the Ministry is “service, and service involves being a servant, or that we have to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, serving in his community and doing it wholeheartedly without any remorse or half-heartedness.” (Clowney 3)
It also means serving our fellowmen, our brothers and sisters out there who are in need. It means sacrifice, and with love. It means looking after our neighbor, and loving your neighbor the way we love ourselves.
Moreover, should we want to focus on the Christian Ministry, and any other ministry for that matter, I think we have to get back to the basic teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and this is about love. The Christian ministry is about love for our fellowman but most especially for God, because service or being a servant is an expression of love.
When Jesus was asked which is the most important Commandment in the Law, he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and most important of the commandments. But after this there is another one very similar to it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. The whole Law and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments.” (Mat. 22:27-40, NREV 2000)
I have placed this as the most important reasons for any ministry, although there are other reasons why we should follow or observe a ministry.
Another passage of the Bible related to the Christian Ministry is the one in the same chapter of Matthew, 22:14 which says that “Many are called but few are chosen.” (NRSV 2000). This also pertains to the Christian Ministry or the priesthood. We receive a calling from God, but it does not necessarily mean that we are chosen to minister unto him. Others may be chosen to be in the Music Ministry or the Lay Ministry, or even others maybe chosen to the service of the poor. All those are found in the Bible.
Ministry is activity, or a lot of activities. We have to do a lot of things for our Lord Jesus Christ and the community that he initiated while he was still with us here on earth. It means we have to be busy like Paul who did everything to spread the Word of God until his death.
On my part, there are times that I forget my responsibilities to myself and to the world because of my quest for the material things of the world, the now, and not the wonderful things God has prepared for me in His everlasting glory. There is always a conflict, a conflict of interest, a conflict of purpose, and so on. I tend to be busy with menial things, unmindful of my purpose and mission on earth. May the Gospel re-baptize me to be a new Christian again, to fulfill God’s design for me and for us on earth. May the Holy Spirit guide me and lead me to my real purpose here on earth.
I would like to define my mission here on earth the way God wants me to. Just as Christ sent the seventy-two disciples to the many parts of his country Israel, to gather the lost sheep of Israel, so may he send me because I know that the work has never been completed because the work of the community of Christ is continuing. We are in communion with the saints in heaven and we have to be as spotless or sinless as we can afford to be, although it seems impossible, but with the blessings and graces of God, this is possible. Just as Jesus was asked by his disciples that it was or it seemed impossible to be saved, but Jesus replied that all things are possible with God, if only we obey or follow His commandments and trust Him to the fullest without any doubt.
We have to live my life the way God wants us to do it, and after this we have to share this kind of life and principles to our brothers and sisters. This is the simplest explanation of the Christian ministry. But researching on this paper on the topic of Christian Ministry, we have to seek the Bible and other books of Christian reading. Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, is a book about the ministry, apostleship, and discusses our purpose here on earth. It is a consultative book, sort of a book about medicine, but a spiritual kind of medicine. Reading it alone and aloud makes my spirit soar to the sky, and makes my physical body sacrifice for the sake of my spirit and my fellowman. It always points to the Bible as the source of spiritual life, as spiritual oxygen, so that we become always active in our Christian ministry, and our mission and purpose on earth. Reading this sort of books and other related literature about Christian living and the Ministry allows us to reflect and be well-versed about our spiritual life and the way we are going. We have to forbid ourselves from other readings or those we call instruments of evil disguised in the name of art. Reading this kind of literature can lead us astray and we become instruments of evil itself.
Rick says:
“Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect.” [1 Peter 3:15-16 (TEV)] The best way ‘to be ready’ is to write out your testimony and then memorize the main points. Divide it into four parts:
What my life was like before I met Jesus
How I realized I needed Jesus
How I committed my life to Jesus
The difference Jesus has made in my life.” (Warren 291)
Conclusion
I would like to connect or relate this to my thoughts and ideas of the Christian Ministry. My life before I committed myself to the Ministry was a life of confusion and no direction. It was really a time of ignorance of Christ and the way a Christian should commit himself and his whole life to God. But now, life has become simple. I realize there are many things that I should do for God and for my brother and sisters, to be able to sacrifice and be a real Christian. After reflections and some meditations, I also realized I have to exert a lot of efforts to avoid temptations and to be always in company with good people and always ask God’s graces that I become sinless and pure in the eyes of God, so that the Holy Spirit will continue to dwell in me.
The Ministry involves telling the whole world about Jesus Christ. In Psalm 117:1bc, 2: “Go out to the world, and tell the Good News.” (NREV)
I know God will be with me and all of us until we would have all accomplished our missions here on earth. We will be with Him in his everlasting glory soon.
Works Cited
Clowney, Edmund P. Called To The Ministry. U.S.A.: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1964
The Holy Bible. The New Revised Standard Version. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002.
Stewardship is a biblical principle, which means taking care of what has been entrusted to. A steward can be a manager of the household property or an overseer. In other terms, a steward is a ‘House Keeper”. A faithful steward functions according to the wishes and instructions or for the profit of the owner rather than immediate personal benefits.
Christian stewardship is the execution of God’s desires within the House of the Lord; for the Church. The Bible explicitly stresses the requirements and rewards of faithful stewardship in Luke 12:42 and coveys that the Lord is looking for the faithful and wise steward, to rule over his household.
The above portion illustrates faithfulness and wiseness in doing stewardship. So when it is observed in terms of types of stewardship the above two types of criteria can be understood clearly.
Stewardship in finances
In Malachi 3:10, Lord commands the people to “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse” to make the food available to the poor in the local society to be fed by through the local church. The believers are to show the stewards through the responsibility of the poor and needy assigned to them in their land.
And if the believer is not obeying this command; the Bible is pointing the activity as ‘robbing from God’ in Malachi 3:8 concerning tithes and offerings.
Also has another side of edge with reference to Mathew 23:23 stressing on the ‘weightier matters of the Law’. The Lord Jesus Christ commands the people to take concern of the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith along with tithes and offerings in mint, anise, and cumin.
God also placed man on the earth ad all that it contains as seen in Genesis 1:26 and Psalm 8:6-8 and expects a good managerial execution on earth ground, animal and sea life, and the environment.
Bible not only commands the stewardship but also gives guidelines to follow:
The steward should never forget that God is the Owner of everything and the steward should work to establish God’s will and God’s kingdom on earth. A faithful practice can be observed through accountability to God. Accountability is asked in Luke 12:35 not just for money, but also for other resources, abilities, talents (1 Peter 4:10), Our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19), the given gospel (1 Corinthians 4:1), and other blessings. Because the word of God says, in 1 Corinthians 3:13 that “Every man’s work shall be made manifest”.
Along with maintenance, the increment is also expected from the steward by the Lord. God is looking for the wise investment of what he has entrusted to the believer as it is evident in Matthew 25: 22-29, the passage of talents to the servants. Such profitability in investment needs wise ness and diligence. Such wise steward in Luke 12:42 and diligent steward as in Luke 12:36,37 are sure to receive the reward.
The steward loves the creation along with the creator, as it is being created by the Lord (Colossians 1:16, 20). A true steward believes the Lord’s ability for his provisions (Matt. 6:19-34) and without being anxious for his supply, serves the Master (Matt. 6:24) seeking the Kingdom first (Mathew 6:33) than anything else. In Bible II Cor. 8, Gal. 6:6, III John 5-8, I Tim. 5:17,18 have instructions to observe the generosity as stewardship.
Conclusion
Social responsibility towards people, the bio-environment, and the money are the symptoms of love towards the creator and can be expressed through faithful stewardship.
References
The Holy Bible – King James Version.
Questions about God’s Ownership and Man’s Stewardship, 2008. Web.
Over the years, the human societies have changed dramatically; from the way they dress, talk and believe. Without a doubt, these changes have infringed the religious ways of life and norms. This leaves has left many religious people in a quagmire. Like many other religious followers, Christians and Jews have to declare their stand on issues like homosexuality, stem cell research, euthanasia, ordination and marriage.
Since religious books do not often give clear guidelines on some of these issues, debates have erupted on the level of tolerance regarding these issues. The thesis of this paper is that division among Judaism and Christianity in relation to contemporary issues, can be divided into two; conservative groups and liberal groups.
Both Judaism and Christianity consider human sexuality to be a leading cause in sinning. In general homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people are considered to have sinned, but there are differing opinions on the issue.
Some of the Christian religious groups are tolerant, for example, The Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ. Both of these denominations consider lesbians and gay people to have committed no sin, therefore, they should be treated the same as everybody else. They have demonstrated equal rights for homosexuals and bisexuals by proclaiming some as clergy.
Other conservative Christian groups like the Evangelical Christian denominations have declared that homosexuality is a sin. They have even denied lesbians and gay people membership to their denomination. Presbyterians and Methodists have not resolved on where they stand, but there seem to be some division between the young and the old. The youth are more moderate on the matter but the older members are still conventional (Eisenbaum, 630).
This attitude is also evident in the Judaism denominations. Liberal groups like Reform Judaism have commonly acknowledged homosexuals and bisexuals as part of their community. They regard them as ordinary people who have a particular rare sexual preference.
They respect their scriptures which denounce homosexuality and bisexuality but, claim that these scriptures refer to particular homosexual practices like rape and prostitution. In short, they also advocate for equal rights to all, whether Jews or not. Orthodox Jews are conformist on the matter and therefore, they consider homosexuality and bisexuality as unusual, perverted and a sin. They interpret the scriptures to mean that all forms of homosexuality are wrong (Gale, 56).
Transgendered individuals are those people who have changed their gender through a medical procedure. Orthodox Judaism states that; the type of sex is inborn and it is a perpetual phenomenal. Therefore, there should be no way a human should change the gender of another human being.
The catholic worshippers hold a similar thought as demonstrated in the 2000 Doctrine of Faith. It says that even though there might be a physical change, deep down, the person will always remain the same. Therefore, medical procedures do not change the gender of someone. On the other hand, Reformed Jews have widely accepted individuals who have undergone a gender change surgery. This was made official in 2003 when the Commission on Social Action approved a pledge to add transgendered individuals in their congregation.
Some Christian branches like Unitarian Universalist Association have likewise acknowledged transgendered individuals, and have given them full membership. They have even gone to the extent of opening an office to cater for homosexuals, bisexuals and transgendered people (Eisenbaum, 678).
Stem cells are extraordinary human cells that are capable of becoming any type of cell. This means that they can be used to restore spoilt tissues as a result of a disease. Diseases like diabetes and Parkinson’s diseases can be cured using research on stem cells. These stem cells can be harvested from many places on a human body like the bone marrow and fat.
However, it has been noted that stem cells from embryos have a higher probability of curing some of these ailments. The problem with most pro-lifers is that, extraction of stem cells from embryos leads to their destruction. To them, an embryo is already a living being and destroying embryos is the same as murder. Others say that at that stage, the human life has not begun, while others say that the use of embryos from fertility clinic is okay since they are meant to be destroyed anyway (Gale, 60).
The research on stem cell has been widely condemned by many religions in general. Politicians together with philosophers have also declared their opinions publically. The Roman Catholics and conservative Protestants are especially against use of stem cell. Pope John Paul the second personally in public expressed his opposition on the use of stem cells from the embryo.
However, the United Church of Christ and Progressive Christianity do not oppose the use of stem cells from fertility clinics. They reason from the fact that these ‘waste’ embryos will be discarded, so why not make use of them. Surprisingly, according to the Jews traditions, it is acceptable to obliterate an embryo to aid another breathing person. In fact, this idea has been readily accepted by the majority of the Jews.
This has been attributed to the difficulty in finding any Jewish literature that talk about this issue. Traditionally, Jews lowly regard an embryo that is less than 40 years old, it is seen as just a fluid. Some Jewish doctors consider the research on stem cell as the hope of humankind (Steinberg, 40).
Euthanasia is the procedure of aiding a person to pass away painlessly. This procedure is usually carried out on a patient who is facing an inevitable death and is in pain. By ending his life soon, he would have been relieved from his suffering. The Catholic Doctrine of Faith of 1980 forbids euthanasia claiming that it is a great offense towards a human life. Even though death is inevitable, there should be no human intervention whatsoever.
However some more liberal Christians like The Unitarian Universalist Association do not agree with the Catholics. They say that it does not make sense that it is okay to intervene and prolong a human life but not okay to end it if conditions are favorable. Their members are allowed to carry on with euthanasia as long as it is okay with the patient (Robinson, 69).
Like among the Christians, there is a division among Judaism followers regarding euthanasia. Conservative Judaism followers are against intended euthanasia but are not strict on intended passive euthanasia. On the other hand, Reformed Jews particularly support euthanasia in general, especially from the 1970s.
Ordination is the training and examination of members who wish to join any religious group. Ordination is carried out on people who wish to be the leaders of a congregation. Different religious groups and denomination have different ways of carrying out the process.
However, there are different opinions on the ordination of women. In traditional Christian society, women were never ordained, but that changed after the Protestant Reformation. They base their decision on ordaining women on the fact that Deborah was made a Judge in the ancient Israel by God.
Denominations like United Church of Canada and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America have been ordaining women since the early 1930s. Meanwhile, Catholic and Orthodox Churches have not allowed the ordination of women. In 1995 Pope John Paul the second announced that the Holy Spirit had not granted permission to ordain females. Traditional Catholics were satisfied with the answer but modern Catholics have been reluctantly protesting (Paul, 46).
Ordination of females as rabbis among the Jews is a reflection of what is in Christendom. Liberal Jews like those in Reformed Judaism have ordained women since 1950s. They consider them to equal to men when it comes to leadership in a congregation. Meanwhile, conservative Jews like those in Orthodox Judaism have never permitted women to be ordained as rabbis. They claim that; just as the man is the head of the family, he is also the head of the congregation (Robinson, 56).
In the Roman Catholic tradition, marriage is regarded as ritual intended by the creator. This means that the two spouses are obliged to bear children. Also, they do not recognize divorce. The Protestants have refuted the Catholic sacramental model and they get married in order to praise God.
Protestant married couple do not have to bear children and they are allowed to divorce. Conservative Jews consider marriage to be a bond between a man, woman and God. The married couple are also expected to procreate. More tolerant denomination like the Reformed Jews have accepted couples to be living together with no intention of having children (Paul, 48).
Both Judaism and Christianity have become tolerant to technology. All of them consider technology to be neutral and what matters is how it is used. However, in the middle of 20th century, the Orthodox and the Reformed Judaism followers had a debate on whether technology was a blessing or a curse.
The Reformists were for technology and the Orthodox were against it. Later, the Orthodox followers changed their teachings to allow the use of technology. All Christians have accepted technology and embraced it since it makes their lives easier (Mendelsohn, 48).
From this paper, it is obvious there are always two differing opinions in these two religious groups. Denominations that were established early like the Orthodox Judaism and Catholic Church followers in many ways have the same opinion regarding contemporary issues. Later down the line, other denominations cropped up which also in many ways had similar opinions. So it can be concluded that these two religions can be divided into two; the traditional religion and the modern religion.
Works Cited
Eisenbaum, Pamela. “Jesus, Gentiles, and Genealogy in Romans.” Journal of Biblical Literature 123 .4 (2009): 671–702. Print.
Gale, Thomson. “A Modern Jew.” Judaism, the religion 34.8 (2000): 45-67. Print.
Mendelsohn, Ezra. “People of the city.” Studies in contemporary Jewry 15.5 (1999): 34-90. Print.
Paul, Avis. “An Introduction to the Major Traditions.” The Christian Church 15.7 (2002): 30-58. Print.
People entertain different characteristics abut the kind of person Jesus is. Some Christians in particular see Jesus as a person who is kind and loving. They also perceive Him as having the characteristic of a humble, peace-loving individual1. To them, He is holy as well as righteous and loathes sin. They see Jesus as a person who forbids and punishes sin since He is also God.
Another characteristic entertained by Christians about the kind of person Jesus is, is that He blesses only those individuals who obey Him and practice holiness but does not bless sinners or heathens2. Jesus is also seen as being harsh to some extent due to His hatred for sin. So when some Christians commit sin or are involved in sinful acts, they find it difficult to go to church or ask for forgiveness through prayer for fear that Jesus (God) might strike them dead3.
However, despite the characteristics about Jesus entertained by some Christians, there are some given in the Gospel of Mark which does not seem to fit well with the perception that has just been mentioned above.
Two specific characteristics which tend to create some tension with the description aforementioned include that Jesus is a humble, peace-loving person and that He only blesses those who obey Him but does not bless sinners as well as the unrighteous4.
The first personality characteristic about the kind of person Jesus is which creates some tension is that He is a humble, peace-loving person. In Mark 11: 15 – 19 a sharp contrast to the characteristic is revealed which portrays Jesus as an angry, tempered person. In these verses, Jesus had just left Bethany the previous day and was on His way to Jerusalem (pp. 872).
On reaching there, He went to the temple to pray but was shocked to find people doing transactions and exchanging money in the house of God5. He immediately began overturning tables while chasing everyone out of the temples. He even beat some individuals and rebuked them saying that the temple was a place of worship and not a den of thieves6. Later on, the chief priests as well as Pharisees of Jerusalem started looking for Him to kill Him but could not find Him and Jesus left the town late in the evening, together with His disciples7.
Now, with what Christians have all along been taught about characteristics of Jesus including the one aforementioned, tension is greatly created by these verses about the kind of person Jesus was and might even create some doubt in the hearts of Christians.
The second personality characteristic about the kind of person Jesus is which also tends to create some tension is that He only blesses those who obey Him but does not bless or forgive sinners and heathens8.
In contrast, it is true that Jesus loathes sin and punishes those who commit sin but He does bless even the sinners and heathens since He is not partial to anyone as illustrated in John 3:16 – 219. A story is given in Mark 11:12 – 14; 20 – 26 of a fig tree. As Jesus together with His disciples was leaving Bethany early in the morning, He became hungry and approached a fig tree He had seen from a distance to see whether He could get a fruit from it. When He saw there was not any fruit on the tree, He cursed it and left (pp. 872).
The following day, they passed near the same fig tree and saw that it was all dried up and withered. This story was given to encourage those who have little faith and those sinners, both Christians and heathens who might be afraid to pray and ask for forgiveness10. In verses 24 – 26, Jesus is quoted telling the disciples that if anyone has faith and asks for anything, it will be granted (pp. 872). Also, when sinners pray and ask for forgiveness, they ought to forgive those who have wronged them first inorder for God to in turn forgive their sins. This is again illustrated in Mark 4:10 – 12 (pp. 863)11.
Conclusion
In the preceding paragraphs, it has been revealed that there is some tension created about the characteristic that Jesus is and what some Christians entertain about the kind of person He really is.
Despite the tension, the new personality traits aforementioned can be integrated with the original description of Jesus’ personality. Jesus (God) never does anything to harm us. Everything He does is to try and guide us, show us the right way to go and the right way to live but since us as humans are stubborn in character, He also has to become harsh to some extent for us to get the point and understand. God in the person of Jesus is indeed a loving, humble, peace-loving and caring person who came that we might have life and has it abundantly.
Footnotes
Talmage, James E. Jesus the Christ. Salt Lake City. 1963. pp. 45 – 64.
Robert G. Hammerton-Kelly. The Gospel and the Sacred: the Politics of Violence in Mark Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 1993. pp. 102 – 123.
Talmage, James E. Jesus the Christ. Salt Lake City. 1963. pp. 45 – 64.
Talmage, James E. Jesus the Christ. Salt Lake City. 1963. pp. 45 – 64.
Robert G. Hammerton-Kelly. The Gospel and the Sacred: the Politics of Violence in Mark. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 1993. pp. 102 – 123.
Vincent Taylor. The Gospel According to St. Mark, 2nd ed. A classic. London: Macmillan. 1966. pp. 59 – 78.
Youth Bible – Global Edition. The Gospels of Mark and John. Contemporary English Version. United Bible Societies. 2004. Pp. 860 – 880.
Vincent Taylor. The Gospel According to St. Mark, 2nd ed. A classic. London: Macmillan. 1966. pp. 59 – 78.
Youth Bible – Global Edition. The Gospels of Mark and John. Contemporary English Version. United Bible Societies. 2004. Pp. 860 – 880.
Vincent Taylor. The Gospel According to St. Mark, 2nd ed. A classic. London: Macmillan. 1966. pp. 59 – 78.
Youth Bible – Global Edition. The Gospels of Mark and John. Contemporary English Version. United Bible Societies. 2004. Pp. 860 – 880.
The first chapter of the book looks into the use of theology in counselling. The author argues that from the beginning, the human form was meant to receive some type of counselling. It can be agreed that human nature seeks understanding and revelation, and so, to some extent, the suggested premise is true. Due to the fact that man is dependent on his creator, it can, therefore, be concluded that there is significant need for the use of theology in counseling. One can also agree with the author that the first man brings out the importance of outside counsel in leading a positive life. In the case of Adam, he heeded bad counsel and this led to expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
Chapter Two
Adams (1986) gives an in-depth definition of theology and its relation to counseling in chapter two of the book. The author argues that when the scripture is not well interpreted, it can lead to negative actions after a theological therapy. This chapter is rich due to the fact that it provides practical examples that highlight both how scripture can be used for good and bad in counseling. Of course, the author explains that counselors who use theology should be careful in their description and analysis of scripture as pertains to their patient’s life in order to avert negative consequences.
Chapter Three
The author takes a hard stance on the influence and importance of non-theological counseling measures. Indeed, Jesus is referred to as a great counselor yet the Bible does not indicate that he used any type of modern (then) strategies. Towards this end, Adams (1986) is convinced that a counselor only needs to understand scripture in order to be good at their work. The premise purported by the scholar is harsh towards people of other faiths (who he refers to as non-believers). However, scripture does not shun these people away but encourages Christians to welcome them into the fold. This is not considered in the chapter, making the arguments presented incomplete.
Chapter Four
One of the striking elements of this chapter is the extensive use of evidence from the Bible. The author has used scripture to show the doctrine of God in relation to man’s basic environment. One can agree with the author that there are sinners who know that what they are doing is wrong. However, the author argues that all sinners are aware that what they are doing is wrong. This can be disputed strongly by the fact that when Jesus was on the cross he prayed and said “for they do not know what they are doing”. Additionally, the chapter assumes that people who need counseling are sinning in one way or the other. However, Christian counseling is not just about finding forgiveness for sin but also further understanding one’s self and his or her purpose.
Chapter Five
Chapter five is one of the shortest chapters in the publication. One interesting thing about the chapter is that it allows the reader to write his or her own ideas on the book. The author provides a page ad instructs the reader to write their thoughts on how the different names and representations of God in the Bible affect their perceptions. One can agree with the author that the name chosen by a patient (in prayer and therapy) to refer to God has an impact on the individual’s outcome of the sessions. Some of the names that have been sampled by the author include Jehovah Shammah and Jehovah Jireh.
Chapter Six
This chapter is a continuation of the previous two chapters. The author focuses on the role of prayer in Christian counseling. There are two main things that make the chapter stand out. The first is the importance that prayer is given in relation to the counselors own well-being. It can be agreed that the counselor has to pray for him/herself and also for his/her patients. This is a refreshing thought due to the fact that most counselors think only about their patients and not their own wellbeing. The second critical element of the chapter is the use of prayer in the therapy sessions. It is important to note that whereas the author insists on the importance of prayer during sessions, he refrains from dictating when such should be offered, which can be viewed as a positive thing.
Chapter Seven
Chapter seven reiterates the importance of using Christian counseling as opposed to traditional counseling to help patients. The author argues that even within Christian counseling, there are some strategies that work better than others. He argues that Christian counsellors have to use the principle of discipleship in order to attain favorable results during therapy sessions. One can agree that Christian counseling is founded on principles of discipleship. The scholar argues that the stated principle promotes a father-son context. It is debatable that this is the approach that should be used by Christian counselors. One can, however, agree that the issue of discipleship should be in relation to serving the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit through counseling.
Chapter Eight
In this chapter, the author insists that Christian therapists should only use scripture as basis for their anthological anecdotes and strategies. Critically, there are numerous literature that have been used to shape the idea of Christian counseling to date. In fact, this book under review is one of such literary works. Indeed, one can fully agree to the fact that the Bible should be the center of any Christian counseling sessions. However, one can disagree with the argument that Christian therapists should not use any other anthology literal works to help in their practice. Caution has to be made, however, in choosing some literary works that might help a client or even the counselor him/herself.
Chapter Nine
Indeed, there are times when patients who need counseling have committed a sin. This chapter analyzes how a Christian therapist should handle such individuals in light of the doctrines of man. Adams (1986) is categorical in stating that not all consequences of a person’s life are related to their sins. Sometimes, the sins of others affect their close family, relatives and even friends in such a way that they (the affected) need therapy. One can agree with Adams (1986) argument that due to this complexity, it is not encouraged to treat feelings alone. The scriptures that are selected should also be able to equip the patient with knowledge to sustain his or her faith.
Chapter Ten
Habit is a critical part of human everyday life. This aspect is clearly captured in chapter ten of the publication. The author believes that Christian counselors often ignore the importance of habit when dealing with their patients. One can argue that there are some habits that have to be changed in order to fully live a Christian life. Critically, and as the chapter denotes, some patients might not realize that it is some of their habits that lead to either their sinning or feeling emotionally and mentally unwell. It is, thus, the work of the counselor to help the patient figure out what bad habits they have and how changing them can positively affect their lives.
Chapter Eleven
The author takes time to note some of the ways sin can influence mental health. It can be stated that a true Christian who understands his or her actions will know if they have done something wrong. Indeed, as mentioned before, this might not be the case all the time. However, due to this, there are some mental challenges that might affect the patient based on this. The scholar identifies three elements such as lack of sleep, bodily incapability, and erroneous definition of scripture. It should be noted that the author fails to also highlight an attitude concern that is often common in Christians who are mentally ill due to sin.
Chapter Twelve
The importance of hope in Christian counseling is critical. This is fully highlighted in chapter twelve of the book. In the attainment of redemption, one has to forgive himself or herself of her sinful past. It is important to note that the author does explain the importance of forgiveness of self in the chapter. Additionally, Adams (1986) argues that there has to be a clear differentiation between past, present and future. One can agree that the three elements will ensure a wholesome healing for any patient. The chapter draws inspiration from several Biblical verses, making it highly impactful. It is always important for a theology therapist to draw motivation and even solutions from the scripture.
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter thirteen is a continuation of the previous chapter and looks at forgiveness in a more in-depth approach. The fact that the scholar starts by identifying what he refers to as the language of forgiveness in the Bible is important for both an average reader and a counselor. It is important to note that even though the chapter has focused on how counselors should use the language of forgiveness to help their clients, it is also critical for theology therapists to use the concepts in their own lives. This is due to the fact that there are numerous outcomes that can arise from a session and therapist must use a language of forgiveness for their own pasts in order to help their patients.
Chapter Fourteen
This chapter is significantly crucial for any Christian counselor. It provides a summary of some of things that are expected to change after a successful therapy. One advantage of the chapter is that the author considers the “dehabilitation” process. This is critical due to the fact that for scripture to help a patient, the affected has to first acknowledge the error in his or her ways. The writer gives the reader some space to also identify some things that can be classified under “dehabilitation” and those that can be classified under “rehabilitation”. The practical session breaks the monotony of reading and makes the chapter interesting to read. It is also important to note that the “dehabilitation” and “rehabilitation” aspects are tied to habits, which had been covered in the previous chapters,
Chapter Fifteen
Considering the doctrine of sanctification, this chapter provides the reader with in-depth analysis of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Critically, many counselors might not use the fruits of the Holy Spirit in their sessions. However, the author creatively and strategically proves that any type of session can be centered on the stated fruits. This is important as it offers a different perspective and strategy that Christian counselors can use to help their patients. Additionally, the fact that this is ingrained in scripture makes it easier for patients to relate. Further, patients are able to uniquely use the same fruits of the Holy Spirit to live positively and in the light of the Lord.
Chapter Sixteen
The author argues that sanctification is often viewed as a way of getting rid of the old and adopting the new when in fact it is much more than that. This chapter is derived from the Biblical premise that if one hand causes you to sin, then cut it off. The issue of radical amputation is carefully considered in the chapter and encourages further distancing from things that will not only encourage one to sin but also to have mental challenges such as stress and confusion.
Chapter Seventeen
This chapter looks at the role of perseverance in counseling. Indeed, Christian scripture encourages mankind to persevere in the Lord and they will overcome anything. It can be agreed that an attitude of perseverance is critical in allowing patients to recover. The theology therapist and the patient each have to persevere in their own way in order to harness the desired results. It is important to note that the author fails to fully capture the essence of perseverance. It can be argued that one should tolerate and persevere not simply due to the reward at the end of the session but also to learn about one self and they endearment.
Chapter Eighteen
The concept of religion, counseling and suffering is often misrepresented. Indeed, there are numerous people who believe that believers have to suffer in order to be truly Christian. This chapter looks into how such notions can be dangerous and even cause more harm than good. The author explains that whereas such notions are wrong, there is a Biblical essence to pain. This is also supported by scripture. The author is categorical in noting that in the suffering one might go through, one still has to remember the presence of God. This is used both in therapy and can be further implemented in everyday life.
Chapter Nineteen
This chapter is dedicated to the process of counseling in the church. It is important to note that spiritual leaders have also been counselors since time immemorial. Counseling can be found within the leadership of the church and even within the congregation itself. The author gives importance to the role of using sermons to counsel congregations. Therefore, this is a more mass counseling type of approach. Thereby, sermons should not condemn behavior but rather guide on the right way of life in order to change behavior. Additionally, the author analyzes the role of the church in counseling sessions outside the church. Patients often find solace and relief if a Christian counselor is in synch with their pastors and priests.
Chapter Twenty
The author brings relevance to counseling new converts in chapter twenty. Adams (1986) argues that there is critical need for leaders of congregations to have therapy sessions with their new converts. Whereas one can argue that there are converts who would benefit from counseling, it is also important to sensitize the readers on the importance of consent. The new converts should be given the chance to attend therapy, but this should not be forcefully done. A critical part of healing is choosing to go to therapy. The cautious choice has to be arise from the person seeking the counseling services. All the church can do is inform of the services and encourage converts to take advantage of the same.
Chapter Twenty-One
This chapter is a continuation of the previous two chapters that have discussed the doctrine of the church. The chapter is critical as it brings in the influence of other people in relation to counseling a patient. The author argues that scripture states that when one’s brother sins, then they should be informed and corrected in private. However, this is rarely the case and due to this, one can argue that the Christian counseling done in churches is not only not effective, but also Biblically wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Two
In understanding how counseling is related to acts of mercy, one must first understand that there are people who believe they are doing good when in fact they are not. Counsellors should always bear this in mind due to the fact that there are different types of people who will seek their services. The ability to do good to all men at all times should be key in any Christian therapy sessions. This chapter emphasizes the need for this and how it also interlinks with trust that patients have towards their counselors. It is also important to note that at times, the primary counselor does not have the knowledge, tools or even capability to help the patient in one way or the other. In such cases, as an act of mercy, the counselor should incorporate other people in the patient’s team to aid with progress.
Chapter Twenty-Three
There is death with every living thing. There are numerous types of counseling that are needed when a person is close to dying. For instance, the affected person might need counseling to come to terms with his or her end of life. Further, the family of the affected might need therapy to understand the purpose of death in life. This chapter is critical as it analyzes these aspects and provides various strategies that can be used to successfully overcome the stresses and worries of death.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It is human to judge although scripture encourages mankind to avoid the same. There are numerous times even counselors find themselves judging others and this chapter analyzes this flaw in Christian therapy. It is prudent to note that Christian counselors are strongly discouraged from judging their patients. In fact, they are not supposed to guide the patient/congregant and not offer direct solutions. This is an intrinsic part of both traditional and Christian therapies.
Chapter Twenty-Five
This is the last chapter of the publication and offers a summary of the other chapters discussed.
Reference
Adams, E. J. (1986). A theology of Christian counseling: More than redemption. Harper Collins.
The work by C. S Lewis ‘Mere Christianity’ is a great manifestation of how the religious aspects in understanding life should be correlated with appropriate situations under various circumstances. In fact, the book is intended to describe the understanding of the author of what is called the universe and place of good evil sides in it. It is vital for everyone to become familiar with the idea of spiritual and moral factors in human beings. One cannot understand such truth without being involved voluntarily in the investigation of those who spent years for this. On the other hand, if people will talk and explain phenomena of the reality in different languages, then there definitely appear conflict situations. In this respect this paper is dedicated to make glimpses on how the author of Mere Christianity proves the idea of “Higher Power” and “Moral Law” in the context of contemporary diversification of views along with the phenomenon of multiculturalism and pluralism of opinions. The peculiarities of tactic use of “voice”, “tone”, or “persona” by Lewis throughout the book are those grounds on which the possibility to tell non-Christian people about Christianity becomes more compatible and effective with positive feedbacks of a supposed audience, as a result.
Discussion
A versatile and plain narration of the author promotes a clear understanding of what the author wants a reader to point out. This flow of thought is illuminated in constant addressing of Lewis toward the simple life episodes. In this case it is seen that the standards of Christianity are considered to be prior in the book. Looking at the difficulties of today’s interpersonal communication skills which are used in masses one may obviously claim that the religious themes are rather omitted in order not to touch upon somebody’s feeling of self-esteem. On the other hand, this theme becomes less popular in the society due to a total decline in moral aspects of life. People seem to lose a proper estimation of what is right or wrong in this world due to fast rhythm of life. Nevertheless, a witty sequence of facts and details composed in the book helps Lewis to make people listen to his evaluation of such right or wrong nature of everything surrounding a man in his environment:
Nowadays, when we talk of the ‘laws of nature’ we usually mean things like gravitation, or heredity, or the laws of chemistry. But when the older thinkers called the Law of Right and Wrong ‘the Law of Nature’ they really meant the law of human nature (Lewis, 2001, p. 4).
The author provides personal outlook on the things concerned with the history, sciences and other approaches which make his narration interesting and without one-sidedness in evaluation of Christian position about the points on morality and spirituality with specific clichés. This is presupposed with a correct key of argumentation in Lewis’s language. His ability not to promote empty words without logical background invokes in a reader a desire to follow the author’s development of thought. Moreover, Lewis in his book is deeply convinced in the prevalence of Christianity over other religions, which testifies his inclination to show a mere extent of radicalism in personal reasoning: “But, of course, being a Christian does mean thinking that where Christianity differs from other religions, Christianity is right and they are wrong” (Lewis, 2001, p. 35). Suchlike statements the authors uses in an ad absurdum key, so that to show the negative and mainly positive results which may be extracted when approaching toward this theme rationally.
The energetic and free voice of the author is felt when the issue of a dichotomy between the religions appears. In this respect the figure of God and his words and Commandments are perfectly transformed by the author into the notions of “Moral Law” and “Higher Power”. This idea presupposes the direct relation between such categories pointing out that “Higher Power” created “Moral Law” (Wielenberg, 2008).
Demonstrating the significance of the religion as it is Lewis pretends to admit that there should be no simple interpretation of the religion and views that it is something with which one can play. This idea supports the capacity of the author to use adequate tone and grammatical means, such as active voice, first person singular and plural to depict a respectful attitude toward readers, mentioning personal concernment in everything Lewis discusses in the book. Thus, the author proves the idea of complicated nature of Christianity according to its ideological and historical background: “It is no good asking for a simple religion. After all real things are not simple” (Lewis, 2001, p.40).
Conclusion
To sum up, the work by C. S. Lewis Mere Christianity provides a rationally developed and concerned structure of language taking into account the graphical along with the expressive means for denouncing the idea of the universal significance of Christianity as one of the major religions. In this respect one should realize the fact that the language of the author is rich in different intentions of his incorporated in kind or strict evaluation of aspects and factors closely related to the Christian teaching and its use for the contemporary society.
Reference
Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere Christianity (3rd ed.). New York: Harperone.
Wielenberg, E. J. (2008). God and the reach of reason: C.S. Lewis, David Hume, and Bertrand Russell. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
It is will not be an easy task presenting Christianity to the Jews. This is because Christianity is founded on Judaism. In fact the founder of Christianity – Jesus Christ of Nazareth – was a Jew. Based on Jesus’ teachings and the eyewitness accounts of words and deeds, Jesus was a devout Jew who perfectly understood the requirements of Judaism and most importantly he faithfully observed the tenets of this religion.
The second reason why it would be difficult to present Christianity to the Jews is based on the fact that they have a narrow-minded understanding of the historical Jesus. Thus, there can be two ways that the gospel can be presented to them. Firstly, they must come to understand that Jesus was not an ordinary man and secondly they must realize the futility of rituals, religious practices, and righteous works when it comes to the attainment of salvation.
Overview
Judaism is a religion that was founded by Moses. Even at the very beginning the difficulty of association between Jews and Christians is very much evident simply because Moses is also a major part of Christianity. Moses is the prelude to Jesus. Yet starting from this point forward the discussion will focus on the Jewish worldview as if Christianity is non-existent. So going back to Moses it must be added that he came from a line of three important patriarchs in the history of Judaism and they are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Aside from the fact that Jacob fathered twelve sons and that these children went on to establish a nation called Israel, the importance of the patriarchs, from father Abraham to his grandson Jacob is the fact that they had a radical belief and this is the belief that there is only one true God. Monotheism is not a popular idea in ancient times but these men held on to this belief when the rest of the world considered it prudent to worship multiple deities (Forta, 18). The children of Jacob who went out of bondage from Egypt – where they were treated like slaves – became a mighty nation under the leadership of Moses. There in the wilderness, between their former life and their future goal Canaan, Moses gave them the law which in its entirety is the Old Testament part of the Christian Bible.
It must be pointed out that before Moses came into the picture and even before Abraham came into the picture there was one important person who is a major forerunner to Judaism. He is none other than Noah. According to Jewish traditions Noah was not just the builder of the ark that ensured the survival of mankind, he also received the basic universal laws that must be obeyed by all peoples (Forta, 20). According to Judaism the basis of this belief can be found in Genesis 9 of the Christian Bible. These laws are called Noachide laws and these forbid the first six while upholding the seventh law as seen in the following:
Idolatry;
Blasphemy;
Murder;
Theft;
Sexual malpractice – adultery, incest, homosexuality, and sexual relations with animals;
Cruelty to animals; and
Promoting Justice.
The importance of the Noachide laws to Christians is that this set of rules is oftentimes used to convert non-Jews into Judaism. Thus, having in mind the goal of presenting the gospel to the Jews, a Christian must be reminded that they too are thinking of the same thing although it is not common to find Jews actively proselytizing non-Jews (Schoon, 112). In some quarters adherence to these basic beliefs is the path towards God or salvation. But salvation for the Jews is a different matter because they do not believe that there is an everlasting torment for those who disobey God (Forta, 24). For Jews hell is temporary and it serves to cleanse the soul from the impurities of sin. Therefore, being a Jew is the assurance that one has everlasting covenant and connection to the one true God.
Challenges Faced by Christians
Even the most basic description of Jewish beliefs, practices, and history revealed many challenges for the Christian who will attempt to make the presentation of the gospel. The most difficult thing to deal with is the idea that the Jews are highly esteemed by God and that they are the chosen people. As mentioned earlier the Jews had a concept similar to the idea that “once saved always saved” meaning that being Jewish is the ironclad assurance that a man or woman will forever be in the presence of God. This is in direct conflict with the Christian view that every human being has fallen short of God’s glory and that everyone is destined to everlasting torment in hell.
Christians believe that without the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ every righteous act or every good deed will come to nothing during the Day of Judgment. This is because through Adam the whole world sinned and since the wages of sin is death there is no escaping that awful certainty only the cleansing power of Jesus death and resurrection can give man everlasting life. For the Jews this is a non-issue because they truly believe that they need no help from a human being who offered himself as a sacrifice for many. As long as they obey the Noachide laws and the Torah they are safe from the wrath of God (Forta, 114).
Aside from the assurance of everlasting connection with God the other major challenge when it comes to convincing the Jews that they needed a savior is the fact that their concept of a messiah is a human being who will come to rebuild the Temple. This messiah is the descendant of King David and he will be a man of “…exceptional piety, learning and leadership qualities” but he is not a divine being (Forta, 24). Even if Jesus is the Messiah – which they seriously doubted – he would be regarded as an ordinary man and not God incarnate.
The second related challenge is the fact that in order for Jews to be saved they must accept that Jesus is the Word who became flesh and by so doing God came to the earth in the form of man. For Jews monotheism is a very strict code and they will not break it by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. For a Christian who will attempt to make a presentation of the gospel to the Jews all these things must be considered. The best way to start is to look for similarities in the Jewish Bible and the Christian’s New Testament. Then using the words of the prophets, the apostles and the Jesus himself the Christian must point out to the Jews that their Bible, the Tenakh (Old Testament) is merely a foreshadowing of things to come.
The Presentation of the Gospel
The Apostle Paul was able to rightly divide the word of truth in order to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus was not only the Messiah but he is also the one who will save them from the everlasting torment of hell (Cohn-Sherbok, 107). Using the Jewish Bible (Old Testament), it can be argued that one of the best opening lines would be to ask the Jews why they are no longer doing what Moses has commanded. This will make their minds and hearts attentive to the discussion because as many have known they really want to follow the letter of the law.
Then the Christian will proceed by saying that Moses commanded them to sacrifice animals as a substitute for their sins. The knowledgeable Jew will reply that they are not doing this specific practice anymore because they do not have the Temple. Therefore they do not have the facility to perform these deeds. In this regard the Christian can interject that he believes in the importance of animal sacrifice but he is not doing it simply because it was a foreshadowing of things to come.
There is no other explanation for the elaborate rituals found in the Mosaic Law other than the fact that it is a prelude for better things to come. This can be ascertained by knowing the purpose of the animal sacrifice. A basic study of the Tenakh will reveal that the wrath of God was appeased by animal sacrifices. If this was used to appease God then it means that animal sacrifice was used to pay for the sins of God’s children. Now, in the same vein one can argue as to why the life of another being must be used to pay for the debts of another? The animals did not sin but why is it that they must suffer for the sin of another?
At this point the Christian must go back to Genesis, where it all started, and point to the Jews that when Adam disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit, God said that he will die. In the same chapter God made coverings for Adam and Eve because leaves of fig trees were not enough to cover their nakedness. It is very clear that even at the very beginning the death of the animal was used to sustain the life of man. But it is also very clear that the end goal of God was not merely to cover them with dead animal skins but to restore them to their former glory. The original design of God was for man and woman to walk blameless and they are pure enough not to mind walking naked in the Garden of Eden.
It is therefore impossible to believe that God is contented to let his most beloved creation to continually live on earth as imperfect beings and sustained only by a frail covering and saved only by the sacrifices of animals. Lambs, goats, cows, and pigeons are not in the same league as man then how can these little creatures be used as payment for man’s sins? There is only one explanation these are merely a foreshadowing of things to come.
The second clue that all of these things are temporary can be understood when one will take a closer look at the promise of a Messiah. For the Jews the Messiah is merely a human being but this is because they were unable to understand the basic premise that every ritual and religious practice was a mere shadow of the perfect means for saving the whole world. The Messiah could never be human because every human being is flawed from birth. This is the reason why up until today Jews are still waiting for that might descendant of David to rescue them and turn this world around.
The Messiah must be a divine being in order for him to fulfill his mission. On the other hand the Messiah must also come as a human being because this is the only way that he can rule the earth, if he is spirit no one can see him, much less do the work that he must fulfill on this planet. In all of human history there is only one person who fits this description and he is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He was born of the virgin and this is made possible by the Holy Spirit. His divinity was further attested by his miracles and finally by his death and resurrection.
Turning to the Jew the Christian presenting the gospel will say that he is the reason why there is no more need for animal sacrifices. Jesus is the reason why there can be full forgiveness from God. The Christian will proceed by saying that there is a reason why Jesus must suffer terribly and die hanging on the cross. This is because there is a terrible judgment coming and that when man is judged he will not experience temporary pain through the cleansing of his soul.
The accursed person will suffer for all of eternity. This is the reason why Jesus came and ended the practice of animal sacrifice. The blood of cows and sheep could not be enough to pay for the sins of man. It is only when God became flesh that he was able to become the perfect substitute for every human being in history. When God became man and died on the cross he was able to satisfy the full requirements of the law. But he also said that by believing in his Son, the one that he sent from heaven, people can be saved.
Works Cited
Cohn-Sherbok, Dan. Judaism: History, Belief, and Practice. New York: Routledge, 2003.