In the long and proud history of the humankind, there has hardly been anything that could be appreciated more than information. The precious bits of data are sometimes worth their weight in gold, and even put one’s life at a stake.
However, in the present-day world, when information is transported to ant corner of the world within a blink of an eye, it seems to have cheapened considerably. In addition, with online media, the redundancy of information seems to have become an issue for a lot of people who do not know how to handle with the information torrent.
Analyzing the problem of information redundancy from a theological standpoint can not only help figure out whether the abundance of information can be considered a positive phenomenon, but also offer a solution on how to handle the information torrent which every single person in the modern world faces each day.
First of all, the negative aspects of the information torrent as the theology sees it must be taken into account. Unlike one might expect, there are quite a few downsides concerning the abundance and the availability of all sorts of information in the modern and traditional media. One of the first issues which can be found in the information torrent is the timeliness of learning certain data.
To be more exact, there are some kinds of information which might be not quite appropriate for people of certain age group to find out; e.g., the notorious concept of the birds and the bees should not be offered to children of a certain age group in such graphic and uncompromising way as some of the inappropriate images online do.
On the one hand, the given issue has little to do with the Holy Script; on the other, however, the problem of cognition sends the audience to the tale of Adam, Eve and the fruit of the tree of knowledge.
Reading between the lines of the Biblical legend, one can come to the conclusion that certain pieces information cannot be accepted by the people of all ages and all kinds of experience behind their backs. Hence, the unceasing torrent of information from a theological standpoint can be considered dangerous when not being regulated somehow.
Another concern which can be raised about the XXI-century information torrent is that the latter can possibly push people into certain extremes, finally leading them to some of the deadly sins.
For instance, one of the possible traps which one can stumble upon while being in the torrent of information is colliding with the people who have completely different and even opposite ideas on a certain issue and, therefore, taste overwhelming anger. Another demon that can take over the soul of the one who is currently in the torrent of information is the demon of acedia.
Since with the help of Internet it takes little to nothing to learn about a certain issue, the delight of fighting the obstacles for learning something can be reduced to zero, which, in its turn, will drive to the unwillingness to make any conscious effort to learn anything new.
As it has been mentioned above, one of the key problems with the information torrent of the modern world is a complete absence of any filters which can prevent one from seeing something that contradicts one’s beliefs and moral viewpoint. In addition to the fact that the unfiltered information can shake one’s morality, corrupting one completely, it can also sin the audience into the depth of avarice, with the today emphasis on such negative phenomena as crises, catastrophes, etc.
However, in a slight departure from revealing the dreadful effects of an information torrent which the entire world has been caught since the recent media development, it is necessary to admit that the latter does have its doubtless advantages from the theological point of view. One of the obvious advantages of the information torrent is that it can be used as a powerful means to help spread the Word of God and His commandments to begin with.
Indeed, it is crucial that the present-day media does not require covering long distances to reach other people and attempt at converting them into Christianity or involving them into a conversation on a religion-related topic hence, it must be admitted that the information torrent can be headed towards making people aware of the Holy Script and its postulates.
In addition, modern theology can address the information torrent as a means to bring the believers all over the world closer. Hence, the informational phenomenon which can be observed in the present-day media can also be treated as a positive one from the point of theology.
Once various issues concerning the Christian belief, such as the discussions of the topical issues, polemics among several opponents, and other related issues become available for all those who are interested in the issues of faith and Christian belief, it will be possible to bring the believers closer.
Finally, such an important aspect of an information torrent as the availability of the Bible itself, i.e., the New and the Old Testaments, the Gospels, and other readings of the kind, must be mentioned. While in the previous centuries, the word of God was spread only by missionaries, in the modern world, the Internet and other mass media can become missionaries and provide the necessary information for people to learn about the Christian religion.
Hence, theology interacts with the issue of information in a very active manner when it comes to spreading awareness of the religious issues, as well as certain common misconceptions about the Christian belief.
At the end of the day, whether obtained information is going to be used for a good or a bad cause depends on the person for whom the given information is intended.
Though it cannot be argued that the amounts of useless and even harmful information which can be found online are increasingly huge, it is still worth admitting that a reasonable person is able to filter the incoming data according to their relevance and pick only the issues which are considered safe and useful.
Hence, the problem of excessive information in the online world exists rather in people’s heads than in reality. While the existing theological postulates do not make one against surfing in the torrent of information, they offer the way to look at this torrent and to pick only the decent ideas and the information which will spur the further spiritual, intellectual and personal growth.
This is a paper about Christian experience whereby students are required to follow the practices of a Christian congregation different from their own and give an account of characteristic theology and practice of the religion, the traditions it follows, as well as a concise description of the worship service as it unfolds in the chosen religion. There are various religious groups in the world such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and Hinduism, among others. Even though some of these groups share a lot in common, they would tend to vary greatly in terms of their traditions and practices, among other common aspects (Placher 66). For this subject matter, I have chosen to explore the Orthodox Church whereby my experiences are based on the aforementioned requirements.
Identification of the chosen Christian congregation
This is an account of my day-long experience in an Orthodox Church known as the Holy Trinity Cathedral. We went there at dawn to join Vespers, and what I saw in the church was new to me, since I am raised with a little bit of Buddhism and am not used to rituals of any other religion. This was my first time being in an Orthodox Church, and I was confused about everything that happened inside the Cathedral, which seemed to be in contrast to the traditions and practices of my religion. This would range from how the followers conducted themselves inside the church, to the vast rituals or practices that took place throughout the worship period.
Brief historical sketch of the tradition
Before I get into the deep observation of my personal experiences in the church, I will first of all start by giving a brief historical sketch of this particular religion. The Orthodox Church traces its roots back to the time of Jesus Christ and his disciples. However, the church together with its unique traditions and practices would come to reach its golden age in the course of the Byzantine Empire, which was taken over by the Serbian and the Bulgarian Orthodox churches before it continued to do well in Russia, following the instant fall of Constantinople.
The history of the Orthodox Church revolves around four main stages of development which include early Christianity, the Byzantine period, the Ottoman period, and the modern period (Hussey 89). Early Christianity would simply refer to the initial three hundred years through the early era of Constantine the Great. Also constituted in this age are the Apostolic and ancient periods. The Byzantine period, which began with the first Ecumenical Councils that amounted to seven, comprised of more than eleven centuries starting with the initial Council of Nicaea at around 325 to the Collapse of Constantinople in 1453.
The Ottoman period would kick off in the fifteenth century shortly after the Fall of Constantinople and would come to end at around 1830, marking the independence of Serbian and Greek from the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Finally, there is the modern stage, which as the name suggests, reflects the nature of the Orthodox Church in modern times. Currently, Orthodox-affiliated churches with the largest number of supporters are Romanian and the Russian Orthodox churches. However, the oldest of the Orthodox churches existing today would include the churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Georgia, Armenia, and Jerusalem. The highest concentration of the church followers is in Russia and in the former Byzantine Empire which constitutes Turkey, Greece, and other nearby countries. However, Orthodoxy has rapidly spread all over the world, whereby over 225 million people are said to have converted to the faith.
Characteristic theology and practice
As I would come to realize from my first experience in the cathedral, Orthodox follows a unique characteristic theology and practice. For instance, the followers would simply prefer to call themselves Orthodox. This description, however, originates from the fifth century, and it possesses two meanings that are closely related. The first meaning is on true teachings, whereby the church followers believe that they have retained and transferred the Christian faith from one generation to another, right from the era of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. The other meaning is the more preferred of the two and is about true praise. Through the latter, the Orthodox believes that the fundamental purpose of the church is to glorify, bless, and praise the Holy trinity constituting the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Apart from the Bible, upon which Orthodox Christians attach great importance, the church also relies on the writings and theories of Ancient Greek fathers such as John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Basil the Great, among others. Other key areas upon which the church followers attach great importance would be in the right belief of the church and the conclusions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The Orthodox also observes that crucial religious aspects such as the truth should be experienced personally by everyone. However, there is minimal focus on the perfect meaning of truth in a religious context and more importantly on the personal and practical experience of the virtue in a person’s life and the church.
Description of the worship service
The Orthodox also follows the trinity, in which they tend to emphasize the divine, everlasting nature of Christ in their Christology (Benz 56). More importantly, the followers also affirm the full humanity of Christ as it is defined by the ecumenical councils of the church. It is also central to the religion’s faith that the divine one had become human so that human beings may have full access to the divine life, through which they would be reunited with their creator. This process, however, is necessitated by Christ, and completed by the Holy Spirit, who is believed to play a crucial role in the worship practices of the Orthodox.
From what I observed that day, Orthodox worship service is more liturgical and would be central to the church’s history. The liturgy usually starts with prayers, after which invocations are conducted before sacraments that are meant to describe the true meaning of liturgical life is addressed to the spirit. Through the liturgy, the celebration of the Eucharist gets underway. Here, the Christians receive the sacraments, through which they get to feel God’s presence and actions in their lives. It is also believed that the Holy Spirit operates through the sacraments, where the Christians tend to feel much closer to God and can receive the power of the Holy Spirit, which enables them to practice a holy life.
There was also time for special services and blessings, and this would be followed closely by the day’s teachings. The final part of the worship would be ‘the church’, which described the procedure of becoming a follower of the Orthodox. This last part was addressed to strangers like me who were present in the church, but who have not yet become members of the Orthodox congregation. From what I saw, the worship practices of this particular church represented a significant factor in their religious identity and continuity. This was observable through the variety, theological richness, and spiritual significance portrayed during the worship.
Works Cited
Benz, Ernst. The Eastern Orthodox Church: Its Thought and Life, New Jersey, Transaction Books, 2008.
Hussey, Joan. The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire, United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Placher, William. A History of Christian Theology: An Introduction, Philadelphia, The Westminster John Knox Press, 1983.
In the structured essay below, you will be asked to compare and contrast reform in the Catholic church prior to the Reformation (include Contarini in this category) with that of Luther and Zwingli. Answer concisely, but be sure to use concrete examples to make your points.
Under “Bases” briefly identify the similarity (e.g., “view of animal souls”), and then in the box under each provide examples that illustrate these for each. Please provide two sets of similarities of their reforms.
Bases
Pre-Reformation Catholic Reform
Luther and Zwingli
1st Similarity: Believe in one God.
In their reforms they did not change the supreme that they worshipped; they continued believing in God.
They believed in God as the supreme being.
2nd Similarity Accept common scriptures that are holy.
The Holy Scriptures were the basis of their faith, and they continued using them for guidance and also to strengthen their faith.
They also believed in the holy scriptures and even their reforms were supported by the scriptures.
Choosing one of the above, give a substantive reason explaining whythey share this similar aspect of reform: they believe in one God because despite the fact they have differences in some of the doctrines concerning faith, what unites them is stronger than what divides them. They cannot dispute what has been there during the time of biblical apostles, for example, Paul.
They have not known of any other God apart from the one the early Christians believed in. Luther and Zwingli wanted to change some of the things that they felt were not right in the church, and introduce a proper way of doing things in the church. So that the people do not continue doing things that do not Godly believe that they are serving God. This reason is significant (not essential) for understanding medieval and Reformation reform because: if they changed the supreme being to be worshipped, they could have changed everything that people believed in and this could totally change the gospel and confuse the people the more. The reforms that were made were not much, and they could be easily understood as they made many people see the light in following some of the practices which have religious. And they both greatly condemned idolatry. And the primitive apostolic faith that the people held on to.
Identify now, two substantive differences that divided them on the nature of reform. Again, answer concisely but be sure to use concrete examples to make your points.
Under “Bases” briefly identify each of the dissimilarities (e.g. mediating role of Balaam’s ass), and then in the box under each provides concise examples that illustrate the difference. Be sure to provide two sets that illustrate these differences.
Bases
Pre-Reformation Catholic Reform
Luther and Zwingli
1st Difference:
Differed on the sale of indulgences
The reform was for praying the dead in purgatory
The reform was against praying for the dead in purgatory.
2nd Difference: Non functionality of the saint merit in the gospel
They believed that every believer who died become a saint.
The opinion of them was different they did not believe in sainthood.
Choosing one of the above, give a substantive reason explaining whythey differed aspect of reform: the Catholics firmly believed that the Christians who died became saints and that they were holy. But Luther and Zwingli significantly opposed these as they believed that the Christians would not define who was a saint or not, and they did not believe in the intercessory prayers that the Catholics believed that the saints could intercede on behalf of them. They saw that the people were in some way worshipping they believed were saints. They believed each and every individual would communicate directly with God as the time when people would be interceded for was already gone. This difference is significant (not significant) for understanding medieval and Reformation reform because: the Romanians believed it was the only way they would remember all the faithful Christians who had passed on, by honoring them as saints and made their memories alive for the future generations, of the Roman Catholics so that they could follow their practices and live their lives just as they did in order to live holy lives.
Finally, address an issue of significance that divided Luther and Zwingli that is reflective of their different concepts of reform. Be sure you explain how it relates to change and not merely a theological difference!
Identify a substantive issue that divided Luther and Zwingli and is reflective of their different views of reform and provide an example that illustrates that: the matter of substance that divided them was that of the Eucharist the two had differing opinions, Luther believed that when Jesus said this is my body” meant his real presence in the last supper, while Zwingli believed the words signified hi body. This could be a significant challenge to the goal of reform could not be met quickly due to the differing views that these people had. They had first to agree on one thing so that they could be successful on their reformation process. This issue is reflective of differing views of reform because: both of them had a different understanding of a similar matter, and each one of them stuck to their idea of what they believed was right. It confused the people as they did not know who was right among them. Also, this brought divisions and misunderstanding among them and these led to political setbacks and the emperor took advantage of the situation to exploit differences that the reformers had. It showed how these two people did not a good and shared understanding of the course that they were advocating as reformists.
Christian beliefs hold that everyone born into this world has been sinful since infancy. As a result, only in the context of God’s grace can Christian salvation be understood as a path to be saved from the sinful nature of humans. The Bible’s revelation of salvation includes a wide range of components. The Bible presents a variety of representations of salvation that will rescue a person’s soul from the grip of original sin and give him access to the divine realm. Among these concepts, justification requires particular emphasis since it is the tool by which a Christian’s deep devotion will produce the desired outcome.
The definition of the term ‘justified’ in the Bible is to be proclaimed righteous. According to Biblical doctrine, justification is an instantaneous formal act by God in which he declares a person to be just in his eyes, thinking that our sins have been forgiven and that Christ’s righteousness belongs to humanity. Justification is described in legal terminology and frequently related to a tribunal. The righteousness of God was made clear through the Old Testament Law. However, between Protestants and Catholics, there is a significant difference in the doctrine of justification (Simut, 2019). In the sixteenth century, justification by faith alone was a contentious belief during the Protestant Reformation, of which Martin Luther was a key figure (Etzel & Small, 2016). In his research of the New Testament, he came across the doctrine of justification by faith and held that God rewarded a person with Christ’s righteousness (Etzel & Small, 2016). At the same time, according to Catholic doctrine, justification should be viewed as a progressive process. Through the sacraments, Christ’s righteousness is gradually transferred to the Christian. The Bible also reveals the Christian’s ability to gain knowledge about his sins through God. It demonstrates how refusing to acknowledge sin results in purposeful rejections of divine salvation and disgrace to oneself. This doctrine’s historical context reveals that outstanding theologians have attempted to define the boundaries of justification through various approaches.
Consequently, from what has been mentioned, justification is a type of salvation for the human soul facing the Lord. In this regard, it’s crucial to highlight that a person’s justification does not only rid him of the blame for the sin he committed. On the other hand, a person is acknowledged as righteous when judgment purifies the soul. One of the most important verses in the Bible that explains the importance of righteousness is seen in 2 Corinthians 5 (Etzel & Gutierrez, 2015). According to the apostle Paul, the innocent Jesus embraced the sins of humanity so that people, as sinners, could become righteous in Christ (Etzel & Small, 2016). In other words, if a person’s sins done while they were living were not cruel, then their faith and love for God can make reparations for those sins. Therefore, the sins and faults individuals commit after being justified serve as a solemn reminder that one will constantly be tempted to dishonor God. It is present until a person is in heaven with the Lord and free from the very influence of sin.
The assurance that sins committed do not exclude a person from loving acceptance in God’s family is provided by justification. However, to express gratitude to the Lord for rescuing one’s soul, there should never be a day that goes by when a person does not see something in their life that may be changed. The justification theory explains how Jesus’ death gives individuals a proper standing before God (Etzel & Gutierrez, 2015). This is significant for the Christian life since it indicates that God accepts people based on their works, not their personal merits. Given that God’s acceptance of humanity is founded on Jesus’ work, this might offer people the assurance they need to live without the anxiety of failing. The doctrine of faith-based justification alone affects all Christians in practical ways that go beyond philosophical argument and theological discourse (Simut, 2019). If people correctly comprehend this teaching, they will have confidence, protection against the common threat of sin, a heart of modesty, and the ability to live a life of ongoing gratitude. One should never contemplate justification in isolation from the Christian’s bond with Christ. From practical vocation to justification, connection with Christ is essential to the Christians’ entire salvation and cannot be separated from the other essentials. The basis for applying justification is the imputation of Jesus’s righteousness, not unity with Christ.
In conclusion, the Bible places much emphasis on the issue of the salvation of the soul. The concept of salvation explains how to prevent losing their souls in the Final Judgment. The practice of justification, a component of salvation, imparts righteousness to the dead. However, this does not exempt someone from facing judgment. Holy texts reference justification frequently, and Catholic doctrine researchers and theologians have worked hard to interpret the significance of this image. Like Christ, the righteous soul is free from sin and brimming with Christian love and faith. In this condition, one can anticipate entering the heavenly kingdom, regardless of the original sinfulness of human nature.
References
Etzel, G. & Gutierrez, B. (2015). Theology applied. A living faith. WORD search.
Etzel, G. & Small, R. N. (2016). Everyday theology. Exploring the Christian faith. B&H Academic.
Simut, C. C. (2019). Richard Hooker and his early doctrine of justification: A study of his discourse of justification. Routledge.
Perception and understanding of theology are complex due to the variety of paths to its learning. However, throughout this course, the historical point of view on the ideas expanded my knowledge of the church, God’s image, and its presence in people’s lives. According to the definition of Etzel and Small (2016), the study of historical theology focuses on the creation of doctrines over time and God’s acts, as shown in the history of the Christian church.
Discussion
Consequently, such an approach allowed us to examine the development of theological ideas not isolated but as a part of human history. It provided deep insights into the social perception of God and his role in the lives of people throughout various periods. The historical teaching offered a new perspective for me, creating a connection and understanding of the church’s purpose and human society. Similarly, the work of Etzel and Gutierrez (2015) describes the level of faith essential in Christianity and its historical and factual basis. It emphasizes faith through the historical facts that must be accepted. Thus, the course altered my perception of theology, adding more layers to the complex ideas of faith and religious studies.
Moreover, the principles studied during the course opened up new possibilities for applying the gained knowledge in everyday life. Specifically, the course helped me expand my understanding of the Bible to start a more meaningful conversation within my close social circle. The textbook by Etzel and Gutierrez (2015) showed the possibilities of the practical application of the ideas and concepts described in theological theories. The course gave me the necessary tools to engage in spiritual discussion with others to potentially deepen my faith and meditate on God’s Word. If the study of theology is an effort to reach a deeper understanding of God, then the course, at its best, results in more profound devotion. It led to greater personal transformation. As a result, the course theology and its principles are highly applicable even when dealing with difficulties where it is not immediately clear how they relate to everyday problems. It should be clear that by reasoning in favor of a more profound theological interpretation, a person is more closely aligned with the Bible than is generally believed. Thus, the implication of studied principles of faith and theology on a conversational basis can open new possibilities to establish deeper connections with God.
The diversity in the history of the church and its development through various periods presents the opportunity to choose specific teaching methods for students of different religious backgrounds. Mainly, I plan to implement the knowledge gained about the Roman Catholic Church in order to present an appropriate approach to professional practices. Including the correct information on addressing the church organization and model in modern society is essential. Especially since the Roman Catholic Church has the most systematic approach to episcopalian governance, with the supreme bishop having power over numerous other bishops and the entire church (Etzel and Small, 2016). Since the truth that Jesus Christ proclaimed is guarded and spread by the Church and needs to be studied by the populace, it is crucial to think critically about it in terms of education. The Roman Catholic church is one of the oldest, which is harder to comprehend throughout its development process and needs additional attention from historical theology.
Conclusion
Thus, I am confident that the various methods and ideas studied during the course can help me to shape the information that is the most effective for students. Particularly it will be beneficial for those who do not have a deep knowledge of the role of God in their religious convictions and church.
References
Etzel, G. & Gutierrez, B. (2015). Theology applied. A living faith. WORD search.
Etzel, G. & Small, R. N. (2016). Everyday theology. Exploring the Christian faith. B&H Academic.
Religion has crucial importance and strong roots in healthcare. As long as the person and his interests are at the center of treatment, every doctor is essentially a theologian. The methods of medicine are based on theological beliefs such as hospitality, the impossibility of healing the body without the soul, and medicine as a divine gift as life and the human body.
Discussion
The current generally accepted view in medicine is that physicians apply knowledge of religion and spirituality only when working with religious patients. This process is getting more profound as medicine shifts towards an individual-centered approach (Lasair, 2020). However, observations of practical work show that the penetration of religion into medicine is much deeper. Doctors and nurses use religious practices much more often than even they themselves think.
Today, instead of trying to separate spirituality from medicine, it is time to recognize that they are inseparable. Medicine providers should study theology to understand their patients and their profession’s ethical and moral principles. Knowledge of theology can be essential in decision-making, primarily if these decisions are related to new technologies such as transplantation and resuscitation (Eberly & Frush, 2019). The technical excellence of medical approaches poses new ethical and moral challenges to healthcare and society.
Conclusion
Theology has a unique ability to reformulate and critically examine the technological and biomedical understanding of healthcare. The results of such research may lead to new approaches that will enrich and expand medical practice. Ultimately, every patient wants their quality of life not to suffer from their state of health. Thus, the goal of medical providers is much deeper than just saving the body; first, it is about the well-being of patients, about relieving them of suffering.
The process of a person’s spiritual formation consists of several stages that are not always direct. Spiritual theology emphasizes that God created all the people unique, which determines the need for conforming to His image for the sake of others. In today’s world, much preference is given to individual relationships with the Lord, while both Old and New testaments pinpoint the importance of communion in the course of the Christian journey.
Paradigm of Stages
Even though a person was not born a Christian, there is a way to come to God. When Nicodemus asked Jesus about his good actions and the ability to join him, God’s son answered: “You must be born again” (John 3:7, NIV). The regeneration of faith is proposed in this case to be achieved through birthing the second time. However, not only one’s desire to do it, but also the outside initiation and salvation by God matter (Ephesians 2:1-10, NIV). Once the rebirth occurred, the next stage implies learning and following Him. The increase in knowing God is especially evident in New Testament narratives: “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Philippians 3:8-10, ESV). At this phase of the spiritual formation, God may seem to people as the only meaning of their existence.
The assimilation with God becomes the third stage in one’s journey, during which he or she understands that He gives righteousness and salvation (Corinthians 5:21, NIV). In turn, believers tend to be more like Jesus in their behaviors and words, so that others may see Him through them. The phenomenon of Christian maturity is perfectly represented in the following statement: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30, NIV). Ultimately, the last stage refers to witnessing for the Savior and sharing His teaching by serving others as an example (Mulholland & Barton, 2016). Likewise parents who teach and guide their children every day, mature Christians can translate their reasonable and humble message to families and communities.
Conclusion
To conclude, the Biblical foundations evidently show that a person’s spiritual journey has several stages, each of which is essential. The narrative examples of Apostles and other characters noted in Old and New Testaments allow observing these stages and understanding them in detail. Although a person may be born sinful, there is always a way to reborn and assimilate with Jesus Christ based on His salvation as well as personal intentions to revive faith.
Developing the Interview
While a ministry has several aspects, it seems that the one associated with participation is one of the most critical issues. One may argue that the church should be viewed by a minister as the body that can help believers with their needs in various fields, including social, political, and economical (Nouwen, 1992). This is consistent with the statement discussed by John (3:16, NIV). Through providing the opportunity to have a close dialogue with God, the ministry demonstrates its relevance to the modern world, which attracts people. In addition, such a participative aspect goes in line with the fundamental principles of giving and ministration.
Sanctification refers to the notion of holiness and making a person free of sins. On the one hand, only God can be called saint as He is different from other people. On the other hand, the Bible states that He created all people sinless because any child is perfect in terms of his or her actions. Nevertheless, one of the ways God sanctifies believers is through their stewardship and the subsequent salvation from the eternal hell (Nouwen, 1981). The redemptive purpose of God’s presence may also be expressed in calling specific persons such as Apostles to disseminate His message. Justification is one more way to sanctify a person by removing his sins due to his sincere repentance.
Personal evangelistic interest can be characterized by open-air preaching, creative evangelism, and a lifestyle approach. Jesus Christ and the majority of prophets appealed to people in public places and the open spaces. In this connection, the combination of open air and preaching seems to be beneficial to deliver necessary messages. As for creative evangelism that may involve spiritual holidays, concerts, games, and et cetera, it is a useful method to attract more believers. The lifestyle approach to evangelic practices is especially significant for ministers who should act as role models, showing kindness, acceptance, and righteousness.
The customary practices include prayer, the Bible study, and stewardship, which compose the key activities. All of these practices are devoted to fulfilling God’s command for ministers to make and grow more disciples. The mentioned practices help in conforming to His image and ensuring that the congregation also follows this journey. Fasting and meditation are two more specific practices that can be used for an in-depth understanding of Christianity with its history, current tendencies, problems, and self-perception in its context.
A successful pastor is an integral part of an effective church, which are closely intertwined. The pastoral ministry may encounter such challenges as consumerism, mistrust, and competition, and a good pastor should combat them by applying the roles of a shepherd and teacher. He or she should give inspiration to colleagues and the congregation to evoke trust of believers and win their loyalty. In addition, all the testaments should be accomplished periodically, such as caring for those in need, reaching the lost, and preaching sound doctrine (James 1:27; Timothy 4:6; NIV). The constant aspiration of a pastor to knowledge and practice make his or her church successful.
Via Salutis Chart
Diagram 1. Personal Via Salutis Chart.
The Way of Salvation is a complex concept that can vary depending on one’s experience and faith traditions. In a Pentecostal Ministry, the recognition of the exclusive authority of the Holy Scriptures and God are prioritized. According to Pentecost conviction, the Lord does not need any material, visible forms of transmission of His grace, but, at the same time, they the ceremonial actions corresponding to the events described in the New Testament are preserved. It seems appropriate to focus on Wesley’s Developmental Model of Salvation as the foundation for developing an individual Via Salutis.
The first stage that is often faced by those who not yet believe is spiritual death. In the modern context, people tend to be overwhelmed by their jobs, families, and other tasks, having no time to consider the role of religion in their life (Nouwen, 1981). They may identify themselves as atheists or Christians, but they are full of temptation, desperation, and other feelings that prevent them from joining the church. At this stage, individuals have no responsibility, and God cannot give them His grace. When the lives of these people become too complicated, or a triggering event happens, they are likely to move to the next stage.
Sin awareness is the second stage on the way to salvation, which is marked by one’s comprehension of his or her bad deeds. A person starts to consider the link with God, but he or she is not sure that He will help them and whether they deserve it or not. Accordingly, they do not feel love or trust to the Lord, the ministry, and related issues. It is the responsibility of a potential believer to convince herself or himself in the righteousness of a spiritual life. It goes without saying that this is an extremely difficult task, but such small steps as the decision to visit the local church and have a face-to-face conversation with a priest can be helpful to begin a new stage. In turn, God’s calling becomes more apparent, which also contributes to one’s proceeding with personal fears and doubts.
The stage of conversion refers to both who passed the previous stages and those were born Christians. Jesus’ appearances to His disciples prove that everyone has the opportunity to come to God: “Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31, NIV). People who addressed doubts tend to formulate their questions to priests and develop childlike trust to teachings provided by the ministry. Their negative emotions – jealousy, anger, impatience, aggression, and selfishness – are likely to reduce at this stage. As for those who regarded themselves as Christians since their birth, their lives seem to be inconsistent with their perceived preaching (Nouwen, 1981). For example, they may celebrate Easter and Christmas as religious events, but the rest of their lifestyles do not fit Christian principles. This stage can be the most important milestone in their spiritual formation since their responsibility lies in converting from occasional joy to continuous journey to God.
Once a person turned to a believer and started practicing Christian values and guidelines, one may conclude that he or she entered the stage that is titled as Life. The connection with the sacred becomes so strong that they circumvent temptations and practice going to God for advice (Mulholland & Barton, 2016). Love to the Lord and other people around is a characteristic sign of this stage, which encourages them to strengthen their faith and seek for more understanding from their teachers and other members of the congregation. God accomplishes the task of motivation by helping believers to address occurring difficulties and providing insights into the ways to overcome them. By reading the Holy Scripture and communicating with priests, people seem to become more devoted, sincere, open, and confident in their new lifestyles. Even though some problems and conflicts may appear, they can no longer prevent people from the established connection with Him. When a person masters his spiritual and personality skills, it is stimulated to share with others to step to the next stage.
The stage of Perfecting implies that a believer strives to become better by sharing his or her knowledge and assisting others in achieving the intimacy with God. The Bible states that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17, NIV). The Lord taught His disciples not only by word but also by all means by deeds, which is another essential aspect of the tradition of the Church. The Savior was followed by His disciples, for example, Apostle Paul approves of those who keep the narratives and orders that they move away from those who act without reason, not according to the tradition of the Apostles. Moral and mature Christians are always encouraged to disseminate their faith and contribute to the increase in the number of Pentecostal church followers.
Ultimately, the last stage is related to Heaven as the expression of afterlife. Death is a great mystery, it is the only definite fact of the future, which remains one of the most uncertain phenomena. The church consists of earthly and heavenly inhabitant, where the former carries out its mission under the grace-filled protection of celestials led by Jesus Christ – the true God. In its turn, the earthly Church also provides help and support for the heaven by preparing believers to avoid the eternal and peacefully transfer to the other life. Perhaps, this stage is the most important part of the Christian journey to God and after death experience. The genuine Christian teaching and the feeling of the presence of Christ pinpoint the spiritual maturity of believers. This stage may evoke a feeling close to comfort and appeasement, which is proposed by Pentecostal traditions compared to the fear of God and repentance. Thus, the spiritual journey of a person begins with death and ends with the stage of heaven, when all the worldly affairs tend to fade, and he or she obtains pacification.
References
Mulholland, M. R., & Barton, R. H. (2016). Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap for Spiritual Formation. New York, NY: InterVarsity Press.
Nouwen, H. (1981). The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
Nouwen, H. (1992). In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian leadership. New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing Co.
In the viewpoint of religion and theology, the issue of evil is the trouble of reconciliation the existence of evil or suffering in the world with the existence of a god. The matter is most often argued in the context of the personal God of the Abrahamic religions, but is also relevant to polytheistic traditions involving many gods. A proposed solution to this dilemma is called a theodicy. First, it’s significant to differentiate between two kinds of evil: moral and natural one. Moral evil results from the actions of free creatures. Murder, rape and theft are examples. Natural evil outlines from normal processes such as earthquakes and floods. Of course, from time to time the two are interacted, such as when flooding outlines in loss of human life due to poor arrangement or shoddy construction of houses.
Atheism
For some people the existence of god is un-deniable, but there are people who do not only deny the presence of something holy, but also try to prove, that there is no God at all. First of all atheists underline the fact, that people just need to open their eyes, and stop denying the existing reality. Practical atheism can take different forms:
Nonexistence of religious inspiration — belief in gods does not inspire moral exploit, religious action, or any other outline of act;
Vigorous elimination of the difficulty of gods and religion from intellectual chase and handy action;
Apathy — the absence of any interest in the issues of gods and religion; or
Ignorance — lacking any idea of gods.
Atheism disputes that people can not know God or define the existence of God. The basis of atheism is agnosticism, which is represented in various ranges of forms. In the viewpoint of immanence, theology is indivisible from the world itself, comprising a person’s mind, and each person’s realization is locked in the subject. According to this form of skepticism, this restriction in perspective avoids any objective deduction from belief in a god to declarations of its continuation. The rationalistic agnosticism of Kant and the enlightenment only believes associate assumed with human shrewdness; this form of atheism embraces that gods are not apparent as a matter of attitude, and consequently can not be identified to exist. Skepticism, based on the ideas of Hume, declares that confidence about anything is impossible, so one can never know the being of God. The allotment of incredulity to atheism is argued; it can also be viewed as a free, essential world-view.
Post Modern Ideas of God
Postmodern notion on the issues of the existence of God are mainly represented in the notions of Post Modern Christianity, which is an accepting of Christianity. It is also closely linked with the set of works known as postmodern philosophy. The post modern notion of God is represented in several Christian concepts:
Liberal Christianity — sometimes named liberal theology—has some similarity with certain recent forms of postmodern Christianity, although postmodern consideration was firstly a response against mainstream Protestant liberalism. The word “liberal” in liberal Christianity does not submit to a leftist political schedule but rather to approaches developed during the Enlightenment. Largely, Enlightenment-era liberalism held that human is a political creature and that freedom of thinking and expression should be one’s main worth.
Christian existentialism is a form of liberal Christianity that sketches lengthily from the works of Soren Kierkegaard. He commenced the school of thinking when he responded against Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s asserts of universal knowledge and what he believed to be the empty formalities of the 19th century confession. Christian existentialism puts an importance on the undecidability of trust, individual zeal, and the subjectivity of knowledge.
Process theology (it is also recognized as neoclassical theology) is a school of thought impacted by the metaphysical procedure philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947). Whereas there are procedure theologies that are parallel, but unconnected to the work of Whitehead (such as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin) the term is usually linked to the Whiteheadian school. Process theology is not linked to the Process Church.
The main objectives of process theology are the following:
God is not omnipotent in the sense of being coercive.
Reality is not made up of material substances that endure through time.
The universe is featured by process and change carried out by the agents of free will.
God contains the universe but is not identical with it.
God and evil existence
First of all it is necessary to highlight, that the existence of good and bad is the basis of the life philosophy. As the haiku goes:
Happiness without sorrow Heat without cold Is a one hand clip.
It means that good and evil are inseparable and interdependent. The brightest example of it is that one may cut down all the trees and destroy all the buildings in order to eliminate the shadow and darkness, but the sun would burn away the life on the planet. The struggle for peace is equal to the gluttony for slenderness, and is absurd in its basis. The evil should not be struggled against, but people just need to make the right choice in the life.
Position
As for the position to choose, the most suitable for me is the position of the existence of the God. Partially it has been described above, and it would be necessary to highlight, that the belief itself in no way means the refuse of some part of the previous life. If God lives in the heart, one stops doing something criminal, or something that contradicts the moral, or ethics. One just should open his/ her heart, as kindness usually means the presence of God’s love, and love lives only in the heart.
The Brightest example of proving the existence of God’s love and kindness in the world, is probably the story of a lecturer, and the student. Lecturer cam to the conclusion, that everything evil was created by God, as it said in the Holy Bible, that everything in the world was created by God. Student disagreed with the lecturer, and asked him several questions. The first was “If there is cold in the world”, everybody, including the lecturer was confused, and started grinning. The student explained that physical definition of cold is the absence of warmth. The next question was about the darkness, and student explained, that darkness is just the absence of any light. “So, if there is evil in the world?” asked the student. Lecturer did not find what to reply, and sat down. Evil is not something created. Evil is the absence of God’s love in the heart. It is told in the Holy Bible, that God loves everyone, and his love is eternal, and as I have already mentioned, one just needs to open his/ her heart for that love.
The other three positions are not rejected. Just this one is the most suitable for my worldview. The existence of evil in our world can not be rejected. Some argue that the world itself is rude, and to survive, people need to be rude, cynic and cruel. But those who tried to be kind, now definitely know, that kind people live longer, and their live is brighter and much more interesting.
Speaking on the matters of criticism, it is necessary to add, that everyone has one’s own integral right to have independent opinion. I never respond the critics, as I’m always sure in my rightfulness on this issue. If somebody asks, it is pleasure for me to explain my point of view, and I always respect the opponent’s opinion.
He is a legendary American theologian and fundamentalist leader. During the last days of his life, his health deteriorated and painfully struggled against the health battle. In December 1936, his cohorts warned him against taking a trip to North Dakota because there was frigid temperature.
He was much determined to encourage the faithful members of the movement, which he had founded and was under immense criticisms. He had many sleepless nights worrying about the future of that movement after the defection of a great portion of membership (Stonehouse 75). His desire to stay on course compelled him to take a risk of defying the effects by foul weather to his ill-health.
He ignored every deterrent to his travelling that his cohorts posed yet they were trying to protect him against the worst health conditions. He also demanded that they proceed to Carson and Leith where he intended to meet with the members of his association, but it was noted that his health condition had started to grow worse. Surprisingly, he did not halt the journey complaining of his health rather he kept them awake with humorous stories on their way.
Unfortunately, his cold rapidly became pleurisy, and the team was implored to halt their journey. They turned back seeking for medical help and, despite his illustrious agony, he said that he would not die because of much work that lied ahead of him. His agony increased compelling them to call a doctor, but he still had the strength to maintain a conversational engagement with them (Stonehouse 78). He was diagnosed for pleurisy, but his health condition seemed to grow wearier with time.
They took him for further medical attention in a Roman Catholic hospital where he was admitted. Doctors changed their diagnosis from pleurisy to pneumonia, and despite the struggle he was going through his mind was stuck to his mission. He sent some telegraph messages to members of his association in Philadelphia and energy believed could have saved him if he committed it to the fight against illness.
Early morning on January 1, 1937, he experienced some periods of lucidity and unconsciousness. At a certain interval of consciousness, he wrote a telegram with the help of a colleague that proved to his colleagues to have been his last word to the faithful. The telegram read: “I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ.
No hope without it” (Hart, ‘Doctor Fundamentalis” 64). Immediately after the telegraph was written his body became so weak that it could not withstand the rigors that had been experiencing (Hart, “Doctor Fundamentalis” 65). He remained in that poor condition for the whole day and at around 7:30 p.m. his soul departed for eternal rest.
Early life
John Gresham Machen was born on July 28, 1881 to Arthur Machen and Mary Jones. He was the second born among three sons and his parents were staying in Baltimore, Maryland by the time of his birth. His was then aged forty five and mother was aged thirty four. Stonehouse posits “Arthur was born in Virginia, trained in Harvard as a lawyer and his interests were deeply rooted in classical traditions of ancient south” (134).
He was good in literature and loved reading and learning new skills. For instance, he read works of Thucydides, Caesar, Greek New Testament, French literature, English literature, and Horace. In addition, he had written some detective and short stories some which won prizes and put him through Harvard law school. Astonishingly, he learnt Italian at eighties claiming to do it for the sake of fun.
Gresham’s mother Mary Jones was born in Georgia. She was twenty one years younger than Arthur Machen by the time the two got married. She schooled at Wesleyan College where he gained the experience as an author after issuing The Bible in Browning in 1903.
Moreover, while the husband was an, “Episcopalian, she opted to be a Presbyterian, and she taught her son shorter version and Westminster Catechism at his tender age “ (hart, “Doctor Fundamentalis” 66). Gresham appreciated his close relatives but spent most of his early days with the mother. This explains the source of his passionate religious influence to the extent of forming religious movements (Hart, “Defending the Faith” 67).
The Machen’s kin exhibited a sturdy association with the southern classicism, as well as, Victorianism. His parents were sturdily cultured, affluent and pious Christian faithful. They attended Franklin Street Presbyterian Church in their hometown, Baltimore.
The church formed a part of the congregation of southern Presbyterian Church that was aligned with the Old School Presbyterianism of rather conservatism. His mother played a prominent role in Gresham’s acquaintance of Christian knowledge through religious training at home (Calhoun 87).
Despite him going for catechism classes at Westminster, his mother obliged him to commit to memory all the teachings as well as the Kings of Israel. That formed a strong foundation of his biblical and theological knowledge. At the age of fourteen years, Gresham decided to be a follower of Christ and he started attending for church services in Franklin Street Church. Also, he developed a love for reformed faith across denominations.
Education Life
As a young boy, Gresham was privileged to attend private school. Private schools were assumed to be for the rich although his parents were financially stable. He was a bright student and his good performance in high school level enabled him to secure an opportunity at Johns Hopkins University in 1898. The university was in his neighborhood and was well known for scholarships. He did entrance examination whose results proved him deserving of a scholarship that was awarded to him (Hart, “Defending the Faith” 69).
Basil Gildersleeve who was his professor, a leading scholar in United States and a member of Franklin Street Church, mentored him. He learned Latin, rhetoric and English literature and Greek while in the university. Basil Gildersleeve always emphasized on the need for interpretation and translation of texts to other languages making Gresham’s knowledge of other languages beneficial (Stonehouse 87).
His minister Harris E. Kirk had suggested to him that he joins the ministry because he was a devout Christian, but he refused. His refusal was initially seen to have been because of his excellent graduate studies and desire to pursue further studies. Notwithstanding his negative response, Gresham signed up at the Princeton theological seminary and pursued his studies in an indiscriminate manner.
Gresham did not undertake subjects that focused on homiletics and Old Testament during his first year. He termed the subjects as iniquity invention. He loved dealing with the New Testament and worked closely with B.B. Warfield, who just like him, believed that consistency is the easiest to defend thus becoming a conservative Christian faithful (Hart, “Defending the Faith” 76).
He took courses in Princeton University for master’s degree though he involved himself with social activities of the seminary. He used to dine at Benham Club because people from there knew him for his stunts. His fellow students and social colleagues had known him for liveliness, good humor, and a fanatic of Princeton’s football team thereby attending football games most of which were campus games.
Gresham later went to Marburg to pursue graduate studies after declining an offer to lecture at Princeton Seminary. He studied under Wilhelm Herrmann who bewildered him by his theological liberalism.
He felt much liberalism to Christianity in the mind of his professor, William Herrmann, making him grow defensive against the faith he had been used. This made him appreciate Princeton Seminary and the professors who had taught him. He was offered one year opportunity to offer tutorials at Princeton Seminary and agreed to take it (Calhoun 87).
Life as an Instructor at Princeton
Hart posits, “In 1906, Gresham returned to Alexander Hall and continued to take his meals in Benham Club…students seemed not to like his elective course and complained to his mother over the issue” (Defending the Faith 85). With time, he became the best teacher in faculty, and as a result his dropped his dream to pursue PhD degree in Germany. He was strict in grading and teaching with a goal to help students acquire the right knowledge and skills (Hart, “Defending the Faith” 89).
In 1909, some students submitted their grievances to the board of directors claiming that they needed a modernized curriculum. A strong rebellion attracted the newspaper’s coverage when the administration refused to change the curriculum in favor of the students. Gresham sided with the administration since he believed that conservative Christianity is the best defense against religious rebellion (Calhoun 87).
His support for the administration proved his maturity to the administration since he had recently gone through the same curriculum that students protested against. He later wrote three articles: “The Hymns of the First Chapter of Luke”, “The Origin of First Two Chapters of Luke”, and, “The Virgin Birth in the Second Century”.
They were published in 1912 by the seminary as Princeton Theological Review. Calhoun alleges, “He also helped in developing articles “Jesus and Paul” up to the volume that seminary published in the celebration of its centennial” (75). He later published several articles in most of which he used critical arguments and utilized critical arguments (Calhoun 76).
Life as a Minister and Professor
On November 3, 1913, at age thirty two, Gresham was put under the care of southern Presbyterian in Baltimore and was licensed on April 22, 1914.
He was not comfortable staying under southern presbytery and that rendered him to getting ordained by Northern Presbyterian church on June 23, 1914 in New Brunswick. Faculty of seminary appointed him as an assistant Professor of New Testament, a month prior to his ordination.
Additionally, he went ahead and compiled a book that accounted for the beginning of Apostle Paul’s creed. The book was made public in 1921. In the book, he responded to intellectuals who had held that Apostle Paul altered the teachings of Jesus by alleging that his restoration was the beginning of faith. Hart claims, “The book was received well by conservative Presbyterians and had many reviews in the newspapers and magazines, across the country” (Defending the Faith 76).
Works Cited
Calhoun, David. Princeton Seminary:The Majestic Testimony, 1869-1929. New York: Banner of Truth, 1996. Print.
Hart, Darryl. Doctor Fundamentalis. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University, 1988. Print.
—. Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America. New York: Barker Publishing, 1994. Print.
There is need for religions and spiritualities to intercommunicate, so as to learn, and work with one another. Intercommunication attributes greatly to effective contribution of religious groups in making the world a better place to live in. Inter-religious dialogue has been promoted through provision of forums for exchange among different religious groups.
Swidler defines inter-religious dialogue as something new to many people, as it has only been deeply imagined by Christians only, although other followers from different religious groups have decided to collaborate (Swidler 10). The idea of inter-religious dialogue remains as an illusion to many, as they fail to understand how Christians can portray their faith in a way that other religions like Muslims, Hindus and Jews can also understand. Most of people consider this as a way of loosing Christian faith.
However, inter religious dialogue has been considered as the most important matrix to reflect the real meaning of life according to the theology by Christians. The possibility and the need for dialogue has been brought by keen understanding of truth and applying it to theology and other methodical reflections (Porpora, Collier, and Archer 32).
The idea behind the success of inter religious dialogue is different religious groups listening to one another openly with an aim of learning from each other, but not forcing change to one another. The other idea that has made it possible is the recent urge of different religious traditions to seek religious wisdom, truth, and ideas through dialogues. In the past, a dialogue between different religious groups was unheard of, until a century ago when this became as an open discussion.
Inter-religious dialogue should be conducted with courage and sincerity. The parties involved should have freedom and reverence. Due to the fact that the parties in dialogue have different opinions, they should put extra effort to create mutual understanding between them, by tabling all the matters in question, find solution, and thus enrich one another.
There are reasons behind seeking the truth in religion field through dialogue such as, the historicization of truth (Imperato 102). This implies to remove the ideas of truth that existed before the nineteenth century. Any correct statement was believed to be static, and if anything was thought to be true it was believed to be true always. Any fact was also related to anything originating from it.
In nineteenth century, several scholars came to relate the truth with the historical circumstances. The historicizing of the truth advanced with time, and started getting concerned with the future but not the past. The second reason is the sociology of knowledge, whereby all the truth was believed to be on the basis of the culture, social class, or on gender of the perceiver (Swidler 18).
The third reason is the limitations of language, whereby all the truthful statements are believed to be part of descriptions of the real thing(s) being described. Its said that although the truth can be seen from all perspectives, human beings can only express issues from only one perspective through the use of language. The fourth reason is hermeneutics, which describes that the full knowledge of a certain text is on the other hand interpretation of the same.
For any inter-religious dialogue to take place effectively, there are some rules that have to be adhered to, the main purpose of initiating the dialogue should be considered by the two parties involved. The second rule is that the inter-religious dialogue must have two parties who are not necessarily from across a faith line but maybe also be coreligionists.
This type of dialogue will enable Christians to share the products of inter-religious dialogue; the whole society would therefore change through learning, and hence global move towards the religion reality. Every party to be involved in the dialogue should be full of honesty and sincerity (Swidler 23).
Every party as well should be aware of its religious traditions both major and minor beliefs. Incase there is a party that is not very sure about its traditions; there should be no room for lies in the dialogue. Another rule for an effective inter-religious dialogue is that ideals of one party should be compared with the ideals of the other party and practices the same. The ideals should never be compared with practices.
In addition, before starting any inter-religious dialogue, the parties to be involved should define themselves well to each other. Its advisable for every party to be involved to state clearly what it takes to be a member of their own religious traditions. All the religious groups can define themselves from outside apart from the Jews who can only define themselves from inside.
During the dialogue, each partner involved should be ready to listen keenly to the other partner, and try as much as possible to agree with the other partner without loosing his or her integrity of his own traditions. Personal integrity should be maintained throughout the dialogue (Imperato 57).
Inter-religious dialogue can only take place between two religion groups that are equal. Incase there is a certain religious group that is claiming to be more superior than the other, then no dialogue can take place between them. The two parties to dialogue should be equal, as this would be the base for learning from each other. This is referred to as “ par cum pari”.
The inter-religious dialogue should be conducted on the basis of mutual trust. The parties to the dialogue should be members of a certain religion. Just like any other dialogue among persons, personal trust should be the foundation.
The parties are advised to start their dialogue with the least complex issues, so as to establish a common a common beginning and develop some trusts between the two parties. As the trust deepen and advances among the parties, the dialogue can graduate to more complex issues. The minor issues discussed at the beginning of the dialogue, would help a great deal in solving the complex issues.
As the main theme of entering to a dialogue is to learn from each other, persons participating should have self-criticism of themselves and their religions. Lack of this aspect to any of the parties involved would imply that his or her religion is perfect, and posses all the correct answers (Swidler 31).
Lack of self-criticism would make inter-religious dialogue impossible or unnecessary. Believing that ones religion is perfect cannot create a room for learning from the other religion, hence no need for holding a dialogue. Both parties possessing a healthy self-criticism would be a better starting point, as lack of it is lack of integrity.
During the dialogue participants are advised to try to experience the other party’s ideology deep within (Porpora, Collier, and Archer 52). As far as the parties are involved in the dialogue physically, their spirits should also be involved.
Inter-religious dialogue is not like any other common discussion, but a spiritual dialogue with dos and don’ts. Inter-religious dialogue is special, and is composed of three major parts. The first part is practical, where we join together to help human kind. Second part is spiritual, where parties try to experience religion of one another.
The final part is the cognitive, where every party tries to seek for understanding and truth from each other’s religion. In the practical part of inter-religious dialogue, parties get the chance to learn from each other.
In the second part, parties concentrate in their counterpart values, and tries to make them applicable in their own tradition. The parties who are persistent, serious, and ready enough to participate in the dialogue reach the third part. The third part is the most important, as it brings revelation of new areas of reality, and what the truth entails.
Inter-religious dialogue aims at achieving many and different goals in human religious lives. The main goals are classified into three categories. The first category is to discover oneself ever more reflectively. Secondly, this dialogue helps in discovering the other party more faithfully (Imperato 25).
The last category is to enable parties to enjoy life fully accordingly. Through encountering with the others, and discovering some contrasts in our actions leads to people discovering themselves fully. The same case applies in inter-religious dialogue, whereby parties discover well their religion traditions, through contradictions, and common ideas involved in one another’s religion.
The dialogue partners serve as a mirror to one another portraying the true selves of one another, hence why it’s always worth to persevere the dialogue frustrations. The partners in dialogue should not be taken as objects against our wish, but as people whom we are related to in one way or another.
Discovering the true differences among the dialogue parties, which should either be contradictory or complementary would be the best outcome of a dialogue. When holding the dialogue, parties should be very sensitive when placing the differences of their religion to avoid misplacing them (Porpora, Collier, and Archer 45).
Not all true differences fall under the category of contradictions, and a partner should not be quick to place them there. Some ideas that seem to be in contradictory category may be also fit in complementary category, and that is why decisions should be made keenly. Often, the partners may come across some contradictory truth claims in the process of their dialogue, and also some commonality in their religions.
Religious dialogue should mostly entail matters of religion not just a matter of exchanging principles and intellectual ideas. The dialogue should be based on the religious attitude from both partners. Just like Panikkar explained that one might leave as a Christian, after a while becomes a Hindu, and later returns being a Buddhist without changing his or her Christianity faith and doctrines.
This type of experience may not be possible to most of religious people or thinkers, but trying to experience another party’s ideology deep within is possible and achievable (swidler 37).
Swidler argues that imagination is a great contributor in inter-religious dialogue. Whereby, if one allows the feelings, symbols, and stories of the partner to have a room in his or her mind, a move should be expected depending on their strengths that will enable a person to return back to his or her religion traditions as an enlightened person.
The main challenge of inter-religious dialogue is on how one can manage to participate in religious dialogue without loosing integrity of the religion and its traditions, and successfully make the other party to understand and take in ones presentations.
It becomes a challenge to imagine how a Christian would express his insights of faith to another person from a different religion like a Jew or Marxist in a way that is acceptable to them (Oman 120). The people, who are ready to be involved in a dialogue, should not only be convinced by the benefit of it, but the necessity of this dialogue. Its has been proven to be necessary for religious people to get involved in inter-religious dialogue, as this would promote working together to form a universal systematic theology.
Commonality among religious groups can be achieved through inter-religious dialogue. With a common base, it will be possible for religious groups to bring unity in human family, and promote equality among human kind. Sharing something in common among different religious groups will as well result to eradication of violation to individuals. The human community will be of value to every individual and institutions.
Religion commonality will make religious individuals to stand with the poor and the oppressed, and be the source of their consolation despite their religion aspiration. Due to good hope and good will born by commonality, religious people would finally emerge victorious (Albl 110). Through inter-religious dialogue, religious groups will slowly, and painfully work towards a compromise of full human life truth.
Works Cited
Albl, Martin. Reason, Faith, and Tradition: Explorations in Catholic Theology. Maryland: Saint Mary’s Press, 2009.
Imperato, Robert. Christian’s footings: creation, world religions, personalism, revelation, and Jesus. New York: University press of America, 2009.
Oman, Mujiburra. Feeling threatened: a Muslim-Christian relation in Indonesia’s new order. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2006.
Porpora, Douglas, Collier, Andrew, and Archer, Margret. Transcendence: critical realism and God. New York: Routledge, 2004.
Swidler, Leonard. Toward a universal Theology of Religion. New York: Mary knoll, 2007.