Death As Sleep: the (Mis)Use of a Biblical Metaphor1
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A Re-Examination of Luther's View on the State of the Dead
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 22/2 (2011):154-170. Article copyright © 2011 by Trevor O’Reggio. A Re-examination of Luther’s View on the State of the Dead Trevor O’Reggio Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary Andrews University Introduction Luther’s theology was forged in the crucible of his struggle to find forgiveness and peace from his overwhelming sense of guilt. He had an acute sense of misery and felt as if he hung in the balance between life and death. The German word that captures something of Luther’s emotional state is Anfechtung—one feels cut off from God and hope is suffocated. “Anfechtung is the foretaste of the peril of death.”1 It was not only the fear of death that terrorized him, but death itself was an ever-present reality for Luther. He lost two of his children in childhood, so by virtue of his experience, and his theology, he was forced to wrestle with the meaning of death and the after-life. It is not surprising then that Luther wrote much about death, some of it at times confusing and complicated. Did Luther believe in soul sleep or in an immortal soul that survives death? There are generally two views concerning the state of the dead among Christians. The first view asserts that when a person dies, his soul survives death and continues to exist in some place. For those who are saved, they go straight into paradise. For those who are not so righteous, they go into some halfway house called purgatory (Catholic view) where they are purified and made ready for paradise. -
Regional Conferences in the Seventh-Day Adventist
Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2009 [Black] Regional Conferences in the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church Compared with United Methodist [Black] Central Jurisdiction/Annual Conferences with White SDA Conferences, From 1940 - 2001 Alfonzo Greene, Jr. Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Greene, Jr., Alfonzo, "[Black] Regional Conferences in the Seventh-Day Adventist (SDA) Church Compared with United Methodist [Black] Central Jurisdiction/Annual Conferences with White SDA Conferences, From 1940 - 2001" (2009). Dissertations. 160. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/160 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2009 Alfonzo Greene, Jr. LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO [BLACK] REGIONAL CONFERENCES IN THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH (SDA) COMPARED WITH UNITED METHODIST [BLACK] CENTRAL JURISDICTION/ANNUAL CONFERENCES WITH WHITE S.D.A. CONFERENCES, FROM 1940-2001 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN HISTORY BY ALFONZO GREENE, JR. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS DECEMBER -
The Resurrected Christ in the Realm of the Dead
RELIGION AND ART The Resurrected Christ in the Realm of the Dead TUDENTS of mystic Christianity know that Christ Jesus designates the Archangelic Christ Being Who lived for three years as Ego in the human vehicles of the man Jesus. While the Roman Catholic SChurch has tended to emphasize the humanity of Christ Jesus, the man of sorrows acquainted with grief, the crucified God, the Orthodox Catholic Church emphasizes the divinity of Christ, particularly as seen in the Resurrection. This same contrast is evi- dent in the Western Church’s presentation of Mary as the Mater Dolorosa (Mother of Sorrows) versus the Eastern Church’s hieratic Mary as Theotokis (Mother of God). In fact, the Victorious Christ is the ritual, liturgi- cal icon for Eastern Orthodox Church’s celebration of Easter. In itself, this is hardly surprising. But the pictorial content of the icon is. For it shows not an empty tomb, or even Christ appearing to the disci- Tempera on panel, Jaume Serra (1358 - 95), from the altarpiece of the convent of Santo ples, but a Christ in the Underworld, appearing to Sepulchro, Zaragoza, Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, Zaragoza, Spain the dead. What is the basis for such a portrayal? Descent into Limbo For the apostle Paul, “If Christ has not been Christ liberates “the spirits in prison” (1Pet. 3:19) disgorged from a yawning dragon’s mouth gargoyled with demons. raised, then all our preaching is in vain.” Saul, before his time, saw the Risen Christ and thereby wit, the redemption of our body” (Rom. 8:23). -
Annihilationism
Annihilationism Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield Reprinted from "The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge," edited by Samuel Macauley Jackson, D.D., LL.D., i. pp. 183-186 (copyright by Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York, 1908). I. DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF THEORIES A term designating broadly a large body of theories which unite in contending that human beings pass, or are put, out of existence altogether. These theories fall logically into three classes, according as they hold that all souls, being mortal, actually cease to exist at death; or that, souls being naturally mortal, only those persist in life to which immortality is given by God; or that, though souls are naturally immortal and persist in existence unless destroyed by a force working upon them from without, wicked souls are actually thus destroyed. These three classes of theories may be conveniently called respectively, (1) pure mortalism, (2) conditional immortality, and (3) annihilationism proper. II. PURE MORTALISM The common contention of the theories which form the first of these classes is that human life is bound up with the organism, and that therefore the entire man passes out of being with the dissolution of the organism. The usual basis of this contention is either materialistic or pantheistic or at least pantheizing (e.g. realistic); the soul being conceived in the former case as but a function of organized matter and necessarily ceasing to exist with the dissolution of the organism, in the latter case as but the individualized manifestation of a much more extensive entity, back into which it sinks with the dissolution of the organism in connection with which the individualization takes place. -
The Herald of Christ's Kingdom
The Herald This Journal and Its Mission of Christ’s Kingdom Char tered in 1918, the Pas to ral Bi ble Insti tute, Inc. was formed for the promo tion This journal brings you 192 of Christian knowledge. Its jour nal, The Herald of Christ’s Kingdom, stands pages of spir itual reading mate - firmly for the de fense of the only true foun da tion of the Chris tian’s hope now be ing rial each year on a va ri ety of so gener ally re pu di ated—re demp tion through the pre cious blood (1 Peter 1:19) of biblical sub jects. Each is sue also “the man Christ Je sus, who gave himself a ran som [a corre spond ing price, a substi - lists many Bible convent ions and tute] for all” (1 Tim o thy 2:6). Build ing upon this sure foun da tion the gold, sil ver, con fer ences where you will find and pre cious stones of the Word of God (1 Corin thi ans 3:11-15; 2 Pe ter 1:5-11), Chris tian fel low ship. In cluded in its fur ther mis sion is “to make all see what is the fel lowship of the mys tery, which ev ery is sue is News & Views, … has been hid in God … to the in tent that now … might be [made] known by four pages of current events, the church the man i fold wis dom of God”—“which in other ages was not made letters to the ed itor, and infor- known unto the sons of men, as it is now re vealed” (Ephe sians 3:5-10). -
Jehovah's Witnesses History
WIN Program: Witnessing in Neighborhoods Advanced Class on Jehovah’s Witnesses Week One: The History of Jehovah’s Witnesses The First Fundamental Bible Church Primera Iglesia Biblica Fundamental 11000 Washington Boulevard Whittier, CA 90606 Phone: 562-695-FFBC (562-695-3322) Fax: 562-695-3320 http://www.ffbc.net The website for the WIN Program is http://www.FfbcWinProgram.net Is Witnesses for Jesus, Inc ministry affiliated with a specific church? Is this www.4jehovah.org website a religion? Many who are in the process of leaving the Watchtower organization or are thinking of leaving may not want to think about religion. In fact, many who leave have totally rejected religion. Witnesses for Jesus, Inc is not a religion. Although we are a non-profit Christian ministry committed to sharing a Biblical perspective on Jehovah's Witness beliefs and practices, we do not endorse any specific church or religious denomination. We are funded by individual people who believe in our mission, vision and values. http://4jehovah.org/ CARM 1. CARM Office number: 208-466-1301 2. Office hours: M-F; 9-5 pm; Mountain Time 3. CARM, PO BOX 995, Meridian, ID 83680 http://www.carm.org/ This is the webpage for WIN on JW http://www.ffbcwinprogram.net/5852.html Jehovah’s Witnesses History The Jehovah's Witnesses was begun by Charles Taze Russell in 1872. He was born on February 16, 1852, the son of Joseph L. and Anna Eliza Russell. He had great difficulty in dealing with the doctrine of eternal hell fire and in his studies came to deny not only eternal punishment, but also the Trinity, and the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. -
Hell: Never, Forever, Or Just for Awhile?
TMSJ 9/2 (Fall 1998) 129-145 HELL: NEVER, FOREVER, OR JUST FOR AWHILE? Richard L. Mayhue Senior Vice President and Dean Professor of Theology and Pastoral Ministries The plethora of literature produced in the last two decades on the basic nature of hell indicates a growing debate in evangelicalism that has not been experienced since the latter half of the nineteenth century. This introductory article to the entire theme issue of TMSJ sets forth the context of the question of whether hell involves conscious torment forever in Gehenna for unbelievers or their annihilation after the final judgment. It discusses historical, philosophical, lexical, contextual, and theological issues that prove crucial to reaching a definitive biblical conclusion. In the end, hell is a conscious, personal torment forever; it is not “just for awhile” before annihilation after the final judgment (conditional immortality) nor is its final retribution “never” (universalism). * * * * * A few noted evangelicals such as Clark Pinnock,1 John Stott,2 and John Wenham3 have in recent years challenged the doctrine of eternal torment forever in hell as God’s final judgment on all unbelievers. James Hunter, in his landmark “sociological interpretation” of evangelicalism, notes that “. it is clear that there is a measurable degree of uneasiness within this generation of Evangelicals with the notion of an eternal damnation.”4 The 1989 evangelical doctrinal caucus “Evangelical Affirmations” surprisingly debated this issue. “Strong disagreements did surface over the position of annihilationism, a view that holds that unsaved souls 1Clark H. Pinnock, “The Conditional View,” in Four Views on Hell, ed. by William Crockett (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 135-66. -
Catholic Doctrine of Purgatory
Catholic Doctrine Of Purgatory Intro: Prior to making a study of this doctrine, I did not realize just how repulsive and evil the doctrine of purgatory is. After studying it, I am now convinced that there is no doctrine as immoral and ungodly as the doctrine of purgatory. It strikes at the very heart of Christianity and the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son. I am not sure that I possess the capability of expressing the disgust which should permeate our very souls because of this ungodly doctrine and the wicked practices which arise from it. I. WHAT IS PURGATORY. A. Let them speak for themselves. 1. Catholic catechism (Catechism Of The Catholic Church (New York, NY: Doubleday, 1994), p. 291.): “1030 All who die in Gods grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 1031 The church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the church, by reference to certain text of Scripture, speaks of the cleansing fire: ‘As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that who ever utters blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be pardoned neither in this age or in the age to come. -
Civil Religion and Australia at War 1939-1945
Volume 11, Number 2 57 Images of God: civil religion and Australia at war 1939-1945 Katharine Massam and John H Smith1 One striking feature of the photographs recording the church services held regularly around Australia during the Second World War is the significant proportion 2 of men in the congregations • At the regular days of prayer called for by King George VI and supported by Australian governments during the war, and at the tumultuous celebrations of thanksgiving when peace was declared, men in uniform and in civilian dress are much more clearly present, if not over-represented, in the crowds. This is not what we expect of religious services in Australia. The assumption has been, sometimes even in the churches, that religion is women's work, and so at the margins of Australian civic life. However, both religion and war mark out the roles of women and men, at the same time as they provide a climate in which those roles can be 3 subverted • In Australia between 1939 and 1945 religious belief and the activities of the churches were entwined with the 'manly' conduct of the nation, and a variety of material reflecting the Australian experience of World War II suggests that the stereotype of religion as peripheral to public life. is limited and misleading. In statements of both church and state, religious belief was presented as crucial to civil defense, the moral character of the nation was seen as a key to victory, citizens (men as well as women) responded to calls to prayer and, on the homefront as well as the battlefield, women as well as men fought for a 'just and Godly peace'. -
The Origins of Millerite Separatism
The Origins of Millerite Separatism By Andrew Taylor (BA in History, Aurora University and MA in History, University of Rhode Island) CHAPTER 1 HISTORIANS AND MILLERITE SEPARATISM ===================================== Early in 1841, Truman Hendryx moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania, where he quickly grew alienated from his local church. Upon settling down in his new home, Hendryx attended several services in his new community’s Baptist church. After only a handful of visits, though, he became convinced that the church did not believe in what he referred to as “Bible religion.” Its “impiety” led him to lament, “I sometimes almost feel to use the language [of] the Prophecy ‘Lord, they have killed thy prophets and digged [sic] down thine [sic] altars and I only am left alone and they seek my life.”’1 His opposition to the church left him isolated in his community, but his fear of “degeneracy in the churches and ministers” was greater than his loneliness. Self-righteously believing that his beliefs were the “Bible truth,” he resolved to remain apart from the Baptist church rather than attend and be corrupted by its “sinful” influence.2 The “sinful” church from which Hendryx separated himself was characteristic of mainstream antebellum evangelicalism. The tumultuous first decades of the nineteenth century had transformed the theological and institutional foundations of mainstream American Protestantism. During the colonial era, American Protestantism had been dominated by the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Anglican churches, which, for the most part, had remained committed to the theology of John Calvin. In Calvinism, God was envisioned as all-powerful, having predetermined both the course of history and the eternal destiny of all humans. -
Knight, George R., Comp. and Ed. 1844 and the Rise of Sabbatarian Adventism
CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk BOOK REVIEWS 283 Provided by Andrews University of Millerism (266). Two of these groups-the Advent Christians and Seventh-day Adventists-are the focus of chapters 13 and 14. Millennia1 Fever could have been improved in three ways. First, a comprehensive text deserves more than eight pages of photographs to cover the movement adequately. Second, the book lacks a bibliography to organize the 33 pages of endnotes. Finally, the ties between Millerism and Shakerism (257- 263) are more amply explored than is the bridge between Millerism and spiritualism (245-247, 284), opening perhaps another door for future research. Nonetheless, this is still the best extant survey of Millerism. Andrews University BRIANE. STRAYER Knight, George R., comp. and ed. 1844 and the Rise of Sabbatarian Adventism. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Pub., 1994. 190 pp. $14.95. George Knight's 1844 and the Rise of Sabbatarian Adventism is not a narrative history, but rather an anthology of primary source materials of Millerite Adventism and early Sabbatarian Adventism. From thousands of source documents preserved in four major archives-the Jencks Memorial Collection of Adventual Materials at Aurora University, the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Adventist Heritage Center at Andrews University, and the Ellen G. White Estate in Silver Spring, Maryland-Knight has selected 33 exhibits of which the "majority have never been republished in any form" since their origination (8). They range in length from short personal letters to a 48- page article on "The Rise and Progress of Adventism" from the Advent Shield and Review of May 1844. -
William Miller and the Rise of Adventism
BOOK REVIEW S 99 worldwide growth, due primarily to the refusal of denominational leaders in 1910 to participate in the division of the world into various mission fields. As a result, Adventists have a much wider reach (in more than 200 countries and a membership of 16.3 million, making it the twelfth largest religious body and sixth largest international body in the world; see Adherents.com) than most other Protestant groups. Thus, for a volume claiming to emphasize the global aspects of Christianity, Seventh-day Adventism as a global movement appears to be largely overlooked. It would have been helpful to have studied Adventists separately rather than as a subgroup of Protestantism, even though Mark A. Noll, in his section on “Christianity in Northern America, 1910-2010,” observes that Adventists “have emphasized their commonality with historical Protestantism” (190). This observation appears incongruous in a volume celebrating the centenary of this historic meeting, although it certainly is true that Adventism made a significant shift in the 1950s to become accepted by evangelical leaders, which is most likely what Noll may have had in mind when he made this observation. The book is well organized and the Index of Proper Names is comprehensive, making it easy to find information. The teacher of Christian history will find this volume useful as a resource tool with the interactive CD-ROM that is designed for inclusion with Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote software. It is easy to incorporate geographical maps into lecture notes. I would recommend that tertiary institutions with religion or history departments purchase this volume as a reference work, not the least of which so that lecturers in Christian heritage can utilize it as a resource for their faculty.