Cleansing the Cosmos
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
A Christology for Frontier Mission: a Missiological Study of Colossians by Brad Gill
Households in Focus A Christology for Frontier Mission: A Missiological Study of Colossians by Brad Gill Editor’s Note: This article was presented to the Asia Society for Frontier Mission, Bangkok, Thailand, October 2017. would like to reaffirm our strategic cooperation in frontier mission by examining a rather uncommon portion of scripture for missiological reflec- tion. Cooperation emerges from the objects we love, those purposes and goals we share, and I believe that in the epistle to the Colossians the Apostle Paul I 1 offers us a christological vision that grounds our mission in a common love. Colossians as a Missiological Statement Recently I was plowing through a new book by John Flett entitled Apostolicity: The Ecumenical Question in World Christian Perspective.2 The author explained how the growing pluriformity of world Christianity should reorient our understanding of the apostolic continuity of the church. I don’t usually read books on ecumenical unity, but this one had come in the mail (since I’m an editor) and something in the review had caught my eye: that the rationale for ecumenical unity over the past century had placed limits on cross-cultural engagement and the appropriation of the gospel. Those words have missio- logical implication. At one point towards the end of his book, in his chapter on Jesus Christ as the ground of our apostolic mission, he refers the reader to Colossians. If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. -
Jews and Christians: Perspectives on Mission the Lambeth-Jewish Forum
Jews and Christians: Perspectives on Mission The Lambeth-Jewish Forum Reuven Silverman, Patrick Morrow and Daniel Langton Jews and Christians: Perspectives on Mission The Lambeth-Jewish Forum Both Christianity and Judaism have a vocation to mission. In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God’s people are spoken of as a light to the nations. Yet mission is one of the most sensitive and divisive areas in Jewish-Christian relations. For Christians, mission lies at the heart of their faith because they understand themselves as participating in the mission of God to the world. As the recent Anglican Communion document, Generous Love, puts it: “The boundless life and perfect love which abide forever in the heart of the Trinity are sent out into the world in a mission of renewal and restoration in which we are called to share. As members of the Church of the Triune God, we are to abide among our neighbours of different faiths as signs of God’s presence with them, and we are sent to engage with our neighbours as agents of God’s mission to them.”1 As part of the lifeblood of Christian discipleship, mission has been understood and worked out in a wide range of ways, including teaching, healing, evangelism, political involvement and social renewal. Within this broad and rich understanding of mission, one key aspect is the relation between mission and evangelism. In particular, given the focus of the Lambeth-Jewish Forum, how does the Christian understanding of mission affects relations between Christianity and Judaism? Christian mission and Judaism has been controversial both between Christians and Jews, and among Christians themselves. -
The “Gospel” of Cultural Sustainability: Missiological Insights
The “Gospel” of Cultural Sustainability: Missiological Insights Anna Ralph Master’s Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at Goucher College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability Goucher College—Towson, Maryland May 2013 Advisory Committee Amy Skillman, M.A. (Advisor) Rory Turner, PhD Richard Showalter, DMin Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... iii Chapter One—The Conceptual Groundwork ................................................................................. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 Definition—“Missiology” .................................................................................................... 4 Definition—“Cultural Sustainability” .................................................................................. 5 Rationale ............................................................................................................................. 7 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 11 Review of Literature—Cultural Sustainability................................................................... 12 Review of Literature—Missiology .................................................................................... -
DIVINATION SYSTEMS Written by Nicole Yalsovac Additional Sections Contributed by Sean Michael Smith and Christine Breese, D.D
DIVINATION SYSTEMS Written by Nicole Yalsovac Additional sections contributed by Sean Michael Smith and Christine Breese, D.D. Ph.D. Introduction Nichole Yalsovac Prophetic revelation, or Divination, dates back to the earliest known times of human existence. The oldest of all Chinese texts, the I Ching, is a divination system older than recorded history. James Legge says in his translation of I Ching: Book Of Changes (1996), “The desire to seek answers and to predict the future is as old as civilization itself.” Mankind has always had a desire to know what the future holds. Evidence shows that methods of divination, also known as fortune telling, were used by the ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians and the Sumerians (who resided in what is now Iraq) as early as six‐thousand years ago. Divination was originally a device of royalty and has often been an essential part of religion and medicine. Significant leaders and royalty often employed priests, doctors, soothsayers and astrologers as advisers and consultants on what the future held. Every civilization has held a belief in at least some type of divination. The point of divination in the ancient world was to ascertain the will of the gods. In fact, divination is so called because it is assumed to be a gift of the divine, a gift from the gods. This gift of obtaining knowledge of the unknown uses a wide range of tools and an enormous variety of techniques, as we will see in this course. No matter which method is used, the most imperative aspect is the interpretation and presentation of what is seen. -
MISSIONS Don L. Meredith Harding School of Theology 2016/17 R.R
1 MISSIONS Don L. Meredith Harding School of Theology 2016/17 R.R.016.266/P484. Petersen, Paul D., ed. Missions and Evangelism: A Bibliography Selected from the ATLA Religion Database. Rev. ed. Chicago, IL: ATLA, 1985. Subject index, with abstracts, of articles from ATLA Religion Database (1949-1984) and D.Min. theses from Research in Ministry (1981-84). Contains author & book review indexes. R.R.016.266/B582. Bibliographia Missionaria. Isola del Liri: Soc. Tip. A. Maloce & Pisani, 1933- . An annual classified bibliography of books and articles (primarily Catholic) on missions. Contains author/person and subject indexes. Vol. 1-49 (1933-85) published as Bibliografia Missionaria. R.R.016.266/I61. Thomas, Norman E., ed. International Mission Bibliography: 1960-2000. ATLA Bibliographies, 48. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2003. Contains 15,850 annotated entries for the most important missiological books published in English and a selection of those in each major European language from 1960 to 2000. Arranged under 20 sub-headings with a personal name index. To supplement this bibliography a "Selected Annotated Bibliography on Missiology" was published in installments (each including about 30 new titles) in each issue of Missiology (2000-July 2004) corresponding to the sub-headings in the published volume. *R.R.016.27/I61. International Christian Literature Documentation Project. 2v. Evanston, IL: ATLA, 1993. Indexes "printed materials (wherever published) that document Christian life and mission in the non- Western world." Indexes 18,635 monographs and pamphlets and 6,774 essays in 1,843 multi-author works. Vol. 1 is subject index and vol. 2 is author-editor and corporate name index. -
[AJPS 3/1 (2000), Pp. 33-60] “TRUTH on FIRE”: PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGY of MISSION and the CHALLENGES of a NEW MILLENNIUM Veli-Ma
[AJPS 3/1 (2000), pp. 33-60] “TRUTH ON FIRE”:1 PENTECOSTAL THEOLOGY OF MISSION AND THE CHALLENGES OF A NEW MILLENNIUM Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen 1. Introduction: Pentecostals and the Challenge of “Transforming Mission” Pentecostal mission has been successful, extremely successful when we look at the numbers. Whatever reservations one might have with regard to the calculations of D. Barrett2 and of others,3 there is no denying the fact that the advance of Pentecostal/Charismatic mission work has been astonishing. “A growth of from zero to 400 mission in ninety years is unprecedented in the whole of church history.”4 1 The first part of the title is taken from L. Grant McClung, “Truth on Fire Pentecostals and the Urgent Missiology,” in Azusa Street and Beyond, ed. L. Grant McClung (South Plainfield, NJ: Bridge Publishing, 1985), pp. 47-55. For ecumenical perspectives on Pentecostal missiology, see my “Pentecostal Missiology in Ecumenical Context,” International Review of Mission (July 1999, forthcoming). 2 See, David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, “Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission: 1999,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:1 (1999), pp. 24-25. 3 See, e.g., C. Peter Wagner, “Church Growth,” in Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, eds. S. M. Burgess and G. B. McGee (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), pp. 180-95. (This dictionary will be indicated henceforth as DPCM.) 4 Walter J. Hollenweger, “From Azusa Street to the Toronto Phenomenon,” Concilium 3, eds. Jürgen Moltmann and Karl-Josef Kuschel (1996), pp. 3-14 (3). 34 Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 3/1 (2000) Pentecostals, however, would do well if they, instead of continuing to glory in church growth numbers,5 would have another look at the impending challenges as we are crossing into the third millennium. -
Biblical Cosmology: the Implications for Bible Translation
Journal of Translation, Volume 9, Number 2 (2013) 1 Biblical Cosmology: The Implications for Bible Translation John R. Roberts John Roberts is a Senior Linguistics Consultant with SIL International. He has a Ph.D. in Linguistics from University College London. From 1978 to 1998 John supervised the Amele language project in Papua New Guinea during which time translations of Genesis and the New Testament were completed. John has taught graduate level linguistics courses in the UK, USA, Sweden, S. Korea and W. Asia. He has published many articles in the domains of descriptive linguistics and Bible translation and several linguistics books. His current research interest is to understand Genesis 1–11 in an ancient Near East context. Abstract We show that the creation account in Genesis 1.1–2.3 refers to a worldview of the cosmos as the ancient Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians understood it to be. These civilisations left behind documents, maps and iconography which describe the cosmological beliefs they had. The differences between the biblical cosmology and ancient Near East cosmologies are observed to be mainly theological in nature rather than cosmological. However, the biblical cosmology is conceptually different to a modern view of the cosmos in significant ways. We examine how a range of terms are translated in English Bible translations, including ḥōšeḵ, təhôm, rāqîᵃʿ, hammayim ʾăšer mēʿal lārāqîᵃʿ, and mayim mittaḥaṯ lā’āreṣ, and show that if the denotation of these terms is in accordance with a modern worldview then this results in a text that has incongruities and is incoherent in the nature of the cosmos it depicts. -
Living Under Vacant Skies
Living Under Vacant Skies When, in the biblical cosmology, God creates heaven and earth, “heaven” names that part of creation in which God alone exer- cises dominion, and which we do not know intimately until we are at last fully reconciled to God. As our culture loses this sense Christian Reflection of heaven “over us,” it will be more than a change in how we A Series in Faith and Ethics picture the world in our minds. It will reshape the way we live. Prayer Scripture Reading: Acts 17:16-34 Responsive Reading† Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for Focus Article: the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Living Under Vacant Why should the nations say, “Where is our God?” Our God Skies is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. (Heaven and Hell, pp. 9- Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 17) They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. Suggested Article: They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; Nothing But the Truth they make no sound in their throats. (Heaven and Hell, pp. 79- Those who make them are like them; 83) so are all who trust in them. We, who fear the LORD, will trust in the LORD! He is our help and shield. May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to human beings. -
Heaven and Hell These Guides Integrate Bible Study, Prayer, and Worship to Help Us Treat the Transcendent Realities of Heaven and Hell Carefully and Seriously
Study Guides for Heaven and Hell These guides integrate Bible study, prayer, and worship to help us treat the transcendent realities of heaven and hell carefully and seriously. The guides can be used in a series or individually. Christian Reflection You may reproduce them for personal or group use. A Series in Faith and Ethics Living Under Vacant Skies 2 As our culture loses the thought of heaven “over us,” how does that shape the way we live? A world left without a vision of the transcendent is a world of struggles without victory and of sacrifice without purpose. To understand this is also to understand in a new way the task of the church. The Virtue of Hope 4 If we are to pursue our moral life seriously, we need a transcendent hope that is not based on human capacity for self-improvement. We have grounds in our faith for such a hope, both at the individual level and at the level of society. Heaven is Our Home 6 Is our true home in heaven, and we are merely sojourners on earth? Or are we genuinely citizens of the earth? Where is our true home? The biblical message is that heaven is our true home, but heaven begins here on earth as the Holy Spirit transforms us into a community that manifests love. Unquenchable Fire 8 We have many questions about hell. We can begin to answer these questions by studying the biblical passages about Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna. The Gates of Hell Shall Not Preva il 10 The universe and our lives ultimately are bounded by God’s unfathomable love and righteousness. -
Book Reviews
Book Reviews encing biblical texts, touching on theological history, Franklin writes that evangelical ecclesiological imagi- relevant to contemporary faith-science conversations nation must expand and deepen. That is true not only about human origins and destiny, and passionately for evangelical theologians but for all of us in differ- attuned to the importance of its subject matter for ent regions of the worldwide church. Our thinking the oppressed and the vulnerable, it deserves a wide about the church has been too small. What is the best readership. strategy to expand and deepen our ecclesial imagi- Reviewed by Patrick S. Franklin, Associate Professor of Theology and nation? Franklin gives it an injection of Bonhoeffer Ethics, Providence Seminary, Otterburne, MB R0A 1G0. and others. Is that suffi cient? I do not think so. What is missing is a broader ecumenical perspective that takes seriously more of the Eastern Orthodox, BEING HUMAN, BEING CHURCH: The Signifi - Roman Catholic, and Anglican theological traditions cance of Theological Anthropology for Ecclesiology whose strong suit is and has always been ecclesiol- by Patrick S. Franklin. Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2016. ogy. Granted, Pannenberg and Moltmann are both 325 pages. Paperback; $49.99. ISBN: 9781842278420. ecumenical theologians who have invested a lot of The theme of this book is that a theologically ade- thought in doing just that. Pannenberg especially has quate doctrine of the church presupposes an equally been at the forefront of ecumenical dialogue, a leader adequate doctrine of the human person. The mean- in Faith and Order and a member of the Catholic- ing of being human has a decisive bearing on the Lutheran Dialogue, both of which rank ecclesiology meaning of being church. -
The Creation Account in Genesis 1: Our World Only Or the Universe?
Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 13/2 (Autumn 2002): 108Ð120. Article copyright © 2002 by Ferdinand O. Regalado. The Creation Account in Genesis 1: Our World Only or the Universe? Ferdinand O. Regalado Adventist University of the Philippines A cursory reading of Gen 1:1 has led many to conclude that it refers to the absolute beginning of the heavens and the earth. In other words, Gen 1:1 is seemingly not a part of the six-day creation, so therefore it must describe an earlier creation of the Òentire physical universe,Ó including Ògalaxies, stars, planets, etc.Ó1 One believer in this view maintains that Òthe creation of Gen 1:1 is the original and earlier creation which precedes the six-day creation men- tioned from Gen 1:3 on.Ó2 Those who look at the creation narrative that way tend to base their scien- tific3 or philosophical deductions on that simple yet profound account of crea- tion.4 However, such deductions might not do justice to the intention of the author. 1 Hugh Ross, Creation and Time: A Biblical and Scientific Perspective on the Creation-Date Controversy (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1994), 153, table 16.1. 2 Yoshitaka Kobayashi, ÒThe Primordial Creation (Heaven and Earth),Ó 3, Lecture Notes for OTST 640: Old Testament Theology, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Silang, Cavite, Philippines, 1992. Dr. Kobayashi translated Gen 1:1Ð2 this way: ÒIn the beginning when God had created the heavens and the earth, then the earth was formless and void, and the darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the watersÓ (Ibid.; italics his). -
Biblical Cosmology Table
1 Does the Bible instruct on nature? A look at biblical cosmology. Updated Nov 17, 2019 This table was put together by people who believe the Bible to be true in all it intends to teach. The question is, does that intention include instruction on the natural realm? Young earth creationists (YEC) argue for “comprehensive inerrancy,” meaning it teaches with authority on every subject it touches upon. If the Bible intersects with science, it teaches with authority on science. Old Earth and Evolutionary Creationists argue for “divine accommodation,” meaning that God accommodated the common knowledge about nature of people at the time of writing to illustrate inerrant truth about the kingdom of God. Efforts to interpret the Bible according to modern science artificially imposes a 21st-century Western worldview onto a text written to an Ancient Near Eastern audience. To assist in the assessment, this table is an attempt to list every verse in the Bible that contains a reference to the cosmos (structure, movement, or action of the earth, sun, stars, or universe). Verses are collected under headings that identify a particular aspect of the cosmos. By virtue of collecting all verses under a topic, some verses get repeated (noted with an asterisk *). For each verse, the YEC interpretation is provided. Where a literal interpretation is advocated, additional explanation is provided under Notes. To suggest corrections or additions, send to [email protected]. All verses are NASV unless otherwise noted. Definitions of terms: figure of speech: a common expression from antiquity that no one at the time of writing would have taken literally figurative: a metaphorical or illustrative description the writer did not intend to be understood literally phenomenological: a description of nature as it appears to viewers on the planet surface; as with figures of speech, no one at the time of writing would have understood as a literal description Sources used for YEC interpretations web links were active as of Nov 17, 2019 Jonathan Sarfati (1999) Refuting Evolution.