Candidacy Questions

By far this book has really grasped my desire to read more. My parents did not raise me to love reading, however this book has helped me enjoy reading. Chapter six made me realize that my Christian belief should not limit me to explore about other cultures. As a Christian, I need to step out of my own belief and culture to learn from the stranger/s. I had never thought about intercultural as the process of Christian discipleship. Christian discipleship is more than an act I do early Sundays, door knocking-evangelizing. Part of the spiritual growth in a person is found through Christian discipleship. When I decide to step out of my comfort zone as a Christian, I will obtain “outgrowth of a determination to love one’s neighbor and can itself be an arena of growth in Christian discipleship (as a way of becoming the kind of person who is more likely to love his or her neighbor)” (Smith, 2009 pg. 105). I appreciate that the author helps the reader, me, understand a deep intercultural encounter which is broken in three parts: “the before, the during, and the after” (Smith, 2009 pg. 106).

Due to colonialism, Christianity has spread across the world in many different cities and cultures amongst many different types of people of all different skin tones. Many of them are not caucasian and thus have issues connecting to a religion in which one of the main icons does not look like them. Many have solved this problem in different ways. Some Christians around the world simply change Jesus’s skin tone to match their own creating African Jesus or Hispanic Jesus. However many have felt the need to change themselves and become more Westernized in order to fit into the religion. Western Christianity developed during the Industrial revolution, Enlightenment, and modernity so many of its followers have had to adapt to that. For example when Christianity hit Africa, many Africans felt the need to change their names so they have more Westernized, “Christian” names. In addition they have started to dress in Westernized clothing and listen to Westernized music, the churches have even had to be built in a Western architecture style. This then leads to the loss of indigenous culture and while some have been happy to convert to this style of living, it just does not seem to be plausible to others. To battle this, many Africans have tried thinking of Jesus in their own context of life. To Africans, Jesus reveals himself in the context of kinship and marriage, the challenge of sickness and death, poverty,

For my Meet the Believers assignment, I focused on Catholicism and Nondenominational Christianity. My Catholic interviewee, who I’ll refer to as John, is middle aged and was raised Catholic. My Christian interviewee, who I’ll refer to as Jane, is a young adult and was similarly raised Christian. From my interviews and attendance of worship services of both groups, several themes and concepts came to the forefront: the tensions between fundamentalism and modernism, the important conversation of gender and ethnicity, and the “true” good understood by both believers through their respective religious groups.

Wesley believed that sanctification was a process that could be received as an instantaneous experience after conversion, or later on in life. No matter when sanctification was achieved, the moment someone received sanctification was the “climax” of their Christian life. He believed that the “second blessing purified the believer from his inward sin and enabled him to secure perfect love of God and of his fellowmen.” Followers of Wesley had trouble balancing the “crisis and process views” of Wesley, and the crisis view began to take “precedence over the process view.” Soon, sanctification was no longer viewed as the goal of a Christian life, but the beginning of a Christian life.

Racial reconciliation should be a top priority for every Christian, of any race or cultural background. But will this demand for a "multicultural center of learning" produce a less prejudiced society? Multiculturalists insist on greater sensitivity towards, and increased inclusion of, racial minorities and women in society. Christians should endorse both of these goals. But many advocating multiculturalism go beyond these demands for sensitivity and inclusion; here is where Christians must be careful.

One of the most positive things about being an American is the ability to interact in “the melting pot” of various cultures all around. While most of us obviously identify with our own specific culture, the variety within our society is extremely diverse, allowing intercultural communication and presents a learning experience for those who are able to communicate and with one another. When observing and interacting with cultures other than my own, I am able to identify some similarities, as well as the differences from their culture to mine. Throughout this semester we have learned so many things about different cultures and worldviews, I have begun to learn a lot more about myself and my personal religious views. I have never followed a religious practice on my own choice, but it is encouraging to see how it positively impacts others in my life.

Community is a grounding principle of Black worship, understood by African-Americans as an encounter involving God, the worshiper, and the broader community. For them worship is not primarily the expression of one's private devotion to God, but is rather a community event. It is the "eschatological invasion of God into the gathered community of

Reflecting upon our national experience of being brought together as a people, I want to talk about something much bigger and far older: It embraces almost every culture and ethnicity in the world without erasing their identity, or requiring them to speak a certain language. It is Christ’s Church! Christ’s Church began almost 2,000 years ago when a band of Aramaic speaking Jewish disciples of Jesus founded Christ’s Church. This was in response to the move the Holy Spirit to bring to human life God’s love and compassion revealed in Jesus Christ.

The first cultural event I experienced was going to the non-denominational church with my girlfriend and her family. My expectations were to be going to a church that was more of a cathedral look. I expected to see religious statues and carvings within the church. To my surprise, it was completely opposite. We drove up to the campus and it was huge like a basketball stadium. When we entered the church it was huge with a very modern look. It looked nothing like a church. Then we entered the auditorium where there were floor seats and balcony seats that which looked like you would sit in at a sports event. This was the day I met my girlfriend’s family so not only was I nervous attending a church service in a place so big and different from what I expected I was meeting her family. I met the family everyone was really kind and welcoming. The church service began and it was like a concert. They had drums, guitars, keyboards, and singers. The dynamic was not similar to what I have experienced in the services I had attended back home. It was loud, fun, and people were so comfortable being there. The pastor spoke

Paul outlines 3 major ideas in the way that all believers should relate to one another. Paul begins with the posture that we should take with one another. That posture has 3 goals: humble and gentle (without exception), dealing with one another in love, and eager to maintain unity in the church as a whole. Sadly, we have lost sight of this posture not just interracially but also inter-denominationally and cross culturally. While all of these goals are extremely difficult to begin to achieve they are even more necessary to maintain. We are then reminded of the way and reason that we should seek to maintain this unity. That way is through the cross of Jesus Christ where we were reconciled unto God. Because of this reconciliation to God he has

First, ethnic diversity is on the rise in American churches today, and it has been for some time. According to Duke University, “the percentage of people attending congregations in which no ethnic group constitutes at least 80% of the regular attendees increased from 15% in 1998 to 20% in 2012” (Chaves and Eagle 20). Furthermore, the trend shows a slight acceleration (Chaves and Eagle 20). The next study is due in 2018, and one could extrapolate that the trend will continue. Additionally, the Duke Study attributes the increasing diversity to immigration developments, increased interracial marriage, and increased educational attainment among African Americans (Chaves and Eagle 21). Furthermore, it is fitting that this trend illustrates God’s

The following is a short checklist regarding culturally determined values, attitudes, and beliefs, especially as they pertain to health care. Read each statement carefully, and then assign the number that most closely reflects your beliefs regarding each statement. You must choose 1 (mostly agree), 2 (somewhat agree), 3 (neutral), 4 (somewhat disagree), or 5 (mostly disagree) for each statement as it is written. This requires that you be as introspective as possible to determine where you stand on each of the issues presented. Please remember that no answer is right or wrong, but individual attitudes and beliefs influence response. By answering as honestly as possible, this exercise will help you be more conscious of your own culturally determined

In my second field experience, I’d decided to go to a Baptist church. However, I did not come from a religious background. Although I am not completely in the dark when it comes to religion I have learn about different religion through friends and books. Therefore, I thought this would be a great opportunity to finally experience a service and put my ignorance aside. Meaning the assumption and expectation I had of church service. Furthermore, it provided me the opportunity to challenge myself and my own biases I have towards going to church. Once I went to church I was surprise to see so many black people, for the first time since I moved too Greensburg, I was actual able to see a room overflowing with individual who looked just like me, my first emotion was excitement and enjoy. Some of my expectation, was something I have learned from my mother. My mother always told me that “black people churches last longer”, with this in mind I was prepare to be there for a long time. However, to my surprise it did not last as long as I’d expected it to. My overall experience, was warming, peaceful and positive.

Reflecting upon the readings of Torrance’s Worship, Community, and the Triune God of Grace and White’s Introduction to Christian Worship will deeply shape how I look at worship in the churches I now order worship for the congregations. I used one of the churches in which I serve to do the Order of Worship assignment. It is a blue collar, small membership church located in a rural, retirement/ vacation area of North Carolina, Lake Gaston. It is also predominately Caucasian. Torrance’s focus is on trinitarian worship, participating in Christ’s communion with God, the Father and Christ’s life, death, and resurrection through the power of the Holy Spirit. And White’s focus is to look at how the forms used in worship give worship its meaning. These forms include but are not exclusive of, time, space, music and art. There are implications for both focuses in the order of worship for the congregation used for my order of worship.

The mission of God is to reach all nation. God uses chosen people to spread the Good News, to the nation. As He called Abraham (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22: 18; 26:4; 28:14). Jesus taught that we must preach repentance to all nation ( Matthew 28:19 ; John 20:12; (Act 1:8). Jesus was sent by God to teach all nation about Him and His return (John 20:21). Christian should accept all people of all walks of life. The church should continue to teach the word of God as it is in the Bible and to show love to all ethnic diversity. To equip people to participate in multicultural ministry is to embrace the love of God to all. The biblical base of philosophy is “Love covers over a multitude of sins” ( 1Peter 4:8). To get the saints and un-believers to join in unity with Christ. Cultural influence biblical interpretation, thus as we teach or preach we must remember whom our audience are and be able to get the message across so they can understand, by keeping the social also cultural of the Scriptures in mind.