Eternity In Their Hearts Analysis

The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John, in an apocalyptic literature style. It consists of a series of prophecies about the end times, when Jesus will return and triumph over all the evil residing in the world. Its purpose is to bring hope and encouragement to Christians so that they will continue watching for the return and victory of Jesus Christ, but it is also a warning of the Final Judgment that nonbelievers will endure. The depiction of the cosmic battle that takes place both in heaven and on earth, symbolic language, and introduction of surreal

Albert Einstein once said “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.” This is an extremely powerful quote, and I will seek to convey its strength, as applied to our lives as Christians, upon the careful review of Sandra L. Richter’s The Epic of Eden: A Christian Entry into the Old Testament. Richter designed this text as merely a tool by which we might further our understanding of the Old Testament narrative. With one minor glitch in her system, Richter handled the task as that of an expert in the field would - with patience, attention to central detail, and arresting

What God reveals to humanity, is not given all at once. He progressively reveals Himself and His strategy of redemption. The Scriptures affirm to God's progressive revelation of Himself in the fact that He does not fully reveal His truths from the beginning. However, all He reveals to the world is always true. Each Scripture builds on the previous one, revealing a little of God’s mystery at a time (Rom. 16:24). Theses factors of revelation inform understanding of God’s progressive revelation of redemption as

In the book Behind the Beautiful Forevers, author Katherine Boo sheds light on the topic of corruption. Corruption is something that is seen everywhere, but varies in depth. She chooses to focus on India, because she is fascinated with how so many people are impoverished while others prosper. Boo is able to convey both the benefits and downfalls of corruption within a community by deciding to only focus on a sliver of people from a single slum. She chooses to focus on the citizens from a slum called Annawadi due to sense of possibility in the community. Boo decides to watch this community for several years to see who gets ahead, who doesn’t,

For centuries, Africans and their belief systems have been derided. Instead of being studied as “valid and meaningful responses to the universal terms of human existence,” African religions have often been considered “exotic objects… peculiar and incomprehensible or repellent.” For many Europeans, Christianity was by far the superior religion, and they strove to convert Africans. One kingdom where they seemed to enjoy success was Kongo. By 1704, the people living there had been Catholic “for six generations – nearly two centuries.” The Kongolese took great pride in this, believing that it made them “superior” to their neighbours. Moreover, both the Kongolese and the Church took pride in the fact that Christianity “had come to Kongo not through conquest and forced conversion, but through the voluntary conversion of João I.” Despite this achievement, though, the Church more – the Kongolese had to practice Catholicism exactly as the Europeans did. With the coming of Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, who claimed to be possessed by Saint Anthony, this conflict would become more apparent than ever before. Though the Capuchins succeeded in having Dona Beatriz burnt at the stake, they failed in their ultimate goal of fully converting the Kongolese to their form of Catholicism.

Another strength, which also seems to be the helpful part of making this article effective and overall worth the read to a Christian as a whole, is seen in his concluding statement of a quote by Timothy Richard of China, “How can we expect an unbelieving world to take us seriously in our talk about a gospel of reconciliation when we remain so obviously un-reconciled to one another?”4

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all faith based religions with the shared belief in revelation, which in the text is described as “ the divine disclosure of sacred knowledge” (Ch. 4 Pg. 95). All three of these religions show the importance of revelation, whether it be through John the Baptist in the jordan river, through Muhammad in the Arabian desert, or through a burning bush in the middle of the desert with Moses. In Christianity the importance of revelation is shown through none

Unfortunately, time-honored Hmong traditions are challenged by American culture. For example, there is conflict between Hmong Christians and Hmong Animists. Animists sacrifice animals to worship spirits; they believe “that all living things have spirits” (Brittan, 1997). Hmong Christians worship God and condemn animal sacrifice. As a result, Christianity altered traditional Hmong rituals and ceremonies. For instance, Christianity eliminated the payment of a bride price

The English translation of the Hmong phrase “quag dab peg” is that the spirit catches you and you fall down. While western society knows this as epilepsy, the Hmong believe that the seizures are caused by the presence of a “dab” or soul stealing spirit, which leads the soul to leave the body.1 The Hmong consider those who suffer from epilepsy to be respectable and of a higher status. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the doctors and the Hmong are looking for a solution to the same problem; how to stop Lia Lee’s seizures. However, miscommunication between the doctors and the Lee family worsens Lia’s condition. There were disagreements between the family and the doctors on how to treat Lia, and the appropriate resources to overcome these disagreements were not available. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman shows how cultural differences and miscommunication between the western doctors and the Lees leads to the demise of Lia Lee.

While it may be easier to persuade yourself that Boo’s published stories are works of fiction, her writings of the slums that surround the luxury hotels of Mumbai’s airport are very, very real. Katherine Boo’s book “Behind the Beautiful Forevers – Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity” does not attempt to solve problems or be an expert on social policy; instead, Boo provides the reader with an objective window into the battles between extremities of wealth and poverty. “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” then, exposes the paucity and corruption prevalent within India.

I believe that the community of India is hopeless. I believe this because by comparing their community to ours, there isn’t really much hope for recovery in their present situation. The poverty in India is different from the poverty in the United States. Between India and the U.S., homes, revenue, and jobs are drastically different. In the U.S., homes are bigger and are built by organization who help those who live in poverty. Those who are homeless are presented with food stamps as a way of currency so they can survive. Also for those who live in poverty in the U.S. are presented with more jobs and more opportunities than the people of India. These differences show how even though both India and the United States have similar economic difficulties, one almost has no hope of return.

In a world that does not know the Gospel anymore, we must indulge in it, and love our fellow community though they may not share similar values, but find balancing in still remaining in our own values. Though many of times we find ourselves in opposition of the majority of the world, we must exude Christ love onto others as He does to us unconditionally. The author addresses ways in which we are able to live out our faith and still find a place within our community though they may not share similar values.

Including the previous seven, Dr. Bill Wheeler (2011) presents three additional ways of seeking knowledge: revelation and faith; custom and tradition; and personal experiences. For a Christian, revelation and faith is a fundamental source of knowledge and truth. Wheeler describes two aspects of revelation, general and special. General revelation is looking at the world and realizing that God is the creator. Special revelation comes from Jesus, Holy Spirit, and the prophets.

Paul’s goal or research question is to learn the music and dance methods of the Lak people. These rituals or practices seem to make them feel connected to the spiritual world and give them a sense of protection or to honor those that have died.

General revelation is an individual's ability to gain knowledge of God through his presence in the world. The knowledge we are able to gain through general revelation is limited. It doesn't bring salvation and tells very little about God's character, but it can bring us knowledge of the existence of God. We are able to gain this knowledge of him because he is a Creator