I Am A Student In The Master Of Divinity Program At Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary,

Aside from my role with the All Nations Leadership Institute, I am an assistant pastor with the Lighthouse Church of All Nations. Though I involve myself in multiple facets of pastoral leadership, these do not meet all my educational needs. There is a need in this season for systematic and hierarchical learning in theology and ministry that is vital to my pastoral growth and development. Further, I want to focus on nurturing habits of mind for scriptural scholarship: inquiry, analysis, research and reflection. Enrolling and participating in a formal learning environment would meet this need and give me the push towards a higher level of knowledge.

There are many events that have shaped my life and also cause me to pursue academic work and create goals here are Colorado Christian University. The one that stands out the most is my recent church planting experience and my desire to learn more about the Lord and become better equipped biblically to serve my parishioners. In this essay I will discussion how this major event has transformed my life and also cause me to venture further in my education and seek a degree here at Colorado Christian University (CCU). As a husband, a father of five, and a Pastor, I maintain a pretty busy lifestyle. But one things for sure is that I have always had a tug to finish my degree. My wife is a great supporter of education and has always encouraged me to finish what I

Since I was fifteen I have always been drawn to answering important questions, engaging in meaningful discussions, and touching lives in intentional and personal ways. My favourite thing to do is disciple; engage in authentic conversations about life, relationships, and Jesus through a mixture of counseling, mentoring, and teaching. I have been intrigued by philosophy and theology since high school. Since then I did my undergraduate degree at Summit Pacific College, close to where I live so that I could help my family build our new house, while preparing to impact my world for Christ. At Summit, I earned a BA in Religion, with a major in Biblical Theology. In this major I took exegetical coursework, first year Hebrew and Greek, and was prepared for Graduate studies with a thesis course.

Although the best reasons for “going to the movies” are to be entertained and eat popcorn, understanding a film is actually quite complex. Movies are not only a reflection of life, they also have the capability of shaping our norms, values, attitudes, and perception of life. Through the media of film, one can find stories of practically anything imaginable and some things unimaginable. Movie-makers use their art to entertain, to promote political agendas, to educate, and to present life as it is, was, or could be. They can present truth, truth as they interpret it, or simply ignore truth altogether. A movie can be a work of fiction, non-fiction, or anything in-between. A film is an artist’s interpretation. What one takes away from a film depends upon how one interprets what has been seen and heard. Understanding film is indeed difficult.

While Hollywood’s prominent objective is to create a mockery through the portrayal of the “Black church”, Tyler Perry reinforces the religious views through his works by producing and broadcasting African American church culture in an authentic manner. Prior to Perry building a multimillion dollar empire within the entertainment industry, he was once an outcast to the Hollywood mainstream and dealt with personal experiences that only his faith got him through. Perry’s poor lifestyle before such a remarkable success in marketing movies, has allowed him to develop and share meaningful messages through his films.

The two key movements that I chose are the Lutheranism movements and Early North American evangelical movements. The main reason I chose these two movements is because I wanted to see the connection from the mid-beginning of the protestant reformation movement and where it started and came from. During this course, it seems like we always find our way back to the original protestant period I wanted to dig a lot deeper. When comes to the North American evangelical movement what sparked my interest is learning about look is how the National Association of Evangelicals looked to maintain historical doctrines. Both periods hold as the foundation of Christian education. By bridging the gap between with past and present we need to see how they similar and different.

In a society where it is so prevalent that you have to do what the public thinks you have to do, it is the people that defy these norms that make progress in the world. Everyone that has helped further society has gone their own path and not worried about what the public thought of them. Since the beginning of time when people not only got scrutinized by their views but often persecuted as well. These same people that have been humiliated are the same ones that have furthered our culture and helped the world thrive. By examining how people defy the social norm and make progress in movies I will show that it is important to follow your own path in life and not worrying about what others think.

Culture, the way of life of a group of people is a very important aspect of human existence. Indeed the culture of a certain people is extremely significant to them that they strive as much as possible to prevent its extinction by passing it down from one generation to another. Over the centuries, oral telling , art making and subsequently writing have been methods of passing and preserving culture and then recently film making. The film and the media have proven to be an extremely strong factor when it comes to portrayal, proclamation and even preservation as a result of the numerous numbers of people the media has access to. For the purpose of this essay, I would be visiting the history of film in Australia, its cultural importance and significance and its distinct examples in modern day film.

This course has helped me reflect on the foundational moral principles which God calls me to follow. It is easy to allow the world's increasingly relativistic mindset to creep into how I view morality. Being reminded of the fundamentals of Christian and Catholic morality has made me more eager to live them out in my own life, and also challenges me to stand up and defend morality in situations where things are unclear.

    Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.

Christian themes are used in film so often because the Bible is such an excellent story with universal themes. Film makers cannot help but be inspired by such wonderful text and beautiful imagery. There can be no doubt that such perfection could only be by divine inspiration. This review will consist of examining Biblical themes in film, Christian themes in Frank Darabont’s

On December 23rd, 2016 a movie directed by Martin Scorsese was released in theaters. Since the movie premiere, there has been a whopping uproar in the religious community on the movie. One Christian believes that the movie portrayed Christianity as weakness (Roys, 6). While another person felt as though, “Silence transcends any simple definition and ascends to the realm of masterful beauty” (Goble, 6). The movie “Silence” is based on the 17th century Portuguese missionaries who traveled to Japan, to witness that Christianity was forbidden and people had to go underground if they wanted to praise their Lord and Savior (Peterson, 1).

Christian films are inadequate, inaccessible to non-Christians and promote enmity through the ‘Us versus Them’ mentality. According to Nehring, ‘the term Christian film has become synonymous with substandard production values, stilted dialogue and childish plots.’ Though, Caribbean filmmakers have not neglected their contribution to the so called ’Christian Film Industry’. Their films that are torn apart by secular critics are primarily based on interventions aimed at the audience rather than organic to the story. ‘As long as Christian films are motivated by a desire to trap people into hearing a gospel presentation, or as a consolation for losing the culture war, they should not make the final cut.’ (Barber 2014) It is not

When life imitates art, the result is often something drastic--like a serial murder spree inspired by Silence of the Lambs. When art imitates life, however, the resulting scenario is more understated, with an almost cyclical effect. For example, a film that encompasses Nazi propaganda is likely to further influence the minds of those with extremist beliefs, who, in turn, make films with Nazi propaganda. In a more covert example, focusing merely on the first part of ‘art imitating life’, the actual imitation, films such as Feng Xiaogang’s Aftershock, takes note of societal norms of male and female gender norms and stereotypes. The family melodrama is about reevaluating the family form after a tragic earthquake tears it apart. The film

In examining my experience during the recent Cohort Intensives held at Payne Theological Seminary (PTS) in Wilberforce, Ohio; I was quite intrigued with how all of the scholars and guest speakers reinforced many of the initiatives I have already implemented in the context of my own ministry. Likewise, my time spent in class with my Cohort mentors Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie and Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson was both scholastically and spiritually invaluable. During the week-long Intensive class sessions with my mentors, I learned a number of new things about myself that I was not previously willing to address. In short, I had a moment of self-actualization that required some personal omissions on my part regarding my faith and yes some internalized oppression as labeled by author Gayraud S. Wilmore. Opening up in class and admitting a few of my own short-comings was nothing short of liberating. Suddenly, I felt as though I had an epiphany; that has given birth to a renewed zeal, mind, and spirit. For the first time in years I am certain that I am now moving closer to the apex of excellence where God intended me to be.