Journey To Christianity

As a project we were told to study a religion from an outsider’s perspective. We, as students, would attend that specific religion’s place of worship to observe their rituals and routines. Then after service we would conduct an interview with the participants to answer our personal questions such as “Why do they do the things they do?” or “How often do they do this?” I chose to study Christianity even though I am a Christian. I thought it would be interesting to see if most Christian churches practice Christianity the same way. However, prior to attending services I researched the history of Christianity.

God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; I believe God is the creator, ruler, and redeemer. (Genesis 1:1 , Revelation 4:11) Jesus Christ is the Son of God.( John 1:14) Jesus became a man and was conceived by the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless life, and willingly gave himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all

I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the decision set before me. Well, maybe overwhelmed is the wrong word; more like scared shitless, although I later learned scared shitless isn’t the proper term. You see, “Mature” Christians call it, being convicted by the holy spirit. Which, oddly enough, is God and Jesus all rolled into one, but that is a theological discussion for another day, right now we’re talking about my childhood conversion. So, call it what you will, I was scared shitless! Now let me see if I can set the scene for you, and remember I was only thirteen year old, I knew nothing of life, much less the “lofty” concepts of original sin and redemption. It all seems so inane now, but when you’re a kid critical reasoning isn’t part of your skill set, and unfortunately, it hasn’t made it’s way into many adults tool boxes either. So, after sitting through a classic hellfire and brimstone sermon

My belief in god has no firm beginning. It was just something I accepted like two plus two equals four or that chocolate ice cream tastes really good. I never really knew that you did not have to believe in god as everybody I knew for most of my life did. That was until I encountered, my cousin, Ryan’s beliefs or lack thereof. He thought

God Many people often wonder who God is. Seen through the Christian faith God is a triune person. God is apart of the trinity, which is made up of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit (CWV-101

When discussing children signing a pledge and making a commitment to be involved in Christian Endeavor, the book emphasizes the need to “Go Slowly.” It urged leaders to take time to meet with children individually to make sure they fully understand and are sincere in their faith and commitment. It says to be certain children are “not attracted to the novelty of the affair” (p. 10). This idea is not often at the forefront of ministry in our culture, which regularly uses novelty to entice children and uses the number of people making commitments to prove the validity of a ministry. Especially in regards to children, who are very impressionable, leaders should not seek to pressure children in any way. I think it’s also important to note the book

    Surprised by Joy is essentially an account of those factors that brought Lewis to a mature, adult Christian faith. Lewis begins his work with an overview of the Lewis household and his early schooling. “The reality Lewis found on the pages of his parents' extensive library seems as tangible and meaningful to him as anything that occurred in the "outside" world” (Hannay 41). Lewis depicts himself and brother, William, as absolute confidants who share their deepest longings and secrets--all in the security of their parents' home. The tranquility and sanctity of the Lewis home is shattered by the death of his mother; the rest of his saga becomes the melancholy search for the

Determination is perhaps the most important quality for success. To be determined, you must have an eager need for your goal. One who is seriously determined, must also be persistent, this is how we see change and difference made. The early Christians in early Rome showed more than enough of both determination, and especially persistence. Without their efforts, Christianity would not be the number one religion in the world, with over two point one billion members (Infoplease); and not to mention its nearest competitor, Islam, almost half as large with one point three billion members. (Infoplease) They had an enormous impact on our world today, as the religion is once again growing into more and more parts of the country. (Infoplease)

Christian beliefs are rooted in the idea of a risen Savior. The fact that Jesus was crucified, buried and rose again on the third day is a cornerstone of the Christian faith. However, it is also a source of great debate. Many scholars believe that there is an abundance of evidence supporting an actual, physical resurrection. Still others believe evidence is found that refutes the idea of a bodily resurrection. For those, evidence of a more metaphorical or spiritual resurrection is present.

4.God is triune. God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit all wrapped into one.

The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us and how we should relate to Him. The doctrine of the Trinity explains that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In other words, God exits one in essence but three in person. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. These definitions express three crucial truths: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons, but there is only one God. In other words, each person of the Trinity has their own “office,” and each person of the Trinitarian society is revealed through their relation to the other persons of the Trinity (Edwards, Works of Jonathan Edwards volume 21, 31). It must be said that the work of the Trinity is a work of all three persons in complete consent with each other. Therefore, when one mentions the work of one person of the Trinity it is the work of all three.

The story that spoke to me most was in Two Tales (n.d). In the tale, a mullah stops to assist three men with their dilemma. From the beginning, the mullah demonstrated active listening and compassion. He was willing to help and, without hesitation, gave of himself to bring peace to these three men. By offering his camel, he simplified the conflict and made the solution more evident. Sometimes when we are too close to the conflict, our perspective is narrowed and we are unable to find resolution. The mullah, a third party to the conflict, could see the answer himself. Instead of providing the answer to them, he helped them work the problem so they could realize the solution themselves and grow from the experience. The mullah’s management of

Before the rise of Christianity as a major religion in the European area, Paganism was a belief that was common among all people across Europe. Paganism involved polytheistic beliefs with ritualistic tradition and animal sacrifice. This belief was common in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, which is from where the epic poem Beowulf is thought to have originated circa 550 AD. Due to the origins of Beowulf being surrounded by Pagan tradition and culture and reliance on the method of oral recitation of the story, the poem holds Pagan influences. Examples of these influences include the monsters that Beowulf faces in the story, idol worship, and burning the dead among many other elements. Also around the time of Beowulf, the rise of the Jesus Movement, which eventually became Christianity, was spreading rapidly around Europe. This also served an influence, as populations in Europe were quick to convert from Paganism to Christianity. Consequently, the story would have Christian ideals inserted within during more recounts of the story orally, where Christian monks would transcribe the originally Anglo-Saxon text into language that upheld Christian values more than it did the Pagan values. The rise of Christianity was effective in bringing the epic story of Beowulf into the spotlight, but at the cost of some historic traditions that were associated with the text. Even though this is the case, Beowulf still retains some of its Pagan elements, in conjunction with its Christian elements.

The book Steps to Christ discusses our relationship with God. The author Ellen White describes thirteen steps we must take to enable us to have a loving and committed relationship with our Heavenly Father. In this essay I discuss each of the thirteen steps.

The Father: I AM that I AM. The first person of the Trinity: holy and eternal. He is the front of Deity (autotheos). He has no source but Himself, He is utterly transcendent and unknowable: “No man can come to the Father…” The Father is the ultimate source of the Godhead and of all things. The Son: The Word of the Father. He is the second Person (hypostasis) of the Trinity. He is eternally begotten of the Father, He is not made, “Begotten, not made.” His source is the Father’s Person (hypostasis), so he is not Deity (autotheos), but Divine. His divinity is inherited from the Father, despite having a source, He has always been. He never not existed. He was brought to the earth and carried by the Virgin Mary after she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was fully human and fully God, two natures in one person: a hypostatic union. He was killed and resurrected, conquering Death forever. He sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the day of final judgment. Humans can only approach the Father through the Son. Holy Spirit: The Lord, the giver of life. He is the third Person (hypostasis) of the Trinity. Despite having a source, he has always existed.