REFLECTION PAPER
My educational background is not Theology. The Theological knowledge I receive through the teaching from the church and by reading theological books. The desire to study theology is because I realized it is very important to strengthen the basis of my faith and for my spiritual growth.
Before coming to IGSL, I had read many Theology books and I found many books were conflicting with teaching from one another. Sometimes I felt no interest to read theology books anymore because there are contradictions and contrasts in thoughts and made me confused, and disorganized my known theology. That's why I am interested to learn Systematic Theology. Now, I could understand theology better, and I am not confused with my theology.
I realized that the study of theology is not easy because it means learning about doctrine, biblical theology, and systematic theology. This is closely related to understand the infinite mind of God through the finite human mind. I will have difficulty to understand the mind of God, perfectly.
…show more content…
Therefore, when Christ is brought to Asia, the Gospel deals with the culture where the gospel is brought. When someone who brings Christ to a region and does not understand how the culture prevail in that area, he/she will cause problems in presenting the gospel in the area. Culture has an important role in the human relationships and it is a tool that unites an individual against other individuals in a community. When Jesus was as an incarnate human being, he also participated in the culture within the Jewish community. In Indonesia, most of the existing churches are tribal churches. This means the church cannot be separated with the culture that exists in every tribe. The church needs to give its place to the richness of the local culture in terms of language, music, art, dance, and other elements which are of course more meaningful to individuals associated with his/her respective
The book was very well put together with principal concepts, but it was not always easy to follow and some sections had to be read twice for clear comprehension. The message could have been portrayed using straightforward writing that would enable undergraduates and others that are not seeking higher levels of education to process the information. In simpler terms, this book can be essential to pastors, for personal relationships, and other professions if the language is simplified and made more user-friendly.
He specifically advises the reader to learn directly from the church fathers rather than just trusting his explanation. By doing this, Hall allows the reader to individually process the theological issues outlined in the text. The mystery of God is interlaced through the chapters of the text, and through the arguments of the early church fathers as described in the book. Hall uses controversies pertaining to each topic to help readers understand that, even in the church’s early days, there were those who were against Christianity, and there was discord within the
Theology of Christianity appears in many forms. It is a concentration of the study of both the old and new testaments, as well as Christian traditions. Such theologies discussed by the author are: biblical criticism, systematic theology, historical theology, moral theology, pastoral theology, liberation theology, natural theology, liturgical studies and sacramenta theology, and mystical
Michael J. Himes, in his book Doing the Truth in Love, describes theology as a way of “talking about God.” Talking about God brings many questions to mind: how do people talk about God when God is a mystery? How do people converse about what they do not know for sure? Many may think theology is inherited and even theologians talk about what they have learned from doctrines and the history they have been taught. Even though theologians know very little about God aside from what they studied, they still know it is important to talk about God. As Himes states, “God is simply too important to us not to talk about.” Although theologians are still figuring out the mysteries of God, they attempt to put forth their opinions and ideas about God in order to inspire people to find their own theology.
In this paper, I am going to share my ideas of theology. I believe that one of the biggest mistakes I made in the past was that I was afraid of being rejected, so I wrote a theology paper and tried to give the previous COM what I thought they wanted to hear instead of what was truly inside of me. Fortunately for me, even though I was not given a green light in order to see the Eccleastical Council, I was licensed to preach and this gave me time
Over the past eight weeks my view of theology hasn’t changed much. When I hear the word theology, Immediately I think of God, religious faith, and different belief systems that are developed within one’s self. As I strategically consider what does it really mean to me, after this course, I have been exposed to a more in-depth insight to what Christ purpose was and how significant the books in the bible are today. Now, I know why theology is defined as the study of religious faith, practice and experiences. After completing this last assignment, I will continue to have faith in Christianity, live by the principles in my belief system, and relationship with God will be more intimate
Just what is theology? This question can have a wide variety of answers, from irrelevant facts about God thought up by men centuries ago, to complicated theories discussed by scholars. Typically, the average 21st century man does not consider theology as relevant. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Theology by definition has the characteristics of both expounding the truth, and impacting the believer with that truth (Himes, 2011). Therefore, theology and the church are intricately combined, in that the church embodies the revelation of God, and is reality, not theory (Himes, 2011). A personal practical theology must begin with revelation, not the individual (Himes, 2011), and proclaim
As Christians we often believe certain things simply because it’s what our parents and the people around us believe. We often go about our Christian walk without ever giving thought or reason to why we believe what we do. The world of Christian Theology is a place where Christians can find answer to the ‘what and why’ of Christianity. If we are able to begin comprehending Christian Theology and the rudimental knowledge of it, then we can take it with us into more in depth books and discussions about theology, know the importance of it and how vital it is for Christians
In his hardback titled The Church: Contours of Christian Theology, Edmund P. Clowney writes a systematic presentation about concerning the doctrine of the church. In chapter eight of his book, he describes the Marks of the Church. Clowney writes about the marks of a true church of Christ, which include the true preaching of the Word of God; the proper observation of the sacraments; and the faithful exercise of church discipline.
In the study of Christian theology, scripture plays an essential role in the revelation of the Doctrine of God. Scriptures are “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) words, written by the Holy Spirit through divine inspiration of prophets. They are necessary for the proper understanding of the doctrine of God, the self-revelation of God, the proof of God’s existence, and for the discernment of false doctrines.
The nature of theology is found the Western theologian era. The nature of God is known to be in monotheistic religion. It is a broad,
Studies of Jesus primarily focus on the duality of Jesus and how he is able to be both human and divine at once. This subject was disputed at the Council of Chalcedon in the year 451 between the
Theology will impact my life in a new way because it will challenge me to dive deeper into the word of God than just scratching the surface. Moreover, it will provide a framework that can be used to reveal God’s presence and revelation in the scriptures, as well as, the many aspects of my life. I did not study theology before, as this class is my first academic opportunity to do so. Actually, I had originally thought of theology as another term used to discuss the Bible and debate interpretations on verse or themes of the Bible. I believed it was based mostly on opinion through personal revelation. This was also a time in my life where I loosely believed that interpretations were founded from personal epiphanies of the reader. Thankfully,
Objective: After this lesson, the student will be able to reflect on one’s experience of everyday life, especially on a “depth experience”
The fields of philosophy and theology are often grounds of debate. While some hold these two to be relevant and dependent on each other, others find them to be completely independent of each other. In John D. Caputo’s work, Philosophy and Theology, he expresses his view of these fields as companions. Caputo states, “Think of philosophers and theologians as fellow sailors on [the] ocean,” depicting his view of the interdependence of these two fields (Caputo 69). Through his illustration we can find the influence philosophy and theology can have on each other in facilitating our toleration of such a mysterious future and world.