The New International Version : Luke 9 : 23-24

The subject of the book, author’s purpose and intended audience: The history of Christian thought in the modern era was a quest of today’s Christian. Faith in a multi-denominational society decreases a sense of belonging. Since the Enlightenment some

So much of society seems to live his/her life on a sort of self-serving autopilot mode. Rarely does one stop to think how or why he/she is making certain decisions or how these decisions can affect his/her life in the future. Often times, it is not until one has a “string of bad luck” or something tragic happens in one’s life, when he/she will turn to Jesus for help “getting them through this problem” only to return to one’s self-centered ways once his/her life has returned to normal. Living life with a Christian worldview is not something that one can take off a shelf and use when needed and allow it to collect dust on that shelf the rest of the time. This paper will discuss the many parts that make

Few people in the United States, whether a member of the Christian church or not, would argue with the statement that the American Christian Church has external and internal struggles it has been facing for years. An issue that the American church has really struggled with recently is the issue of homosexuality and the sinfulness of it. The book Struggling with Scripture by authors Walter Brueggemann, William C. Placher, and Brian K. Blount each write their thoughts on the interpretation of scripture and how it relates to this issue. These authors present an overarching message that to struggle with the scriptures is a true sign of a person’s religious faithfulness. They deliver their opinions and thoughts from a place of both personal devotion to the bible and intense study of the scriptures. This book encourages the reader that the Christian life is not one of ease, but is instead one of struggling with the living Word leading to growth and revelation of God’s presence.

We have now come to the fourth and final book of Mere Christianity. In this book, the author takes us to the place in our Christian growth where we begin to rely more heavily on the power of God and less on ourselves to become the being that God originally intended for us to be — a son of God. He begins with an explanation of the difference between “making” and “begetting.”

While the goal of Christian education and discipleship is spiritual formation of the new believer into a true disciple who makes other true disciples, this concept has been watered down in the American church today by emphasis on programs instead of progressive spiritual growth in every member’s life. There are many

If one believes they are saved, are they really saved? In Christian culture, children are expected to answer this question, not only for themselves but for the adults who lead them in their spiritual journey. In Langston Hughes’ essay, “Salvation”, Hughes is influenced greatly along his own road to salvation by the older generation in whom he has placed his trust. As he recounts this tale of his own childhood in church, he describes a perversion and destruction of salvation that ultimately leads him to the conclusion that he has not obtained salvation. This exposes a fault within the Christian community in regards to its treatment of children, which has in turn made salvation seemingly unattainable by the children on whom they put so much pressure.

Discipleship students, or those who already have a faith commitment, tend to immediately join one of two categories. The first, or Stagnant, students are those who “made a decision to follow Christ at some time in life but never really grew in faith.” These students, from the outside, look very similar to the world as “the distinction between churched and unchurched students is rapidly shrinking.” These students require time to draw them into a

Church buildings, musical instruments, ministers’ attire, choir robes, hymns, names of converts, schools and curriculums had Americans’ religious, cultural, and economic trademark. The Christianity that addressed issues of life in the American cultural context was transplanted in different parts of the world. Unlike the transition of the Hebraic-Christianity from the Jewish culture to the Gentile world in the first century, which developed its own unique theological, cultural, and leadership identity in a short period of time, the phenomenal growth of Christianity in the majority world has been largely influenced by the dominance of American Christianity. As the result, we have Christian faith that is not well anchored on local theology. And to most of the churches in the majority world, up until recently,

As a Christian what I have observed in my school and in my generation is that youth do not understand what it is to be a Christian and disciple of Christ. There are those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ nor understand what being a true Christian. Then there are those who claim to be Christians but continue to live their lives with the rest of the world. And at last those who have truly dedicated their lives to Christ and have a personal relationship with Him. In 2008 I started my own organization to encourage teens to have a daily prayer life and personal relationship with Christ. I saw this need in my school and I decided to do something about it. The scripture that I use for my organization

A group of very passionate Christians appears at one of the crosswalks of Berea College. Heatedly, they scream at the pedestrians and students and faculty and anyone with hearing intact of the wickedness of the onlookers’ ways and the eternal damnation to which their current life leads them. As obviously necessitated by their religious beliefs, these kind folk attempt to carry out a principle mandate set forth by their God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ: to convert, and therefore save, the sinners of this world.

We have now come to the fourth and final book of Mere Christianity. In this book, the author takes us to the place in our Christian growth where we begin to rely more heavily on the power of God and less on ourselves to become the being that God originally intended for us to be — a son of God. He begins with an explanation of the difference between “making” and “begetting”.

The Christian faith is a well-documented and common religion of the Western civilization. However, because Christianity is so fluid and complex, it easier for Christians to be incorrectly interpreting aspects of the bible. In the book “Why Christian?” by Douglas John Hall, and “She Who Is” by Elizabeth Johnson, both examine some of the critical misunderstandings proving problematic within the Christian faith, but in different “lenses”. The book “Why Christian?” addresses the Christian youth who are in doubt of their faith because of inconsistencies engraved in rules set by the higher officials of the Christian community. While “She Who Is” examines the Christian perspective from the underrepresented woman's’ perspective.

Pre-evangelism should be treated as an art and tailored individually. Part (3) deals with new challenges facing Christianity. In this section, John Carson rightly explains that “there are no silver bullets” in apologetics and that we ought to focus on the resurrection of Jesus as a tool to bring the gospel to a new generation. Hot-button cultural issues such as racial tension, gender equality and

Some people believe that Christianity highlights human nature is sinful, yet this slightly opposes what Christ’s message is: benevolence and love for all. Christian leaders, such a priests and preachers, must try to prevent people in their community from sinning, so they persuade their community into being sin-free. This allows the people to enter Heaven when they die, though it creates guilt for some people. This theme’s relevance to the world is prevalent in the literary work and society today.

Lohfink, Gerhard. Jesus and Community: The Social Dimension of Christian Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984. Kindle.