St. Justin was one of the earliest Christian apologists, and his Apology of the second century helps trace the laying of the Christian dogmatic foundation. The faith, as expressed by Justin, contains several of the elements that established the Christian religion as a religion founded by God Himself -- and as Justin composed his Apology as a defense of Christianity against paganism, it takes pains to explain exactly what Christians were expected to believe. Justin is mentioned by Tertullian as being both a philosopher and a Church martyr who, along with a handful of other early Christian martyrs, was slain in Rome for defending the Faith. That Faith was largely recorded in Justin's First Apology, one of the earliest records of Church teaching on the subject of the Eucharist. Justin's writings survive today because they like so many others were preserved and collected along by the early faithful and the monks who dedicated their lives to removing themselves from the world and holding onto a vision of Christian doctrine. Needless to say, Justin's writings were much commented upon by the early Christian fathers because the first Christian books were constantly being spread throughout the Christian communities. Part of the reason these early Christian books were so well preserved, however, is that there was a long tradition in the Greco-Roman-Judeo world of preserving important texts. Rome was a hybrid of Jewish, Greek and Roman learning. Under Roman rule, after all, Greek and Jew had been assimilated (to a degree) into the Roman culture -- which, under Constantine, became officially Christian. Thus, the Fathers of the Church had Greek, Hebrew, and Roman traditions to draw upon for intellectual grounding. These traditions taught them to gather and collect in an institutional way (ala monastic institution) the first Christian books (Woods, 2008, p. 36). Then there were the councils, at which the early Church fathers and bishops like Augustine gathered to proclaim those writings which were essential to the maintenance...
Christian Security The Christian Doctrine of Eternal Security Christian faith is driven by the underlying notion that doctrinal adherence will lead to salvation. However, just exactly how one effectively adheres and achieves that salvation is a matter very much up for dispute. In fact, this is the dispute at the center of this discussion, which considers what some consider to be among the most divisive matters in the Christian faith. The question
Christian Counseling Theories Christian authors present the very unique set of principles and strategies aiming at helping empower individuals going through counseling. Examining Christian literature and theory illustrates clear assumptions that different authors share, yet also pulled out some clear differences as well. For example, Backus and Chapain (2000) present fluidity, while Adams (1986) suggests Scripture. Still, these authors do all show that the word of God is a crucial element
Christian Toulmin The Politics of Christian Environmentalism Without a doubt, one of the greatest challenges before us as a civilization in the 21st century is the protection and repair of our environment. This is an ambition that cuts across ideologies, scriptures and traditions of faith, dictating a collective responsibility to an admittedly enormous task. For Christians in particular, the onus of responsibility to protect God's Earth should be seen as second to
Christians and the Legal System Christian Relationship to the Legal System As many individuals understand, despite any religious affiliation, the legal system is set in place in order to foster the creation and continuation of a good society. This good society can then be achieved by promoting the good and eliminating the bad. It is in this elimination of the bad, that societies and their legal systems begin to differ. While certain
Christian Biotechnology: Not a Contradiction in Terms Presented with the idea of "Bioethics" most people in the scientific community today immediately get the impression of repressive, Luddite forces wishing to stifle research and advancement in the name of morality and God. Unfortunately, this stereotype too often holds true. If one looks over the many independent sites on the Internet regarding bioethics, reads popular magazines and publications, or browses library shelves for
Thus, the ecological teaching of the Bible is of stewardship, so that rather than being "spiritual at the earth's expense [….] it means exactly the opposite: do not desecrate or depreciate these gifts […] by turning them into worldly 'treasure'; do not reduce life to money or to any other mere quantity" (Berry 526). This biblical ecology would seem in direct opposition to the engagement with capitalism Benne and
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