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This course changed my concept of what it meant to be a Christian in three fundamental ways, all focused on what it means to me to be a Christian in modern society, rather than on the theological underpinnings of Christianity. This course helped me realize that Christianity is not merely a system of belief, which is how many people conceive of religion. Instead, Christianity must be a combination of action and belief. However, it also made me more committed to some of the fundamental underpinnings of Christian theology, which I had admittedly abandoned in my own desire to equate being a Christian with being a good person and trying to do the right thing. However, reading this book, I came to the realization that I was failing to embrace all of Christianity. Just as it is necessary, but not sufficient, to be a good person in order to honestly claim to be a Christian, is also necessary, but not sufficient, to believe in the divinity of Jesus in order to be a Christian. The three topics that have most changed my understanding of what it means to be a Christian are: 1) Whether Jesus claimed to be God; 2) Why Jesus needed to be born to a virgin; 3) Why how a Christian lives his life is important.
The most important realization I had when reading Towns' book was that Jesus was not only divine, but made claims to divinity while he was on Earth. When I began this course, I really had the impression that Jesus' divinity was not really critical to Christianity. After all, regardless of whether he was wholly human or a mixture of the divine and human, all sources supported the idea that Jesus was a very good person. There seemed little harm in a religion where the people practicing the religion were striving to be like a very good role model. However, to take that approach to Christianity really strips it of its spiritual meaning. Christianity is not merely an ethical system outlining acceptable and unacceptable behavior. In fact, without the divinity of Jesus, why would...
But later, Aquinas joined the two approaches of philosophy and theology to present a theory of the cosmos. "Reason was no longer conceived as the nemesis of Faith...Aquinas [claimed] that both were paths to a single truth: 'God exists'" (Kreis, 2000). Philosophy and reason in general were no longer seen as hostile to faith. The Late Middle Ages was characterized by interest in anatomy, as is reflected in the more
Change Management in Public Organizations Change management involves an organization moving through adjustments to bring it into a different point in its development (Anderson & Anderson, 2001). Companies are almost always changing and growing, but when change management is involved these changes are calculated and they take place in a planned way. The goal is to move the company forward so that it can continue to grow and develop with the
Life and Death and Freud and Nietzsche What are the similarities between Plato's concept of life after death and the early Christian concept of life after death? How did later Christians combine these concepts? What is the evidence that Jesus came back to life after execution? Plato is often considered as one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. He wrote about the concepts of justice and social order, of moral right
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
While other beings are considered to have love or act in loving ways, only God is determined to be love. Every action executed by God is derived from this essential principle that He is love. Love is the lens though which we understand and interpret all of God's actions. The love of God is described by the use of the word agape in the Epistle of John. Agape love is
E. non-conflict) situations. Applying the same techniques of maintaining a loving relationship and still communicating your own issues, while remaining calm and open to hearing the other person's complaints and issues, is a simplified way of viewing the majority of conflict management techniques. Prioritization during conflicts, even those that ultimately lead to the dissolution of a relationship, is also essential to successfully managing the conflict (Chapman 340). Though conflicts ending in
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