Therefore, the research conduced on the word of God can be a useful means through which a priest can become a better preacher by adapting his sermons in such a manner as to insure that he does not exclude certain parts of his community and addressing only the ones that believe or the ones than need to be shown the path of God.
Another important role played by theology for the priest is the knowledge that this exercise provides in better understanding the word of God in the way that it becomes accessible to all the community, regardless of background. More precisely, the Holy Book although speaks of generally applicable truths, has a lot of interpretations. The study of theology allows the priest to be in deep contact to these interpretations and be aware of the teachings and adapt its sermons. Also, it is important for the preacher to understand…...

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References

Tarazi, Paul. "The Synthesis of Interpretation and Proclamation" in Orthodox Synthesis: the Unity of Theological Thought (ed) Joseph Allen. New York: Athens Printing Company, 1981.

Paul, believed that all things material were acceptable as long as they were given proper thanks for. This really puts the idea of dualism in the marriage status and of the superiority of any of the two approaches on a very clear perspective: marriage, including for the clergy, has been regarded as something sacred in the Scriptures and, as a consequence, there is nothing more superior about leading a monastic life, just a matter of spiritual option.
Chapter 6 goes back to a concept that has been previously mentioned in chapter 1, the principle of economia. The principle of economia, as shown, referred to the capacity of the prelate to change or bypass existing religious regulation. In the paragraphs I am referring to, Joseph Allen discusses how this can be applied to the marriage of the clergy, in several distinct situations, such as marriage after consecration or marriage of a…...

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While the Gnostics believed that the dualism of the world was very clearly defined and that all things material (including, thus, marriage) were evil, relevant figures of the Church, such as St. Paul, believed that all things material were acceptable as long as they were given proper thanks for. This really puts the idea of dualism in the marriage status and of the superiority of any of the two approaches on a very clear perspective: marriage, including for the clergy, has been regarded as something sacred in the Scriptures and, as a consequence, there is nothing more superior about leading a monastic life, just a matter of spiritual option.

Chapter 6 goes back to a concept that has been previously mentioned in chapter 1, the principle of economia. The principle of economia, as shown, referred to the capacity of the prelate to change or bypass existing religious regulation. In the paragraphs I am referring to, Joseph Allen discusses how this can be applied to the marriage of the clergy, in several distinct situations, such as marriage after consecration or marriage of a widowed priest. The paragraphs again emphasize the usefulness of the concept of economia as a way of adapting regulation to human context.

The appendix discusses again, as an essay, the idea of whether Church should change its ways or not. A very important aspect is mentioned in one of the paragraphs here: the Church should take all measures necessary to ensure its own good. This means that it should not take into considerations things that were good for it 2000 years ago (namely, ancient rules and regulations), but elements that are good for it in the present time, in the current human context.

Pastoral Theology: What it means to 'read the signs'
One basic belief that lies behind the social teaching of Catholics is that the Almighty has shaped human history. This biblical era perception transcends time, prevailing even today. Indeed, it holds true in areas and among civilizations wherein God's word is accepted as well as among civilizations that were completely unaware of Christ or the gospel. God is in action, redeeming and healing humanity and inviting it to contribute to this work. Perceiving God's historical actions and understanding His invitation, is now, typically called: "reading the signs of the times." In the modern social thought of Catholics, this term is based on the following statement of Christ's to Sadducees and Pharisees: "You know how to read the face of the sky, but you cannot read the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:4). Pope Saint John XXIII first utilized this phrase in modern…...

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Reference List

Armstrong, A., 2009. Everyday Theology: Money is the root of all evil - Blogging Theologically. [online] Blogging Theologically. Available at: [Accessed 28 May 2016].

Beth, L., 2004. Catholic Social Teaching - Theological Context: Reading the Signs of the Times - FAMVIN News. [online] FAMVIN News. Available at: [Accessed 28 May 2016].

Cassidy, J., 2013. Pope Francis's Challenge to Global Capitalism. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: [Accessed 28 May 2016].

Cox, H., 2006. Keeping faith with the secular city. [online] Keeping faith with the secular city. Available at: [Accessed 28 May 2016].

WEEK 10Week 10Pastoral care incorporates care for all people involved in any form of oppression. Sensitive pastoral caregiving could come in handy in efforts to contain violence and thereafter promote peace. It would be prudent to note that contained violence shields and obscures oppression. Pastoral caregivers should intervene in diverse formats to aid and equip persons who are at risk of being discriminated against. Lamentation in pastoral care is used to express pain or any form of oppression, whereby lament is practiced as a way of confronting a specific form of injustice. Through laments, pastoral caregivers cry out to God to provide justice to the oppressed. Further, on this front, the oppressed are equipped to move on following traumatic experiences.People with disabilities are at increased risk of injustices in form of social oppression. To rein in the said form of oppression, pastoral care could rope in teachings on ableism which…...

Theological Themes Theological themes 2Theological ThemesPastoral care is based on several practices. They include being empathetic, listening, and responding. Most people seek pastoral care when faced with complex situations such as coping, trauma, grief, and loss. Active listening is vital, and it includes skills of boundary-setting and self-awareness. Doehring (2015) provides practical and theoretical models for assessment and how leaders should be empathetic. Spiritual care is a liberating spiritual integration, which aligns the values, beliefs, and practices in ways that liberate people, their families, and societies. Spiritual leaders should be empathetic to the people going through challenging situations, and they should listen to the people and respond to them. Spiritual leaders give hope to the people when they seek their help (Doehring, 2015). The main concepts include using practical and valuable tools and concepts using distinctive humanity, wisdom, and voice. The pastoral counselors from every helping profession must use the…...

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ReferenceDoehring, C. (2015). The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach (Revised and Expanded Edition). Westminster John Knox Press.

Book Chapter: A Theology of Communion for the Contemporary Catholic Parish
Introduction
The study of ecclesiology is the study of how the Christian church, the ever-expanding body of believers, has evolved over time to respond to new political and social realities. Ecclesiology also takes into account the way organizational structures, hierarchies, and roles within the church have changed and reflect the nuances of a cultural milieu or historical epoch. In addition to all that, the study of ecclesiology also comprises the church’s relationship with surrounding community organizations. How the church forms strategic alliances with secular political, social, and economic institutions is also part of the complex array of issues that impact ecclesiology. Although some aspects of the church must remain stable over time to reflect scripture, church polity and organization remains one of the most dynamic aspects of Christianity and the role it plays in the world.

As MacDougall (2015) puts it, “at…...

(Paul, 2005) In fact, the AAPC survey found that African-Americans, devout evangelicals, people without a college degree, the elderly and people age 18 to 29 are most likely to fear that a professional counselor won't take their religious beliefs into serious consideration when treating them. (Paul, 2005)
People come to Christian counselors for two reasons," commented Randolph Sanders, executive director of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, an association of Christians in mental health and behavioral sciences. "One is faith perspective; they want a therapist who resonates with their worldview. The second is moral ethics; they want a counselor who understands what guides their decisions." (Paul, 2005)

Christian counseling, more than secular counseling, has the ability to present a starkly positive viewpoint. In fact, the origins of Christian counseling were planted in the clergy, whom parishioners historically consulted about emotional and spiritual well-being and health.

According to Paul, The progenitors of faith-based…...

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Bibliography

Tillich, Paul. 1951. Systematic Theology, vol. 1. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Friedman, Edwin. 1985. Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue. New York: Guilford Press.

Zikmund, Barbara, et al. 1988. Clergy Women: An Uphill Calling. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.

Yust, Karen. 2002. "The Toddler and the Community," in Human Development and Faith, ed. Felicity Kelcourse. St. Louis: Chalice Press.

Theology: evelation and John
evelation and John: Theology

A lot of debate and controversy surrounds the proper interpretation of the Book of evelation. There are four main interpretations of the apocalyptic work, with the four differing on the question of whether the events in evelation have already been fulfilled, and whether the symbols relate to any historical events (Pate, 2009). We discuss three of these interpretations:

The Idealist View

the book of evelation does not relate to any historical events; it only symbolizes the ongoing struggle between evil and good (Kreider, 2004)

Symbols not tied to specific events, but point to themes in the history of the church - the battles represent the spiritual warfare manifested in wars and the persecution of Christians; the catastrophes represent God's displeasure with man's sinful nature and a manifestation of how God emerges victorious in the end; the trumpets represent natural disasters occurring as God works out His plan…...

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References

Instone-Brewer, D. (2002). Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible: The Social and Literary Context. Grand Rapids, MI: W. B. Eedrmans Publishing Company.

Kreider, G. R. (2004). Jonathan Edward's Interpretation of Revelation 4: 1-8: 1. Lanham, MA: University Press of America.

Mayes, B. T. G. (2011). Counsel and Conscience: Lutheran Casuistry and Moral Reasoning after the Reformation. Berlin, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht Publishers.

Pate, M. C. (2009). Reading Revelation: A Comparison of Four Interpretive Translations of the Apocalypse. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic Publishers.

WEEK IXWeek IXPastoral care tends to be different in different cultural settings or communities. Different cultures have unique and diverse perspectives about life. Thus, pastoral care includes a multicultural approach when engaging or counselling the said communities. This ensures that undertakings on this front respect unique aspects of all people as well as their culture. Therefore, it is important to note that pastoral care in one community could differ from that undertaken in another community. For instance, in pastoral care with African-American women, womanist strategies and perspectives could be more effective. Most African-American women are discriminated against on the basis of their religion and spirituality. For this reason, pastoral care with the said community would ideally incorporate certain aspects on religion and spirituality. This could come in handy in efforts to ensure that the psychological wellness of African-American women is secured.With regard to pastoral care in Latino community, marginality approach…...

PASTORAL THEOLOGY (MISSION): A Review and Assessment of Book Chapters on Mission
The key ideas in these chapters are that the idea of mission is rooted in the Bible and in the actions of the early Church, as the missionaries spread throughout the world taking with them the ord of God and giving it to those individuals and groups of people/communities who embraced it and wanted to live their lives according to this ord. The ord was the Mission Statement, so to speak, of the early Church, and the Bible makes this very clear. From the beginning, God's chosen had an affinity with the non-chosen, that is, the Gentiles, of whom Our Lord counted Himself as one. Thus, the perspective of the early missionaries was this: they were not going out to preach to people they did not know but rather to people who were indeed their brothers in sisters in…...

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Works Cited

Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission.

Maryknoll NY: Orbis, 1991. Print.

Senior, Donald & Carroll Stuhlmueller. The Biblical Foundations for Mission.

London: SCM, 1983. Print.

The seeking of salvation is an admission of ignorance while authority-based communication is an assertion of knowledge. The two are incompatible.
Instead, communication has to be understanding-based. All communication should recognize the suffering of the human beings and have the aim of discovering the nature of that suffering, to understand that suffering. Christians have heard it in the Prayer of Saint Francis, which reads: "..grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood, as to understand..."

Even secular thinkers understand this concept, as demonstrated by popular Personal Development guru Stephen Covey's principle of "Seek First to Understand, Then Be Understood."

In understanding-based communication, disagreements would no longer express judgment and authority, but trust and compassion. Trust that the other person has your best interests at heart and compassion for the other person who shares your suffering. Although doctrine and theology will inevitably present itself…...

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References

Majesty and Meekness: A Comparative Study of Contrast and Harmony in the Concept of God, Craman.

Understanding Buddhism, Jacobson.

Buddhism and the Contemorary World, Jacobson

Beyond Ideology: Religion and the Future of Western Civilization, Smart

Counseling Model
A Practical Pastoral Counseling Model

Counseling Setting

Where Will Counseling Take Place?

oundaries for Safety and Security

Relational Style

Relational/Communication Style

Structure/Strategy

Sessions

Summation

Supportive Feedback

God's Riches at Christ's Expense

Annotated ibliography

A Practical Pastoral Counseling Model

This is an overview of the counseling position that I will take when working with clients/parishioners. I realize that this cannot encompass every eventuality that may occur during a counseling session, but it should be comprehensive enough to account for most of the possibilities that present themselves. I acknowledge that this is also the treatise of someone who is going to be practicing as a pastor first and a counselor second, therefore the relationship of a shepherd to his assigned sheep is the most important consideration in all of this. Also, the counseling relationship that a pastor enjoys with a parishioner is not as extensive as that between a patient and a professional counselor/psychologist/psychiatrist/social worker, so this plan will take into account that clinical…...

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Bibliography

Anger

Carlson, Dwight L. 2000. Overcoming hurts and anger. Eugene: Harvest House. ISBN: 0736901965

This book is a real help when dealing with anger. The author gives you steps on how to prevent your anger and deal with past anger in a Christian manner. He gives examples of mishandled anger, biblical principles about anger, and how to handle anger in a Christ-like way.

LaHaye, Tim and Bob Phillips. 2002. Anger is a choice. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN: 0310242835

Pastoral Theology: The Modern ole of Mission Work in the Church
Historically, mission work played a critical role in the establishment of the Christian Church. Christians were called to spread Christianity beyond their initial groups of worshippers and the concept of the mission to spread religion gradually developed over time. Over the course of history, these missions have taken varying forms, though mission work has frequently combined the provision of some type of help with introductions to the basic tenets of Christianity. Modern mission work continues to combine these two elements, but in varying ways. Christians are no less called to spread the Gospel than they were in the early days, when Christianity was a new religion and unknown to many of the people of the world. Spreading the Gospel is about more than giving people information about Christianity; for mission workers, spreading the Gospel is about letting people know what…...

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References

Bevans, S & Schroeder, R 2004, Constants in context: a theology of mission for today, Orbis,

Maryknoll.

Bosch, D 1991, Transforming mission: paradigm shifts in theology of mission, Orbis, Maryknoll.

Dorr, D 2000, Mission in today's world, Columba, Dublin.

Ma Pastoral Theology -- Spiritual Abuse
HEN THE SYSTEM BECOMES THE PERSECUTOR

Veenhuizen's dissertation explores spiritual abuse, using Relational Theology to understand a healthy spiritual relationship vs. spiritual abuse. In Relational Theology, God offers a bilateral covenant with Him and with others of unreserved love and commitment with the gifts of blessing to anyone accepting His offer. Spiritual abuse sharply contrasts with God's covenant. Spiritual abuse has existed for quite some time; consequently, theological writers such as Veenhuizen and mental health professionals have all addressed the causes, discernment and treatment of spiritual abuse.

Foundation of Relational Theology

Veenhuizen's dissertation correctly shows that there are various definitions of Spiritual Abuse (Veenhuizen, 2011). The most inclusive one found in my research is from Lisa Oakley's "Developing safeguarding policy and practice for Spiritual Abuse" (Oakley & Kinmond, 2014). After studies and interviews with numerous survivors of Spiritual Abuse, Oakley and her team concluded that Spiritual Abuse is…...

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Works Cited

Anonymous, 2012. Spiritual abuse rising in many places, it seems. [Online]

Available at:  http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2012/04/spiritual-abuse-rising-in-many-places.html 

[Accessed 19 May 2016].

Berry, B. O., 2010. Spiritual abuse in the Christian community. Orlando, FL: Asbury Theological Seminary.

Nancy Jean Vyhmeister and Terry Robertson
Quality Research Papers, 3rd Edition, provides updates to the 2nd Edition book on how to perform research in religious and theological studies. The aims of the book are four-fold: first, to promote and develop the ability of students to perform research work; second, to teach students how to better express themselves in their research writing; third, to help students achieve their academic goals; and fourth, to act as an overall how-to with detailed descriptions of step-by-step procedures in performing research.

The book is divided into three sections, not including the introductory section which defines research. The first main section is on the different kinds of theological education research, from exegeses to doctoral dissertations. The second section deals with the process of carrying out research, from critical thinking and choosing a topic to using the Internet and organizing the different parts of the research paper. The…...

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Bibliography

Vyhmeister, Nancy Jean; Robertson, Terry. Quality Research Papers: For Students of Religion and Theology. MI: Zondervan, 2014.