Scriptures
iblical passages - interpretation

Romans 8:28 This scripture emphasizes the fact that people are more likely to improve their personal condition as long as they concentrate on loving God and being faithful to Him while living their lives. One can assume that the passage is meant to say that individuals who fail to acknowledge the importance of praising God are going to worsen their condition. As a consequence, people apparently need to change in order to experience better lives.

Romans 10:17 This scripture is intended to provide people with the chance to understand that they need to interact with the divine on a more frequent basis in order to be able to truly become believers. A more complex message might relate to how people need to be able to understand exactly what God expects from them in order to effectively become Christians. As long as one fails to understand God's message, the…...

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Bibliography:

"English Standard Version (ESV Bible)," Retrieved February 21, 2014, from  http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/

Their methods also include a great deal of logical reasoning as well as faith-based interpretation, all of which are appropriate means of engaging in investigations and forming conclusions in relation to scripture. The evidence that the authors used also seemed to be fairly accurate, insofar as it was verifiable; the Biblical passages cited were definitely on point, and many interpretations and criticisms that the authors cited seemed familiar and reliable. The fact that much of the book is argumentative and based on logical conclusions adds to the appearance of accuracy in the text, and the authors unquestionably manage to convince the readers of their conclusions. The evidence itself highly supports the author's conclusions, but it is more so the way in which this evidence is presented to the reader and the degree of logical certainty that seems an inherent part of their argument that is especially convincing, as the…...

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Reference

Pinnock, C. & Callen, B. (2006). The Scripture Principle: Reclaiming the Full Authority of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

" In fact, he and others instead see the gospel as a condemnation of the Jews who chose insurrection. Mark saw the choice between Barabbas and Jesus, as it was told and not necessarily as it happened, as one that symbolized the dramatic fate awaiting Jerusalem.
In Greek, the technical term for such a rebel bandit is lestes, and that is exactly what Barabbas is called. He was a bandit, a rebel, an insurgent, a freedom fighter - depending always, of course, on your point-of-view." (Crossan, 143.)

He continues to relate the story of Pilate's choice, one of either Barabbas or Jesus, to not the hatred of the Jews but instead to the historical realities of the day, those from which the Markan author was distinctly temporally separated.

But Mark was written soon after the terrible consummation of the First Roman-Jewish War in 70 C.E., when Jerusalem and its Temple were totally destroyed.…...

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St. Iranaeus of Lyons. Against the Heresies. New York: Newman Press, 1991.

Rhoads, David M. Mark As Story. London: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1999.

Schnelle, Udo. The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998.

Moral Theology and Scripture
The Second Vatican Council stated that scripture should be the soul of moral theology. This study will discuss and illustrate how scripture can be properly used in moral theology. According to the work of Curran (1999) Catholic moral theology "has only recently begun to ask explicit questions about the use of Scripture in moral theology. In the manuals of moral theology before Vatican II the primary source of moral wisdom and knowledge was human reasons and the Scriptures were often used in a very uncritical way primarily as proof texts to support a point that was grounded in human reason." (p.49) Curran reports as an example of this "uncritical use of Scripture" is the question concerning killing an individual when that individual threatens one's life. It is reported that it has been proposed by "some manualiststhat one could, as a last resort, kill a person who insulted…...

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References

Blankenhorn, B (2007) Two Paradigms of Catholic Moral Theology. Retrieved from: http://www.blessed-sacrament.org/twoparadigms.htm

Curran, C. (nd) The Role and Function of the Scriptures in Moral Theology.

Curran, CE (1999) The Catholic Moral Tradition Today: A Synthesis. Georgetown University Press. 5 Apr 1999. Retrieved from:  http://books.google.com/books?id=HlrI8btG2wEC&dq=how+scripture+can+be+properly+used+in+moral+theology.&source=gbs_navlinks_s 

Faith and Culture in Conversation: Another Theologian at Work.(2010) Australian eJournal of Theology 16.1. Retrieved from:  http://aejt.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/436107/AEJT_16_BR_1.pdf

Scripture Argument
Argument from Scripture: God's existence cannot be proven by the presence of the concept of God within the text of the Holy Scriptures

Does God exist? Some would argue that this is the most fundamental question posed by any religion. However, even this assertion is somewhat problematic, since this assumption of God as a unified, theologically cohesive being that intervenes, but sometimes does not intervene in worldly affairs is itself problematic and a cultural construction of the major estern traditions of religious thought. There are those who would appeal to scripture for a proof of God's existence, such as the Catholic theologian and saint Anselm, who said that because scripture and the human mind could conceive of a 'something greater' existing, therefore it must exist. In other words, because the higher ideal of God was recorded in the Bible, filtered through the less perfect collective consciousness of the human animal,…...

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Works Cited

Kent, T. "Anselm." (2004) The Catholic Encyclopedia. [Available online]

 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01546a.htm 

Lataste, J. "Pascal." (2004) The Catholic Encyclopedia. [Available online]

Faith, Tradition, And Scripture
Lewis played an integral part in spreading the Christian faith in the 20th century. His numerous works have explored the ideas of Faith, Tradition, and Scripture and helped identify what it means to be a Christian. And yet the Church has always taught according to Sacred Faith and Sacred Tradition -- these two being the guiding lights of the Magisterium. Even the Second Vatican Council has stated, "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church" (Dei Verbum). Faith, Tradition, and Scripture, therefore, play an integral role in the formation of Christian identity and culture. This paper will analyze the Faith, Tradition, Scripture formula and show how it has developed through the centuries.

The Deposit of Faith

Vernon Staley (1894) states that "it is upon the authority of the Church, and upon that alone, that we know what is Scripture,…...

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Reference List

Lewis, C.S. (2001). Mere Christianity. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

New Revised Standard Version Bible. (2009). New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Staley, V. (1894). The Catholic Religion. London, UK: Mowbray.

Canonical Scriptures: Development of Christianity
There were a number of decisions that were made in the forming of the canonical scriptures as they appear today. These decisions were largely based on the events that took place in the first four centuries of the development of Christianity (Noll, 2012, p.66). Additionally, since it was during this time period that the administration, circumscription, and focus of Christianity was actually developing, concerns related to these matters played a profound impact upon the selection of scriptures which reinforced this religion. In this way, the role of the canonical scriptures was designed specifically to reinforce and, in many cases, actually prove some of the key points of Christianity. Thus, the reason and rationale for the canonical scriptures was to both solidify and buttress important ecclesiastical and pragmatic concerns regarding the way Christianity is practiced.

In terms of the ecclesiastic or spiritual elements of Christianity, certain texts were…...

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References

Noll, M. (2012). Turning points: Decisive moments in the history of Christianity. (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. ISBN-13: 9780801039966 (Available as print text only)

Oppenheimer, M. (2011). Focusing on the Jewish story of the New Testament. The New York Times. Retrieved from  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/a-jewish-edition-of-the-new-testament-beliefs.html?_r=0 

Shelley, B. (2008). Church history in plain language (3rd ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson. ISBN-13: 9780718025533 (Available as print text only)

Indeed, it is as if the U.S. Congress or president were to decide what constituted Christian doctrine and scripture, and everyone went along at the peril of their lives, according to idstrup.

The result of the ible's origins as selected parts of whole bodies of scripture, written by at least a hundred and fifty different people in dozens of different places at different times, many centuries apart, and for different reasons, colors what its authors wrote. However, that simple fact is widely ignored, both by people who naively follow what they read in it as the inerrant word of God, and by more liberal scholastic theologians, who seek to understand its historical context as well as a body of doctrinal scripture, which they often blindly follow, even though they know full well its messy origins. (idstrup, 2001)

As a result, the scripture basis for Christianity is much more varied than one might…...

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Bibliography

Dominguez, J. (2004) Religions in China: Taoism. www.religion-cults.com.

Armstrong, Karen, "A History of God" New York: Ballantine Books, 1993, pp. 10-11.

Refuge-Outreach.com. (2001). Taoism. www.refuge-outreach.com.

Mack, Burton L., "Who Wrote the New Testament?" New York: Harper Collins, 1996, p. 40.

Orthodoxy and the Establishment of the Canon
The fact that the early leading churches, from Antioch to Alexandria to Rome, were separated by many miles and had their own issues and problems that were directly addressed in letters (that would go on to be recognized as part of the Sacred canon of Scripture) surely played a part in the difficulty that arose when the Gnostics and other heretical sects began to interact with the looseness of the organization. It was, however, this challenge that established the need for a Church-recognized official canon of Scripture. Identifying the precise "principle" that went into the "selection of the New Testament writings and their recognition as Divine" is one challenge that even theologians throughout history have been divided upon.[footnoteRef:1] Some early Church Fathers based the divine source of Scriptures upon their Apostolic origin, recognizing their writers as being in the same vein as the Old…...

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Bibliography

Green, Bradley. Shapers of Christian Orthodoxy. IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 2010.

Irenaus, "Against Heresies," Gnosis.org. Web. 1 Jun 2016.

Kruger, Michael. Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New

Testament. IL: Crossway, 2012.

Israelite history and religion from the patriarchal period to the second temple contains a number of covenants, laws, prophecies, moral lessons, relations with Canaanite culture and larger empires like the Roman Empire (which eventually tore down the second temple under Titus). The history of the Israelites is contained within the pages of the Hebrew Bible or the scripture of the Old Testament, as Christians call it. This information reveals an evolution of a group of people and their relationship with their God as well as with other peoples in the areas where they settle. It contains extraordinary depictions of covenants between God and man, such as the Adamic covenant, that Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, and the Davidic covenant. To Moses, the books of the Hebrew Bible tell us, God gave a set of laws -- 10 Commandments -- that the Israelites were meant to follow, and based on these…...

Making Room for Lament in the Worship Life in the ChurchHow do you carry on after a traumatic experience? How do we process pain, grief, and suffering? How do we shoulder the burdens that God places on our backs? What does God think of our grief? What does He think of grief, period? We know that God Himself grieved aloudin the Garden of Gethsemane at the start of his agonizing passion, and upon the cross when He cried out to His Father, Why have you forsaken me? This stunning lament from Our Lord and Savior is echoed in the Scriptures: we see similar lamentations in the Psalms and in the Book of Ruth. We see it in Job. We see it even in traditional forms of worship. Our pain is real and meaningful. If we cannot bring it to God, what are supposed to do with it? Buried within us,…...

Brown (1994) offers an astute Christological analysis via a close and critical reading of scripture. A close reading allows for the contextualization of each Gospel, to resolve issues like conflicting or inconsistent imagery and anecdotes. With inconsistencies between the Gospels, it becomes imperative to piece together Jesus's core intentions and the meanings behind both His words and His actions. The need to understand scripture historically and linguistically is also apparent in the Brown analysis. In fact, Brown (1994) also points out the importance of historical and cultural context in interpreting Scripture. For example, attributions of "magical action," which is beyond "miracle," corresponds with the Greek "miracle worker" stories during the time Scripture was being codified (Brown, 1994, p. 35). Brown notes that the Gospel portrayal of Jesus's miracles was indeed qualitatively different from either magical powers attributed to Greek "miracle workers" or to similar Levantine pagan concepts.
It may also be…...

Jacqueline and MistyJacquelineAs you point out, it is important for a government to meet its own set expectations in order to maintain the trust and confidence of the people it serves. If a government fails to meet its own expectations, it may be seen as unreliable or untrustworthy, which can lead to a loss of support and legitimacy among the population. This can make it difficult for the government to effectively govern and implement policies, as people may be less likely to cooperate with or support its efforts. It can also lead to social and political unrest, as people may become disillusioned with the government and may feel that their needs and concerns are not being adequately addressed. It is therefore important for a government to be transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs and expectations of its citizens in order to effectively govern and serve its population (Beshi &…...

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ReferencesMansoor, M. (2021). Citizens\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\' trust in government as a function of good governance and government agency\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s provision of quality information on social media during COVID-19. Government Information Quarterly, 38(4), 101597.

Belief that Christ is present in the Eucharist is rooted explicitly in Scripture, while the devotion known as Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was not practiced until the early 14th century (McBrien). hile the belief in Christ presence will forever remain a part of the deposit of faith as a Tradition, the tradition of Benediction may disappear without consequence (McBrien).
The Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation teaches that Scripture and Tradition form one sacred deposit of revelation and that Tradition encompasses the "whole life, witness, teaching and worship of the church," thus Tradition is a living, dynamic reality that "develops in the church with the help of the Holy Spirit" (McBrien).

According to Catholic theologians, Tradition is never independent of Scripture, therefore is something is not found in Scripture, then it is not in Tradition, even if it is a legitimate tradition of the Church (McBrien).

orks Cited

Catechism of the Catholic Church.…...

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Works Cited

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Preparation for Internet by Charles Borromeo Parish,

Mississippi. Retrieved June 10, 2006 at http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a3.htm

Divine Tradition and Sacred Scriptures. The Augustine Club at Columbia University.

1999. Retrieved June 10, 2006 at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/sola_scriptura.html

Instructing a Childs Heart: 4MAT ook ReviewAbstractThis paper presents a critique of the textbook Instructing a Childs Heart by Tedd and Margy Tripp, using the 4MAT ook Review system. The review begins with a concrete response to the book, followed by a reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the authors\\\' approach to parenting. The paper concludes with actionable steps that parents can take based on the book\\\'s teachings. These steps include educating the heart, creating a family culture of grace, applying discipline wisely as Scripture teaches to do, and being a personal example of growth and spiritual love for the child to see and follow.Concrete ResponseInstructing a Childs Heart is a practical guide for parents who want to teach their children biblical values and principles. The book is divided into three parts, each focusing on a specific aspect of parenting: foundationsi.e., the call to formative instruction, heart-directed methodsi.e., the…...

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BibliographyMcDonough-Turnipseed, Ashley. “Coach Hard Love Harder,” 2023.   Ashley. “Lead Like You Mean It,” 2023.  https://www.coachedbychrist.com/post/athlete-leadership-training McDonough-Turnipseed, Ashley. “The Ten Mamba-Mentality Rules for Success,” 2023.  https://www.coachedbychrist.com/post/the-10-mamba-mentality McDonough-Turnipseed, Ashley. “Winning the Coach’s Approval,” 2023.  https://www.coachedbychrist.com/post/player-recruitment Tripp, Tedd, and Margy Tripp. Instructing a child\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s heart. Wapwallopen^ ePA PA: Shepherd Press, 2008.https://www.coachedbychrist.com/post/coach-hard-love-harder McDonough-Turnipseed,

One of the great things about writing a position paper using the Bible to provide scriptural support is that the Bible is such a large document, full of internal inconsistencies, which means it can be used to support almost any position.  This is especially true if you are looking at scripture in isolation, rather than viewing it as an excerpt from a larger book or as part of a cohesive theme.  In fact, you might be surprised to discover that the Bible has text that can be used to argue against most of the ideas that we think of as....

How to Study and Teach the Bible by Elmer L. Towns:

1. Begin by praying for guidance and understanding before reading and studying the Bible.

2. Use a reliable translation of the Bible that is easy for you to understand. Some popular translations include the NIV, ESV, and NLT.

3. Start with a specific passage or book of the Bible and read it in its entirety to get a sense of the overall message.

4. Use study tools such as commentaries, concordances, and study Bibles to deepen your understanding of the text.

5. Take notes while studying to help you remember key points and insights.

6.....

The dynamic intersection between philosophical ethics and Christian theology is a complex and rich area of study that involves examining the moral principles and values that guide human behavior and decision-making, in both secular and religious contexts. This paper aims to explore this intersection, tracing the historical development of ethical thought in Western philosophy and Christian theology, and examining the ways in which these two disciplines have influenced each other over time.

One of the central themes in this exploration is the concept of moral realism, which asserts that moral values and principles are objective and independent of human beliefs or....

Pastoral counseling can incorporate faith and spirituality to provide guidance and support to individuals facing challenges by integrating religious beliefs, practices, and values into the therapeutic process. Here are some ways in which this can be achieved:

1. Incorporating prayer and meditation: Pastoral counselors can encourage clients to engage in prayer and meditation as a way to connect with their spiritual beliefs and find comfort and guidance.

2. Using scripture and religious teachings: Pastoral counselors can draw on scripture and religious teachings to provide guidance, comfort, and wisdom to clients facing challenges. They can help clients apply these teachings to their own....