Theological Reflection and Application
God commanded His people Israel not to mistreat or oppress strangers, as the Israelites were strangers themselves in Egypt (Ex 22:21-22) and God saved and freed them from Egypt (Deut 15:15); not to afflict widows and the fatherless (Ex 22:22-23); lend to the poor without interests (Ex 22:25); to return the pledges made by the poor for their loans before the end of the day (Ex 22:26); not to claim all their natural blessings to themselves, but leave behind what they were unable to gather, so that the poor and strangers could have these leftovers (Lev 19:9); to store tithes in the form of crops in the town assigned to them by God so that the Levites, who have no property or inheritance, the orphans, the widows and strangers may take these when they came (Lev 19:10); to cancel their debtors' debts every seven years (Deut 15:1);…...

mla

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(1982). Good News Bible, Today's English Version: American Bible Society

Theological eflection
The church basically has the responsibility in every generation of evaluating the signs of the times and interpreting them based on the gospel. This is crucial in order for the church to present the gospel is a manner that is suitable and relevant to every generation. One of the most important aspects towards ensuring the gospel is presented in a suitable manner is through theology. Theology consists of several resources that are geared towards promoting theological understanding of the Bible and gospel. These theological resources are usually presented as texts that are not only historical but also contextual in a specific historical setting. As a result, conducting a theological reflection is an important aspect towards understanding the historical setting and context of texts. Moreover, theological reflection helps in understanding a concrete situation or incident in personal experience or pastoral practice.

eview of Articles

Given the importance of theological reflection, there are…...

mla

References

Cameron et al. 2010, 'Characteristics of Theological Action Research' in Talking about God in practice: theological action research and practical theology, SCM, London, pp. 49-60.

Graham E 2005, Introduction in theological reflection: methods, SCM, London, pp. 1-17.

Kinast RL 2010, What are they saying about theological reflection? Paulist Press, New York, pp. 1-26.

Kirwan, M 2010, 'Reading the Signs of the Times', in Keeping faith in practice: aspects of Catholic pastoral theology, eds Sweeney, Lonsdale and Simmonds, London: SCM, pp. 49-63.

Friendship, Marriage and God
One of the most compelling themes of the Christian gospel is love. Christian love refers to many things including the divine love of God for Creation, and also to human love for each other. Human love can manifest in a number of different ways or types of relationships. Marriage and friendship are two of the most important and universal types of human relationships that are based on love. In spite of differences in culture, language, and ethnicity, all Christians perceive and communicate love in similar ways. Christian love as a strong theological component, as for the first time in recorded history, God became equal to love: "God is love," (1 John 4:8). The Bible also shows how and why love can be psychologically as well as spiritually transformative, which is why the theme of love remains constant throughout the New Testament. Essentially, there are three distinct but…...

mla

Works Cited

Carmichael, E.DH Friendship: Interpreting Christian Love. New York: T&T Clark, 2004.

Cooke, Bernard. "Christian Marriage: Basic Sacrament." In Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Lawler, Michael G. "Marriage in the Bible." In Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Scott, Kieran and Warren, Michael. Perspectives on Marriage. 3rd edition. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Monologue, a Dialogue with the Self: Reflections on "No Exit" by Sartre
The Self: There is "No Exit" from hell -- not in Christian, theological terms, but by the terms set by Sartre's play of the same name, there is no exit from the self. The varieties of characters that populate the waiting room of hell are condemned for all eternity to examine and reexamine their lives. Socrates may have said that the unexamined life is not worth living, but the over-examined life, when imposed upon the human psyche by reading too much philosophy and self-improvement literature or self-imposed as the result of egocentrism, can be equally eviscerating.

Hell is other people, says the author. Imagine one's self with two individuals one despises, and then one has "No Exit" -- or imagine one's self alone, in a waiting room, locked with the personifications, all of the absurd worries and obsessions of…...

ears are blasted daily by the drumbeat of environmental forewarnings. The seas are rising. The glaciers are melting. Don't drive -- take the bus. Recycle. Turn off the lights. Adjust that thermostat. Save the polar bears! Reduce your carbon footprint!
Nothing against carbon, or ecologists, or polar bears, but while society focuses on reducing carbon footprints, why aren't more folks out there creating footprints for God? ho is marching through the pain and the rain and the snow to rekindle faith that God will intercede in broken lives, and will help repair the world's environmental problems if we just put one foot in front of the other in a march towards Christian truth?

hy have we been waiting for inspiration as to what we should do in this troubled world? Are not seeing that global warming and rising sea levels are sending us warning that we need to trust God's message…...

mla

Works Cited

Faris, Stephan. (2008). Craig Sorley. Time. Retrieved October 25, 2011, from  http://www.time.com .

Sorley, Craig. (2011). Christ, Creation Stewardship, and Missions: How Discipleship into a Biblical Worldview on Environmental Stewardship Can Transform People and Their Land.

International Bulletin of Missionary Research, 35(3), 137-143.

Srokosz, M.A. (2008). God's Story and the Earth's story: Grounding our concern for the Environment in the biblical meta-narrative. Science & Christian Belief, 20(2), 163-175.

One such sin would be to not accept the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit as seen by Guthrie flowed through Jesus Christ. For one to not accept the Holy Spirit, then one would not be able to accept Jesus and not be a Christian, not be apart of God's salvation.
For Christian life, discipleship, and ministry, hopeful signs appear. The struggle present itself in that research in the theological realm follows the lines drawn out by Scripture, and avoids the extremes and excesses, in various directions, that have reared their heads throughout the history of Christian thought. With the start of the new millennium, systematic theology faces struggles and opportunities. Yet these are not merely issues of academic interest. Some of these developments are good, some are not.

In conclusion to answer the question "Who are the people of God?" In biblical terms forces the systematic theologian to wrestle with both…...

Essay Topic Examples 1. The ioneering Theology of Kazoh Kitamori: Uniting ain and Love in ost-war Japan:
     This essay would explore Kitamori's unique contribution to Christian theology through his seminal work, "Theology of the ain of God." It would analyze how Kitamori integrated traditional Japanese sensibilities about pain and suffering with Christian concepts of divine love, and examine the historical and cultural context of post-war Japan that influenced his theological developments.

2. Comparative Analysis of Kazoh Kitamoris Theology with Western Christian Thought:
     This essay would compare and contrast the distinctive aspects of Kitamori's theology with that of Western Christian theologians. It would focus on key differences in the understanding of God's nature, suffering, and the problem of evil, and consider how Kitamoris cultural and philosophical background informed his unique theological perspective.

3. Kazoh Kitamori: Bridging Christianity and Buddhism through the Lens of Suffering:
     This topic would investigate how Kazoh Kitamori's…...

mla

Primary Sources

Kitamori, Kazoh. Theology of the Pain of God. SCM Press, 1965.

Kitamori, Kazoh. \"The Problem of Pain and Love in the Thought of Luther.\" Lutheran World, vol. 6, 1959, pp. 271-281.

Kitamori, Kazoh. \"Towards a Theology of Japan.\" Kobe Theological Seminary Journal, vol. 2, 1960, pp. 1-10.

Kitamori, Kazoh. \"The Significance of the Cross as Pain.\" Japanese Journal of Theology, vol. 4, no. 1, 1960, pp. 1-14.

Kitamori, Kazoh. Der Schmerz Gottes. Einführung in das Denken des japanischen Theologen Kazoh Kitamori. Translated by Johann Heissler, Kyobunkan, 1966.

As Jeffrey Stout has it, following James' "Will-to-Believe," "We need not agree on all matters of moral importance to agree on many, and where our judgments happen to coincide we need not reach them for the same reasons." (Fackre, 2003)
Fackre states that there are five pluralist views as follows:

View 1: Common Core. At the center of all the great religions of humankind is found a common core of divine (however conceived) doing, disclosing and delivering. Each faith approaches it through its own heroes, expresses it in its own language, celebrates it in its own rituals, formulates it in its own rules of behavior, and passes it on in its own communal forms. While the rhetoric of each religion may claim that its way, truth and life are for all, these absolutist professions are, in fact, "love talk," the metaphors of commitment, not the metaphysics of reality. Jesus is, therefore,…...

mla

Marmion, Declan (2005) Rahner and His Critics: Revisiting the Dialogue. Australian EJournal of Theology. February 2005, Issue 4. Online available at: http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/research/theology/ejournal/aejt_4/marmion.htm

Thiselton, Anthony C. (2007) the Hermenutics of Doctrine. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing 2007.

Th, Anthony C. (2007) the Hermenutics of Doctrine. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing 2007

Congregational CareIntroductionThe biblical idea of the shepherd is integrally related to congregational care in the Christian tradition: The Lord is my shepherd, states the psalmist (Psalm 23:1); I am the good shepherd, Jesus teaches his disciples (John 10:11). Christian leaders assumed the position and identity of shepherds in the early church, tending to the member of their congregations like a shepherd does for his sheep. Similarly, the phrase care clarifies the central idea of congregational ministry: attentive concern for others. Affection, solicitude, companionship, and protection are all aspects of caring for someone. Congregational care still connotes these early concerns in todays society, albeit in different forms. To put it simply, Congregational care is a religious concern for another. It is one of the most prominent works on religious leadership from an institutional standpoint (McClure, 2012). As a result of its importance in religious leadership, this paper discusses the need for…...

mla

BibliographyA??lkaya-?ahin, Z. (2018). Bridging pastoral psychology and positive psychology. Ilahiyat Studies: A Journal on Islamic and Religious Studies, 183-210.Allchin, T. (2021). 5 Benefits of Training Your Leaders in Care and Counselling. Biblical Counselling Center. Retrieved from   P. (1982). What is pastoral. Critical Inquiry, 8(3),437 – 460American Association of Christian Counselors, (2022). Home. Retrieved from  http://www.aacc.net/ Aryeh, D. N. A. (2019). “Pastoral Training and Ministry: A Continuous Pastoral Formation.” In D. A. Leeming (ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.Brunsdon, A. R. (2014). A three musketeering approach to pastoral care: Reflections on collaboration between pastoral care, narrative therapy, and positive psychology. Verbum et Ecclesia, 35(1), 1-9.Chaney, C., Shirisia, L., & Skogrand, L. (2016). “Whatever God Has Yoked Together, Let No Man Put Apart:” The Effect of Religion on Black Marriages. Western Journal of Black Studies, 40(1).Crabb, L. (1978). Effective biblical counseling: A model for helping caring Christians become capable counselors. Zondervan.Draper, T. (1990). Meeting of seminary rectors. The Furrow, 41(7/8), 448 – 452Duffy, E. (1992). I will give you Shepherds: The formation of priests. The Furrow, 597-606.Hiltner, S. (1950a). Mr. Hiltner Accepts. Congregational Psychology 1(4): 5-8.Hiltner, S. (1950b). The Meaning of Congregational Psychology. Congregational Psychology 1(4): 7-8.Johnson, J. N. (2019). Equipping Lay Leaders with Biblical Counseling Skills at Redeemer Church. (Doctorate Thesis; Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary).Mayhue, M. L. (1995). “Discovering pastoral ministry.” In J. MacArthur Jr., M. L. Mayhue, & R. L. Thomas(Eds.), Rediscovering pastoral ministry: Shaping con-temporary ministry with biblical mandates (p. 3 – 18). London: Word Publishing Inc.McClure, B. (2012). “Chapter 25: Congregational care.” In B. J. Miller-McLemore, (Ed.). The Wiley-Blackwell companion to practical theology, John Wiley & Sons. 269-278.Plunkett, D. P. (2014). The Black church, values, and secular counseling: Implications for counselor education and practice. Counseling and Values, 59(2), 208-221.Robertson, D. L., & Avent, J. R. (2016). African American Counselors?in?Training, the black church, and lesbian?, gay?, and Bisexual?Affirmative counseling: Considerations for counselor education programs. Counseling and Values, 61(2), 223-238.Seligman, M. E. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. Simon and Schuster.Stollberg, D. (1978). Wahrnehmen und Annehmen: Seelsorge in Theorie und Praxis. Gütersloh: Mohn.Thornton, S.G. (2002). Broken yet Beloved: A Congregational Theology of the Cross. St. Louis: Chalice Press.White, E. G. (1995). Pastoral ministry. Ministerial Association General Conference of Seventh-Day-Adventists. Silver Spring: General Conference Ministerial Association.Wimberly, E. P. (1979). Pastoral care in the black church. Abingdon.https://biblicalcounselingcenter.org/5-benefits-of-training-your-leaders/ Alpers,

According to Elwell this group of fourteen works, all of which have been translated into many languages including English form "the most monumental evangelical theological project of this century." (151) Elwell goes on to describe the works as, "written in an almost conversational style, these volumes deal with topics of theological concern, such as divine election, faith and sanctification, Holy Scripture, and the church, rather than presenting a tightly argued system of thought." (151) Finally according to Elwell and despite Berkouwer's shift in theology regarding human dealings, i.e. regret for spreading lack of tolerance for human differences of opinion Berkouwer, "never wavered from his commitment to the principles of Scripture, faith and grace alone." (151)
Berkouwer also wrote works of criticism against other theologian, most notably Karl Barth and Catholicism which are well read and famous in their theological arguments and as representative of his mid life shift in thought.…...

mla

Works Cited

Berkouwer, G.C. "Human Freedom" from "Studies in Dogmatics," Man: The Image of God GrandRapids MI: Eerdmans 1962.

Cameron, George a. "The Theology of G.C. Berkouwer: An introduction to my work on Berkouwer's theology, 'The Problem of Polarization: An Approach based on the writings of GC Berkouwer'" Retrieved October 7, 2008  http://www.theologyofgcberkouwer.blogspot.com/ 

Christianity and Judaism: The Deepening Dialogue. Ed. Richard W. Rousseau. Scranton, PA: Ridge Row Press, 1983.

Cobb, John B. A Survey of Methods. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1962.

Human Qualities of the Theologian
The task of the theologian is that of utter responsibility and the necessity of having a connection to his church and the world outside of it. It is definitely not a task for the faint of heart. Among the many intricate and often overlapping tasks of a theologian is the necessity of fostering a sense of understanding with faith and theology. "Christians want to understand what they believe, what they can hope for, and what they ought to love" (Migliore, 2004). Thus, while Christianity is able to have trust and obedience in the hope and love of God, theology has to struggle with some of the more difficult issues connected to this journey, via reflection, inquiry and the pursuit of truth (Migliore, 2004). Thus, the theologian must pursue truth and keep asking questions while instilling his work and his journey with a certain amount of human…...

mla

References

Dore, T. (2003, April 8). The Responsibility and Tasks of Theology in the Church and the World Today. Retrieved from cua.edu:  http://publicaffairs.cua.edu/RDSpeeches/03DoreLecture.cfm 

McGrath, A. (2011). Christian Theology. Walden: John Wiley.

Migliore, D. (2004). Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction . Grand Rapids: Eerdman Publishing.

Tynan, T. (2014). The Role of the Theologian. Retrieved from gonzaga.edu:  http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/metz/job.html

Roettgen Pieta
In or around the year 1325, an unknown German artist sculpted a dramatic scene central to the story of Christ: the moment at which ary laments the death of her only son. This poignant moment is known as "the pity," or pieta. The pieta scene was popularized toward the end of the thirteenth century, making the Roettgen pieta one of the earliest and most historically significant representations this particular moment of passion. The scene is one that would become pervasive in Christian art and iconography, and studies of pieta sculptures can serve as proxy studies of the evolution of Western art, and Christian-themed Western art in particular. At the time the Roettgen pieta was created, pieces like these were known in German as Andachtsbild, or images used for contemplation[footnoteRef:1]. These images were especially common in Germany during the late medieval and Romanesque periods.[footnoteRef:2] oreover, "as affective meditations increased in…...

mla

Mercer, Christia. "A Mother's Loss: The Medea and the Roettgen Pieta." Lecture. June 29, 2010.

Mercer, Christia. "Knowledge and Suffering in Early Modern Philosophy: G.W. Liebniz and Anne Conway."  http://blogs.cuit.columbia.edu/cm50/files/2011/10/Mercer-Philosophy.pdf 

Sullivan, R. "Deformity: A Modern Western Prejudice with Ancient Origins." Proceedings of the College of Physicians Edinburgh 31[2001]: 262-266.

History of Judaism: From biblical origins to the modern period." It discusses Genesis 1-11 and what these texts tell us about the origins of Israelite religion? What do the major episodes in these 11 chapters of the Torah tell us about the differences between classical Mesopotamian paganism and the origins of Israelite thought and religion?
History of Judaism: From biblical origins to the modern period

Genesis is the book of beginnings. That is what the word itself means, and it takes us back into the very dawn of human history. It opens with an awareness of the greatest material fact in all human life; a fact that we are all subconsciously aware of almost every waking moment, that is, that we are living in a universe. Then this galaxy itself is moving at incredible speed through the vastness of space in conjunction with millions of other galaxies like ours. It is…...

mla

Bibliography

Langer, Ruth, Jewish understandings of the religious other., Theological Studies, 06-01-2003, pp 255.

Clifford, Richard, A History of Israelite Religion in the Old Testament Period, vol. 1: From the Beginnings to the End of the Monarchy.(book reviews). Vol. 56, Theological Studies, 09-01-1995, pp 566(2).

Nahum Sarna, "Understanding Creation in Genesis" in Frye, Is God a Creationist?, pp 155-173.

Darwin
Had the Enlightenment adequately prepared 19th century readers for Darwin's Origin of the Species? The Enlightenment view of the science of life was neatly summed up by Diderot in his Encyclopedia, in many ways a signature product of the Enlightenment's dedication to setting forth the foundations of human knowledge. As Diderot notes in his prefaratory comments, what we call biology falls under the heading of "Natural History":

The divisions of natural history derive from the existing diversity of the facts of nature, and the diversity of the facts of nature from the diversity of the states of nature. Either nature is uniform and follows a regular course, such as one notes generally in celestial bodies, animals, vegetables, etc.; or it seems forced and displaced from its ordinary course, as in monsters; or it is restrained and put to different uses, as in the arts. Nature does everything, either in its ordinary…...

mla

Works Cited

Campbell, John Angus. Why Was Darwin Believed? Darwin's Origin and the Problem of Intellectual Revolution. Configurations 11.2 (2003) 203-237.

Cosans, Chris. Was Darwin a creationist? Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 48.3 (2005) 362-371.

Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Sixth Edition. Project Gutenberg. Accessed 25 March 2012 at:  http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2009/2009-h/2009-h.htm 

Diderot, Denis. "Detailed Explanation of the System of Human Knowledge." The Encyclopedia of Diderot & d'Alembert Collaborative Translation Project. Translated by Richard N. Accessed 25 March 2012 at:  http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.did2222.0001.084

Neo-Orthodoxy
The term "neo-orthodoxy" refers to a 20th century movement among Protestant theologians -- in the United States and in Europe -- that emerged following the bloody carnage of orld ar I. The disillusionment that several Christian theologians -- and millions of others impacted by the ar -- experienced led to a rejection of the liberal Christian movement which had urged the adaptation of an ongoing sense of optimism that seemed to cling to the literal translation and understanding of the Bible. Some parts of the Bible simply could not be true, according to neo-orthodoxy, and this point-of-view continues today albeit not under the neo-orthodoxy movement per se.

This paper reviews the tenets of neo-orthodoxy and embraces the writings and the philosophies of notable theologians like Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Rudolf Bultmann, and Reinhold Niebuhr. These theologians are linked by their understanding of neo-orthodoxy, and by their advocacy of neo-orthodoxy; however, each…...

mla

Works Cited

Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. (2010). Emil Brunner. Retrieved September 10, 2014, from  http://www.acton.org .

Grenz, S.J., and Olson, R.E. (2010). 20th-Century Theology: God & the World in a Transitional Age. Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Hall, D.J. (1998). Remembered Voices: Reclaiming the Legacy of "neo-orthodoxy."

Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

1. The Babylonian captivity and its impact on Judah and Jerusalem
2. The destruction of the First Temple in 587 BCE and its consequences for the Jewish people
3. The role of prophetic figures such as Jeremiah in warning Judah and Jerusalem about their impending doom
4. The return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon and the rebuilding of the Second Temple
5. The cultural and religious changes in Judah and Jerusalem during the Babylonian exile
6. The siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army and the suffering of the city's inhabitants
7. The political and social dynamics that led to the fall of Judah and....