In N.T. Wright’s book Simply Jesus, he tries to bring to light the character of Jesus, attempting to articulate both who he was, is, and his mission. He draws mostly from the gospels - though he borrows from other books as well - to paint this picture. Wright argues that the perception of Jesus has become muddled as culture and history have distanced themselves and confusion has ensued over the actions of Jesus, as they quite contradictory to general expectations. He calls for liberals and conservatives alike to quit arguing so as to come to agreement on what really matters, the facts rather than their interpretation. So much of the gospels could be described as symbolic, it is hard to understand with certainty…
The four Gospels are the accounts at the beginning of the New Testament about the saving work of God in his son Jesus Christ. The writers of the four gospels introduced a new literary category into literature. The gospels are not exactly biographies, because apart from certain events surrounding Jesus’ birth, (Matt. 1-2; Luke 1-2) and one from Jesus’ youth (Luke 2:41-52), they record only the last two or three years of Jesus' life. Moreover, the material included is not written as an objective historical survey of Jesus' ministry. The gospels present Jesus in such a way that the reader realizes that God acted uniquely in Jesus. The authors of the gospels wrote not only to communicate knowledge about Jesus as a person, but also to call us to commitment to Jesus as Lord. The authors of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all wrote each of their stories in different times and different places. Their tales were told in such a manner that would appeal to the masses in their respective areas. Each author also focused their message on a different characteristic of Jesus, from his portrayal as a teacher to his portrayal as a fulfiller of prophecies to the portrayal of Jesus as eternally divine.…
This morning I attended a weekday mass at All Saints Catholic Church. The church itself is relatively large from what I saw. The exterior had many well-tended trees and bushes, with a sign pointing to the office, and a cross about six feet tall out front by a cement walkway which led to the entrance. The building itself was a taupe color with dark brown roofing and glass doors leading at the entrance. As I walked through the glass doors I was not greeted by anyone, so I followed what everyone else was doing. I noticed a holy water font in front of the doors leading directly to the room of worship. I watched as the casually-dressed Parishioners, all aged at least sixty-five years, and mostly white, middle-class women dipped their fingers into the font and then made the sign of the cross, before entering the worship area.…
I'm sure everyone has wondered in their lifetime, “Is there really a God?”. I know I have! There are many religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, but most people believe in Christianity. Christianity follows the teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ with the belief that He is God. There are many branches of Christianity. I'm writing this to tell you about why I am a Nazarene Christian. The things I will be covering are wildlife, the spread of Christianity, and the planet Earth's perfect tilt.…
Currently, I’m sitting in Panera after a long weekend away from Jacksonville, listening to Lord Hurton, and breathing in a newfound confidence.…
Galatians 2:20” I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” Knowing Jesus on a personal level is the greatest thing in the world. When we come to know Jesus all the angels in Heaven rejoice. Having a relationship with the Lord can change your life forever. I love knowing that There is a God up in Heaven that I can go to when things get out of hand. Glorifying God for the rest of my life will be something I will always cherish.…
I never thought how interesting it would be to visit a different place of worship besides Christianity. Since the day I was born I’ve been a Christian and whatever anyone else believes in is wrong and that they are going to hell if they don’t believe in Christianity. About 3 years ago I visited the International Buddhist Progress Society a Buddhist temple in Naperville. Buddhism from what I learned looks more like a way of life or guidelines to it rather than a religion. Buddhism tells you how you could live life better but doesn’t scare you with the prospect of hell instead you live with ignorance. My own history with Christianity still made me doubt or fear the conquences of going to this temple. Part of me believed that I be punished by…
Ever since that move to the new church I have respected God more and found a way to incorporate him in my everyday life. Religion has really made my life more exciting, fun, and happy. If I were given a choice of choosing to become a christian or not I think I would choose to continue to be a christian. Having christianity as my foundation in life has led me to make the absolute best choices for myself. It has helped me stay away from all the things that people my age are tempted with, and I’m okay with that.…
Who am I? As I sit here trying to write this personal statement, I have accidentally stumbled across the most life altering question. Who am I?…
“We all stray from time to time….and when you do, OWN IT! If you deny it….you are giving up control again.” This can teach a lesson to people struggling with drugs and alcohol. If you deny that you have a problem, you will continue to let these things control your life, but if you own up to it, you can help yourself or get help from others. The quote, from the “I don’t know the Bible…” paragraph, “‘Well done, my good and faithful servant,”’ reflects what I believe in and what I have learned. Growing up I heard many people tell me, “God first, others second, and yourself last.” First of all, these two quotes are telling me to live a faithful life by putting God first. Also, to put others before me and serve them just like Jesus did.…
The night grew dark, cold, and lonesome. I took a hot shower and prayed for my health. Midafternoon the next day, I heard a bold knock on my door. “Come in,” I uttered exuberantly. A tall, husky man wearing a white lab coat entered my room, followed by a gust of cold air. My eyes instantly spotted “Surgeon” on his name tag. I uneasily anticipated the doctors’ decision that I was going to need to have surgery.…
In sixth grade, I stood before a podium that stared back at my English class. This was not how I envisioned sharing my love for reading and writing; however, it was required. My palms felt sticky, and I just knew that the entire class could see my heart as it was about to hop from the walls that kept it safe. I prayed that I would not forget the lines as I recited The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. In sixth grade, reading, writing, and I started a relationship. Today, we have yet to break up.…
"If you dont have anything nice to say, then dont say anything at all." One of the few…
Growing up, I noticed a lot of discussion about financial problems between my parents. It’s not that we were becoming poor, it was because of our growing family needing more supplies. My mother just gave birth to my little brother when I started noticing the financial issues my family were facing. As a little girl, I do not know how our finances worked all I knew was many bills were due and I knew it because when I was a little girl I liked to practice reading and those bill statements were the papers that attracted my interest due to its colorful paper.…
Who am I? That has always been an essential question for as long as I can remember. I never really understood why we had to answer that question along the way, but I’m now a senior at SJPII and I still have no idea who I am. It really bothers me that for 16 years I still haven’t figured out who I am. Constantly going from class to class and making new friends I still can’t pin point who the “real” me is.…