|
Why did Shri Christ die for
us anyway?
From: "jagbir singh" <www.adishakti.org@gmail.com>
Date: Sat Jan 29, 2005 8:39 am
Subject: Re: why did Shri Christ die for us
anyways????jagbir?
|
—- In
shriadishakti@yahoogroups.com,
"v_koa" <v_koa@y...> wrote:
>
> I am aware that christ dies for our sins and for our
forgiveness
> based on the snippets i have read from shri mataji on
this site,
> but i do not understand those statements. I wanted to
know what
> does Shri mataji mean by " he dies for our sins" as
well as the
> forgiveness part? Shri jesus is the universal savior,
another
> statement i do not understand and would like some
clarification,
> but if i sins were not forgiven until his death and
resurrection,
> then what did that mean for the people who lived
before him in
> terms of the life death, rebirth/sin cycle? As you can
tell i have
> no idea what to make of these statements of fact and
don't
> understand the scope of that suffering shri jesus went
through for
> us, or what it actually means in reality and in a
practical
> manner. If you could jagbir, help shed some light on
these things,
> i would be grateful. Thanks.
>
>
Dear Kyyan,
Whatever you have asked about Shri Jesus dying for our
sins has also
puzzled me:
————————————-
"There is a verse in the Bible, that says that when
Jesus was put on
the cross, he said "My God my God why has thou forsaken
me?" Jesus
asks God why are You leaving me my God? Please my God
help me, I am in trouble.
Well!! every time I ask some of my friends that "OVER
HERE JESUS IS
NOT EVEN WILLING TO DIE FOR OUR SINS" If he was willing
to die for
our sins, he should have said that "Myself, I am ready
to die for
the sins of the whole mankind." He would have used
"myself" coz he
is a God according to Christianity. When we ask them
about such
things, they reply to us that "You just have to believe
it", close
your mind, and accept Him."
————————————-
Did He Die on the Cross for our Sins? Is Everyone a
Sinner?
We see in the Gospel, the word *righteous* means pure
and sinless.
As the two words *righteous* and 'sinner' are always
opposite each
other in the New Testament. Furthermore, Jesus is
described as
righteous, therefore we know that the word means:
without sin.
For example;
"My little children, these things write I unto you, that
ye sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus
Christ the righteous:" {1 John 2:1}
Now that we see righteous means sinless, let's see what
Jesus
says about humans:
"I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in
heaven over one
sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine
righteous
persons, who need no repentance." {Luke 15:7}
It is very Clear from this verse that Jesus did not come
to die for
the sins of All humans because according to Jesus, some
humans *did
not need to repent* because they were ~righteous~
"But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have
mercy, and not
sacrifice : for I am not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to
repentance." {Matthew 9:13}
Again Jesus is saying he did not come for everyone,
Jesus only came
for a particular group. Jesus clarifies that there are
two
groups, "the sinners and the righteous" not only one
group of
sinners as modern Christians claim.
"And they were both righteous before God, walking in all
the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."
{Luke 1:6}
Here, even God sees that some were without sin, because
they
followed the commandments.
"When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are
whole have
no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came
not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance." {Mark 2:17 }
Again Jesus is making the distinction that some are sick
(sinners)
and some are not sick (the righteous) Jesus does not say
"I came for
All because all are sinners" Jesus says he came for
*MANY* {Mark
10:45 } not all. Many could mean 10 people, big
difference from
saying "ALL".
"I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to
repentance." {Luke
5:32}
Important words, verifying that Jesus did not come to
all those who
were righteous, but the many who were sinners.
"but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe
in me to
sin, it would be better for him to have a great
millstone fastened
round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the
sea." {Matthew
18:6}
Jesus is saying that the little ones are without sin
because anyone
who causes them to sin, the result would be deadly.
"Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." {1
John 3:7 }
Here Jesus is saying that there are righteous, sinless
people and do
not let anyone tell you that everyone is a sinner
because there are
righteous people.
We also read (John 9:31 ) "We know that God does not
listen to
sinners, but if any one is a worshiper of God and does
his will, God
listens to him."
This automatically clarifies that Abraham, Moses, Hagar,
and all
those God directly communicated with, are _not_ sinners
because God
does not listen to sinners.
Then 'Paul' _again_ contradicts the teachings of Jesus
saying
[Romans 3:10 ] "As it is written, There is none
righteous, no, not
one:"
If God and Jesus *Declare* that some humans are
Righteous, why do
Christians believe 'Paul' more then Jesus and God?
In conclusion, Jesus did not die for our sins, Jesus was
saved from
the cross, not all are with sins and sins are easily
forgiven. As
Jesus says: " Judge not, and you will not be judged;
condemn not,
and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be
forgiven;
{Luke 6:37 }
Each individual is responsible for their own sins " If
you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the
sins of any,
they are retained." {John 20:23}
http://www.mlife.org/Jesus/die_on_cross_fo_sins.html
————————————————-
So Kyyan, i still have no proper understanding of Shri
Jesus dying
for our sins. There are a number of Christians beliefs i
don't
understand and this is surely one of them. The more you
question the
more confusing they get. Shri Jesus never said that He
will die for
the sins of humanity just as He never claimed to be God
Almighty. i
believe Christianity to be most difficult to understand.
Even Shri
Mataji has said the Bible is enigmatic because so many
people have
added their stories to it.
Some of these stories are truly disturbing and make no
sense, even
cause us to lose faith. There is one particular story in
the Bible
where two daughters take turns fornicating with their
drunk father
after they escaped the destruction of Sodom. Apparently
his
daughters taught that they were the only three humans
left on Earth.
After their escape from Sodom, Lot and his two daughters
took refuge
in a cave. It was there that another controversial
chapter in Lot's
life occurred, although the record states that he was an
unknowing
participant:
"Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the
mountains,
for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two
daughters lived in
a cave. One day the older daughter said to the younger,
"Our father
is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us,
as is the
custom all over the earth. Let's get our father to drink
wine and
then lie with him and preserve our family line through
our father."
That night they got their father to drink wine, and the
older
daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of
it when she
lay down or when she got up. The next day the older
daughter said to
the younger, "Last night I lay with my father. Let's get
him to
drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him
so we can
preserve our family line through our father." So they
got their
father to drink wine that night also, and the younger
daughter went
and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she
lay down or
when she got up. So both of Lot's daughters became
pregnant by their
father. The older daughter had a son, and she named him
Moab; he is
the father of the Moabites of today. The younger
daughter also had a
son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the
Ammonites
of today." (Genesis 19:30-38)
And when the bible says that 'god' did not mind this
incest for the
sake of saving the human race from extinction, you know
something is
very wrong. But has anyone really questioned if it is
physically
possible for two daughters to take turns making love to
their drunk
father and become pregnant ................ without the
father even
realizing all this fornication!?? Is this the infallible
word of God?
But i have utmost respect for the Savior despite all the
strange
tales in the Bible that confuse more than enlighten. It
is Shri
Mataji who has truly made me understand the nature of
this great
incarnation. No matter what religious background one
comes from it
is only after listening to Her that we begin to grasp
Shri Jesus'
relationship with humanity. Even if one had not believed
in Christ
prior to joining Sahaja Yoga and meditating on the
Shakti, one will
embrace Him after listening to Shri Mataji's speeches
over the
years.
From the very onset of Her advent in 1970 Shri Mataji
has always
insisted that we humans must believe in Shri Jesus who
truly resides
at the Agnya Chakra, the Gate to the Kingdom of God
(Sahasrara
Chakra). Without accepting Him there is absolutely no
salvation for
any human being. All SYs have accepted Him because Shri
Jesus is
indeed Alpha, (the Beginning as Shri Ganesha) and Omega
(the End as
Shri Kalki). Shri Mataji is indeed the Comforter because
only now
SYs know all that Jesus was unable to preach two
millennia ago. That
is why we are able to understand the Last Judgment in
detail and
have faith that it promises all believers, irrespective
of their
inherited religions, the right to eternal life.
Shri Jesus is indeed the Savior because He too is
entrenched, just
like the Adi Shakti, in the great religions of Hinduism,
Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. All who believe in God Almighty
and wish to
take part in the Last Judgment and Resurrection are left
with no
option but to embrace all religions, scriptures and
messengers. You
can only understand the Savior, His proclamation of the
Kingdom of
God within, and the Good News of the Last Judgment
through the
Comforter, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi, sent in the name of
the Father
(God Almighty/Brahman) as He had promised two millennia
ago:
And Jesus spoke again unto the eleven and said, "Grieve
not
because I go away, for it is best that I should go away.
If I do not go away the Comforter will not come to you.
These things I speak while with you in the flesh, but
when the Holy
Breath shall come in power, lo,
She will teach you more and more, and bring to you
remembrance all
the words I have said to you.
There are a multitude of things yet to be said; Things
that this age
cannot receive because it cannot comprehend.
But, lo, I say, before the great day of the Lord shall
come, the
Holy Breath will make all mysteries known —
The mysteries of the soul, of life, of death, of
immortality, the
oneness of man with every other man, and with his God.
Then will the world be led to truth, and man will be
truth.
When She has come, the Comforter, She will convince the
world of
sin, and of truth of what I speak,
And of the rightness of the Judgment of the just; And
then the
prince of carnal life will be cast out.
And when the Comforter shall come, I need not intercede
for you; For
you shall stand approved,
And God will know you then as he knows Me.
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ 162:4-11
This is the Divine Message that will reach all nations
and peoples
of many tongues, so that the Comforter may convince the
world of
sin, and of truth of what Jesus spoke.
"But there will be many who will resist the truth of the
new era.
They may try at first by playing upon the sense of
self-doubt that
lies within each of us. Self-doubt exists only because
we have
allowed others to define our reality for so long that we
no longer
know what is real anymore. When we look inside and catch
the first
sight of what is real and it does not concur with what
those around
us have said and are saying at the moment, we discard
it. We doubt
ourselves because we have allowed others to tell us what
truth is.
But as we reach deeper into the New Age, we will reach
deeper inside
ourselves for the truth. And as we learn the truth, we
will no
longer need or want others to interpret it for us. This
will cause
friction with those who defend the institutions they
feel
comfortable with, the institutions they cling to like a
security
blanket in a world they really aren't comfortable with
at all.
Those who cannot, or do not dare, to look inside
themselves for the
truth will be the ones who will resist the rest of us
the most. They
will be the ones who challenge the rest of us the most.
They will be
the ones who try to make the rest of us think that we
are wrong
because they want desperately to believe that they are
right, and
they know that once their faith is shaken, they have
nothing left to
cling to. But be wary of anyone who demands that you
have blind
faith in what they are saying. If they will not allow
scrutiny, it
is possibly because their beliefs cannot stand up to
scrutiny. And
when those who hide within the institutions because they
do not dare
to look inside themselves feel that they are losing
their grip on
the rest of us, they will fight." (Walter Mercado,
Beyond The
Horizon)
So Kyyan, you have to leave your religious baggage
behind because it
will slow you down to a standstill with doubts and
unsolvable
questions. Of all religions Christianity is the most
confusing by a
wide margin. You can never understand Shri Jesus by
going to a
church. You can only understand Him by meditating on the
Holy Spirit
(Adi Shakti/Ruh) in the Kingdom of God within and taking
part in the
Great Event ordained for humanity.
jagbir
From: "jagbir
singh" <www.adishakti.org@gmail.com>
Date: Sat Jan 29, 2005 1:45 pm
Subject: Re: why did Shri Christ die for us
anyways????jagbir?
|
—- In
shriadishakti@yahoogroups.com,
"jagbir singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
>
> Some of these stories are truly disturbing and
make no sense, even
> cause us to lose faith. There is one particular
story in the Bible
> where two daughters take turns fornicating with
their drunk father
> after they escaped the destruction of Sodom.
Apparently his
> daughters taught that they were the only three
humans left on
> Earth.
>
LOT AND HIS DAUGHTERS
Following Yahweh's destruction of Sodom and other
cities of the
Jordan plain (see SODOM[Y] AND GOMORRAH), Abraham's
nephew Lot and
Lot's two daughters—formerly residents of
Sodom—find themselves
living in a cave. The older daughter expresses to
the younger her
fear that, for lack of a mate, they are now to be
childless. "Our
father is old, and there is not a man in the earth
to come in unto
us after the manner of all the earth."
Her words suggest that this story originally
involved a world
cataclysm, with Lot and his daughters, like Noah and
his family in
the flood story, being the only surviving humans.
But the suggestion
is academic, as her words make sense either way.
These daughters
have had a bad time. First they lose their married
sisters in
Sodom's supernatural fall, then their mother is
lost—turned into a
pillar of salt—in the flight from the scene of
destruction. They
then flee with their father from the city of Zoar—where
according
to Yahweh they were supposed to be safe—apparently
because the
destruction has spread, engulfing virtually the
whole Jordan plain.
Now languishing in their mountain cave, Lot's
daughters might easily
be excused for assuming that, save the old man, the
rest of humanity
has been wiped out by the wrath of God.
In any case Lot's daughters take action. "Come, let
us make our
father drink wine, and we will lie with him," says
the older
one, "that we may preserve seed of our father." So
they get Lot
drunk on successive nights, with the firstborn lying
with him on the
first night, and the younger one on the second
night, with Lot
remembering nothing about either occasion.
Impregnated, the two
daughters bear Moab, the father of the Moabites, and
Benammi, the
father of the Ammonites.
Thus Genesis, in the story of Lot and his daughters,
pulls a rather
sly little trick. It matter-of-factly presents two
troublesome
neighbors of Israel—Moab and Ammon, lying east of
the Jordan River—
as children of incest, without passing any judgment
on the three
incestuous Hebrew parents.
http://www.hobrad.com/andl.htm#LOT
From: "jagbir singh" <www.adishakti.org@gmail.com>
Date: Mon Jan 31, 2005 7:35 am
Subject: Re: why did Shri Christ die for
us anyways????jagbir?
|
—- In
shriadishakti@yahoogroups.com,
"jagbir singh"
<adishakti_org@y...> wrote:
>
> So Kyyan, you have to leave your religious
baggage behind because
> it will slow you down to a standstill with
doubts and unsolvable
> questions. Of all religions Christianity is
the most confusing by
> a wide margin. You can never understand Shri
Jesus by going to a
> church. You can only understand Him by
meditating on the Holy
> Spirit (Adi Shakti/Ruh) in the Kingdom of God
within and taking
> part in the Great Event ordained for humanity.
>
>
CHRISTIANITY
Table of Contents
I. INTRODUCTION
II. THE CHURCH AND ITS HISTORY
1. The essence and identity of Christianity
1) HISTORICAL VIEWS OF THE ESSENCE
i) Early views.
ii) Medieval and Reformation views.
iii) Modern views.
2) THE QUESTION OF CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
2. The history of Christianity
1) THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH
i) The relation of the early church to late
Judaism.
ii) The relation of the early church to the
career and intentions of
Jesus.
iii) The Gentile mission and St. Paul.
iv) The contemporary social, religious, and
intellectual world.
2) THE INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE EARLY
CHRISTIAN CHURCH
i) The problem of jurisdictional authority.
ii) The problem of scriptural authority.
iii) The problem of theological authority.
iv) Early heretical movements.
3) RELATIONS BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND THE ROMAN
GOVERNMENT AND THE
HELLENISTIC CULTURE
i) Church-state relations.
ii) Christianity and classical culture.
iii) Apologetics.
4) THE EARLY LITURGY, THE CALENDAR, AND THE ARTS
5) THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN CHURCH AND EMPIRE
6) THEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES OF THE 4TH AND 5TH
CENTURIES
i) Western controversies.
ii) Eastern controversies.
7) POPULAR CHRISTIANITY IN THE LATE EMPIRE
8) LITURGY AND THE ARTS AFTER CONSTANTINE
i) New forms of worship.
ii) Historical and polemical writing.
9) POLITICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
10) LITERATURE AND ART OF THE "DARK AGES"
11) MISSIONS AND MONASTICISM
12) THE PHOTIAN SCHISM AND THE GREAT EAST-WEST
SCHISM
i) The Photian schism.
ii) The great East-West schism.
13) FROM THE SCHISM TO THE REFORMATION
i) Papacy and empire.
ii) Medieval thought.
iii) Reformation.
14) MODERN CHRISTIANITY
15) THE MODERN DENOMINATIONS
i) Roman Catholicism.
(1) Doctrine.
(2) Liturgy.
ii) The Eastern churches.
iii) Protestantism.
(1) Lutheranism.
(2) Anglicanism.
(3) Presbyterian and Reformed Churches.
(4) Free churches.
(5) Other churches and movements.
3. Christian doctrine
1) THE MEANING OF DOGMA
i) Importance to Christian doctrine and later
implications.
ii) Orientation of the Western churches.
iii) Orientation of the Eastern churches.
2) GOD THE FATHER
i) Characteristic features of the Christian
concept of God.
ii) The specific concept of God as Father.
iii) The belief in the oneness of the Father and
the Son.
iv) The revelatory character of God.
v) God as Creator, Sustainer, and Judge.
vi) Modern views of God.
vii) The view that God is not solitary.
viii) Satan and the origin of evil.
3) GOD THE SON
i) Different interpretations of the person of
Jesus.
ii) The Christological controversies.
iii) Messianic views.
iv) The doctrine of the Virgin Mary and holy
Wisdom.
4) GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
i) Contradictory aspects of the Holy Spirit.
ii) Conflict between order and charismatic
freedom.
iii) The operations of the Holy Spirit.
5) THE HOLY TRINITY
i) The basis for the doctrine of the Trinity.
ii) Introduction of Neoplatonic themes.
iii) Attempts to define the Trinity.
6) THE DOCTRINE OF MAN
i) What it is to be human.
ii) The human as a creature.
iii) The human as the image of God.
iv) Human redemption.
v) The problem of suffering.
vi) The resurrection of the body.
vii) Progressive human perfection.
viii) The justified human.
ix) The "new man": The human being in the light
of Christ.
x) The "reborn human."
xi) Human liberation.
xii) Joy in human existence.
xiii) The charismatic believer.
xiv) Christian perfection.
xv) Fellow humans as the present Christ.
7) THE CHURCH
i) Normative defenses in the early church.
ii) Evolution of the episcopal office.
iii) Authority and dissent.
iv) Creeds and confessions.
v) Organization.
vi) Episcopacy in Anglican and other Reformation
churches.
vii) Liturgy.
viii) New liturgical forms and antiliturgical
attitudes.
ix) The sacraments.
x) Tradition.
xi) Scriptural traditions.
xii) Veneration of places, objects, and people.
xiii) Monasticism.
xiv) The saintly life.
xv) Art and iconography.
xvi) Theology of icons.
xvii) Missions.
8) LAST THINGS
i) Expectations of the Kingdom of God in early
Christianity.
ii) Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the
medieval and
Reformation periods.
iii) Expectations of the Kingdom of God in the
post-Reformation
period.
iv) The role of imminent expectation in missions
and emigrations.
v) Eschatological expectations and
secularization.
vi) Concepts of life after death.
4. Church year
1) ORIGINS OF THE CHURCH YEAR
i) Religious times and seasons.
ii) Jewish background.
iii) Formation of the church year.
2) THE MAJOR CHURCH CALENDARS
i) Eastern churches.
ii) Roman Catholic Church.
iii) Protestant churches.
3) HISTORY OF THE CHURCH YEAR
i) Sunday.
ii) Advent.
iii) Christmas.
iv) Epiphany.
v) Pre-Lent.
vi) Lent.
vii) Easter.
viii) Ascension.
ix) Pentecost.
x) Pentecost or Trinity Season.
xi) Saints' days and other holy days.
4) LITURGICAL COLOURS
5. Canon law
1) NATURE AND SIGNIFICANCE
i) Historical and cultural importance of canon
law.
ii) Problems in the study of canon law and its
sources.
2) HISTORY
i) The formative period in the East.
(1) Eastern churches.
(2) Independent churches of Eastern
Christianity.
ii) Development of canon law in the West.
iii) The Corpus Juris Canonici (c. 1140-c.
1500).
iv) From the Council of Trent (1545-63) to the
Codex Juris Canonici
(1917).
(1) The end of decretal law.
(2) Law for the missions.
v) The Codex Juris Canonici (1917).
vi) The Eastern churches in union with Rome.
3) THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL AND POST-CONCILIAR
CANON LAW
i) Vatican II.
ii) Post-conciliar legislation.
iii) Revision of the Code of Canon Law.
iv) The new Code of Canon Law.
v) The Eastern churches.
4) ANGLICAN CANON LAW
III. ASPECTS OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION
1. Patristic literature
1) THE ANTE-NICENE PERIOD
i) The Apostolic Fathers.
ii) The Gnostic writers.
iii) The Apologists.
iv) Late 2nd to early 4th century.
2) THE POST-NICENE PERIOD
i) The Nicene Fathers.
ii) The Cappadocian Fathers.
iii) Monastic literature.
iv) The school of Antioch.
v) The schools of Edessa and Nisibis.
vi) The Chalcedonian Fathers.
vii) Non-Chalcedonian Fathers.
viii) The post-Nicene Latin Fathers.
ix) Later Greek Fathers.
3) THE CHARACTER OF THE HERITAGE
2. Christian philosophy
1) HISTORY OF THE INTERACTIONS OF PHILOSOPHY AND
THEOLOGY
i) Influence of Greek philosophy.
ii) Emergence of official doctrine.
iii) Aristotle, Aquinas, and Descartes.
iv) Other influences.
2) FAITH AND REASON
3) CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY AS NATURAL THEOLOGY
i) Arguments for the existence of God.
(1) The design (or teleological) argument.
(2) The cosmological argument.
(3) The ontological argument.
(4) Moral arguments.
(5) Arguments from religious experience and
miracles.
ii) The immortality of the soul.
4) CONTEMPORARY DISCUSSIONS
i) Influence of logical positivism.
ii) Evidentialist approach.
3. Christian mysticism
1) HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM
i) Early church.
ii) Eastern Christianity.
iii) Western Catholic Christianity.
iv) Protestant Christianity.
2) STAGES OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM
i) The dying to self.
ii) The union with God.
iii) The readjustment.
3) FORMS OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM
i) Christ-mysticism.
ii) Trinitarian mysticism.
iii) Negative mysticism: God and the Godhead.
4) SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM
4. Christian myth and legend
1) CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRISTIAN MYTH AND LEGEND
2) HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MYTH AND LEGEND
i) The early church.
(1) The ages of the world.
(2) Messianic secrets and the mysteries of
salvation.
(3) The Magi and the Child of Wondrous Light.
(4) Relics and saints.
ii) The Middle Ages.
iii) Renaissance magic and science.
iv) Christian practice in the modern world.
IV. THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD
1. The relationships of Christianity
1) Historical views.
2) Church, sect, and mystical movement.
3) CHURCH AND STATE
i) The history of church and state.
(1) The church and the Roman Empire.
(2) The church and the Byzantine, or Eastern,
Empire.
(3) The church and Western states.
(4) Separation of church and state.
ii) Church and state in Eastern and Western
theology.
(1) The views of Eusebius of Caesarea.
(2) The views of Augustine.
(3) Later developments.
4) CHURCH AND SOCIETY
i) The problem of slavery and persecution.
ii) Theological and humanitarian motivations.
5) CHURCH AND EDUCATION
i) Intellectualism versus anti-intellectualism.
ii) Forms of Christian education.
6) CHURCH AND THE ARTS
7) CHURCH AND SOCIAL WELFARE
i) Curing and caring for the sick.
(1) Healing the sick.
(2) Care for the sick.
ii) Care for widows and orphans.
iii) Property, poverty, and the poor.
iv) Pastoral care.
8) CHURCH AND MINORITIES
9) CHURCH AND FAMILY
i) The tendency to spiritualize and
individualize marriage.
ii) The tendency toward asceticism.
10) CHURCH AND THE INDIVIDUAL
i) Love as the basis for Christian ethics.
ii) Freedom and responsibility.
2. Christian missions
1) BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS
2) THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONS
i) First transition, to AD 500.
ii) Second transition, to AD 1500.
(1) Western mission.
(2) Papal mission.
(3) Eastern and Nestorian missions.
(4) The rise of Islam.
iii) Third transition, to AD 1950.
(1) Roman Catholic mission, 1500-1950.
(2) Protestant missions, 1500-1950.
(3) Orthodox missions.
iv) Fourth transition, from 1950.
v) Scripture translations.
3. Ecumenism
1) THE BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
2) THE HISTORY OF ECUMENISM
i) Early controversies.
ii) The schism of 1054.
iii) The Reformation.
iv) Ecumenism in the 17th and 18th centuries.
v) 19th-century efforts.
vi) Ecumenism in the 20th century.
4. The Christian church and non-Christian
religions
1) CONFLICTING CHRISTIAN ATTITUDES
2) MODERN VIEWS
5. Bibliography
1) General works:
2) History of the Christian Church:
3) Major traditional doctrinal issues: (The
meaning of dogma):
4) Church year:
5) Canon law:
6) Patristic literature:
7) Christian philosophy:
8) Mysticism:
9) Christian myth and legend:
10) Roles of Christianity:
11) Missions:
12) Ecumenism:
13) The Christian Church and non-Christian
religions:
http://cyberspacei.com/jesusi/inlight/religion.htm
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