Christian mysticism

Christians pray to and worship God in more languages than any other religion in the world (Netland and Ott 15). This can be attributed to the gospel’s power to overcome all cultural boundaries. As heirs of God’s kingdom our truth is no longer found in our worldly identity, but in our creator (ESV Gal 3:28). Unfortunately, as fallen humans, it is impossible to completely separate our own personal understanding of the world from God’s infallible truth. For example, when we worship God we can not…

takes shape in many different ways as one examines one culture from a different culture. Growing up in a Christian family, I have a lot of experience with the complexities of worship even just within my denomination of Christianity. When examining Islamic worship, and comparing it to the concepts of worship I have come to hold, I see many similarities and differences. Islamic and Christian worship both have similarities in manner by which worship is to be expressed, and the words that are said…

“obedience, conformity to Christ, being an apprentice of Jesus Christ, and action of the Word and Spirit.” The basis of Dr. Wilson’s argument is that these component assist in the formation of an individual’s spiritual growth. Scorgie (2011) contends, “Christian spirituality is ultimately about being attentive to the Holy Spirit’s voice, open to his transforming impulses, and empowered by his indwelling presence” (p. 27). In other words, a life that is being formed spiritually will be…

religion, race, gender, political view, or socioeconomic status. In fact, the answer to every problem exists within every continent, belongs to every social group, and offers accessibility to everyone who seeks it out. Monotheists – such as Jews, Christians, and Muslims – often look up and pray to God for a solution to their problems. Although prayer offers a firm starting point to confront…

Daniel utilizes a new introductory formula in this verse to focus the attention of the reader to the climax of the visions of the beasts. From this group of ten horns, comes up “another horn, a little one” which displaced three other horns. This little horn had “eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Nothing specifically is said about the nature of what is being said, however, within the Bible’s wisdom literature, through the eyes or speech of a person, their…

discipled to grow in their relationship with Christ. Of course, the goal is maturity in Christ and this spiritual growth only happens over a period of time. We will look at the details of how disciples are made in the context of the local church and a Christian community. With this examination, we will discuss the role and…

The church in America is a part of our culture and has been since the beginning. The mindset of our country is changing and this is where the followers of Christ come from. I remember a scandal from the Clinton administration. Hilary Clinton had worn a cross, and the debate was should a government leader, such as a first lady, wear a sign of faith in public. My position back then was if, for her, the cross was a sign of faith then she had a right to wear the symbol, like a Muslim woman should be…

necessary skills to be a professional no matter what subject we may be talking about. Discipleship is no different. There are general stages of progression that we all must follow. Ultimately, the Bible provides the resources one needs to develop a Christian lifestyle. Therefore, any stages or path identified must reflect the principles given in the Word of God. We all start off in life dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). The Lord robed himself in flesh and paid the ultimate price so…

For my final topic, I decided to utilize the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. This doctrine is central to our Christian faith and shapes how we view our salvation in Christ. It is key that we have a good understanding of it because it can have an impact on how we view ourselves and how we view God. What is justification and how are we justified? Pastor R.C. Sproul speaks of this in a sermon on Martin Luther. He points out that our English word for justification comes from the Latin…

In the book, Damned Women: Witches and Sinners in Puritan New England, Elizabeth Reis examines the relationship among women, evil, and Puritanism in the seventeenth century New England. Reis not only explains why women were more likely viewed as witches or followers of the Devil but she also explains how men would sin in Puritan New England. In her book, she discusses why even puritans themselves, came to think that they forged a pact with the devil. Elizabeth begins stating that she believed…