Christian Realism

and in certain circumstances, drifting away from typical Christian values is condemned. For example, even her Pentecostal grandparents are depicted as strange and eccentric for their beliefs because they are not part of the understood and accepted Christian community. Growing up in such a predominantly Christian society probably affected her somewhat negatively in this way because it caused her to have a bias towards Christianity and Christian people later in life. She explains that most…

The legacy of the Crusades, whether positive or negative, has been contested among Christians and non-Christians alike. Although there were clearly political, intellectual, and technological benefits to Europe as a result of the Crusades, can it be said that the Crusades advanced the cause of Christ? In histories which concern the medieval West the development that we call the Crusades is constantly regarded finally as a standout amongst the most imperative impacts on European life in the Middle…

like-minded religiously and that there was still tension between the two groups, positive reviews of the Christians should be very little or obsolete. In a primary source from a Muslim named Usamah, it withholds experiences of how the Christians appeared to the recently conquered Muslims. He goes through several different experiences in which he describes the interaction he had with a Christian, something he heard about, or an event he witnessed himself. The historical accuracy of the article is…

The Gero Crucifix, commissioned by the archbishop of Cologne, is one of the many depictions of the crucifixion. As expressive realism had a large role in German art rather than that of fictional character, this wooden crucifix truly does invoke the idea that Christ was a real person and that He too, even as powerful as He was, felt pain. If one looks at The Gero Crucifix, he or…

It turned out that the Christian converts had wanted the same things as the Romans. Unfortunately because Christianity was part of a number of mystery cults, images of the Nativity, Crucifixion, and Resurrection were not found in the third century Christian works of art (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). The theme of death and resurrection were not directly shown in the works of art but they were represented through many images that had been derived from the Old Testament. Faith and…

love, and connection to our lives. Without art the world would be plain. Art is vital to religion and it has been part of the Christian society as well as in…

The movies suck you in and make you truly feel a part of the story with true to life dialogue and a lack of computer animated shots that would make you say “that wasn’t CGI?!”. A great example of the lengths Nolan is willing to go to create realism in his movies is the scene from Inception where Joseph Gordon Levitt's character has to fight in a hallway that, for extensive plot purposes that cannot easily be explained, is rotating gravity in various directions. Making it seem like the actors…

landscape. Wacker grew up a Pentecostal attending church one or twice a week in a family filled with ministers and missionaries. When he entered a secular college, his religious beliefs were challenged and he now identifies himself as an Evangelical Christian finding his congenial abode in a United Methodist Church. As evident in his preface, “the most honest way to explain my relation to the Pentecostal tradition is to say that I am a pilgrim with one leg still stuck in the tent. I hope that…

Timothy Weber has likened the early dispensationalists to spectators in a stadium, watching history unfold on the playing field below. There were very few among them who believed they could or should play any role in the fulfilment of prophecy except to be watchful and personally prepared. Although conscious to be living at the close of history, the vast majority of Evangelical Zionists believed that only God could move the hands of the prophetic clock. They consequently shunned earthly…

Charry provides a three-part overview of the role of doctrine to help cultivate a skilled life of excellence for a Christian believer. I believe these three sections, The Salutarity of Christian Doctrine, Renewing Sapiential Theology and Practicing The Theological Art to be the most practical areas of Charry’s work that can positively impact my church ministry. The Salutarity of Christian Doctrine Charry provides a great explanation and summary of her work by revealing how the primary…