Contemporary worship

Civilization was greatly enhanced by five major contributions from the Hebrew culture: monotheism, cultic worship ceremonies, the principles of the Torah, the idea of history and morality. These core beliefs provided the Hebrews with a self-contained culture that was unchanged by outside influences and provided for its longevity. The Hebrews were monotheistic. They believed in one God as opposed to the polytheistic belief systems of other near eastern societies. Two of the religious…

In the fourth century, following the New Testament and Nicaea there began the Trinitarian Benediction taken from Paul’s second letter to the church of Corinth. My question is why is there an exaltation of the Holy Spirit at the center of worship? The Holy Spirit is not self-honoring and is in service to the father and Jesus the Christ. These tactics can deceive even the very elect. I must confess if it had not been for seminary I may have been deceived…

As pointed, both the contemporary teachers of the Law and Jesus were very strict about adhering to the Mosaic laws, and neither of them would tolerate disobeying, bending, or misinterpreting them. However, Jesus was more about the real purpose of the Law, which as demonstrated in his sermons throughout the Gospels, was more about becoming intimate with God and being generous and compassionate to people around oneself. In fact, Jesus condemns some of the Pharisees as being brood of vipers, in…

subsequent discussions, the debate over the solution to our modern ecological crisis has compelled us to polarize the potential outcomes of holding different religious beliefs or worldviews. Specifically, we seem to believe that man must either worship nature or he will use it for personal gain only and exploit it endlessly. It can also be argued that Christian ideology sets us up in a position in which we are prone to the latter. In Nasr’s The Problem, he asserts that our divorce from…

pleasure are good when obtained properly, but when pursued in ways that undermine other goods, sin happens. Over time, a person’s character becomes distorted because of seeking good things in a misguided fashion (DeYoung, 2009). DeYoung cites a contemporary author, “The simplest definition of an addiction is anything we use to fill the empty place inside of us that belongs to God alone” (2009, p. 38). If fulfillment and happiness can be achieved with shortcuts, quick results, and one’s own…

supposed to chase after and strive to be like. This discussion will cover how Jesus is superior to the various important figures of the Old Testament, the tabernacle and covenant associated with Israel, and will evaluate the relevance of Hebrews for contemporary relations between Jews and Christians. There are five areas noted in “A Survey Of The New Testament” (Gundry,…

I agree with Mr. Ross’s view that the modern classical-music performance have too much of a rigid set of etiquettes. Concerts must become more flexible “in order to accommodate the myriad shapes of music of the past thousand years.” I’ve only been to a single concert in my life and that was when I was young during an elementary music class school trip to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for a viewing of “Peter and the Wolf.” As such I cannot say that I remember having experienced any rigidness and…

Religion refers to the belief of, and worship to a higher unseen power, that is constantly developing, in order to more efficiently answer the enduring questions of life. Christianity is the world’s largest religious tradition, with approximately one third of the world population being Christian adherents; according to the Religious Tolerance Organisation. As a result of Christianity’s vast followers, it is often regarded as a living tradition that is continually subject to change, in order to…

CONFIDENTIAL CASE STUDY - NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED 1. Background: In its simplest form, this case is about whether or not our church should buy a new piano. However, there are several important background details, with each item making the problem increasingly complicated. I have been serving as the lead pastor for Stratford First United Methodist Church for 3 months. Stratford is a town of about 18,000 people in Southern Oregon. It is the home of Southern Oregon University, the Oregon…

The Puritans had a very stern set of rules. And while their belief system is not as strictly practiced today, it’s still greatly involved in influencing our contemporary society, thoughts, and judgments. They have handed down ideas that, no matter if people like it or not, can be seen almost everywhere. Whether it be in our own lives, in movies and shows we watch, or in the publicized lives of celebrities, you can always find a traditional puritan belief being involved in some situation. More…