English Bible translations

“The Origins of Anti-Semitism” was an interesting read and will be useful towards my paper, which focuses on the topic of the origins of anti-Semitism and blood libels. One of the first things I noticed is John Gager relies on many others’ observations rather than his own, however, that did not stop me from enjoying his book. Gager’s main thesis, evident throughout the whole book, is primarily on the legacy and the ideas behind both pagan and Christian ideals behind anti-Semitism. This includes…

The purpose of Dawn, the prologue to Searching for Sunday, by Rachel Held Evans, is to introduce key elements that will be proceeded throughout the book, as well as establish Evans opinion on the her view and the view shared by millennials regarding the institutionalized Church and how it must change to recapture the attention of herself and the rest of the millennial population. The audience of Evans work is primarily directed toward millennials who wish to strengthen their faith, but also can…

The Parson is a pilgrim that Chaucer idealizes. He is a Holy person, he is actually extremely poor, however, he is “rich in holy thought and work.” He is an educated man, he enjoys teaching Christ's gospel to his parishioners. He always visits his members and never neglects his parish members. He does his own work, the Parson carries around a staff everywhere with him. He sets a good example for all of his church members to follow. He does not have an interest in making more money. The…

My Story Inside God’s Story #2 Psalm 103:19 reads, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” God rules over all. His kingdom is both in heaven and here on earth. It encompasses both realms in equal authority and in equal sovereignty. By reflecting on class readings and discussions, it is possible for me to write my understandings of the Kingdom of God, those things that I do not understand, how I am wrestling with them, and what the pressing needs are…

Dreadlocks: This is an important aspect of the Rastafari movement because they believe that their hair is a source of their strength and is written in the Old Testament such as Leviticus 21:5. Another belief, is that it’s a representation of the lion’s mane (Frank, kevin). Ganja: Rastafarians are known to smoke the herb for ritual purposes. Ganja is usually smoked during what they call reasoning sessions. It is smoked to bring them closer to Jah and bring them spiritual awareness (Pretorius,…

Have you ever wanted to learn about other religions other than your own, but wondered if it was appropriate and where to even begin? In Paul F. Knitter’s novel, Introducing Theologies of Religions, he discusses a variety of techniques that Christian theologians use to approach other religions. In Knitter’s novel, his goal was to bring light upon a heavy topic and common theological problem called religious plurality. Knitter also intended to inspire people around the world to change their…

“Don’t be an Indian giver!” it may sound like an innocent phrase. However, that phrase underlines a lot of differences between Native culture and Christianity. The main point of Christianity is to give yourself without expecting anything back just as Jesus gave himself for the world. However, Natives, as a barter economy, were used to giving and expecting something back. In the eyes of the Christians, this was not a good thing. But Natives considered giving and expecting back an honorific task.…

In John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity,” he describes his founded city as a “prototype” society. More specifically, everyone is going to see if the society succeeds or fails. It is not exactly called a prototype it is known as “a city on a hill.” America in relativity is a city on a hill. In the agreement, Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama have all included this ideology into some of their speeches. The origin of the phrase “city on a hill” comes from Winthrop himself. He stated, “For we…

The three types of belief systems are extremely different when it comes to their principles, affirming religious beliefs and the amount of evidence needed to affirm said beliefs. Critical rationalism, fideism, and strong rationalism are the three positions and they all have been discussed by different philosophers and people throughout the years. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses and ways of rationally affirming their beliefs. Strong Rationalism believes that it is rational to…

This book review offers a critical analysis and evaluation of Sze-Kar Wan’s book, Power in Weakness: The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians. First published in 2000, Power in Weakness, examines 2 Corinthians with a focus on Paul’s rhetorical strategies and the various conflicts Paul has with the church. Before launching into the summary and critique of this book a brief synopsis reveals Wan’s interpretation of 2 Corinthians’ construction. After contextualizing the book, attention turns…