Jesus Seminar

In Against All Odds: the Struggle for Racial Integration in Religious Organizations, authors Brad Christerson, Korie L. Edwards, and Michael O. Emerson present the results of their research into integrated religious organizations. To frame their research they employ a case-study approach, examining four congregations, a religious based university and a religious organization within a university. Through these case studies the authors examine what processes happen in an integrated religious…

“The Air I Breathe” by Louie Giglio is a great book explaining biblical worship, its scriptural foundations, and its further implications in life. Right from chapter 1, he begins with stating that everyone, not just Christians or even the religious are worshipers, but instead it is everyone that worships. With all that we are in every moment, we are worshiping, and with this understanding he explores various topics pertaining to worship. Today I will provide a discussion and analysis on a few of…

Text Review: The Wisdom Literature In “The Wisdom Literature” Kathleen O’ Connor explores the six wisdom books of the Old Testament: Proverbs, Job, Qoheleth, the Song of Songs, Sirach and the Wisdom of Solomon. Although some of these might seem familiar, others might feel foreign, and this is because they are books typically found in different versions of the bible. Through her volume, she breaks down the spiritualties, implicit or explicit, of the wisdom books of the Old Testament. She also…

I was born and raised in Mosul, Iraq. My parents were born in Mosul but in a village called Batnaya. Batnaya was a small village full of Chaldean/Catholic people who used to love Jesus and were very respectful to each other. I grew up in a really traditional family, if you have heard of my village then you will know that these kind of villages are traditions and they love to follow the traditional that are left from our grandparents. I grew up with one brother and seven sisters. We had a really…

Blessed Be: Sacred Phrase or Casual Expression? The term “Blessed Be” is controversial in Wiccan circles. Some say that it’s a sacred phrase, part of the Drawing Down the Moon ritual, and should NEVER be used for any other reason. Others say the phrase is just what it expresses: a way of saying “I wish blessing to you”, or “Goodbye, and may you be blessed”. It gets rather confusing. My assignment is to figure out for myself what the phrase Blessed Be is all about. Let’s gather the facts…

Exegesis Sermon Outline 1. Introduction: Paint the imagery of the intimacy of childbirth and how that reflects the heart of the Father and what He feels for us. a. Hosea 6:6, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” i. God desires to know us and that entails intimacy. b. Isaiah 62:5, “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you…

The Shawnee Prophet by R. David Edmund is a book to tell the story of Tenskwatawa’s life and the way he believed he was leading his people, the Shawnee. Edmund researched a lot about the Shawnee people and why the Shawnee Prophet was the leading figure. I think one of the main themes from this book is the importance of Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh to the Shawnee people. Tenskwatawa, formally known as Lalawethika was a drunk until he was in a coma and when he woke up he believed he seen a vision. And…

In the book, The Upside-Down Kingdom, by Donald B. Kraybill illustrates the importance of Jesus teachings as he the messiah leads his way of acknowledging all social classes. Jesus loved, cared and forgave us as he loved us regardless of the power or wealth. Jesus teaches to serve others as to help those who have less than us. Jesus rather focus on the poor and poverty rather than focusing on wealth. Heading 1 There are three ways to look at the social class there is upper class, middle class…

The story "The Man to Send Rain Clouds," demonstrates two elements of cultures between Father Paul and Native American protagonists. In the Christian world, only God can cause rain, but for the Pueblo world, it is a task to every man to communicate to the cloud people to initiate rain. The characters in this short story show the power struggle between the white world made of Christians and the Pueblo community. There is the struggle between integration of the two cultures. The central theme here…

From Selfless Piety To The Sick And Needy Pilgrimages were important phenomena in European Christian culture during the Middle Ages. The early pilgrimages, such as Etheria’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem, differed from other types of travel and migration in where she went, the motivation to go, and the privileges she got. As pilgrimages evolved and became more widespread and local, they stayed similar in the type of destinations and dangers of the world, but the motivations behind changed. Pilgrims…