Religious studies

In Anne Bradstreet’s poem “Verses on the Burning of our House,” the speaker discusses her attempt to reconcile the loss of her earthly possessions with religious tenets and, in doing so, highlights the struggle of Puritans to maintain the religious ideal of valuing only spiritual worth, as depicted through the concept of weaned affections. Frequently in her poem, Bradstreet emphasizes the dichotomy between her emotions as she experiences the transpiring events and what she wants to feel through…

In his book Fundamentalism, Steve Bruce starts by admitting that religion is a “very rich diet” for most. Most people are not willing to put their entire lives into religious traditions and choose instead to practice religion with few rituals, helping fund their religious communities, and trying to work with what their religious leaders say is a moral, good life. After all, not everybody can be a monk or priest, as there have always needed to be people keeping the secular life functioning,…

In a small classroom at Liberty University, students enrolled in an upper level psychology course have discussed the various models of the integration of psychology and Christianity as proposed by David N. Entwistle (2015). The models that were discussed include Enemies, Foreign Spies, Domestic Spies, Colonialists, Rebuilders, Neutral Parties, and Allies. One specific part of the curriculum for the class includes the input of each student on which of these seven models seem to be the strongest.…

is clear that audiences can learn from the morals and values taught in biblical movies CITATION (Screening Scripture p.viii). Parallel narrative techniques used by biblical filmmakers represent an excellent example of a novel format through which religious teachings could be conveyed to mass audiences; through direct, immersive comparison with their modern lives. The value of this medium should not be understated: “even if no movie has saved anyone’s soul, cinema can provide thought-provoking…

Defending the Word When people say that the Bible has authority, it simply can be translated to mean credibility. People are constantly attacking the Word of God and its authority, which means Christians everywhere, must be ready to defend the Word and its truths. The Bible draws its authority from the internal and external evidences we can find in Scripture and in our world. Internally, the Bible, though written by a human hand, is the inspired Word of God that have been spoken through the…

contemporary Christian faith, Bible study “involves engaging the mind and focusing attention on Scripture in an attempt to understand and apply truth to every part of my life”. Only through Bible study can we learn about God and become more like Christ. Through the Bible itself God encourages us to “meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Josh 1:8). Though emphasis on Bible study has fluctuated…

1 CHAPTER 1: COVENANT AND COVENANTS The Bible is a big book with many stories, laws, genealogies, and even dedicates a great amount of space to instructions for construction. Some of the content seems easy enough to understand. Other content seems strange. All of this content comes bound together as one book, but there are two so-called “Testaments” (old and new) as well as sixty-six individual books written over the span of about 1,500 years. Do all of these books fit together somehow? Is this…

The Holy Bible is an intriguing collection of historical accounts recorded over a period of approximately 2000 years. The historical accounts published within the Bible provide an insightful glimpse into the thoughts, perspectives, and feelings of God and the people who inhabited the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian areas during this epoch, as well as detailed descriptions of the multitude of events that transpired during this era. The content of the Bible has been crafted by innumerable…

When Dr. Kristen Irwin lectured on Pierre Bayle and his ideas about religious toleration, she introduced many people to a new way of thinking about religion and toleration. Dr. Irwin first spoke about Pierre Bayle’s life and the historical context that influenced his thinking. Bayle lived during a period of turmoil in the Church. With many groups separating themselves from Rome, religious life was not as uniform as it used to be. With these changes came persecution. Pierre Bayle was raised…

Throughout the early modern era there were varied causes for the wars, some more significant than others. Three of the main causes for the wars at this time were power and territory, material wealth, and nationalism. Power and territory influenced the rulers of each country that were trying to expand their nation and power, by gaining more territory. Material wealth was fought over, to expand the resources of the country and to have more personal gain. Nationalism was the third cause of warring…