Gospel Teachings Research Articles

Narrative Impact in Church Homilies: Stories, Sayings, and Experiences

In the modern era, homilies do not only convey religious doctrine but also address contemporary challenges in religious life. This study aims to analyse the impact of using illustrations—stories, wise sayings, and personal experiences—in homilies on the understanding and reception of God’s Word by the congregation. Descriptive qualitative research was conducted at St. Thomas the Apostle Onan Rihit Station, utilizing in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis to collect data. Findings indicate that the use of illustrations in homilies not only deepens the understanding of the Gospel teachings but also enhances the congregation's engagement with the community and the application of these teachings in daily life. Homilies are effective in enhancing resonance and attention from the congregation, demanding more empathetic and creative approaches in delivery. The results of this study underscore the importance of adaptation and innovation in homiletic practices to respond to contemporary religious life dynamics

A Short Account of that Part of Africa Inhabited by the Negroes

Anthony Benezet scoured the available English literature of colonial exploitation for evidence of the humanity of the trafficked Africans and the inhumanity of the European traders in human beings. He compiled and published this Short Account in 1762 to present the case for termination of the trans-Atlantic transportation of kidnapped Africans, for abolition of slavery and the slave trade, and for emancipation of the enslaved persons held in bondage in North America and elsewhere. Drawing on Scottish moral philosophy, British Whig ideology, and, most importantly, on New Testament gospel teachings, Benezet presented both reasoned and impassioned appeals for the recognition that Africans had rights to life and liberty that were being abrogated on an industrial scale in violation of the most basic Christian beliefs. The mid-eighteenth century witnessed the height of the English and North American participation in the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and this early abolitionist tract raised an important and ultimately influential outcry in favor of its termination and the remediation of its manifold abuses.

Sharing the Gospel with [Non-Christian] Students and the Task of Academic Faith Integration

The gospel is central to life in the Christian community. It is formational to the church proper and to the pedagogical task of faith-based colleges and universities. The gospel is also significant for the education of non/nominal Christians who are present in our classrooms. This article describes the gospel as indispensable for faith-based teaching and learning, but perhaps in surprising ways. The focus of this article is “gospel teaching” in classes where the topic is not explicitly religious and when students are present who do not share our Christian convictions. Practical recommendations are made throughout the article and at its close.

Orthodox Church and Russian Nationalism in the Second Half of the 19th Century and Early 20th Century

The article is based on the pre-revolutionary journalism. It reveals the attitude of Orthodox church authors of the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century to a number of subjects related to the problems of the Russian nationalism. The traditionally high interest of the Russian society in general and Orthodox Christians in particular in the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to nationalism in its various manifestations accounts for the relevance of the publication. Considering the return of the modern church journalism to the same range of problems that concerned representatives of the Orthodox clergy, theologians, missionaries and teachers of theological schools in the pre-revolutionary period, it would seem that an appeal to the historical experience of their understanding is fairly significant and essential. The article examines the ways in which church authors used to understand the nationalism, their ideas about its place in the life of an Orthodox Christian, along with its challenges and threats. It is noted that although the Orthodox Church did not have a single and consistent view of the nationalism, most church authors tried to give this phenomenon a direction that would not contradict the gospel teaching and could become a constructive and creative factor for the Russian life. At the same time, it is noted that, when discussing the nationalism, church authors of the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century often gave this concept a meaning different from that of modern scientists, politicians and journalists. Standing at the Christian viewpoint, church authors rejected the militant, “pagan”, secular kind of the nationalism that involved only the earthly prosperity of the people. They supported another kind of nationalism consisting in the right of peoples to a special spiritual path, cultural and state identity and independence.

Gospel parable and Orthodox joke: general and special

The purpose of the article is to reveal the specifics of the Orthodox joke by comparing it with the Gospel parable having a similar function. Methodology. Within the framework of the cultural studies approach, the methods of comparative analysis, induction, and deduction were applied. Scientific novelty. The cultural studies analysis of the correlation between the Gospel parable and the Orthodox joke has been carried out for the first time, both unifying and specific characteristics to each of the phenomena have been identified. Conclusions. An Orthodox joke can be called a parable joke. A modern Orthodox joke has a number of characteristics of a parable: describing the particular situation, it is based on the Gospel teaching; like a parable, it has two layers: a form tied to modernity and a timeless deep religious moral meaning; its main goal is to raise the human mind from earthly to heavenly. At the same time, a number of specific characteristics do not allow us to identify them: the Orthodox joke is created based on modern material; unlike a parable, it involves a laughing reaction. The Orthodox joke (as a joke in form, but with a deep parable content) is able to easily penetrate the consciousness of a secular person who is tuned in to ease and not accustomed to reflection. In this way, Orthodoxy, as in the previous period of its existence, seeks to respond to the needs of the time, transforming the form, but not changing the deep essence of the teaching. Key words: joke, parable, Orthodox anecdote, Gospel parable, metanarrative, modern Orthodox culture, secular society.

When Gospels Collide

The purpose of this book is to show how fundamentalist attempts to harmonize and suppress contradictions between the four Gospels are misguided because they fail to see that most “contradictions” actually represent purposeful editorial changes of one Gospel by the writer of another. The successive evangelists were trying to make new and different points. There is nothing more pious than understanding the text. Harmonization cheats readers of the Bible by preventing them from discerning the richness and variety of Gospel teachings. Harmonizers see themselves as champions of Scripture, but they are, ironically, suppressing a proper understanding of the very texts that they profess to honor and adore. To recognize the plurality of Gospel teachings allows readers to strip off the threadbare straitjacket that has long been imposed on the text by theologians, which then allows people to read the Gospels each on their own terms. This book forces readers to ask: Do you love the Bible or your theology of the Bible?

What Is a Person? Realities, Constructs, Illusions by John M. Rist

Reviewed by: What Is a Person? Realities, Constructs, Illusions by John M. Rist Jude P. Dougherty RIST, John M. What Is a Person? Realities, Constructs, Illusions. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. vii + 188 pp. Cloth, $34.99 John M. Rist is emeritus professor of the University of Toronto. Author of more than a dozen books and over a hundred articles on ancient philosophy, patristics, and ethics, he is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and an Aquinas Medalist of the American Catholic Philosophical Association. The immediate origin of this book is a series of lectures he gave to the graduate faculty of the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America. He tells the reader up front that the book will make no claims about the immortality of the human soul or of the person. What he attempts to answer, he says, is a more elementary question: What does the concept of "person" add to our understanding of what it means to be a human being? Most contemporary philosophers assume they live in a godless world. The result: In a soulless and godless world there is no basis for morality; all norms are deemed mere moral constructs. In such a world, it is difficult to defend the concept of "person" and the allied concept of "human dignity." Given the absence of a clear understanding of the concept in contemporary academic discourse, Rist examines the concept of "person" as it has been held through the ages, from antiquity to the present. He begins with Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, and then consults the thought of Plotinus, Porphyry, Boethius, Augustine, Hugh of St. Victor, Aquinas, and Scotus, among others. He finds in these thinkers what he calls the "Mainstream": a notion of person that prevailed until challenged in the sixteenth century by neopagans like Giordano Bruno and subsequently attacked by the British empiricists, to say nothing of Nietzsche and Heidegger centuries later, who chose to revert to pre-Christian notions found in classical antiquity. It is true that recognition of human dignity was a feature of ancient Rome, but one that followed an acknowledgment of a hierarchy among human beings, each person due recognition according to status. The Apostle Paul taught differently: "In God's eyes all human beings possess [End Page 856] equal dignity." This became the common Christian teaching with its implications in the social order. It was the gospel's teaching that motivated Bartholomew de Las Casas (1484–1566) to assume defense of the rights of natives of the West Indies against the Spanish conquistadores, arguing that the former were fully human and not natural slaves. In defense of their rights, Las Casas was even prepared to tolerate their barbarous religious practices. They were to be converted, not compelled to worship the Christian God of their conquerors. Freedom of religion he considered to be a basic right. British empiricism of the eighteenth century, following Hume and Locke, produced Hobbes and Bentham, both of whom denied freedom of religion. Given a secular view of human nature, the task of defending human dignity was assumed by many. The names of participants flow by: Kant, Leibniz, Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Berkeley, and Adam Smith. Each grapples with the issue: How can one hold on to morality in a godless and antimetaphysical world? Sympathy and empathy, promoted by some Renaissance humanists, or the invocation of Rousseau's "general will," left much to be desired. Kant's categorical imperative ("Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it become a universal law") seemed to offer a resolution. The gradual shift from talk of "human dignity" (Christian language, Rist points out) to "rights talk" seemed to many to offer the best choice, in a post-Christian world, of preserving human rights without explicitly drawing upon religious principles. Kant's claim that we should show respect for every human being by treating each as an end in himself was a fruitful legacy of his pietist upbringing. Grotius had long before argued that if the Christian God did not exist, some sort of natural law did, and consequently we would conveniently find some mutually agreeable deontological principles in order...

Reflections on Veritatis splendor

The encyclical Veritatis splendor represented a renewal of moral theology in the spirit of Vatican Council II. Pope St. John Paul II emphasized Gospel teaching in light of the Old Testament, reiterating the animating role of the Holy Spirit in the New Law. Properly understood, the New Law is not a code of obligations, but a dynamic life of charity made intelligible through grace and the natural law. As a primary connection between human beings and divine law, natural law inclines persons toward the good, thus providing an apprehensible link between human freedom and objective truth—enabling us to determine what is good and evil. This understanding of judgment provides a corrective for theological trends toward proportionalism and consequentialism.

BYZANTINE HESYCHASM IN THE LIFE OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

In spite of the historical vicissitudes through which the Orthodox Church passed, monasticism represented for the Church a pillar of stability and fidelity to the Gospel teachings and Christian living. Practicing the prayer of the heart, of contemplation in complete silence, of a severe ascension give the possibility to the hesychast monks to see the uncreated light that the Holy Apostles saw on Mount Tabor, at the Transfiguration of Our Lord. The one who strongly supported the hesychast doctrine was Saint Gregory Palamas. The present study attempts to make a short presentation of how the prayer of the heart (the hesychast prayer) has evolved over the centuries, but also a comparative analysis of the rationalist way of thinking, inspired by Catholic schooling, with the hesychast tradition, specific to the Orthodox Church. Also, the study presents some historical landmarks regarding the practice of the hesychast life in the Romanian lands.

The Prosperity Gospel and the Spirit of Consumerism According to Joel Osteen

This article explores the link between Protestantism and the spirit of consumerist capitalism by focusing on the prosperity gospel and one of its most prominent contemporary proponents—pastor, televangelist, and New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen. Through in-depth content analysis of eight of Osteen’s most influential and widely read books, I explore the underlying assumptions of his teachings about faith, prosperity, and consumption. The broader implications of Osteen’s theology of money and consumption for American religion—especially the link between Protestant Christianity, consumerism, and the American Dream—are considered. Findings reveal Osteen’s support for the consumerist belief that happiness and ultimate meaning in life are linked with ever-increasing discretionary consumption. Godliness and nonessential consumption go hand in hand for Osteen, whose Christianized version of the American Dream and prosperity gospel teachings are important components of the spirit of twenty-first-century consumerist capitalism.

Social Conscience and Politics in the United States of America: Reflections

AbstractThis article argues that the United States of America is quite different from other OECD countries in its religiosity (America is much more religious) and also in its public safety nets, which are considerably less generous and comprehensive than those of Europe. There are some institutional and ideological patterns in American religion that perhaps underlie both these tendencies. Patterns of religious life and practice in America may be part of the ‘problem’ in American responses to poverty; they may also, however, be part of the solution, and not simply because of gospel teaching. America is distinctive in the breadth, diversity and vitality of associations and charities, including religiously based voluntary organizations. The voluntary sector cannot replace the public sector, but it can, perhaps, provide the organizational foundation for the development of social conscience and civic dialogue, and a counter to the increasingly toxic political sphere. The voluntary sector may be the best hope for the emergence of an American social conscience, and may also provide an interesting framework for other nations to consider.

The Good Communicated: Milton's "Drama of the Fall and the Law of Charity"

The article offers a suggested cause for Milton's representation of the Fall in Book IX of "Paradise Lost" as Eve and Adam's transgression of the law of charity, that is, the love of God, self, and neighbour. The law of charity constitutes the essence of the divine prohibition not to eat from the forbidden tree and the kernel of the Ten Commandments and Gospel teaching, and forms the basis for Milton's concept of natural law. Milton's drama of the Fall uses a variety of literary devices to announce the restoration of humanity through the Son, Milton's 'one greater Man'.

<i>Felicitas</i> (<i>eudaimonia</i>) ou les promenades d'Érasme dans le jardin d'Épicure

An examination of Erasmus' changing views of Epicureanism must primarily rely on statements by himself that refer to Epicurus or indicate awareness of, and perhaps affinity with, some aspects of his philosophy. A brief first part will survey the intermediate sources for Epicurus' system, classical and patristic, appreciative or critical, with which Erasmus was familiar. Thereafter the procedure will be chronological, examining first the early traces of Erasmus' acquaintance with Epicurus, leading to an attempt to reconcile his moral philosophy with the Gospel teachings. Next Erasmus' years in Italy are considered. Italy had recently experienced a marked revival of interest in Epicurean thought, leading to a positive revaluation. Here Erasmus' familiarity with the work of Lorenzo Valla obtains a crucial importance. Valla turned Erasmus, to put it boldly, into a sort of convert to Epicureanism, as will be shown by a fresh look at his Moriae encomium. After the Moria Erasmus' statements relevant to Epicureanism tend to be more casual and inconsistent. In the end, however, we notice a reawakening of concern and almost a return to his initial endorsement of a Christian Epicureanism. The history of Epicureanism is an ongoing, often radical, quest for enduring felicity, although not always proceeding from the same intellectual premises. Finally, a brief attempt is made to assign Erasmus his modest place in that history.

From More’s Utopia to the Jesuit Reducciones in Paraguay

The author discusses the Utopian genre in both Spain and Latin America, arguing that some aspects of Utopia—its island form, its philosophical language, its disdain for gold—indicate that More knew certain Hispanic chroniclers and was at home in this genre’s natural tendency to interpret history in relation to Gospel teaching. A series of examples from Las Casas to Peramás reinforces the view that the Hispanic Utopia takes root principally in a program of political reforms on behalf of native Americans.

Religion and morality: the crisis of traditional views

Modern theologians give the Sermon on the Mount such definitions: "the pearl of the gospel teachings," "the lecture of Christ's morality, ethics, asceticism," "a brief summary of the whole New Testament," "one of the most prominent places in the Bible." In the end, "The sermon on the other hand uplifts, by its content, ideas, character and spirit, all the teachings of the most outstanding philosophers, humanists, prophets, and moralists to this day." Of course, these definitions are perceived primarily as being related to the apologetic theology to which we are treated with respect.

Nyahovsky teachings as a monument of pro-reform literature

The activities of early Protestantism have been sufficiently researched, especially nowadays. But most of the works are mostly about his penetration into the Ukrainian land and adaptation to new socio-historical conditions. Unfortunately, the original base of early Protestantism, in particular Calvinism, has not been practically studied, though we have preserved two particularly noteworthy testimonies of Ukrainian Calvinists. One of them is the Gospel teachings that emerged in the sixteenth century. in Transcarpathia in the village of Nyagovo of the present Tyachiv district. The monument is so unexplored that even the Calvinist content is expressed in the scientific literature. In this connection, we set ourselves the task of analyzing the content of this monument and bringing it to Calvinism, that is, to reformation.

Ethical issues in managed care: a Catholic Christian perspective.

A Christian analysis of the moral conflicts that exist among physicians and health care institutions requires a detailed treatment of the ethical issues in managed care. To be viable, managed care, as with any system of health care, must be economically sound and morally defensible. While managed care is per se a morally neutral concept, as it is currently practiced in the United States, it is morally dubious at best, and in many instances is antithetical to a Catholic Christian ethics of health care. The moral status of any system of managed care ought to be judged with respect to its congruence with Gospel teachings about the care of the sick, Papal Encyclicals, and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. In this essay, I look at the important conceptual or definitional issues of managed care, assess these concerns over against the source and content of a Catholic ethic of health care, and outline the necessary moral requirements of any licit system of health care.

The Vine and the Elm Tree: the Patristic Interpretation of Jesus’ Teachings on Wealth

If patristic tradition on the subject of wealth and possessions often appears ambivalent in its attitudes, then perhaps one of the reasons for this is that this tradition grows from an exegesis of Gospel teachings on the subject that themselves are far from being straightforward, even though they are immensely forthright. Clement of Alexandria, for example, has frequently been accused of twisting the simple and immediately obvious demand of Jesus: ‘Sell all you have and give to the poor’ (Mark 10.21) and subverting a radical vision of Jesus into a comfortable exhortation that any pious property-owner, bourgeois or aristocratic, could be happy to live with. If the rich young man had understood Christ’s real message, as Clement would have it (not so much to renounce his ownership of goods as to free his heart from attachment to them), then he might not have had such a crisis about following Jesus. Whether or not Clement’s case is, in the end, convincing as an exegesis, it none the less successfully raises all the implicit problems of interpreting the New Testament teachings on wealth in any kind of universalist sense—as teachings that are meant to apply to all, and for all time. And there are, consequently, many dangers in being too ready to dismiss Clement’s allegorism as an anachronistic exegesis, not least the danger of reverting to a different kind of biblical fundamentalism than the one Clement thought he was attacking; for contemporary biblical criticism, as it attempts to separate out the original message of Jesus and the insights of his later disciples, and to locate the original words in their correct historical and sociological milieu, has rightly warned us against over-confidence in our historical interpretations of Gospel material.

Does it do as it says?

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsEdwin CoxEdwin Cox is Senior Lecturer in Education in the University of London Institute of Education. He is the author of Changing Aims in Religious Education, Sixth Form Religion, and This Elusive Jesus: The Problem of Gospel Teaching.

Principles behind syllabus making

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsEdwin CoxEdwin Cox is Senior Lecturer in Education in the University of London Institute of Education. His most recent book is This Elusive Jesus: The Problem of Gospel Teaching, Marshalls Educational, 1975.