Christ Research Articles

Reshaping Mystical Geometry of ”Vision and Prayer” by Dylan Thomas as Its Possible Re-Interpretation

Although Dylan Thomas and his poem ”Vision and Prayer” (1944) are usually not attributed to a specific kind of visual/concrete or ”shaped poetry,” his highly enigmatic and daring poetical articulation displays some interesting typographical features that can qualify him to be included in the label. It is a unique experiment of a kind mainly because of its two distinct geometric shapes, i.e. diamond and hourglass, within the two equal Parts, with six stanzas in each one of them. These shapes create a kind of “mystical geometry,” since they differ both in their pictorial presentation and the content matter. The paper tried to follow various attempts in English literature that might have served as a source of inspiration for Thomas in the works of George Herbert, Sir Thomas Browne, and W.B. Yeats. It also presents previous critical interpretations that revolved mainly around the themes of birth, death, and re-birth Resurrection of Jesus Christ, since religious imagery and poetic language seem to invite such an approach (Tindall, Burdette, Kidder, Bauer). However, a combination of Derridean deconstruction/restructuring and computer-assisted pictorial manipulation of the text produced yet an interesting experiment in analysis, having brought together all the stanzas into a ‘grand diamond’ shape. The newly reshaped version of the ‘poem’ opened up possibilities for interpretation while pointing out the central geometric shapes that emerged in the process.

The Risks to Germany’s Peace and Security Generated by the Reichsbürger Movement or “Citizens of the Reich” Based on Political and Religious Convictions

In recent years, the extreme right in Germany has expanded, the phenomenon gaining momentum. The far-right groups and organisations in Germany were, are and will be dominated by an ideology that amalgamates religious or non-religious ideas but that defends German culture and spirituality according to its visions and objectives. Adherents of far-right ideology combine these ideas with conspiracy theories, and on such a background, some of them change their attitude towards society and become violent. For example, right-wing extremists attacked the Parliament, the symbol of democracy, for the first time in Germany, namely on 29 August 2020, and later on 6 January 2021, protesters, including right-wing extremists, attacked the Congress of the United States of America. One of the organisations, such as the Reichsbürger Movement, which means Citizens of the Reich, who reject the current borders of Germany and want the return to those established in 1871, set up cells and planned activities recently catalogued as terrorists by German prosecutors, in December 2022 and May 2023. For the Citizens of the Reich, there is no Federal Republic of Germany because this country is part of a conspiracy and part of a satanic state system, and they recognise only Imperial Germany. According to the religious beliefs of some of them, the imperial constitution was received from God and must be respected, and they are in an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. The model invoked by some of them is that of Jesus Christ who changed society, erroneously invoking biblical precepts to bolster their claims.

‘우주와 별의 종말’을 통해 고찰해 본 종말론에 관한 물리학적 전망

Many concepts about the end of time and the afterlife are common to nearly every religion in the human world. However, the human discussion of the end of life and the afterlife has been limited to the teachings and testimonies of a few sages and saints, including Jesus Christ. However, with the advancement of science and technology, a better understanding of the nature of the universe and the material world around us may assist in the search for some sort of analogical hints about the end of time and the afterlife.
 This paper does not attempt to explain various concepts of Christian eschatology or to determine their scientific authenticity. Instead, it seeks to analogically explain the Christian concept of death from the end of the material world by scientifically analyzing the phenomenon of the end of the material world as given by God the Creator.
 Thus, this paper summarizes the beginning, evolution, and end of the universe and the stars through the findings of modern physics over the past 100 years. By showing that the fate of the stars and the universe is similar to one of humans and the world as described in Christian eschatology, I hope to make it clear that the perspective of Christian eschatology is sufficiently similar to the one of the material world.

Riscurile la adresa păcii și securității Germaniei generate de mișcarea Reichsbürger sau „cetăţenii Reichului” pe fondul convingerilor politice și religioase

In recent years, the extreme right in Germany has expanded, the phenomenon gaining momentum. The far-right groups and organisations in Germany were, are and will be dominated by an ideology that amalgamates religious or non-religious ideas but that defends German culture and spirituality according to its visions and objectives. Adherents of far-right ideology combine these ideas with conspiracy theories, and on such a background, some of them change their attitude towards society and become violent. For example, right-wing extremists attacked the Parliament, the symbol of democracy, for the first time in Germany, namely on 29 August 2020, and later on 6 January 2021, protesters, including right-wing extremists, attacked the Congress of the United States of America. One of the organisations, such as the Reichsbürger Movement, which means Citizens of the Reich, who reject the current borders of Germany and want the return to those established in 1871, set up cells and planned activities recently catalogued as terrorists by German prosecutors, in December 2022 and May 2023. For the Citizens of the Reich, there is no Federal Republic of Germany because this country is part of a conspiracy and part of a satanic state system, and they recognise only Imperial Germany. According to the religious beliefs of some of them, the imperial constitution was received from God and must be respected, and they are in an apocalyptic battle between good and evil. The model invoked by some of them is that of Jesus Christ who changed society, erroneously invoking biblical precepts to bolster their claims.

Judas Iscariote no discurso comprometido de José Saramago

Saramago’s writing, repeatedly analytical and self-referential, dialogues seductively with the cultural universe of the Western reader, with biblical and apocryphal narratives. The figure of Judas, whether in poetry or in The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, allows José Saramago to desacralize the ambitious and tyrannical gods and to deify man, in a committed discourse, simultaneously marked by the ethics of love and compassion for the Other.

PENGAJARAN YESUS TENTANG TOLERANSI DALAM MASYARAKAT MAJEMUK

In the middle of a pluralistic society, the Indonesian Church exists and develops. The civilization is made up of several tribes, faiths, ethnicities, and nations. Diversity is frequently a source of conflict in the lives of Indonesians. Hate speech in the name of religion, ethnicity, or creed, as well as other acts of intolerance, have become serious issues that must be addressed at this time. Indonesia, which prides itself on its variety, confronts a significant task in moving forward and growing as an independent nation. Tolerance is the attitude and way of living that is required in a plural society. Tolerance is the spirit and energy of variety. Christians, as an intrinsic component of a plural society, must be present to contribute to campaigns and the development of tolerance practice. Tolerance must be established on the teachings and example of the Lord Jesus Christ's life. Tolerance, as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a way of thinking, speaking, and doing for every believer in a plural society. The Church of God is obligated to apply the Lord Jesus' attitude of life, teachings, and tolerance practices. Tolerance requires lessons such as loving all people as yourself, respecting the teachings of other people's religions and beliefs, and cultivating a forgiving mindset.

Matthew 28:16-20 - Hermeneutical Key to the Gospel of Matthew

This study analyses Matthew 28:16-20 as the hermeneutical key to the Gospel of Matthew. The text contains a narrative part about the eleven disciples meeting the risen Jesus in Galilee (vv. 16-17) and Jesus' final words commissioning them to evangelize all nations (vv. 18-20). The location of Galilee symbolizes openness to the Gentiles, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. The mountain setting represents an encounter with God, as in other key moments of Jesus' ministry. The disciples' worship yet doubt (v. 17) shows imperfect faith, inviting readers to mature belief. Jesus claims absolute, cosmic authority from God (v. 18) as the basis for commissioning the disciples to “make disciples of all nations” through baptism and teaching (vv. 19-20). This universal mission corrects earlier limitations only to Israel. Teaching them to obey Christ's commands grounds the mission in Jesus' ethical demands. His perpetual presence (v. 20) assures guidance despite uncertainty. Thus, the text presents a mission paradigm for readers: Christ – centred proclamation for God's kingdom, not power; fidelity to Jesus' original disciples; invitation to internalize divine daughterhood; and responsibility to embody values commanded by Jesus. This call for active discipleship awaiting the Parousia proposes to resolve doubt into faith. Keywords: hermeneutical key, Galilee, mission, disciples, nations, baptism, teaching, presence, discipleship

Mentoring families for spiritual growth in a quest to end family violence, infidelity and divorce

The fall of humanity negatively affected the relationship between God and Human beings. Isaiah 59:2 states that iniquities separate people from God and sins hid the face of God that He does not hear. There is a need therefore, to restore the relationship between God and people in order for life to be what God intended when he created man. Careful and incessant attention should be given to spiritual aspect of a person, which should result into a better relationship with the Creator. To have spiritual growth that will finally end into glorification, a positive relationship with God should be built. This may well be done in a family setting; because a family remains an important institution in the entire human history. Though important a family is, it is difficult to have a precise definition for the word family because it has many meanings depending on how it is used and the purpose for using it. Nevertheless, three elements are common when describing a family. These are marriage, parenthood and residence. In this article, the word family refers to a group of people who live together in a household due to marriage and parenthood. It is in this setting where mentorship should begin. In a family circle, effective mentors, who are dispensers of know-how are well placed in an age where morality has gone down and media has become the order of the day. Through family mentorship for spiritual growth, foundational values, for character development would be encouraged. These values are honesty, respect, kindness, empathy, and responsibility. The values can easily be promoted through family worship, Bible studies, prayer meetings and the involvement of the Holy Spirit in one’s daily life. In turn, positive relationships among family members would be the result that would end family violence, infidelity and divorce. Mentoring families for spiritual growth will also restore broken relationships. The goal of mentoring families for the spiritual growth is to have peaceful families that are waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

IMPLEMENTASI PEMBELAJARAN PAK BERBASIS MULTIKULTURAL DALAM MEMBINA SIKAP TOLERANSI SISWA DI SEKOLAH

This article discusses the implementation of multicultural-based PAK learning in fostering students at school. The author uses literature study to discuss the topic. From the results of the analysis of several sources of literature, a specific description of the realization of student tolerance is inseparable from the role and position of the teacher in the school. The teaching of the Lord Jesus related to tolerance is to love your fellow human beings as yourself. Humans as neighbors must be seen and treated as objects of love where the measure of treatment for others knows no boundaries of religion, ethnicity and race but must be based on love. PAK teaches the fear of God and respect for others and helps each other sincerely regardless of class and background. For this reason, the role of PAK needs to be emphasized in the form of presenting learning materials that are in accordance with the needs of the diversity of students in schools. So that students, teachers and everyone involved in PAK can realize the teachings of Jesus in an attitude of helping fellow human beings.

Scorsese'nin Silence Filmi Üzerinden Sessizliğe Yaklaşımlar: Batı ve Doğu Perspektifleri Arasında Bir Karşılaştırma

Silence, the film, revolves around Christian missionaries who traveled to Japan in the 17th century to propagate Christianity and explores their interactions with the local population. The film portrays silence by strongly associating it with martyrdom and alludes to the suffering of Jesus Christ. This glorification of silence reveals findings related to Western perspectives and an Orientalist attitude. These findings will be analyzed according to Orientalist theory, a theory that investigates Western culture's tendency to exoticize and dominate Eastern cultures, in order to examine how the Western missionaries in the film observed and represented Japanese culture. The analysis will employ content analysis methodology to delve into the themes, symbols, and representations in the film. Additionally, it will draw upon Edward Said's theory of Orientalism and the concept of self-Orientalism. The film identifies instances where the Western representation associates silence with martyrdom and belittles Eastern culture. Examples such as the claim that the Japanese people do not understand Christianity, the depiction of Japan as a barren land, the presentation of Japanese characters as stereotypical figures, and the relegation of Eastern spiritual traditions to a lower status all demonstrate the denigration and marginalization of Eastern culture by the Western perspective. Furthermore, the fact that the film is based on a novel written by a Japanese author necessitates an examination of self-Orientalism.

Mesias Raja: Simbol Kedaulatan yang Menggema di Seluruh Dunia

The Apostle Paul as God's chosen figure to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah King who brings salvation to all nations. People who are still outside of Christ can hear the Gospel that sets them free from sin. Getting to know the Messiah King personally also serves to build a bridge of communication to people who don't believe. So the purpose of this study is to explain the Messiah King who was preached by the apostle Paul. The method used is a descriptive study. The results show that Paul was very fascinated by the person of Jesus as the Messiah King who appeared to him on the way to Damascus. Since the introduction of Jesus Christ, Paul has been active in preaching the Messiah King to nations outside the Jewish nation. He also disassembled and rearranged his concept of faith and theological views of his mission. Christ who triumphed over death became the basis for Paul's theological views. Paul's preaching work served as the basis for the Church to preach that Jesus Christ is the Savior for all mankind.

Pengajaran Mazmur 114:1 dan Implikasinya Bagi Kehidupan Umat Tuhan Masa Kini

This paper attempts to examine the theological value of Psalm 114:1 through a Biblical inductive hermeneutic study approach, relying on the procedures; morphological and grammatical-syntactic analysis of verse 1. The theological value is mainly about the principle of God's sovereignty and how it impacts modern Christian life. The text is seen to provide an important foundation for the Christian faith in understanding the sovereignty of the Lord God, through His existence and work in the life history of Old Testament Israel. The theological principles generated by the textual analysis procedure are seen to have parallels to the liberating work of God's people by Jesus Christ in the New Testament. With such understanding, God's people today will be able to endure in the hope of faith amidst the dynamics of contemporary challenges.

True Faith and Philosophy as a Way to Overcome Religious Prejudices according to 1st and 2nd Century Christian Sources

The authors explore religious prejudices in early Christianity, Judaism, and paganism using 1st and 2nd-century sources. During that era, ethnic and religious biases affected various societal levels. The first section examines biases among Gentiles and Christians toward Jews, followed by biases between Gentiles and Jews toward Christians, and the prejudices of Christians and Jews toward Gentiles. The second section delves into prejudices between Christians and Jews, focusing on how society reacted to Christians’ distinctiveness from Jews, hindering their integration due to pagan religiosity. In response, Christians presented their faith as a bridge, emphasizing its universality for all people, not solely for the Jewish community. They offered a pathway for communion and reconciliation, asserting the superiority and broader interpretative nature of Christian faith over Judaism. Jesus Christ’s life, St. Paul’s teachings, and events from the Acts of the Apostles affirmed the faith’s universal significance. The third section centers on ‘barbarian philosophy’ as an attempt to unify Christians and pagans amid growing societal tensions in the 2nd century. Christian apologists, once pagan philosophers, aimed to alleviate prejudices by aligning their received faith with their society, employing ‘barbarian philosophy.’ This approach viewed Christianity through rationality, rooted in the universal divine Logos, appealing to all people as the creator and advocate.

Jesus Christ amen! Here, deleting the part(s) of Chinese characters is difficult, help us, the Lord of us Augustin and Hyeonhi! (Tcheonzamun 609th-624th)

French missionary Dallet (1874) described in his book that the thousand character essay was used for the children of the ancient Chinese countries. It was used for instructing Chinese characters for the children (Dallet, 1874). The book was called in Korea ‘Tcheonzamun’. And in Korea it is firmly believed that Tcheonzamun was created by Chinese people (Han, 1583). However, several researchers suggested that Tcheonzamun poem was well interpreted on the Korean grammar (Park et al., 2021a) and through Korean pronunciation (Park et al., 2021b). So, the present researcher studied this Tcheonzamun poem (Tcheonzamun 609th-624th) both through the meaning of Chinese character and Korean pronunciation of Chinese characters. One of the object of this work is to know if Tcheonzamun author is the person who has said Korean language. There are two methods for this translation of the poem (Tcheonzamun 609th-624th). The first method is through the meaning of Chinese character in the poem, and the second is through Korean pronunciation of the poem. Here the deleting method is used. This method is additional to the first method for the translation. If there is(are) same part(s) of Chinese character among the four letters of the same line, the part will be deleted. And the translation will be done with the remained part(s). The pronunciation of Chinese characters in the present study was from the somewhat old book of Tcheonzamun (Han, 1583). For the translation through Korean pronunciation, original Korean pronunciation of Chinese characters will be modified. The range of this work is (Tcheonzamun 609th-624th). And the title of this study is ‘Jesus Christ amen! Here, deleting the part(s) of Chinese characters is difficult, help us, the Lord of us Augustin and Hyeonhi! (Tcheonzamun 609th-624th)’. This is the conclusion of this poem (Tcheonzamun 609th-624th). There is a common thing both through the meaning of Chinese character and through Korean pronunciation of Chinese character of this Tcheonzamun poem. My husband (王)! Do you want me your wife (小) to speak freely (口) and to speak freely (口) again? You (丁) must make yourself to be low (厶) (through the meaning of Chinese character). My husband, please always (Za_zu ) give smile to me (Wus_eo_zweo) to your wife (through Korean pronunciation of Chinese character)!.

Hakikat Musik Sekular dan Musik Gereja: Kajian Ontologis dari Perspektif Teori Idealisme Plato

In essence, secular music is different from church music. Secular music is the music industry, which built on the basis of a capitalistic system. Secular music is created and performed for the glory and benefit of the composer or singer himself. That is the reason secular is called worldly music. Not so with church music. The subject, goal, and message of church music is the person of Jesus Christ himself, so this music is spiritual. Based on Plato’s theory of idealism (which s related to Plato’s theory of the soul), it can be said that secular music is in the area of ephitumia and thumos, while church music is in area of logostikon. Secular music leads to something that is not eternal while the church music is directed to eternal goals. The goal of church music is ultimately divine intellect; rational but faithful.

Gender, Symbolic and Social Boundaries, and Deconversion from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Abstract The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is characterized by specific expectations in the realm of gender roles and sexuality, expectations which can be interpreted as heteronormative symbolic boundaries between the LDS Church and the world at large. In this article, through qualitative interviews, we explore the ways 27 women who leave the Church are influenced by, respond to, and ultimately reject some of the symbolic boundaries. We found that many women struggle with gendered expectations regarding home, careers, with norms regarding heterosexuality and sexuality within marriage, and gender identity conformity expectations, rejecting them at different times in their lives. Intersecting with the life course, we demonstrate how the interaction between the rejection of these symbolic boundaries and experienced social boundaries in the form of exclusion from the family, community, and church-related institutions contributes to deconversion and shapes its consequences afterward.

Subjugated knowledges, contested spaces and African Christianity: An appraisal

Religion mediates and shapes how people negotiate and navigate their existential realities. Christianity accentuates the belief in Jesus Christ and prescribes how that belief should influence the worldview and actions of people. One of the challenges of the reception of Christianity in Africa is that African Traditional Religion remains the cosmic lens through which Christians confront their spiritual and ethical dilemmas and choices vis-à-vis the exhortations of the Bible message. This paper examines the force of the Christian message for African Christians. It looks at how the Christian message was presented, how African Christians appropriate the gospel message and how they fill the ‘gaps’ in their practice of Christianity. As movies bring to bear stories about lived realities and shape attitudes and behaviour, this paper also examines the reception of the Biblical message by reviewing a selection of African movies. I argue that Christianity must provide answers to the critical questions and unmet needs essential to Africans. To achieve this would require paying attention to what Michel Foucault describes as the ‘insurrection of subjugated knowledges,’ which take into account naïve knowledges operating at local or regional levels but serve as the local discursivities that amplify how the ‘subjugated knowledges’ influence the reception of the Biblical message in the African cultural matrix.Contribution: This paper reveals the enduring cross-pressures of Africans as they are invited to subjugate their primordial knowledges and practices to the orthodoxy of mainstream Christianity. It cites the examples of neo-Pentecostal and para-Christian enactments as offering possible insights into a need for Christianity to be more responsive and functionally relevant to the African reality. Such an approach resonates with the orientation of HTS Teologiese Studies (HTS) towards scholarship that is discursively dynamic and contextually sensitive to the multilayered contexts, cultures and cosmologies of the African Christian.

Mormons Are No Longer a Majority in Utah: Causes, Consequences, and Implications for the Sociology of Religion

Abstract This paper uses a sample of Utahans to estimate the percentage of the state belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS, or Mormon Church). We find that the Mormon share of Utah’s population is lower than is commonly believed. This finding has relevance for certain theories in the sociology of religion that make inferences about church growth and vitality based on the religious demography of Utah. We show how the process of secularization, changes in Mormon fertility, and shifts in migration into Utah combine to alter the religious landscape of the state. We close with a discussion of the implications of our findings for the sociology of religion.

College Gap Time and Academic Outcomes for Women: Evidence from Missionaries

Abstract This study leverages a policy change in the missionary program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that exogenously influenced the likelihood that a woman took gap time during college to understand how gap time influences women's subsequent choice of major and academic outcomes. If structured gap time shapes educational outcomes, increasing the uptake of gap time by women may be a mechanism to ameliorate later wage gaps. Using administrative data from Brigham Young University (N = 17,402) and an instrumental variables estimation strategy, we find that women who take gap time for missionary service shift into majors with higher expected salaries and are more likely to be in limited-enrollment majors and majors with a higher concentration of men. However, gap time decreases the likelihood of graduating within eight years of entering college, creating tension between the costs and benefits. On average, net benefits of expected wages are close to zero. Gap time most clearly benefits women with relatively low ACT scores who are more likely to be accepted into limited enrollment programs following gap time. This research informs university administrators and students alike seeking to understand the academic implications of taking planned time off during postsecondary education.

Barth on ‘Preaching Toward Truth’

Karl Barth’s doctrine on “Jesus Christ, the True Witness,” in Church Dogmatics IV/3, is an extremely rich and complex text which – strangely enough – still awaits proper reception within both systematic theology and homiletics. Therefore, this paper introduces Barth anew to us, and then in essence explores this well-kept secret in Barth’s oeuvre. In doing so, it provides a few important keywords which may reveal some deeper truth(s) in Barth’s doctrine of reconciliation and the question of preaching toward truth.