Understanding Of God Research Articles

God, God’s Perfections, and the Good: Some Preliminary Insights from the Catholic-Hindu Encounter

Abstract There are good reasons for envisioning a global discourse about God, premised necessarily agreed upon perfections considered to be by definition proper to God, and for thinking through the implications of our understanding of God for morality. Philosophically, it makes sense to hold that claims about omnipotence, omniscience, and other superlative perfections are indeed maximal, and define “God” wherever the terminology of divine persons is taken up. Religiously too, it makes sense to assert that a deity possessed of perfections is not just the deity of one’s own tribe or religion, but also the deity of the whole world, whether acknowledged as such or not. This essay delves into the larger set of rich complexities by three moves. First, I look into a single extended historical case of the extension of the discourse about God beyond the Christian West, the discourse on God proffered by Western Jesuit missionaries in India from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. Second, I place next to that Jesuit learning the instance of a famed Hindu theologian’s discourse on God, God’s perfections, and their moral implications. Third, I briefly step back and assess the dangers and fruitful prospects inherent in thinking about God and morality in an interreligious context.

Understanding ‘God as Reality’: Analysis of the Ontological Approach in the Tradition of Islamic Philosophy and Sufism

In contrast to the West, which considers God as a myth and negates values ​​about reality and truth, the Muslim philosophers and Sufis base their knowledge on the concept of God that has been established in Islam. This article describes the approach of the Sufis and the Muslim philosophers regarding God as reality and truth. By using the descriptive analysis method, this study draws conclusions based on various arguments: first, there is a meeting point between the two, especially in terms of 'al-Haqq' as one of the 'Names' (asmā) of Allah which also means 'reality' and 'truth' which are linguistically unified. Therefore, everything that is called 'reality' has to do with the existence of God which provides wisdom behind all reality as God's creation. Because God created reality with a 'true' purpose. Second, despite the fundamental differences in various worldviews, the West has never assumed that God is Reality in itself because its worldview has negated the Diversity of metaphysical reality. This is also affirmed, only at the metaphysical level as 'speculative science' or 'noumena' in Kant's account. Third, different from the West in Islam, there are various treasures of intellectual property discussions about God as Reality. Although there are many schools in understanding God as Reality, the Muslims have almost the same opinion because they affirm revelation as the only authoritative source of explanation for the concept of God.
 Keywords: Reality, Truth, Muslim philosophers, Sufism, al-Haqq, Worldview, Epistemology

DESCARTES AND SPINOZA ON THE PERFECTION OF GOD: A CONTRAST

After repeatedly reading Descartes’s Meditations on First Philosophy, what stills stands out most to this present essayist is Descartes’s notion of God’s perfection and how the perfection of the Divine includes the existence of the Almighty. Similarly, if we look to Spinoza’s Ethics Book I and the beginnings of Book II, we find comparable claims; namely, that the Almighty’s essence necessarily involves existence, and that this is a perfection of God alone. First, this article will detail how Descartes establishes God’s existence via the argument from perfection, and how this perfection of God reinforces the existence of such a supreme entity. Next, this piece will treat Spinoza’s understanding of God as that which must exist, and how this mandatory existence is solely of the perfection of God. Lastly, this paper will show that although Spinoza’s understanding of God’s perfection in his Ethics Book I and II may appear akin to Descartes, it would be incorrect to fully understand either philosopher’s views on God’s perfection as being entirely the same.

Trauma-Informed Theology or Theologically Informed Trauma?

Abstract In this article I first provide an overview of the ways in which trauma impacts people’s understandings and experiences of God, then survey two works of “trauma-informed theology” to demonstrate how these approaches to theology can lead to diminished views of God and turn theology into anthropology, and, finally, propose an approach to trauma and theology that maintains a theocentric theological method that affirms the subjective experiences of traumatized individuals while not advancing diminished understandings of God. It is the triune God revealed in Scripture that wipes away the tears of trauma survivors and this God alone who comforts and heals humanity.

The Openness of God: Hasker on Eternity and Free Will

The understanding of God’s mode of existence as eternal makes a significant difference to a variety of issues in contemporary philosophy of religion, including, for instance, the apparent incompatibility of divine omniscience with human freedom. But the concept has come under attack in current philosophical discussion as inefficacious to solve the philosophical puzzles for which it seems so promising. Although Boethius in the early 6th century thought that the concept could resolve the apparent incompatibility between divine foreknowledge and human free will, some contemporary philosophers, such as William Hasker, have argued that whatever help the concept of eternity may give with that puzzle is more than vitiated by the religiously pernicious implications of the concept for notions of God’s providence and action in time. In this paper, I will examine and respond to Hasker’s arguments against the doctrine of God’s eternity.

The Explosion of God's Heart: Entering the Inner Life of the Paschal Mystery

The Explosion of God's Heart:Entering the Inner Life of the Paschal Mystery Belden Lane (bio) INTRODUCTION BY STEVEN CHASE Last October, Belden Lane lost his son Jon after an unexpected and incomprehensible 9-month bout with cancer. As Belden let me know, the following Perspective shares something of his wrestling with God as a result of Jon's inexplicable death. The piece deals with the implications of Trinitarian theology, focusing on God's deep personal investment in the suffering of creation. This focus pinpoints how one's image of God can make a profound change in the face of the dark mystery of suffering. Belden's idea of "the explosion of God's heart" is, of course, communicated through the power of words. Still, this reflection from Belden reflects something of what it means for Sacred Mystery to dwell among us even in the mists of darkness that are beyond words. As I first read this short essay, I realized that we needed to publish these words. In three short pages, Belden creates a highly personal piece that, even in its obvious pain and slow movement toward healing, has a universal quality as well. He weaves various disciplines together with threads of experience that he describes with much tenderness and truth. The Perspective is an example of teaching spirituality (see Barbara Quinn Presidential Address essay) from the depths of grief and loss. Perhaps we all need to give ourselves radical permission to write and teach in this way. Blessings to you and your family, Belden, as you seek and find "home at last" amid your ambiguous grief and the exploding heart of your God. I believe that Emily Dickinson, too, knew something of the heart and of the explosion: The Heart asks Pleasure – first – And then – Excuse from Pain – And then – those little Anodynes That deaden Suffering – And then – to go to sleep – And then – if it should be [End Page 71] The will of its Inquisitor The privilege to die –1 PERSPECTIVE BY BELDEN LANE "Two thousand years ago marks the Incarnation of God in Jesus, but before that there was the Incarnation through light, water, land, sun, moon, stars, plants, trees, fruit, birds, serpents, cattle, fish, and "every kind of wild beast" according to the Genesis creation story (1:3–25)." —Richard Rohr2 "In creation God comes to know himself, that is, he realizes himself as the creative principle of the other. Creation, then, is 'another God' in the sense that it is God manifested in otherness." —Bernard McGinn, summarizing John (the Scot) Eriugena3 This time of year our golden retriever Joey and I sit each morning among the trees in the gazebo in our back yard. We ponder the mystery of God's bringing these tall oaks into being—like this dog, this man—so as to mirror a divine grandeur, stillness, tenacity, and interdependence. How is it, I wonder, that God comes to know himself through the creatures he's made? The trees, the dog, and myself are clearly other than God, yet we can't be said to exist outside of God.4 "This is what I'm like," God must say to himself. "Yet it's also what I'm not like!" To what extent is God stretched, even laid open, by what he sees in us his creatures? Is there even an echo in God's heart of what churns now within the restiveness of my soul? I've been asking questions like these this year since the sudden death of our 40-year-old son to cancer. It's left us with a 5-year-old granddaughter full of questions of her own. Like fault lines in the earth, an event like this can bring a startling shift in one's understanding of God. I was raised to think of the Divine as all-powerful, ethereal and distant, far above me. Yet I was assured that the prayers of the faithful could persuade him to break into the world now and then with miraculous interventions. But my prayers don't seem to have worked this year. God hasn't miraculously intervened on our behalf. Well-meaning people offer...

EFFORT TO UNDERSTANDING GOD: Learn from Stanley J. Samartha

The religious concept of God has essentially "killed" the real existence of God. The understanding of God has been narrowed through religious dogmas so that God no longer lives universally but is limited to religious dogmas that try to live it in its own religious way. Departing from this problem, this article aims to discuss efforts to find God who lives in the existence of human life. By using literature studies, especially examining Samartha's views on the power of syncretism to build an attitude of pluralism, the findings are that syncretism is a means to animate universal values in religion. Syncretism is the power to foster synergy between culture and religion, so as to form a grounded contextual understanding of the rules of the good life. Likewise with God. Through contextualization based on syncretism, God who has been killed by religious dogmas is brought back to life, so that it can greet life in accordance with the context in which God lives. God is seen universally and at the same time becomes a solid foundation for every religion in the world.

Cushions, Kitchens and Christ: Mapping the Domestic in Late Medieval Religious Writing by Louise Campion

Reviewed by: Cushions, Kitchens and Christ: Mapping the Domestic in Late Medieval Religious Writing by Louise Campion Luke Penkett Louise Campion, Cushions, Kitchens and Christ: Mapping the Domestic in Late Medieval Religious Writing ( Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 2022), xviii + 190 pp. The Religion and Culture in the Middle Ages series from the University of Wales Press is a notable addition to research on the Middle Ages, bringing to the fore both studies that engage with texts that significantly shaped medieval religion and culture and those that highlight understudied aspects of these two areas. One of their latest publications is Cushions, Kitchens and Christ—the first monograph [End Page 236] by independent scholar Louise Campion, who has a particular interest in religious texts translated from Latin into Middle English during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries and in their impact on the literary culture of late medieval England. Beginning as a doctoral thesis, Cushions, Kitchens and Christ focuses on four such texts: The Doctrine of the Hert (a thirteenth-century treatise), Nicholas Love's The Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ (a fifteenth-century translation of a fourteenth-century vita), Bridget of Sweden's Liber Celestis (a translation of over 700 of her visions), and another collection of visions experienced by Mechthild of Hackeborn in her Booke of Ghostlye Grace (written after 1290 and translated into Modern English by 1450). One of the connections between these four texts is their "repeated and consistent recourse to the language and imagery of the domestic sphere as a means of explicating the salient concerns of their authors, from the proper conduct of spiritual practice to the key events of Christ's life, to vociferous criticism of corrupt Church officials" (2). As such, Campion's book contributes to the relatively new and illuminating area of materiality research, studying the place of the domestic in relation to both religion and culture, significant patterns of domestic imagery, and the growing importance attached to the household in the late Middle Ages. After a useful introduction, Campion begins with a chapter titled "The Kitchen of the Heart, Spiritual Furniture and Noble Visitors." The mid-thirteenth-century guidance text and preaching manual De doctrina cordis was a hugely popular text, full of homely vocabulary, read in its Middle English translation by monastics and laypeople alike. Campion highlights the sharing of the Eucharist with Christ in the private household of the recipient's heart as well as the household as a locus to receive divine messages from the Eucharistic visitor. This last point prepares the modern-day reader for Campion's next two chapters. Both Mechthild and Bridget regarded domestic images as central to their visionary vocabulary. Mechthild goes further and allegorizes the heart as a house. Along with Bridget and, also, Catherine of Siena and Elizabeth of Hungary, Mechthild's spirituality—at the same time as her "approuyd wymmen"–—is orthodox; and yet, it is inevitably shaped by circumstance. In Mechthild's case, her "conventual community and her joyous relationship with Christ" (39) is addressed in the second chapter, "The Domesticity of the Sacred Heart." Chapter 3, "Marriage, Storehouses and Celestial Visitors, focuses on Brigid's use of household language, which "facilitates a deep engagement with the religious and political anxieties of the later Middle Ages" (61). Unlike Mechthild, Campion clearly points out that Bridget's domestic vocabulary allows her to sharply comment on "a broad range of ecclesiastical leaders and spiritual ideas" (61). Like Margery Kempe, her fifteenth-century counterpart, Bridget eschews her home in favour of multiple pilgrimages. Bridget's Liber not surprisingly reflects her place in the world, through which she describes her "distinctiveness as a conduit of the divine message" by commenting upon ecclesial corruption, moral apocalypse, spiritual union, the prospect of salvation, her understanding of God, and the proper conduct of bishops (87). In the final chapter, "From Wanderer to Householder: The Domestication of Jesus, the Disciples and the Holy Family," Campion convincingly argues that "the domestic sphere is the primary affective framework through which [End Page 237] [Nicholas] Love invites his reader to identify with Christ" (112). "Domestic space," she reminds us, "is the environment to hear about Christ, listen to his...

Invoke Your Lord in Humility and in Secret (Q 7:55): Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī on the Efficacy of Petitionary Prayer

In this article, I explore the response of the Ashʿarī theologian Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d. 606/1210) to what can be called “the problem of the efficacy of petitionary prayers” (PEPP), namely the effectiveness of making supplications to God that involve a request for something. The key text I examine is al-Rāzī’s highly dense philosophical work al-Maṭālib al-ʿāliya min al-ʿilm al-ilāhī, in which he outlines his core objections to the efficacy of petitionary prayer and then addresses them directly. In section 1, I include a short historiography of specific English books on the topic of supplications (duʿāʾ) and consider the relevance of al-Rāzī’s response to the issue of their efficacy. In section 2, I outline the preliminaries necessary and relevant for understanding the discussion that follows. In section 3, I survey al-Rāzī’s view on personal prayers. In section 4, I exam­ine in detail al-Rāzī’s formulations of the arguments (from the Maṭālib) that constitute PEPP, with parallel discussions in his huge exegetical work Mafātīḥ al-ghayb. In section 5, I lay out al-Rāzī’s responses to PEPP from the Mafātīḥ in more depth, and draw on theological views from his other works to help support his arguments in the Maṭālib. In the conclu­sion, I evaluate al-Rāzī’s responses and the wider implications they have on a Muslim’s relation to and understanding of God.

Мотив красоты в романе Ф.М. Достоевского «Идиот»

The article examines the cultural, historical, philosophical-aesthetic, and theological contexts of the aphorism “beauty will save the world”. Some researchers believe that for Dostoevsky “beauty” is Christ Himself; others argue that the aphorism denotes the main problem of the novel The Idiot. The article identifies the semantics of the concept “beauty will save the world”. The study also focuses on the motif of beauty in the novel. Aglaia’s words about “chivalrous platonic love” point to the philosophical and aesthetic tradition of Plato’s philosophy of eros and to Schiller’s theory of the “aesthetic man”. Prince Myshkin was a supporter of the Platonic principle of elevation from the sensual to the ideal. Ippolit points out the anagogical nature of beauty. Ippolit’s question about how the apostles could believe in Christ’s resurrection if there was no beauty on the face of the crucified Savior introduces the gospel narrative of Christ’s suffering on the Cross and the foundation of the faith of the apostles involving repentance. In the Gospel, the principle of anagogy and repentance are understood as stages in the knowledge and understanding of God. Myshkin’s problem is that he offers his neighbor a strategy of anagogy without taking into account repentance.

Słowo Boże w słowie ludzkim w kontekście nowego feminizmu

In the face of God’s greatness and perfection, man is still an imperfect being, and understanding God’s Word is related to a predetermined failure. This makes the Holy Scripture a challenge for many researchers. Proving the truthfulness of the content featured in it raises considerable disputes between its interpreters. Although many outstanding theologians, from the Fathers of the Church and well-respected contemporary authority figures try to get a grasp of this unfathomable mystery of the Word of God, they also look at the new aspects in this extraordinary piece of writing. The need of today once again speaks in favor of looking at both these interpretations as well as their interpreters. Currently, more and more often it is women who become the subject of experiencing their own faith with reflection and its formulation, and thus theologizing it. God’s Word contained in the Scriptures is subjected to new analyses taking into account the female experience and the way women describe the world. There emerges a new way of theological thinking from the point of view of women. It seems necessary to respond to the voices of contemporary feminists, and in particular to the direction of thinking that John Paul II refers to as a ”new feminism”.

Spirituele voorkeure en die ervaring van ere-dienste in die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk1 Spiritual preferences and the experience of worship services in the Dutch Reformed Church

OPSOMMING Daar is 'n wêreldwye tendens van afname in lidmaatgetalle van hoofstroomkerke. Hierdie artikel fokus op die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK) in Suid-Afrika. Dit ondersoek of die hoofsaaklik rasionele verstaan van God eerder as 'n persoonlike spirituele ervaring 'n rede vir die afname in die spesifieke Gereformeerde kerklike tradisie kan wees. Die gewildheid van charismatiese en pinksterkerke in die konteks kan toegeskryf word aan hulle klem op subjektiewe ervaring, wat ook kenmerkend is van die postmoderne kultuur. Mense woon eredienste by met die verwagting dat hulle spirituele behoeftes bevredig sal word. Mense se spirituele en emosionele behoeftes verander saam met hulle leefwereld. In die moderne era was die klem op rasionele kennis terwyl die klem in 'n postmoderne era meer op subjektiewe ervaring is. Hierdie paradigmaskuif beïnvloed die wyse waarop mense godsdiens ervaar en beoefen. Die ondersoek maak gebruik van Corinne Ware se spirituele tipologie om insig te verkry in mense se ervaring van eredienste in die NG Kerk. Die resultate dra by tot 'n beter verstaan van lidmate se spirituele behoeftes met betrekking tot eredienste om by te dra tot hulle geestelike groei. Die vraag is hoe die NG Kerk getrou kan bly aan die gereformeerde tradisie terwyl 'n meer holistiese en inklusiewe benadering gevolg word, spesifiek wat eredienste betref. Trefwoorde: gereformeerd, spiritualiteit, spiritualiteitstipes, erediens, eredienservaring, liturgie, katafaties, apofaties, modern, postmodern ABSTRACT Membership of mainstream churches is declining all over the world. This article focuses on the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in South Africa. It investigates whether a reason for the decline in this specific Reformed ecclesial tradition could be the predominantly rational understanding of God rather than that of a personal spiritual experience. The popularity of charismatic and Pentecostal churches in the context could be attributed to their emphasis on subjective experience, which is also characteristic of postmodern culture. People attend worship services with the expectation of having their spiritual needs met. People's spiritual and emotional needs evolve as their lifeworld changes. In the modern era, the emphasis was on rational knowledge. In this era people resonated with the rational approach of the mainstream churches. The influence of the postmodern era is visible in the emphasis on subjective experience. This paradigm shift influences how people experience and practice religion. They tend to search for congregations that address their needfor a fulfilling spiritual experience. Many prefer worship services where they have a personal, emotional experience of God. Every person has unique spiritual needs and experiences God in unique ways. Therefore people exercise their faith in different ways. Spirituality plays an important role in people's lives. A qualitative approach was used to gain insight into people's experiences. The empirical part of the study was based on responses from volunteers who participated by completing spirituality questionnaires and took part in semi-structured interviews. The aim was to ascertain whether the DRC is experienced to be exclusive regarding spiritual preferences and, if so, whether this could be a contributing factor when it comes to the decline in membership of the Church. In 1980 Urban T Holmes wrote a handbook on spirituality, titled A history of Christian spirituality. Holmes' valuable contribution is a typology of spiritual preferences, specifically focused on prayer. In 1995 Corinne Ware used this typology and expanded it. She specifically focused on the way people responded to worship patterns. She explained differences in spirituality and spiritual preferences by distinguishing between four groups. She called the spirituality preferences "spirituality types" and named them "head", "heart", "mystic" and "hand". Ware developed a questionnaire to determine a person's "spirituality type". This investigation utilised Corinne Ware's spiritual typology to gain insight into people's experiences of worship services in the DRC. The results contribute to a better understanding of members' spiritual needs with regard to worship services in order for these experiences to contribute to their spiritual growth. The question is how the Dutch Reformed Church can remain true to its Reformed tradition while taking a more holistic and inclusive approach to spirituality, specifically with regard to worship. Keywords: reformed, spirituality, spirituality-types, worship service, worship experience, liturgy, cataphatic, apophatic, modern, postmodern

ПРЕДСТАВЛЕНИЯ О СТРАХЕ БОЖЬЕМ В "ПОВЕСТИ ВРЕМЕННЫХ ЛЕТ" И "ПОУЧЕНИИ" ВЛАДИМИРА МОНОМАХА

The category of the Fear of God has changed over time despite its apparent immutability. The article discusses the semantics of the concept of the Fear of God and the notions associated with it, based on the “Tale of Bygone Years” and Vladimir Monomakh’s “Instruction”. The author of the article analyzes all mentions of “the Fear of God” in the selected sources, paying special attention to the context of the expression. The research has shown that, to describe the Fear of God, the chronicler mainly uses quotations, especially from sacred texts. With their help, the chronicler conveys his ideas about the studied category. The analysis of the sources reveals that the Fear of God should not be considered as an emotion, but as a long-term state or feeling that positively influenced the person’s way of life. The Fear of God was the result of a conscious choice and the basis for the life of a pious Christian. In addition, the Fear of God was close to the states of awe and joy that emerge during worship. Particularly important for the chronicler was the connection between the Fear of God and the concept of wisdom, which was believed to spring from the former. The Fear of God was the basis of knowledge perceived as a process of understanding God

Reforming tradition: Anglican spirited continuity

For Anglicans, tradition entails continuity with a past mediated into present circumstances in ways that ever reshape understandings of God’s work in the world. Tradition is a concept with wide-ranging connotations that have changed over Anglican history. This essay highlights poignant moments that especially shaped contemporary Anglican notions of tradition, such as the medieval Conciliar Movement, the contributions of Richard Hooker, the Oxford Movement, and twentieth century ecumenism. Today Anglicanism’s global identity is reshaping its understandings of tradition, as the Holy Spirit reveals an ever wider and more intercultural picture of Christ. Through the process of handing on faith, our tradition reforms and grows.

Paranormal Experiences and Understanding of God for Innovative Community Development: Interrogating the Akurinu Believers in Kenya.

The study’s objective was to examine the relationship between Akurinu Believers’ understandings of God and their use of paranormal experiences with an emphasis on innovative community development in Nairobi County, Kenya. The research was guided by Divine Command Theory and Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Descriptive and correlation designs were used. The study was conducted among 2618 Akurinu believers who formed Akurinu congregations registered with the General Conference of Akurinu Churches Assembly in Nairobi County. Data were analysed on Software Package for Social Sciences computer system to generate frequency distributions, and the Chi-square test was used on qualitative data to test agreement between variables. Wald Chi to test for predictive probability in quantitative data. A logistic binary regression model was used to test the hypothesis on quantitative data. Qualitative data were presented in frequency tables, and percentages and inferential data were presented in SPSS software tables. Based on α=0.05 level, the hypothesis is statistically significant with a predictive probability of odds ratio of 0.259 of change on the dependent variable. P-value was less than α=0.05. The study concluded that sustainable innovations in Akurinu spirituality, education and economics existed. They were understanding God through the Bible and relying on the Holy Spirit. Although Akurinu believers and leaders claimed that they derived their understandings of God through paranormal experiences, the probability was less than 50 per cent (0.259 odds ratio). The study recommended that the Akurinu leaders use theological principles, here called understandings of God, to train Akurinu believers to understand God better.

Fisher, Nicholas. Symon Patrick (1626–1707) and His Contribution to the Post-1660 Restored Church of England.

Fisher, Nicholas. <i>Symon Patrick (1626–1707) and His Contribution to the Post-1660 Restored Church of England</i>.

Science in Theology: Encounters between Science and the Christian Tradition

Science in Theology: Encounters between Science and the Christian Tradition

Epistemological Implications of a ‘Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods’ Research Design

The philosophy of an educational research project is important to reflect upon and declare, but can often be left unexplained. In order to address this area of thought, this study discusses the implications of the epistemological paradigm of a ‘convergent parallel mixed methods’ research design. An actual research piece was chosen to assist in bringing focus to the study. How the epistemological paradigm impacts upon data collection and analysis techniques, and therefore the conclusions of the research, was examined. The design was then critiqued from a Biblical Christian perspective, including ideas for how it might be reformulated and used within a Biblical epistemological paradigm. A significant aspect of such a way of thinking is that educational research is more than increasing knowledge for knowledge sake, but also to grow personally and professionally in an understanding of God: who He is, of His creation, including humanity, and the interrelationships between each of these.

ECO - Justice and an Emergent Missiological Aspect

Abstract: In this paper the researcher discusses about the missiological discourse happening today, the researcher strongly believes that the, focus of eco -justice must be laid on the paradigm shift from the human to the earth. In this shift, the earth is the starting point and not the human. The human is only a part of the earth. Thus, the entire creation of God, the human and the nonhuman will become the subjects in the mission of God. The Oikos of life is dominated, exploited, manipulated and destroyed. People live together with all other living beings, and all the living beings are mutually interdependent. The eco -justice mission engagement of the Church is to raise up all living beings as a sovereign subject, interdependent to carry out politics of life promoting security, justice and peace. The mission movements of the Church need to work for profound renewal of the ecological stewardship and spirituality of integral life. Life-centered vision is a key component of mission.[1]Recapturing the life-centeredness in the variety of religious and cultural experiences is at the root of our understanding of God, people and the humankind as well as of our spirituality and just norms that promote eco -justice. Keywords: Church, Community, Integrity, Dignity, Justice, Responsibility, Eco -Justice, Mission, Globalization, Consumerism, Eco -Spirituality Etc.,

Die behoefte aan apologetiese toerusting reeds by voorskoolse kategese

The need for apologetic equipment already in preschool catechesis. From a young age, children are busy making sense of the world around them. Their worldview is formed by influences and/or guidance and their own intrinsic participation. With the availability of information provided by the media in the 21st century, Christian children are exposed to not only a Christian worldview, but also to other dominating worldviews. This exposure can have a negative effect on the formation of a Christian worldview if not treated correctly. When leading Christian researchers assume the prerequisite that pre-school children do not have the ability to grasp aspects of faith due to their so-called inability for Abstrak thoughts, the results will be the underemphasis, neglect and even disapproval of equipment in terms of a Christian biblical worldview. The result of this view is that non-biblical worldviews will dominate and shape Christian children’s thoughts from an early age, while there is little to no equipment guiding them. This occurs notwithstanding that the Word of God demands believers to educate their children and to equip them from an early age with the necessary foundational tools and resources. Apologetical equipment in the understanding of God, man and the world ought to be part of this education in faith that leads to a biblical and Christian worldview from a young age.Contribution: In their first six years, children form important concepts and presuppositions that could influence and affect the rest of their lives. Especially also through the stories they watch and listen to, they are confronted with conflicting ideas and concepts from which they must make sense. Sufficient apologetic and catechetical resources on the cognitive level of pre-school children should be provided to parents and educators of these children. These materials of which worldviews should be an integral part of, can and should guide these young believers in the consideration of conflicting ideas and even the defence of what they believe.