...The Christian World View used to be universal to the idea that Jesus was the only way to salvation but this has been under attack by those who would believe that there are many ways to be saved, they would be known as Pluralist. Ronald Nash confronts these claims and defends the orthodox Christian beliefs in his book “Is Jesus the only Savior?” An analysis of the first six chapters of the book “Is Jesus the only Savior?” by Ronald Nash will be given by the author in two parts, the first will analysis the arguments given by Nash on the topic of Religious Pluralism, and the second part will be a personal conclusion on the topic. Ronald Nash served as a professor for over forty years in the areas of theology, apologetics, ethics, world view and history. Nash had a doctorate in Philosophy with a Christian world view. Book Analysis In the first six chapters of the book “Is Jesus the only Savior?” Nash defends Christian Exclusivism and argues against “Religious Pluralism” specifically John Hicks modern view on the topic. Nash in his logical arguments never strays away from fundamental biblical foundations and presents a clear and logical defense of his view and rebuttal towards Hicks and Religious Pluralism on a whole. Nash starts the book with a very clear and concise definition for Christian Exclusivism, “Christian exclusivism can be defined as a belief that (1) Jesus is the only Savior and (2) explicit faith in Jesus is necessary for salvation.” As Nash argues against Pluralism...
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...Shawn Andrews Summer 2014 Theology 313-D05 LUO Student #23805109 Analysis In the second half of the book Is Jesus the Only Savior?, author Robert Nash goes into great detail in explaining the views and positions held by inclusivists. Inclusivism is the affirmation that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the only savior; however it declines the notion that a person must first know and then subsequently accept the gospel message. Nash writes, “While pluralists believe that sincere followers of non-Christian religions can experience salvation through those religions, inclusivists insist that devout believers in other religions will be saved, but only on the basis of Christ’s atoning work,” (p. 104). Simplified, inclusivism maintains that Jesus Christ is the only savior and that the simple reality of his death is sufficient for the achievement of eternal life, regardless of what religion people belong to. It claims that Buddhists, Hindus, or Muslims have the same end result of salvation as Christians. Jesus died for all, and through his death all people are saved. Unlike the first half of the book addressing pluralism, Nash begins his discussion of inclusivism with an introduction to its claims. This is helpful and provides a better playing field to dispute inclusivism’s validity than his analysis of exclusivism. When he addresses pluralism, Nash starts by focusing on Hick’s beliefs and how he attempts to support them. With inclusivism, he first addresses inclusivism as a whole, then...
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...worldview, they are guided in their life choices depending on the beliefs of their worldview. Throughout this paper, I will summarize the elements of a Christian Worldview such as God, Humanity, Jesus, and Restoration; I will then analyze questions one might have about the Christian Worldview, and finally I will reflect on my worldview. God God is our creator; He came before us and created the universe as we know it. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 NIV). “The origin of the universe began with God, and began with great wisdom.” (“Lecture 2”, 2015) This makes true the statement from Lecture 2 God is a sovereign creator. Along with being sovereign, God possesses many other impressive characteristics. Through the Bible, He is described as a loving God (John 3), a faithful God (Psalms 36), a righteous God (Psalms 145), and a merciful God (Ephesians 2). God can also be described as omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. He is everything and everywhere. This is in part because God is a triune being, three persons in one Godhead; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christians believe that God is profoundly Love. The Father’s love for the Son; then Father and Son both have a mutual love for the Holy Spirit. (Merrick, 2014) God can only be their Savior as surely as God is their Creator and Consummator; for God is love, and there is no way for God to be love in relation to sinners except to do all that could conceivably be done by anyone...
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...Analysis of Ronald Nash’s “Is Jesus the Only Savior?” Analysis In Chapter one Nash goes about laying the foundation for what is to be the focal point of his book, the argument and defense of the fact that Jesus Christ is the only Savior. Along with this Nash shines a light on the three views that are central to the debate. They are Christian exclusivism, pluralism, and inclusivism. This paper will focus on the difference between Christian exlusivism and pluralism. The bulk of the first chapter is spent focusing on Christian exclusivism. By way of evidences found in scripture and the stance of biblical authority Nash establishes its definition. He places such a strong emphasis on this view that the reader is put in a place of analyzing the other views against the view of Christian exclusivism, and does so in a way that it is understood the other views will more than likely come up short with regard to proving their case. Nash makes this clear with the statement, ““The major question I will seek to answer in the rest of this book is whether pluralists or inclusivists have produced arguments strong enough to justify the repudiation of exclusivism, which is the position of historic Christianity.” It is important to note that a key element when it comes to what is known as Christian exlusivism is its view of Theology. The book states, theology “has been replaced by personal encounter, religious feeling, trust, or obedience.” These thoughts are evident throughout Nash’s expressed...
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...Shawn Andrews Summer 2014 Theology 313-D05 LUO Student #23805109 Analysis In the book Is Jesus the Only Savior?, author Ronald Nash does an excellent job in presenting his arguments in a comprehensive, thorough method. In the preface, he does well to address the important clarification of terms needed when discussing whether or not Jesus is the only savior. It is essential to understand these terms—exclusivism, pluralism, and inclusivism—when diving into the various beliefs and interpretations concerning Christ and His claim that, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14:6). While the intention of the book is to address such beliefs and interpretations, it is important to establish early in the text, as he does, what the different beliefs are and to define them in a very basic form. In the first chapter, Nash lays the foundation for the rest of his book—exclusivism. Similar to the importance of defining all three of the different general views in the preface, it is incredibly important for him to establish a baseline of good theology, initially, in order to effectively discuss and argue the views of pluralism and inclusivism. This is certainly one of the greatest strengths of the book as a whole. Nash lays out the main purpose of the book on page 25, stating, “The major question I will seek to answer in the rest of this book is whether pluralists or inclusivists have produced arguments strong enough to justify...
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...afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.37 For nothing is impossible with God." 38 "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." (Luke 19: 30-38) This conversation between the Angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary in Luke chapter twelve provides an insight into the devotion Mary has to serving God. This passage is controversial to non-Catholics and is a beloved by all Christians for its proclamation of our savior, Jesus Christ. Through a full analysis of the Mary’s devotion, applying the situation to modern day, and incorporating the commitment and devotion shown into our daily lives, we can further strengthen our relationship with God. Mary was a young girl, only about 12 or 13 years old when the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to deliver a message. She had recently become engaged Joseph,...
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...belief about the way justice is to be dealt. Hence, justice is said to be served in many similar forms such as: karma, destiny, and, in the Christian world, even an atonement. This thing the Christians call an atonement is symbolic of a savior, or Jesus Christ, taking the eternal blemish of mortal sins upon himself so the baptized, and practiced, Christians are void of being dealt an otherwise infinite damnation of their souls. Christ's sacrifice for the atonement would satisfy the need for an eternal justice system to be activated. In likeness of the short stories, "Killings" by Andre Dubus and "By and By" by Amy Bloom, the need for a final sacrifice to justify murders, or previous sins, is determined by the decisions of Matt Fowler in "Killings” and the Narrator in "By and By" as they decide to individually offer a sacrifice of themselves, as opposed to turning to a system of justice outside of themselves (the government), and are forcing themselves to feel the weight that a savior, such as Jesus Christ, might have felt as they commence to take...
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...In response to Luke 24:13-35, a passage fittingly entitled, “On the Road to Emmaus” (New International Version), I can see the bias mindset that Cleopas and Simon posses. It appears that, at first, these two men missed the significance of history’s greatest event because they were preoccupied [or focused] on their own problems and disappointments. Not only that, they were walking in the wrong direction, away from the fellowship with other believers. Also, I think it’s important to remember that the Jews of this day were Messianic Jews and by that I mean, most Jews displayed much skepticism regarding Christ’s declaration to being the Savior and Redeemer of Israel: the Messiah. Even today, many Jews still believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not ‘the Messiah.’ I say this because of reading verse 21, when Cleopas states, “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). These two men appear to have experienced a type of cognitive bias, according to Shaughnessy, Zechmeister, and Zechmeister (2009). Undoubtedly, the disciples had evidence of Jesus’ presence within their hearts, yet they chose to ignore it still: whereby they actually questioned each other saying, “were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32). As Shaughnessy et al. (2009) states, “our intuition about what is true does not always agree with what is actually true because we fail to recognize that...
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...INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD NEW TESTAMENT ORIENTATION I NBST 525 AN ANALYSIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS IN RELIGION LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BY: LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………1 THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD…………………………………….1 HEROD THE GREAT’S PALESTINIAN RULE…………………………...7 CONCLUSION………………………………………….…………………..9 INTRODUCTION The Intertestamental period is the time between the last book in the Old Testament and the first book in the New Testament. This period is said to be around two centuries or about 400 years long. This particular timeframe dubbed the “Intertestamental period” is filled with numerous changes in power, war, struggles, treachery and events that changed religious record. This period is vastly rich in history and dramatically impacted the New Testament leading up to and during the time of Christ. This paper will explore the roughly 400 years that make up this era and examine the role that Herod the Great played in shaping the religious and political groups Jesus encountered. THE INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD The last sections of the Old Testament illustrate Darius the Persian as the ruler over Persia. At the time Judea was part of the Persian Empire. In 597 B.C. Judea was conquered by Nebuchadnezzar who was the King of Babylon this ended Jewish independence. Nebuchadnezzar had decided to take certain knowledgeable Jews...
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...A REVIEW OF KNOWING JESUS THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT By Christopher J. H. Wright Rick Mangrum OBST591-D17 Old Testament Orientation I Dr. Doug Wilson November 28, 2010 INTRODUCTION Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament is one of many books written by the Rev. Dr. Christopher J. H. Wright. He is also the author of The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland the son of missionary parents, he was raised as an Irish Presbyterian. He studied at Cambridge earning his doctorate in Old Testament Economic Ethics. Ordained as a pastor in the Anglican Church of England, he has worked as writer, pastor, teacher and missionary. He currently lives and works in London.1 Wright’s purpose in this work is to give the reader a deeper understanding of Old Testament teachings and how they molded and impacted the life of Christ. “For these are the words he (Jesus) read”.2 A book completely without footnotes, it represents the thoughts of only the writer. This book has been in demand and in print since its original publication in 1992.3 The easy, though sometimes wordy style clearly teaches the book’s main idea that the Old Testament begins to tells the story that Jesus completes! Through a deeper understanding of the Old Testament story and promise, and how it molded Jesus’s identity and mission as well as his values, we are lead to a deeper understanding of who Jesus truly was, why he lived the way _____________________________ 1Langham...
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...SHAWN MORRIS’S REFLECTION PAPER INTRODUCTION My topics I will be addressing are Bible Study & Resurrection of Jesus Christ. I chose these topics due to nature of the subjects, what I was reading and learned over the past few weeks in Theology 104. I will give a full analysis of what I have read & implemented in my everyday life as I move forward in this class. TOPIC 1: BIBLE STUDY The Theological Definition of Bible Study: Bible theology is an attempt to articulate the theological aspects that the Bible contains as its writers addressed their particular settings. It is also the study of the Bible that seeks to discover what the biblical writers, under divine guidance, believed, described, and taught in the context of their own times. The Biblical Foundation of Bible Study: are the doctrines & teachings found in the Word of God that Christians cherish the most. These doctrines or teachings are taught very precisely from the word of God. There’s some examples; the virgin birth of Christ, the second coming of Christ, the preservation of the Word of God, & the atonement of our sins. The Practical Application of Bible Study: From the theological definition & the biblical foundation of Bible Study I’m taking in to consideration I am more about the studying habits set forth in learning about the Word of God. I see it along with my fellow classmates in this course how we can all grow closer to God knowing what Christ the Son did for us when he gave his life...
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...BUSINESS & WORLDVIEW Kahlib J. Fischer, PhD © 2011 We understand that not all of our students are practicing Christians and who therefore may be uncomfortable providing a Biblical perspective in their assignments. On the other hand, most of our students are in fact practicing Christians, who may not have a fully developed Biblical worldview when it comes to understanding business concepts. We therefore hope that this document will achieve two goals: 1) Help students better understand the relevance and indeed the preeminence of Scripture and Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in the realm of business; and 2) Provide useful and understandable points of application for leadership and business behavior, including the primary and secondary functions of business. INTRODUCTION There are certain intellectual and philosophical criteria that can be used to test any worldview, and we want our students to understand how and why the Christian worldview uniquely meets those criterion and therefore passes the worldview “test” in the following ways: • A worldview is the intellectual, emotional, and perhaps even spiritual framework by which we apprehend reality and assign meaning to life. Everyone has a worldview; it may not be very developed, but nevertheless, everyone is approaching life based upon one. We believe that a worldview based upon Biblical truth is the most logically sound and meaningful approach to understanding and living life. CHRISTIANITY AND THE WORLDVIEW TEST • ...
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...Chancellor Instructor Hubbard Liba 102 “Multifaceted” Hampton Fincher and David Webb Peoples’ complex screenplay and Ridley Scott’s use of film noir combine together to produce Roy Batty, a character out of Blade Runner, whose diverse personality reflects Jesus Christ, Adam, and Lucifer. As a result, Roy Batty, is much more multifaceted than the heartless, man killing machine that is seen at first glance by an audience. Because Roy reflects Jesus Christ, Adam, and Lucifer, three religious icons, there is an unlimited amount of religious subtext in the film Blade Runner. Hampton Fincher and David Webb Peoples use these religious allegories to hinder a direct and understandable message from the film’s narrative. Therefore, Fincher and Peoples took their complex writing to a deeper level than most screen writers by denying the audience a straightforward interpretation of Roy Batty. One example is the allegory of the creation story and the fall of man. Parallels from the creation story are seen time and time again throughout the film, which is one way Roy’s character relates to the Biblical character, Adam (Gravett, pg. 38). In the Bible, Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil as it is stated in Genesis 2: 16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’"...
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...LUO: Composition and Literature SEMESTER OF ENROLLMENT: Fall D 3013 Thesis Statement: The Lamb written by William Blake is a beautiful spiritually enriched poem that expresses God’s sovereignity, His love for creation and His gentleness in care and provisions for those that are His . I. Introduction • Author • Little Lamb II. Question of creation • Little Lamb who made you. 1. Provision of Needs a. Provides food b. Life in the meadow c. Provides Clothing III. Answer to Question of Creation • Little Lamb I’ll tell thee. a. Comparison of Names b. Comparion of Charactistics c. Association of Innocence IV. Conclusion English 102 22 Nov 2013 Analysis of “The Lamb” by William Blake The author of the poem “The Lamb” is William Blake. He was born on November 28, 1957 in the Soho district of London. Blake is one of the most read and anthologized of Romantic writers because of the simplicity of the poetic language he uses to convey ideas. [1.] In stanza’s of “The Lamb” we find a beautiful spiritually enriched poem that expresses God and His sovereignity. The love God has for His creation and also His gentleness of care and provisions for those that are His are vividly displayed. The poem consists of two stanzas with rhymed statements. The speaker is thought to be a child who is questioning the existence of the lamb. This poem begins with the question, “Little Lamb who made thee...
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...Chantae’ Wilson Professor Bland 27 November 2012 What are the Core Beliefs of being a follower of Christ? What Christian beliefs constitute true/genuine faith? Being a follower of Christ ensures that one will go to heaven upon Christ return. A follower may go through trials and tribulations; but they also know that God will see them through the hard times, as long as they continue to serve him. Hebrews 11:16 states that “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Believing in God pays off it will be an everlasting gift in the end; you will get to spend eternity with God in heaven. God expects your parents to help guide you to him. God considers parents the primary disciples of their children. He created the family to be the incubator of a teenager’s spiritual growth. God has given parents the responsibility of creating an environment suitable for their children to become a follower of Christ (Smith). God needs help like the rest of us; some believe that seeing is believing, this means that if you see your parents living in Christ you won’t stray and you will continue to follow in their foot steps. Most people get their beliefs of Christ during adolescence it’s the time when a person develops perceptions about religious thoughts and with proper guidance, can be a stronger follower of Christ (Monahan). When do you think most people gain their religious? Does being...
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