...While Bradstreet used subtleties to express her writing opinions, Wheatley was more of string of logical statements that could be easily connected to make her argument accepted. Wheatley begins her poem by explaining what her life in America has given her, “‘Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land, / Taught my benighted soul to understand / That there's a God, that there's a Savior too” (Wheatley 1-3) but later notes, “Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, / May be refined, and join the angelic train” (Wheatley 7-8). She uses this progression of thought to establish two separate ideas for her audience and then have them end up finding logic in her overall message. To begin, she uses her experience to express her change of character...
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...using admirable things to describe her father to using words of hatred and resentment towards him, and lastly through her point of view on religion, which changed from being a faithful Christian to truly questioning her belief in God. Leah Price grows all through the novel and the readers get to witness her transformation from a child at fourteen to an adult woman. She changes her country, then her religion, and then her respect and admiration for her father. Leah lost everything all the while gaining...
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...study I have been challenged, and my awareness as a Christian has been heightened. There have been several questions raised that deserve not only an answer, but diligence in the research and understanding necessary to answer with confidence, vigor and enthusiasm. The first question that will be answered is simple in thought, but more complex in true understanding. Does the Bible have authority? Next, we will discuss the importance of personal testimonies in sharing the gospel. Finally, we will look at life as a Christian. If a person is a Christian, does it matter how they live their life? Throughout the following pages these questions will be explored and answered fully, truly and completely. II. Section One: Does the Bible have authority? Many people read the Bible with cynicism in their hearts and attempt to be overly critical as a result. This is true for both Christians and non-believers alike. In some ways it seems easier to look for a mistake or try to disprove scripture instead of having true faith. This poses the question. Does the Bible have authority? If so, where does its authority come from and how do we know? There are many arguments that show the Bible’s authority and confirm the scripture is the word of God. The most powerful to me personally is the convicting, convincing and converting power of the message. The power of the Bible made itself clear to me as I was reading an old Bible I found in my Grandfather’s things after he passed...
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...universe. You cannot deny how much people are influenced by the evolutionary teaching in public school, on television, at museums… It is important to know where we came from and how we came here. We should all have a good understanding of origins from a biblical perspective of creation. At the beginning of the course, we were asked to interview at least three friends with questions of origins. I interviewed two Christian friends and one evolution friend. Both of the Christian friends absolutely believe in the Bible. They hold the same view that God created everything. In contrast, the evolution friend, who goes to public school, believes that human beings were not created by God. They answered my questions totally differently. The first question is how long the days are in Genesis 1 and why. Both Christians said one day was 24 hours long because it is clearly stated in the Bible that God made so. While my evolution friend had no idea since he did not read the Bible. Indeed, the length of the “days” of creation in Genesis has led to a major argument even among many Christians. I also believe that the “days” in Genesis were 24 hours long because I think this is what is implied by the Bible. There is no evidence in the Bible states that God has changed his creation....
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...Summary of the books of the New Testament Mark Mark is the first written gospel of the New Testament. Mark is not an apostle, nor is he one of the disciples. It is traditionally thought that Mark is a disciple of Peter. It is unclear as to where Mark was when he wrote this gospel. The gospel of Mark appears to set the stage or pattern for the other written gospels as it may have been used as a source in the composition of Matthew and Luke. Mark uses narrative form to tell the story of Jesus’ life, beginning with His early career continuing until His death. Mark uses stories about Jesus’ teachings, travels, and miraculous works to aid the understanding of His intentions. Mark focuses on the death of Jesus and all the events that led up to the crucifixion. Thus, it is the death of Jesus that is the guiding principle of this gospel, not the life. Many important facts are presented Mark. First, Jesus Christ is the Messiah as stated throughout the Old Testament. Second, Jesus lived a sinless and perfect life, proving He was the Son of God as he claimed. Third, the Gospel tells of His numerous miracle-performing capabilities. Most importantly, Jesus overcame death through His resurrection. In this miraculous event, He proves that there is no power that can conquer Him. The gospel of Mark gives perfect instructions on how God’s people should live; having faith (Mark 2:5), believing in the power of God (Mark 5:36), replacing fear with trust (Mark 4:40), following...
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...Personal worldview inventory Eric Atkinson Grand Canyon University: Spirituality in healthcare HLT-310V May 3, 2015 A Worldview is a unique intangible commitment to ideas that one has about the environment around them and a commitment or fundamental orientation of the heart, that can be expressed as a story or in a set of presupposition (James 2004). For a Christian, God and the Scriptures shape the foundation of, and thus having profound impact on the whole, worldview. To better understand the concept of world view seven basic questions need to be resolved, One: What is prime reality? Prime reality is the most important question and it needs to be answered first. This gives the other six questions boundaries by getting to the heart of how we view our reality or the ultimate reality. The answer to one simple question, do you believe in God? Defines and sets the tone for a worldview. Two: What is the nature of the world around us? This is the idea that we can know both God himself and the word around us as God has an active role in communicating with us allowing us to do so. Three: What is a human being? The Christian understanding is that humans were created in God’s image. Being created in Gods image means we need to look to him for meaning, direction and for purpose. God made humans in his image and gave man dominion/stewardship over all that resides here. Four: What happens at death? This is the point where mortal life ends and one transcends into the spirit kingdom...
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...I. Introduction Over the course of the last few weeks, this theology class has discussed several topics that have been very helpful, insightful and eye opening in my Christian walk. I have learned many new things and have gone deeper in my understanding of the things I already knew. In this paper, I would like to discuss three topics that I found to be the most interesting: * Why are personal testimonies important in sharing the gospel? * If a person is a Christian, does it matter how they live their life? * What can your local church do to better communicate God’s love to your community? The Bible has all the answers. We must study this awesome book to find the answers to the very questions we ask. II. Personal Testimonies Personal testimonies are important in sharing the gospel because they tell what God is doing in people’s lives. Sharing the gospel is a way of sharing God’s good works and a way of meeting people where they are, to try to help them. People can read the Bible, have questions, and seek guidance from others, preferably more mature Christians; however, sometimes the Bible in general is hard to relate to until we hear statements from someone we know and trust. “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20, TNIV). It is easier to reach others when they can relate to a real person and it is a great...
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...Angelica Adams Mrs. McMullen English 200: World Literature November 17, 2007 The Power of Woman Women are often thought of as mild, weak, and gentle creatures; with characteristics like these, how can a woman co-exist in the world of her more brazen counterpart and still be influential? The answer to that question is simple; by using their milder qualities women have been influential in the many bold feats of man. Women have made great impacts throughout history through the use their of intellect, sexuality, and passive demeanor. The women in the following works, “Oedipus the King”, by Sophocles, The Iliad, by Homer, and Confessions, by Augustine, were influential in politics, war, and religion all male dominated. Politics has always been a male dominated arena in which women have recently joined, or has it? While men have been in the forefront of many political accomplishments, it has been many times a woman’s idea that brought home such victories. One example of this is Jocasta. In the story of Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, Jocasta is the wife of the king, Oedipus. She is a very mild-mannered woman and gives no signs of being harsh and brash, yet and still she is the most powerful person in the kingdom. An example of her docility is when Oedipus is threatening to put Creon to death; she saves his life by asking Oedipus to believe him for her and the sake of the people of Thebes by being a voice of reason (635). Her influence is noted in the by a specific...
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...4-MAT Book Review Of The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and Stages of Leadership Development Sha’Rae Washington Liberty University 2015 Summary Leadership, specifically Christian based leadership, is a very fascinating topic. In learning about leadership and the qualities it takes to be a great effective Christian leader one will begin to learn more about themselves and their own personal relationship with God. This was one of the lessons discovered while reading the book written by Robert Clinton entitled The Making of a Leader: Recognizing the Lessons and States of Leadership Development. In his book, Clinton does a great job at teaching readers the important lessons of what it takes to be a leader. While the book gives information on what it takes to be a leader it is also good for providing the instructions on how to recognize the growth process one experiences as they transition from a role of a follower to that of a leader. In efforts to better explain leader development and how Christian leaders must recognize lessons in life, Clinton develops a model that is based on research he has conducted on several Christian leaders to include A.W Tozer and Dawson Trottman. From the lives of these exceptional Christian leaders, the author uncovers five different phases of development that leaders experience while growing within themselves and maturing. In the first three of the five, sometimes six, phases it is important for readers to understand that “God’s...
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...Secularism and religion Secularism and Religion Religion and Secularism have been around for years. People have many different views and thoughts about secularism. Secularism as a philosophy owes its origins to George Jacob Holyoake (1860), who introduced the idea that life should be lived by reference to ethical principles, and the world understood by processes of reasoning, rather than by reference to God or gods, or other supernatural concepts. From the perspective of government and governance, secularism refers to a policy that separates religious authority from the state .The opposite of secularism is usually theocracy; that is, where religion has a major role in government. Religion in the Civil War pervaded virtually all aspects of American society. Not all Americans held religious beliefs and values, but many did. Religion was not confined to one particular group, but soldiers and civilians, Northerners and Southerners, freed and slave, males and females, and Jews and Christians all made use of religion. Furthermore, a reciprocal relationship existed between the Civil War and religion, with both influencing and being influenced by each other. As a result, religion during the Civil War did not remain a static entity during 1861-1865; instead, it became an institution that constantly changed and adapted itself, as well as its devotees. Americans used religion to interpret their experiences during and after...
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...also ragtime music. In the Gospel genre there are southern gospel, sacred gospel, contemporary gospel, Christian, hymns, etc… Music has always been a part of different cultures throughout history and around the world. Jazz music was started in Africa, yet developed in Europe, thus giving us the well-known genre of jazz music. According to Wikipedia, a cultures music...
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...for Unity”. In it they agreed with the need for desegregation and acknowledged the common social injustices in Birmingham, but ultimately criticized King’s approach and called direct action “unwise and untimely”. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a response to these criticisms as King states in the opening paragraph of the letter addressed to “My Dear Fellow Clergymen”. He has written “Letter from Birmingham Jail” as a response to eight white men who share in his faith, his cause, but dismiss his approach. The audience, also, extends to African Americans at this time, members of the Christian church, and even segregationists willing to read it. It was made public in the June 12, 1963 edition of the Christian Century. The audience, throughout the years, has grown to encompass historians, students, and anyone who has studied the civil rights era. The purpose behind...
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...practiced more than others on a daily basis. I have learned about many aspects, values, and what the motive to practicing a certain religion may give to life. To studying certain religions in the classroom to attending churches and services of specific religions I have learned a great deal of information revolving around the true aspects of our worldwide ways of life. Among the few religions I attended in person to view what cultural values, beliefs, and aspects that individuals abided by were the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple, The Greek Orthodox Church, Unitarian-Universalist Church, and Pilgrim Baptist Church. All in which shared different views and progressions on the way of life. The Vietnamese Buddhist Temple I found to be one of the more interesting locations out of all because of the formal one on one interaction with the monk. My impression of the religion and its “world view” from the apparent architecture and artifacts was an impression that actually stunned me because of the precise actions of such an individual. The site conveyed a very neat and high class appearance in the terms of how those individuals live the daily life. The monk was very detail oriented in what he would describe as the Four Noble Truths. The monk made a very intriguing statement saying “You signed a contract to die when you were born right?” This statement caught me off guard because he referred to this statement as suffering one of the Four Noble Truths. This direct statement is actually true to...
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...practices. The music of African Americans has transcended across different cultures. Gospel music is one of the sacred forms of music for African Americans. This is one of the hottest music genres currently out, and it is not only meant to relay a message to people but change their hearts in the process and help people endure positive out takes on life. Gospel music has a long rich tradition with great contributors such as Thomas Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Kirk Franklin. Things such as gospel music workshops and conventions exist today to educate individuals on this peculiar style of music. Recently, I held a gospel music workshop and many things were involved in putting it together. The following paper will discuss my research on the evolution of gospel music and elaborate more on why I decided to do a gospel music workshop. African American gospel music has been implemented with secular and non-African American elements. This has caused many individuals to wonder “what is gospel music?” This musical phenomenon has moved beyond the walls of the “black church” and includes many aspects (Wise 1). Gospel music can be defined from a cultural, spiritual, or musical perspective. There are underlying theological and spiritual principles Gospel music was a sacred folk music that originated out of slave songs, field hollers, Baptist lining hymns, and Negro spirituals and standard Protest hymns and many composed songs. The Center for Black Music Research...
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...criticism, it is apparent that the setting in James Joyce’s Araby and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper affects the main character’s mental and physical state” “Araby” and “The Yellow Wallpaper” are both remarkable short stories, but the thoughts conceived after reading it are everything but short. Araby, written by, James Joyce is about a young character that lives in a neighborhood that appears to be dark and gloomy based solely on the author’s description of the houses and such. “An uninhabited house of two storeys at the blind end…” suggests that this neighborhood isn’t in paramount condition. On the other hand, the author makes several references to religious faith. For example, the Christian Brothers’ School, where the young character attends, or the Priest who has died prior to this story taking place, evokes this idea of purity. It is quite contrary that in a short story where the author paints a vivid image of gloom and despair, there are religious references that cause readers into a world of contradiction. In the same way Charlotte Gilman Perkins, author of The Yellow Wallpaper seeks to evoke a message of individual expression and successfully does so by recording the progression of the illness, through the state of the “yellow” wallpaper. Apparently, the bulk of the setting of “The Yellow Wallpaper” is in a room that the unnamed narrator has been forced to stay in by her husband, John, so that she may recover from what he has said she is...
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