...wouldn’t we come from a multi-dimensional God? (a God whose existence is greater than our own three-dimensional existence) In describing God in this manner, I’m referring to a complexity that we can’t comprehend (which in turn actuality answers the question about whether we can make an authoritative propositional statement about God). The answer is no. I’m a huge C.S. Lewis fan--his writings caused me to really examine what I believed. So when I see a question that asks if a person has to believe the Trinity in order to be a true believer, it tells me that at the time that I didn’t understand the Trinity (and as such, didn’t hold a belief), I was not a “true believer”. I view this query as judgmental at its core. It is suggestive of a propositional statement. I refer back to the beginning of this class and the lesson that challenged us to recognize that God communicates with us in ways that we can understand. His revelation of the multi-dimensional entity (implied Trinity) was done (through the scriptures) in a way that we could conceptualize, but it remain mysterious at some levels. Humans aren’t able to “fully” conceptualize hyper-dimensional existence (even scientists have only a novice understanding of the physics...
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...New Life Theological Seminary The Doctrine of the Trinity Submitted to Professor Gifford In Partial Fullfillment of TH531: Systematic Theology I By Emily Ephraim The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. Wow what a concept to digest, one God within three distinct persons. When I think of the power that comes along with that I am in awe. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all humbling to the omnipresent God. How can God be all three and yet be one? God is present everywhere and cares for everyone. God as The Father Jeremiah 23:23-24 King James Version (KJV) 23 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? 24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. God the Son Matthew 28:20 King James Version (KJV) 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. God the Holy Spirit Psalm 139:7 King James Version...
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...The Trinity and The Church Dirk Weber DeVry University The Trinity and The Church In Christianity no discussion of ecclesiology should begin without addressing the nature of the One who gives the church meaning and purpose. It is the Triune God that brings the church; unity of substance, differentiated in personhood that is understood in perichoretic co-activity. The universal church received God’s full self-revelation in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and God’s Holy Spirit communicates that revelation to us even today. To what purpose? It is in the universal Christian church that God creates a matrix of categorical understanding in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit. Within that Christian context, the universal church becomes the “Body of Christ” where all people from various Christian movements and denominations come together with the purpose of building a society based on relationship instead of wealth, power and glory. Why did God endure history, transform history, in the first place? The answer goes to the very heart of the Trinitarian relationship; a relationship humanity struggles to explain fully even two millennia after God’s full self-revelation, but humanity begins to understand when the community of faith reflects upon the whole scriptural witness. The passage in the Christian text that most effectively summarizes the relationship between the persons of the Trinity is found in 1 John 4:8, “God is love” (1 Jn. 4:8, New International Version). Love...
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...INTERNATIONAL FINANCE “The impossible Trinity” Has the “Managed Float” approach worked for Trinidad and Tobago? The Impossible Trinity: Managed Float in Trinidad and Tobago International economics holds the hypothesis that it’s impossible for a country to simultaneously execute: 1. A fixed exchange rate 2. Free capital movement and, 3. An independent monetary policy This trilemma or “Impossible Trinity” as it is commonly referred to, is one of those aspects of the nature of things, like scarcity and asymmetric information that makes life difficult. Specifically, the trilemma means that a country can follow only two of the three aforementioned policies at once. To keep exchange rates fixed, the central bank must either restrict capital flows or give up its control over the domestic money supply, interest rates, and price level. This means that a country must make difficult decisions about which variables it wants to control and which it wants to give up to outside forces. The four major international monetary regimes; specie standards, managed fixed exchange rate, free float and managed float differ, so to speak, in their solution to the trilemma. This paper focuses however, on the managed float as it relate to the Trinidad and Tobago economy. The managed float exchange rate system A managed float exchange rate system is an international financial arrangement, whereby central banks intervene only periodically, not necessarily to support a country's...
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...IMPLEMENTING TECHNOLOGY UPDGRADES AT TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL Prepared for Jill M. Braun Director of Educational Technology for Trinity Lutheran Church & School Prepared by Mark D. Davidson Administrative Assistant August 30, 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iv INTRODUCTION 1 TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION PLAN 1 TECHNOLOGY BUDGET 2 TECHNOLOGY INVENTORY 3 TECHNOLOGY UPGRADES 3 CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER 4 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 5 POTENTIAL PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 7 REFERENCES 8 FIGURES Figure 1: Technology Decision-Making Cycle 1 Figure 2: Breakdown of technology budget by category 2 Figure 3: Computer devices used at Trinity Lutheran School 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This proposal discusses the benefits of implementing technology upgrades at Trinity Lutheran Church and School through the addition of computers and Chromebooks for students to use during classroom instruction, through increased bandwidth to allow the internet to work faster and more efficiently for both students and staff, and how developing a position for a full-time technology coach or Chief Technology Officer on staff to help with maintaining the current technology infrastructure of Trinity Lutheran Church and School, along with providing continuing education can aid the teachers in providing a more professional...
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...The “Person” of the Holy Spirit Of the three “persons” to the concept of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is often shrouded in more mystery than the other two. While the person of God the “Father” as the creator and sustainer of creation is well established in the scripture and the history of Judaism and Christianity, and while the person of Jesus the “Son” as an actual person in the course of human history is well documented in history and scripture, the person of the Holy Spirit is a person whose characteristics are not well defined. While the responsibilities of the Holy Spirit are often documented throughout scripture, the question of how to address the Holy Spirit is sometimes vague. While there is plenty of scriptural attestation to the Holy Spirit, and while Jesus does use personal pronouns to describe the Holy Spirit, the modern depictions of the Spirit are often amorphous, lacking definition, and sometimes even pictures that do not infer personhood as much as substance, such as depictions of the Holy Spirit as a, “tounge of fire.” Some theologians have pointed to the scripture to attest to the personhood of the Holy Spirit in the same way as Jesus and the Father (with some scripture point to personal pronouns such as “he”) while others are more concerned with the function of the Holy Spirit rather than the form. This begs the question as to whether or not it truly matters what the Holy Spirit is rather than who the Holy Spirit is. The Holy Spirit is first mentioned...
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...The School of Athens Artist: Raphael Year 1509–1510 Type: Fresco Dimensions: 500 cm × 770 cm (200 in × 300 in) Location: Apostolic Palace, Vatican City The Holy Trinity Artist: Masaccio Year 1425 Type: Fresco Dimensions: 667 cm × 317 cm (263 in × 125 in) Location: Santa Maria Novella, Florence I started this project by searching the paintings that I will be analyzing. In the internet, I found a great painting from Raphael named The School of Athens (1509-1510) and from the text book Prebles’ Artforms by Patrick Frank, I found a painting from Masaccio named The Holy Trinity (1425) Both paintings fit in the Renaissance period where painters in Italy specifically wanted to have a re-birth in art. Renaissance is a period in the art history used to describe the re-birth of ‘the glory of ancient Greece” (Prebles’s , 2011); it occurred between the 14th and 17th centuries. Artists incorporated a sense of light and colors using new mediums. Also the use of the space and perspective was a major innovation of the time. These new innovations caused your eye to see in there dimension. Art in this period was mostly realized for commission or religious motives. In the Renaissance period, many artist occupied different places in society since it was dominated by associations which helped trades in society. All of these religious groups where connected to a patron saint and linked to their fellows making sure all have decent jobs. The School of Athens is characterized...
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...God’s identity refers to God's character and His various characteristics. God is part of the Trinity, meaning that He is three-persons in one being. God's identity not only impacts how we live and how we think of ourselves in the world, but it also shows us what it means to be truly human through Jesus' humanity, leads us deeper into the way of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, and influences the way we view ourselves and others. It is important to remember that we are made in God's image. This belief allows us to see ourselves as the children of Christ and live knowing that we are created perfectly in the eyes of God. Genesis 1:27 in the Bible states that: “...God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, NRSV). God's identity is our identity because we are made in his image as a near perfect reflection. He always loves us, and we are supposed to be conscious and aware of God’s love and put our faith in it. The belief that God created me allows me to live my life knowing that God created the world and I this way for a reason and that as long as I have faith in Him everything will work out. We discover our true identity the more closely we are drawn to Him through our understanding of Jesus' humanity...
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...Eldon Hales August 17, 2011 Session One: What is the Bible? What is God Like? What is the Trinity? Writing Prompt: Reflect upon Grudem’s method of developing ideas about God. What aspects of his theological process do you most appreciate? Are there emphases in his writing that are particularly challenging to you? Wayne Grudem begins his brief study of Systematic Theology by first showing the authority of Scripture. While he acknowledges the Bible was written by man, he does show that it is still the very Word of God. He is careful to point out Scripture’s authority, its clarity, its necessity, and its sufficiency. I appreciate his thoughtful approach of discussing Who is God by starting with What is the Bible. Grudem then moves his discussion to the characteristics and attributes of God. Gurdem points out that much of what we know about God comes from His own description of Himself in His Word, the Bible. First and foremost, we can be certain that God exists and He is knowable. Grudem then gives very brief, simple descriptions of God’s omnipotence, omniscience, wisdom, and holy nature. He points out that God is independent, meaning that He does not need us or anything else in creation. He is perfect and content in and of Himself. However, He chooses to allow us to be important to Him. God is a relational God who delights in being in fellowship and community with us. God is also truthful and good. God can be trusted to keep His promises and...
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...They have a much richer and deeper meaning when looked at with detail, and are very important to know in order to understand our own salvation and relationship with Christ. In this paper, I will be covering two topics: the Trinity and the Death of Christ. II. Part One: The Trinity a. Theological Definition The word trinity in the Greek translates to “a set of three”. The trinity refers to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, this does not mean that Christians are polytheistic. These three beings share one essence. God is singular in numerical terms, yet within God are three individual beings that make up the Trinity. A better understanding of this is looking at Jesus coming to earth as a man. “Although Jesus performed miracles, He was also subject to human limitations by experiencing hunger, and thirst. Even in doing miracles, He relied on the power of the Holy Spirit to do the will of His Father.” (Towns, pg. 8) The reason we know that Jesus is God is how he explained himself while here on earth. “Perhaps the greatest boast of all is when Jesus constantly claimed to be the great ‘I Am’ (Towns, pg. 12). Jesus did not claim to be like God, or even next in command, but he claimed to be God himself! He was the physical embodiment of the Trinity. b. Biblical Foundation While Jesus was on earth, He made it clear that He was God, and that they were one in embodiment, which proves the monotheistic view of God being one. In John 10:30, Jesus states “I and the...
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...| | | | | | SUB-TOPICS | CHRISTIANITY | ISLAM | HINDUISM | BUDDHISM | JUDAISM | BASIC PRINCIPLES | Inspiration and Inerrancy of Scripture,Virgin birth and Deity of Christ,Substitutionary atonement of Christ,Bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead,Second Coming of Christ | According to Islam you have to believe in Allah, the Angels of Allah (Malaikah), the Books of Allah (Kutubullah), the messengers of Allah, (Rusulullah), the Day of Judgment (Yawmuddin), the Supremacy of the Divine Will (Al-Qadâr ) and life after death (Akhirah) | God Exists: One Absolute OM. One Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara (Shiva) Several divine forms 2. All human beings are divine 3. Unity of existence through love 4. Religious harmony 5. Knowledge of 3 Gs’: Ganga (sacred river), Gita (sacred script), Gayatri (sacred mantra) | Four Noble Truths teach that life is a suffering there is a cause of this suffering, it is possible to put an end to this suffering; the Noble Eightfold Path -the means to end this suffering, Refuge in Three Jewels the three components of Buddhism which protect a person from the unstable world as he progresses on the path to become a Buddhist. The Five Precepts lay down the moral conduct to make human world a better place to live and the Three Marks of Conditioned Existence. | Judaism is based around the idea that God is supreme; the creator of all things and the powerful being whom we communicate with through prayer. God appears on almost every page of...
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...Undoubtedly something Muslim culture and Christian culture have in common is the certainty of monotheism, the belief that there is only one God. Both religions believe that God is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent, knowing everything that can possibly be known. Muslims worship Allah through praying and reciting the Qur’an, the word of Allah conveyed to Muhammad through Gabriel; whereas Christians worship God by praying to him and Jesus, who they believe is the Son of God, and by using the Bible as their guideline for living their life. Although Muslims and Christians both believe in a monotheistic God, there are vast differences in the way these two religions express their monotheism. First for Christians, the Bible clearly states the monotheism of their God through the story of creation. The Hebrew account affirms that one transcendent God, and not many gods, created everything. For Christians, He is to be worshipped as one God, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (New International Version, Deut. 6:4). One can see how Genesis, in presupposing monotheism, rejects the assumption that polytheism can underlie any valid accounts of creation. Genesis 1 in the Bible purposefully portrays a monotheistic God who is the sole creator and transcendent source of all that has been brought into being. In Genesis 1 of the Bible, Christians are presented with the beginning of a divine drama that can only be examined and understood from a standpoint of faith. Genesis 1 reveals...
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...and give answers to fundamental questions of life. “The trinity” and “The full deity and humanity of Christ” are such doctrines. The trinity basically is a belief that God exists in a trio form namely God the father, son and Holy Spirit. The full deity and humanity of Christ refers to the existence of the Son of God in two forms as human and as God. The trinity shows how the attributes of God are shown with the three forms he is. The trinity was a doctrine developed in the early church to answer the frequently asked questions about the nature of God. This was mostly in Arianism in the attempt to protect monotheism. God is believed be three persons in one essence. Theology however explains the trinity as a way of denying the oneness and uniqueness of God. The statement that there is only one God is seriously opposed in the trinity aspect. The doctrine of the trinity plays a major role amongst Christians today. Just as God is three in one, Christians are encouraged to employ the system of togetherness as no man can stand alone. It even presents a better argument that even God is three in one. This is often mistaken making understanding the trinity a hard task for believers. It involves careful concideration of the bibles analysis and faith to understand how God is both one and three. Basically, the trinity can be understood by reading the scriptures. Once all these is relevant to a person then the concept of the trinity is easier to relate to the human life and relationships...
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...Purpose Statement The purpose of this paper is to educate our readers about the two largest religions in the world: Christianity and Islam. Religion has served in many societies as a mean of structure or social control, with rules that govern how people interact socially. We will be looking at the origin, similarities, differences, beliefs and festivals of each religion. Invariably, our aim is to ascertain through research data and interviews why Christianity is the world’s most popular religion, but more so why it is deemed most superior. Statement of Qualification. Our group strongly believes in the fundamental teachings of Christianity, having been exposed to its teachings from early childhood. We are respecters of all religions hence our research topic, to bring about a greater level of understanding of both, while identifying the beliefs and values these two great religion is built on. Based on our own individual experiences and personal realization of nature and how things are interconnected, we conclude that there is definitely a higher power that oversees everyone and everything, and it’s faith in this higher power that brought birth to Christianity. Review of Literature Religion is a controversial topic that has been debated with great enthusiasm by sociologists, theologians, and even students; some argue that the belief in religion is for closed minded individuals. One sociologist aimed to defend the fact that religion...
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...teach us about Himself and His path to salvation (eternal life). Second, Jesus was to provide the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross of Calvary so that we could be with Him forever in heaven. To prove that He was God and that the sacrifice was efficacious, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. Christianity has many different branches and forms with accompanying variety in beliefs and practices. The three major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, with numerous subcategories within each of these branches. Traditional Christian beliefs include the belief in the one and only true God, who is one being and exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not three Gods (God is a Trinity ) not three Gods). Jesus...
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