Not exact matches
At the same time, we recognize that, during the past five hundred years, the Holy Spirit, the Supreme Magisterium of God, has been faithfully at work among theologians and exegetes in both Catholic and Evangelical
communities, bringing to light and enriching our understanding of important
biblical truths in such matters as individual spiritual growth and development, the mission of Christ's Church, Christian worldview
thinking, and moral and social issues in today's world.
I
think the conversation between traditional Christian groups and the gay
community is much wider than the narrow debate about the
biblical view of same - sex relations.
It is a sheer fact, undisputed by any who have knowledge of what transpired in early Christian history, that the Christian Church developed its patterns of
thought, its theology, through the constant interaction of the
biblical witness and the «non-
biblical» environment in which the primitive Christian
community found itself.
«I
think there's a
Biblical mandate to look after on another... Church is all about
community; it's about relationship building in the places where we are.»
Religious leaders, I
think, face alternatives not easily reconciled: to try to form
communities in which
biblical imagery and ideas provide an alternative vision to our cultural ones, or to engage in a process of mutual critique, edification, correction and revision of frameworks that are informed both by our religious traditions and by the sciences and culture.
Without exposure to practices that help people develop a solid
biblical and theological foundation and which encourage them to develop their capacities to
think ethically and theologically, the unschooled mind of the child will pull Christian
communities and individuals toward simplistic understandings of the faith.
Whether one looks at a Church of South India congregation in the «Harijan Wadi» of a village in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, or at a New Life Pentecostal congregation in the suburbs of Mumbai, whether one looks at a Syrian Orthodox
community in Chungom, Kottayam, or at a Mizo Presbyterian Church in Mission Veng in Aizwal, whether one looks at the worshipers at the Indian mass celebrated at the National
Biblical Catechetical and Liturgical Centre in Bangalore, or at a newly set up Baptist congregation among former estate workers in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, one thing that would strike even the most impartial observer is the reality of hybridity, hybridity which manifests itself not only in things external, but very often in terms of attitudes,
thought - processes and historical self - understanding within the overall identity discourse.
Consider this... a person goes to college, gets a four year degree in archaeology (or some antiquities preservation analog); spends summers sifting through sand and rock and gravel, all the while taking graduate level classes... person eventually obtains the vaunted PhD in archaeology... then works his / her tail off seeking funding for an archeological excavation, with the payoff being more funding, and more opportunities to dig in the dirt... do you
think professional archaeologists are looking hard for evidence of the Exodus on a speculative basis... not a chance... they know their PhD buys them nothing more than a job at Tel Aviv Walmart if they don't discover and publish... so they write grants for digs near established sites /
communities, and stay employed sifting rock in culturally safe areas... not unless some shepard stumbles upon a rare find in an unexpected place do you get archeological interest and action in remote places... not at all surprising that the pottery and other evidence of the Exodus and other
biblical events lie waiting to be discovered... doesn't mean not there... just not found yet...
I don't
think because they didn't have church growth or maintenance skills, but because there's a gene present in any
biblical community that prevents it from growing into some kind of tower of Babel.
It was studying first an honours in theology and then a masters in
biblical interpretation that freed me to
think and critically engage in a supportive environment centred on
community and holy living.
There is no other way to learn, organize and apprehend experience,
think and speak Christianly, than by long and continuous participation in the life of the
Biblical communities.
Therefore any church
community that would discipline its members for living contrary to a
biblical walk is now
thought to be endangering the liberty of such members.
I believe my
biblical understanding has grown so much this year, and through the pages of Scripture the call for
community — the call for belonging to the body of Christ — has been so apparent that I
think anyone who actually reads the word will be challenged to no longer live their faith alone.