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The purpose of this research is to examine whether and in what sense one could identify an apophatic approach to the human being in Augustine’s writings. It also explores the relationship between the negative theology and the negative anthropology in Augustine’s thinking. Augustine’s conception of human interiority as dwelling place of the divine, his reflections on the deepness of the heart, on illumination, on transfiguration through love or divinisation of the human being, bring to light fundamental traits of a genuine apophatic discourse.
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The usage of the terms “disciple” and “discipleship” are very common among Evangelical Christians and the meanings of these terms seem self-evident. However, although these circles adopted such language, it was already present in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time. The purpose and the goal of this article is to analyze the concept of discipleship in its original context and see how much the meaning of this term is removed from the meaning that this term has today. This topic we will address in two parts. In the first part, we studied the Old Testament (OT) roots of discipleship and the Jewish educational system in Jesus’ time and analyzed whether Jesus himself, and in what measure, passed through that Jewish educational system and how and in what ways he used this model in the discipleship process of his disciples. In this part of the article, we will address the practice of discipleship in the first Church, and after that offer some guidelines on how to apply Jesus’ concept of discipleship in the Church today.The key focus of this article is the problematic of applying principles of discipleship that were present in the context of Jewish culture, on the Church today, since our analysis reveals that understanding of discipleship today does not correspond entirely to the understanding of that concept in Jesus’ time. Although discipleship then and now contained passing on information, it was more important to follow the rabbi and learn from him in a close relationship. It is concluded that a possible solution for this challenge must be sought first and foremost in the change of thinking about what discipleship truly is (change of focus), and then in the practice through mentoring or working in small groups purposefully expose both sides (both “teachers” and “students”) to the experience of teaching through example.
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This text is a discussion about prophetic preaching as defined in the boundaries of homiletics. It offers both a theological and practical presentation of this preaching style actively seeking a way to contextualize it in Croatian setting. It offers some answers to the question: What is prophetic preaching and how and why it is done? It also serves as a challenge and the beginning of the discussion on prophetic preaching in Croatian context. As the Church in a growing post-Christian setting seeks ways to communicate the Gospel with the wider society aware that it is slowly losing its privileged footing it seems important to find again the prophetic voice which calls people and institutions of power to get right with God and see human beings as neighbors and not means.
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The fundamental thought of the Lausanne congresses and The Cape Town Commitment (TCTC) statement as the final product of the third congress, could be summarized by these words: “The Church needs to evangelize the world.” From that battle cry come the challenges of knowing the Gospel and mastering the skills necessary for implementing that plan. This article points out that both challenges can be overcome only through a consistent educational ministry within local fellowships of believers.
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Review of: Dave and Jon Ferguson, Exponential: How You and Your Friends Can Start a Missional Church Movement, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 2010
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According to the Orthodox Church, the Eucharist is not just a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice or of its enactment, but it is a real sacrifice. On the other hand, however, it is not a new sacrifice, nor a repetition of the Sacrifice of the Cross upon Golgotha. The events of Christ’s Sacrifice – the Incarnation, the Institution of the Eucharist, the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, are not repeated during the Eucharist, yet they become a present reality. Acceptance of one’s baptism and chrismation in the Church, responsibility for the Church’s faith and life, the struggle to put the faith fully into practice, accountability for one’s personal belief and behavior, constant and continual repentance, and peace with all people in the union of love commanded and given by God in Christ and the Holy Spirit -- these are the requirements for participation in holy communion in the Orthodox Church. They are, ultimately and essentially, what Holy Communion itself is all about. The know ledge and observance of the canonical ordinances and norms of the Orthodox Church, as well as the canonical-liturgical guidance and teachings regarding the administration of the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, is a canonical obligation of every priest of our Church.
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The desert spirituality is fundamental to Christianity and I am certain that the ascetic wisdom of Desert Fathers have a great deal to teach us today. Therefore, in this paper I will point out this profound spirituality of the desert. This paper is divided into two sections: in the first part, I shall focus on the crucial importance of the desert in the earlier ascetic tradition. In this sense, I will point out the essential themes of desert spirituality, such as spiritual guidance, silence, discernment, and so on. As we will see, the true spirituality of the Desert Fathers is absolute simplicity. In the second, I shall highlight that the desert spirituality is understood as a transformation of the body, so that desert monasticism represents a lived territory of holiness. From this perspective, the desert has a special place in the earliest monasticism history because it is a symbol of total withdrawal and rejection of the world, a training ground for those who aspire to holiness.
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The end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century represent the period in which hesychasm registers an unprecedented development. Saints Callistus and Ignatius Xanthopoulos have remained in history as two personalities who contributed to the development of the hesychastic phenomenon both in the Orthodox space in general and in the Romanian space in particular. Their writings were, at that time, among the most popular in Romanian monks and helped to increase the hesychasm phenomenon in Romanian area. Probably the most representative work of the two saints is the Century, a tract of 100 sections on the ascetical practices of the Hesychastic monks. Here are presented the most important steps for a monk to spiritually evolve and develop.This article aims to present the most important ideas promoted by these two Saints, and to highlight their importance to the improvement of Orthodox spirituality.
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Today’s problems, which are not very different from those of any other period, more or less difficult in the life of the Church, should not be of particular concern to us, in the sense that it is not an absolute priority, but rather we should care how to remain completely faithful to the Tradition of our Church in such circumstances.
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Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, Asceticism and Marriage, Translation from English by Dragoş Dâscă, book printed with the blessing of His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bucovina Romanian Orthodox Church, “Doxologia” Publishing House, Iaşi, 2014; His Eminence Anthony Bloom, Metropolitan of Sourozh, was born at Lausanne, on June 19, 1914. He attended university studies in physics, chemistry and biology, obtaining a Bachelor of Science Diploma in 1938 and, an year later, his doctorate in medicine at the Sorbonne University in Paris. During the Second World War, he worked as a surgeon. In 1943, he was tonsured at the Podvorja monastery. In 1948, he was ordained priest, arriving after that in England, as a spiritual shepherd for the orthodox Brotherhood of the Alban and Sergius Saints. In 1966, he was raised to the rank of Metropolitan of Sourozh of the Russian Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. He passed to the Lord on August 4, 2003.
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The religious and theological basis of the components of the teachings of a healthy lifestyle of members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, namely the principles of hygiene and appearance of the faithful of this denomination, are analyzed.The purpose of the article is to determine the theological basis of the principles of hygiene and appearance of the faithful of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The peculiarities of the Adventists’ interpretation of the Holy Scriptures regarding the application of the Old Testament hygienic instructions in the conditions of modern realities are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on a number of principles in Adventism regarding the contents of a Christian’s wardrobe. It is highlighted that from the Adventist point of view,it is the clothing and appearance of a person that is an important indicator of a Christian character and a silent testimony to the values that a person adheres to. It is emphasized that important in the appearance of a person are gender differences in clothing, which clearly indicates a male or female identity. Emphasis is placed on regular consumption of sufficient water to prevent and improve physical condition, and good health in turn is a reliable basis for the perception of high moral values, including spiritual ones. The analysis of the theological basis of the principles of hygiene and appearance of members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church presents a holistic concept of Adventists, namely:human health is three interrelated components: physical, mental and spiritual. The key thesis of the theological basis in Adventism on hygiene and appearance is the following statement: there is no point in disturbing the Lord’s prayers if one ignores the moral principles and laws of hygiene and appearance that are already set forth in the Scriptures and understandable because most diseases is the result of a wrong way of life and a departure from moral and ethical Christian values.
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This paper explores the extent to which religiosity entails special choices of values, the ifferences between the values of religious and non-religious people and whether there are significant dissimilarities in theways they relate to politics in Hungary. The results derived from our representative sample have shown the dualnature of the value orientations of people who consider themselves religious. The attitude of religious people ischaracterized by a duality of leader cult and secularised belief. Predominantly religious people hold secularizedvalues, but their personal life worlds reflect an inherited traditionalism concerning their viewpoint on their politicalleader. Consequently, they have a positive attitude towards governmental measures which result in restrictions onconstitutional and parliamentary government, as well as on the Western system of democratic institutions, whileat the same time they are drifting away from their Christian values
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When the human, social, and the universal order is in distress, injustice rules. Finding themselves at the end of a cosmic cycle, individuals are being trapped in todestiny's straight net, with the help of their karma. As shown by the final war of the epicpoem Mahābhārata, no one can stand against destiny. What one is required to do is tofulfill his dharma, hoping for a smooth decline of the world and the beginning of a newprosperous era. But when injustice is too deeply entrenched, there is no other issue. Theavatar of the Great Lord Vishnu makes all it is required for restoring dharma, even if theprice for all warriors to pay is their own full destruction. Engaged in a fiercely combat,they destroy each other as a destiny plan to destroy the evil and renew the world. This isthe sacrifice they have to honor in order to fulfill the destiny of all mankind.
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The aim of this work is to present most representative features of the original workof two Račan, with a special attention given to “Stichology” of Kiprian Račanin, as wellJerotej’s “Travelogue to City of Jerusalem” to the specific characteristics of the genrewhich served as a starting point to Jerotej’s original work in 1727, based on his notes of1704, when this journey took place. Although it incorporates three periods, the value andauthenticity of the “Journey” itself will long after be questioned by many critics. Later substantial studies will show that Jerotej himself had been subjected to a grave injustice, since his work represents a considerable contribution to Serbian literature, as wellas Kiprian’s literary work and his church donations in Sentandrea.
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The whole mankind history represents a constant human aspiration to attain the Divine truth and knowledge. However, it is not an easy job. Because of that, in order tosearch adequately for the Truth, it is necessary to primarly be satisfied a couple of scientific criteria (more precisely six) in order to one research would be called scientific,and in the same time to be true. Therefore, the aim of this article would be directed to theclaim that science, although is based on the philosophical principles, it has its own limitationts, while the real beauty and the mining of the life could be seen from the angle ofArt, Poetry and Religion. In support of that, there are the words of the famous philosopher Nietzsche, who once pointed out that, thanaks to the world of Art and Philosophy,man builds an “immortal intellect”.
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