scholarly journals ‘I And My Family We Shall Serve The Lord’: Reflections on the Identity of the Pastor’s Wife in Ghanaian Charismatic Ministries

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-28
Author(s):  
Mark S Aidoo
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Red Clay ◽  
Worship Space ◽  
Inner Strength ◽  
Pastor's Wives ◽  
Pastor's Wife ◽  
The Church ◽  
As If ◽  
The Way

Pastor’s wives in Charismatic ministries in Ghana face similar challenges like what happened to the Zipporah, the wife of Moses. All these women feel less secure within the worship space and are easily demeaned. These pastor’s wives find themselves caught between substance and liminal identities, acceptance and rejection. Such attitudes towards them is similar to the way Ghanaians treat ntwema (“red clay”) used to maintain, beautify and protect the home. It is very useful yet kept in homes as if it is insignificant or unwanted. This paper uses an ideological reading of Exodus 4:18-26 and 18:1-27 to highlight the life and challenges of Zipporah and uses the findings to reflect on the experiences of the pastor’s wife in Ghanaian charismatic tradition. It presents views of two focus-groups of pastors’ wives in Accra and Kumasi, made up of ten (10) women each. All the twenty women are wives of founders of charismatic ministries and are ordained. It proposes that the pastors must always be grateful to their spouses. The Church should also not downplay the role of in-laws, mediators and wise counsellors who intervene when there are problems. More so, pastors’ wives must draw from their inner strength to affirm their own personality, worth and dignity. Keywords: Zipporah, Moses, pastor’s wife, Charismatic ministries, liminality

Being an Archdeacon: A Coaching Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-327
Author(s):  
Norman Boakes
Keyword(s):  
Recent Article ◽  
Church Of England ◽  
Legal Aspect ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coaching Model ◽  
Training Development ◽  
Anglican Theology ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

Considering the importance of their role in the life of the Church of England and the Church in Wales, there is not much written about the role of archdeacons. In her recent article in the January 2019 issue of this Journal, Jane Steen focused on the legal aspect of the role of archdeacons, and reflected on how they play a key role in shaping the Church and its ministry, delighting in its beauty and rejoicing in its well-being. In this article, the recently retired training, development and support officer for archdeacons reflects on the nature of the role and, in the light of that, on the way in which it might best be carried out. Believing that process is at least as important as outcome, and that good processes lead to better outcomes, he argues that coaching provides a useful model to enable archdeacons to exercise their ministries most effectively and promote both the mission and the well-being of the Church. It is also, he argues, a better reflection of Anglican theology.

scholarly journals Some Remarks on the Islamic and the Secular Paradigms of Knowledge

1995 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-544
Author(s):  
Taha J. Al Alwani
Keyword(s):  
Driving Force ◽  
Religious Freedom ◽  
Similar Degree ◽  
The West ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

By the time secularist thought had succeeded, at an intellectuallevel, in challenging the authority of the Church, its roots had alreadytaken firm hold in western soil. Later, when western political and economicsystems began to prevail throughout the world, it was only naturalthat secularism, as the driving force behind these systems, shouldgain ascendency worldwide. In time, and with varying degrees of success,the paradigm of positivism gradually displaced traditional andreligious modes of thinking, with the result that generations of thirdworld thinkers grew up convinced that the only way to “progress” andreform their societies was the way of the secular West. Moreover, sincethe experience of the West was that it began to progress politically,economically, and intellectually only after the influence of the Churchhad been marginalized, people in the colonies believed that they wouldhave to marginalize the influence of their particular religions in orderto achieve a similar degree of progress. Under the terms of the newparadigm, turning to religion for solutions to contemporary issues is anabsurdity, for religion is viewed as something from humanity’s formativeyears, from a “dark” age of superstition and myth whose time hasnow passed. As such, religion has no relevance to the present, and allattempts to revive it are doomed to failure and are a waste of time.Many have supposed that it is possible to accept the westernmodel of a secular paradigm while maintaining religious practices andbeliefs. They reason that such an acceptance has no negative impactupon their daily lives so long as it does not destroy their places ofworship or curtail their right to religious freedom. Thus, there remainshardly a contemporary community that has not fallen under the swayof this paradigm. Moreover, it is this paradigm that has had the greatestinfluence on the way different peoples perceive life, the universe,and the role of humanity as well as providing them with an alternativeset of beliefs (if needed) and suggesting answers to the ultimate questions ...

scholarly journals The Language of the Church: Westminster in Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-87
Author(s):  
W. John Carswell
Keyword(s):  
General Assembly ◽  
Church Of Scotland ◽  
Presbyterian Church ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

This paper reflects on the debate at the 2018 General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on reviewing the status of the Westminster Confession of Faith as its principal subordinate standard of faith. It considers the role of doctrine in the church; whether it is appropriate to devote time and resources to consideration of doctrinal statements at this juncture when the church may be seen to be seen to be facing more pressing issues; and whether a framework such as the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Book of Confessions might serve as a useful model for the way ahead – or whether such an approach would in fact only hamper lasting renewal in the church.

The Sun and the Good

2019 ◽  
pp. 81-95
Author(s):  
Nicholas D. Smith
Keyword(s):  
The Sun ◽  
Middle Ground ◽  
Contemporary Epistemology ◽  
As If ◽  
The Way

Explains and reveals the limitations of the first in the sequence of Plato’s three images of cognition and education: the simile of the sun and the good. Shows how this simile continues Plato’s epistemology of cognitive powers, and also shows how the role of truth in Plato’s epistemology is very different from the way it figures in contemporary epistemology. Introduces Plato’s idea of thinking as a first step in summoning the power of knowledge. Plato has Socrates and Glaucon come to an impasse when Glaucon wishes to hear about what Socrates thinks about what the good is, which they agree should be the highest study of the philosopher-rulers. Socrates balks at this, not wishing to speak of the good as if he knew what it is. But Glaucon presses, insisting that they should at least discuss the good in the ways in which they have already discussed justice and moderation. A middle ground is thus indicated between just comparing opinions on a subject without knowledge, and the sort of knowledge that philosopher-rulers will have, but which Socrates and Glaucon lack. The discussion of the good, then, falls into this middle ground, as do the earlier discussions of justice and moderation.

A Bishop, A Patron, and some Preachers: A Problem of Presentation

1999 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 421-434
Author(s):  
Rosemary O’Day
Keyword(s):  
Church Of England ◽  
General Distribution ◽  
Concerted Action ◽  
Dependent Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Close Interrelationship ◽  
The Web ◽  
The Way

The relations between bishops of the Church of England and lay patrons could be fraught and were certainly variable. Local circumstances and the general distribution of patronage within a given diocese combined with the personalities and concerns of the bishop and patrons involved to provide a distinctive environment for negotiation. It would be rash, therefore, to suggest that any case study of co-operation or conflict between a patron and a bishop could be typical. This said, such a case-study cannot but inform and stimulate because negotiation, amicable or otherwise, was essential for all parties wishing to exercise patronage. The co-operation between John Coke and Bishop Thomas Morton demonstrates not only the possibilities for concerted action in a given religious cause, but also the way in which the rules and regulations of the Church of England might be stretched and bent in that process. It indicates the importance for the Church of the web of connections which the bishops built up during their careers. It underlines the close interrelationship of the parochial ministry and the role of household chaplain in so many upper-gentry homes. It highlights the dependent relationship between the clerical client and his patron and the differing reactions of ministers to this situation.

A Diachronic Analysis of the Religious Role of the Woman in Euskal Herria: The Serora and her Helpers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn M Frank
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
High Status ◽  
Religious Institution ◽  
Hypothetical Model ◽  
Diachronic Analysis ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way ◽  
The Catholic Church

<p>In the churches of Euskal Herria there exists today a religious institution of great antiquity and one that clearly demonstrates the high status traditionally afforded to the female in Basque culture. The serora, also referred to as sorora, freila, benoîte, benedicta and beata, is a woman who acts as an adjunct to the priest in the ritual activities of the Catholic Church. In the 20th century her continuing presence represents an anachronism and anomaly when viewed in light of repeated decisions by the Catholic hierarchy concerning the officially approved role of women in the Church. The morphology of this institution will be viewed from two perspectives. First, it will be analyzed synchronically as a set of functions or structures constituting the field of activity of the serora. Then, in order to understand the significance of the survival of these functions, a diachronic approach will be utilized to trace their evolution back into the indigenous religious structures and associated patterns of belief. Having established a hypothetical model for the pre-existing morphology of the institution, it will be possible to describe the way in which the earlier set of structures was modified by increasing contact with the forms and contents of Christianity. With the passage of time the formative elements of the indigenous substratum become overlaid and modified by their fusion with Christianity. Nonetheless, as will be demonstrated, the syncretistic processes at work allowed the earlier structures to survive under the guise of what are understood to be Christian rituals and symbols. Thus, the original indigenous patterns continued to function as generative infrastructures latent even in their modern counterparts. In the latter sections of the paper the duties and responsibilities of the serora are compared with those associated with the Beguines and a new etymology of the term “Beguine” is put forward.</p>

The Church: Towards a Common Vision

Exchange ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-249
Author(s):  
Radu Bordeianu
Keyword(s):  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
World Council Of Churches ◽  
The World ◽  
World Council ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
Common Vision ◽  
The Way

The 2013 convergence document, The Church: Towards a Common Vision (ctcv) incorporates several aspects of the response of the Napa Inter-Orthodox Consultation to The Nature and Mission of the Church (nmc) which, as its subtitle suggests, was A Stage on the Way to a Common Statement, namely The Church. Eastern and Oriental Orthodox responders (jointly!) point to the imprecise use of the term, ‘church’, the World Council of Churches (wcc)’s understanding of ‘the limits of the Church’, and to the ‘branch theory’ implicit in nmc, an ecclesiology toned down in ctcv. Bordeianu proposes a subjective recognition of the fullness of the church in one’s community as a possible way forward. Simultaneously, Orthodox representatives have grown into a common, ecumenical understanding of the relationship between the Kingdom of God and the church’s work for justice; attentiveness to the role of women in the church; and accepting new forms of teaching authority in an ecumenical context. The positions of various churches are no longer parallel monologues, but reflect earnest change and convergence.

The Spirit in the Book of Revelation

2020 ◽  
pp. 239-255
Author(s):  
John Christopher Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Spirit Possession ◽  
Spiritual Experience ◽  
Literary Fiction ◽  
Literary Genre ◽  
Book Of Revelation ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

This piece offers a review and assessment of scholarly trends in the study of the role of the Spirit in the book of Revelation focusing on five major sections. The identity of “the seven Spirits” of God as either angelic beings or the singular Spirit of God is explored. The phrase “I was in the Spirit” is examined as a literary structural marker and as a description of John’s experience of the Spirit, which has been explained as an ecstatic or trance like state, as spirit possession, as denoting a prophetic revelatory experience, and/or as indicating a context of worship. The “in the Spirit” phrase is also explored in relationship to John’s activity of writing “in the Spirit” to determine if such writing should to be understood as a literary fiction or as an actual expression of the church’s spiritual experience. An examination of “the Spirit of Prophecy” explores the issue via the identification of the book’s literary genre and its relationship to: the witness or testimony of Jesus, the phenomenon of prophecy in the church, pneumatic witness, and pneumatic discernment. A final section focuses upon the way in which Jesus and the Spirit are both interconnected and distinct characters within the book.

scholarly journals Charting a Course toward a New Vaccine Strategy

2021 ◽  
pp. 002436392110146
Author(s):  
Gerard M. Nadal
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Hek293 Cell ◽  
Fetal Tissue ◽  
Vaccine Strategy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Consciousness ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

There has been a long-simmering disquiet in Catholic circles regarding the use cell lines derived from aborted fetal tissue. This concern has exploded into the public consciousness given the use of questionable cell lines in the development and/or testing of the current COVID-19 vaccines, and the debate within the Church over the permissibility of using these vaccines. The history of cell culture and how the biological community came to rely on HEK293 fetal cell lines is explored, as is the way forward, moving the biotech industry away from ethically problematic cells and toward the development of more ethically sourced cell lines. The role of the Church in leading the way forward and the acceptable use of medicines utilizing HEK293 cell lines are all explored.

scholarly journals Fostering Human Dignity Through Prayer

Lumen et Vita ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Kenney
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
Imago Dei ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Relationship With God ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

This paper examines the role of prayer, in the relationship between individuals and God, as expressive of human dignity. Humanity’s role within creation as ‘imago dei’ is most perfectly expressed and put into action through the prayer of the believer. The Incarnation is central to this claim, as through it Christ becomes the central model of life in the image and likeness of God for all humanity. In him one sees the life given over to continuous relationship with God, serving through his prayer at all times. Living out this relationship, which is most fully achieved through prayer, becomes a universal vocation, the goal of our lives, fulfilling our humanity and role within creation.In support of this view, this paper analyzes Hans Urs Von Balthasar’s Prayer. He roots his argument for pursuing prayer in the experience of the Son and presents it as the model through which we can be saved. Christ, through the Incarnation, becomes the recapitulator, the paradigmatic human who we are called to emulate and mirror. In our changing religious and political climate, there is a renewed need in the Church for Christians to pursue and live this vocation to prayer. Two scripture sources, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 and Luke 11:8-10, offer instruction on the way we can fulfill our human dignity with prayer. Read together, they reveal two paths: prayer as service and prayer as a persistent act. The goal of our lives on earth and our fulfillment as imago dei is found in prayer as contemplation, service, and an unceasing relationship with God.

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