scholarly journals Meditasie: Bybelgefundeerd of ’n vermenging van gelowe? ’n Pastorale ondersoek

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda L. Du Plessis
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Spiritual Discipline ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Popular Opinion ◽  
The Many ◽  
Spiritual Expression

Meditation: Bible based or a mix of religion? A Pastoral investigation. The influence of other religions on the Christian community was a perceptible trend that cannot be ignored in the realm of spirituality. Meditation was one such example and consequently requires thoughtful investigation. Some Christians found meditation a valuable spiritual discipline that aids their spiritual growth but, in my opinion, also opened up the door for them to become victims of a subtle spiritual deception. The question posed was: how can Christians distinguish between the many and often-conflicting views on meditation found in easily accessible literature? A need therefore exists to define meditation as a possible Christian spiritual expression by distinguishing its uniqueness from the influences of other non-Christian religions and popular opinion.

scholarly journals List apostolski Duodecimum saeculum Ojca Świętego św. Jana Pawła II z okazji tysiąc dwusetnej rocznicy Soboru Nicejskiego II. Miejsce ikony w wierze i rozumieniu św. Jana Pawła II

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (4 Zeszyt specjalny) ◽  
pp. 57-71
Author(s):  
Urszula Mazurczak
Keyword(s):  
Religious Practice ◽  
Virgin Mary ◽  
Religious Art ◽  
Second Vatican Council ◽  
Vatican Council ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Many ◽  
The One ◽  
Spiritual Expression ◽  
The Church

The letter of the Holy Father John Paul II written in Rome in 1987, in the tenth year of His pontificate, on December 4th, on the day of memorial of Saint John Damascene, the doctor of the Church, on the Twelfth Centenary of finishing the controversy over the icon, is of great importance for the Pope’s program of ecumenism. The Holy Father indicated various directions of the dialogue, however, the one of the utmost importance concerned the agreement with the Orthodox Church, which was confirmed in the letters and in His other documents quoted in this paper. The image used to be essential for religious practice, for illustrating the word of prayer and of the song, in order to preserve the tradition of the Church. The strict prohibition introduced by the iconoclasm depreciated not only the artistic tradition of paintings but also the basic dogmas of Christ’s Incarnation and the one which introduced Virgin Mary as the Theotokos (the God-bearer). The ban constituted a threat not only for the icons but also for the Christian faith. In His Letter, the Pope underlined the important role of the Second Council of Nicaea which reintroduced icons and maintained and deepened the meaning of the cult in the faith of believers. Furthermore, the Holy Father indicated the connection with the Second Vatican Council in understanding the function and form of images in contemporary Church. Contemporary trends are overwhelmed by the impotence of the spiritual expression of sacral art, which is a great concern for the Pope. The Letter is, therefore, a dramatic warning of the threats for religious art in contemporary time, expressed by the Holy Father with these words: ‘The rediscovery of the Christian icon will also help in raising the awareness of the urgency of reacting against the depersonalizing and at times degrading effects of the many images that condition our lives in advertisements and the media.’ (DS, 11).

Education Piety

2020 ◽  
pp. 34-59
Author(s):  
Benaouda Bensaid ◽  
Salah Machouche
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Acquisition ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Textual Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Spiritual Discipline ◽  
Ibn Khaldun ◽  
Muslim Education ◽  
Spirituality In Education ◽  
History Of ◽  
Muslim Scholars

This chapter seeks to explore the crossroads between learning in Islam and spirituality, and also the methods according to which Muslim instructors shape students' experiences in a context of piety development. This study also examines questions pertaining to the concept of spirituality in education, methods pedagogic principles that further merge spiritual discipline with knowledge acquisition. The theoretical research draws on the textual analysis of early works of Muslim scholars, more specifically on Abdul Ibn Khaldun and Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, given their prominent positions in the history of Muslim education. This study shows that the Islamic learning has always taken students' spiritual growth for granted and has, despite differences of practices across Muslim regions, always maintained the refining of learners' spiritual character.

scholarly journals The few and the many: A motif of Augustine’s controversy with the Manichaeans

2013 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Ancient Philosophy ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Moral Conduct ◽  
Concept Of Truth ◽  
The Many ◽  
Major Argument ◽  
Community Meeting ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
The Catholic Church

It is one fundamental conviction of ancient philosophy that, in contrast to the vast majority, only few are able to gain knowledge of truth. This axiom, which also underlies Cicero’s Hortensius, is adapted by the young Augustine. When looking for a concept of truth that combines the ideal of a philosophical existence with Christianity, he decides to join the Manichaeans. As opposed to the ‘mainline church’ of the catholica in which ‘the many’ are gathered, the Manichaeans appear to him as a small, elitist Christian community meeting higher intellectual as well as ethical demands. This claim seems to be particularly and impressively confirmed by the ‘pauci electi’. Their approach has apparently strengthened Augustine’s belief that true, higher Christianity is to be found amongst the Manichaeans. When he later devotes himself to the catholica and leads the fight against the Manichaeans, Augustine adheres to the conviction of the ‘few wise’. Also within the catholica only few attain maximum insight and lead an appropriate life. At the same time, however, Augustine increasingly considers ‘the many’ as positive. These two aspects are combined in his epistemological concept of ‘auctoritas’: by means of their auctoritas, the few ‘wise’ within the Catholic Church are supposed to guide the many towards truth on their journey of faith and cause them to improve their moral conduct. Its big success is a major argument for the catholica, whilst the ‘paucitas’ of the Manichaeans (and all heretics) can be considered evidence of the groundlessness and absurdity of their doctrine.

scholarly journals Patriarchal ethics and narrative representation: Ethics, values and morality of the biblical narrator in the Jacob’s story

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 261
Author(s):  
Matthew Michael
Keyword(s):  
Direct Connection ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Unethical Practices ◽  
Contemporary Christian ◽  
Moral Universe ◽  
Moral Problems ◽  
Moral Condemnation ◽  
The Many ◽  
Ethical Significance

The patriarch narratives have continually become stories of ethical embarrassment to the modern readers because of the participation and support of the patriarchs for unethical practices which directly undermine the conception of these patriarchs as paragon of virtues and faith by later religious traditions. Implicated in the representations of the patriarchs are God and the narrator who largely distanced themselves, and also directly refused to make explicit moral condemnation of this unethical behaviour. Significantly, Yahweh persistently promises unconditional blessings and protections to these patriarchs in spite of their lying, deception, and cheating within the stories. To further reinstate this ethical dilemma, there are no divine thunderbolts, no wrathful confrontations or the outburst of divine holy anger that apparently addresses and punishes the moral flaws of these patriarchs. On this same ethical template, the narrator appears also sympathetic to the divine neglects of these unethical behaviours because in spite of these behaviours of the patriarchs and even matriarchs of his stories they were still largely considered the heroes and heroines of his stories. Departing from this general understanding of patriarchal ethics, the present study points to the subtle representation of Jacob’s deception of his father and the punishment of this misdeed through his direct connection and implication in three subsequent scenes of deception where he himself was the object of these deceptions. Through this placement of Jacob in these other scenes of deceptions, the narrator subtly presents a moral universe where ethical misdeed continually haunts the perpetrators, and wrong deeds are clearly punished. Consequently, in spite of the many moral problems in the patriarch narratives, the narrator skilfully upholds a high morality, and the paper appropriately underscores the ethical significance of this representation of Jacob’s story for the contemporary Christian community.

The Revival of the Religious Life

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Engelhardt
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Gender Roles ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Popular Opinion ◽  
Oxford Movement ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
Significant Figures ◽  
Productive Role

This chapter examines one of the most significant achievements of the Oxford Movement, the establishment of vowed religious communities for women. It discusses some of the most significant figures in the history of these sisterhoods and describes the work undertaken by the approximately 10,000 women who belonged to one of the many communities established in the second half of the nineteenth century. Acknowledging that in many ways these communities ratified existing gender roles, this chapter also sees that by standing firm against opposition from bishops and popular opinion, these women and their male supporters contributed to an alternative and productive role for women.

The Political Christ: Some Reflections on Mr Cupitt's Thesis

1979 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 521-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Gunton
Keyword(s):  
The Political ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Ethical Problems ◽  
The World ◽  
The Many ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Not far below the surface of most modern theological dispute lies the question of the interrelationship of theology and culture. How shall those who take their intellectual orientation from the Christian Gospel understand their position in relation to the intellectual currents that represent the spirit of the age? Should the stance be that of Tertullian, Eusebius, or Augustine; Kierkegaard, Barth, or Tillich; or of some variation and combination of these and others? One of the many ramifications of this complex area of inquiry concerns the relationship of the Christian community to the institutions of the society and the world in which it carries on its life, as is well illustrated by recent controversy over the aims and methods of the W.C.C. Programme to Combat Racism. Here, of course, are obvious, if highly complex, moral and practical issues. But underlying them is a further theoretical and theological question: What is Christianity? In this paper, I should like to suggest that both the theological and the ethical problems can be illuminated by an examination of the interrelationship between conceptions of the person of Christ and the church's understanding of its relation to earthly rulers.

Some French Reactions to the Council of Trent

1964 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Kingdon
Keyword(s):  
Sixteenth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
John Calvin ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Council Of Trent ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
Ideas And Institutions

In this age of growing ecumenicism, many scholars are turning to the history of the sixteenth century for a fresh examination of the origins of those ideas and institutions which continue to divide the Christian community. During these years of the widely publicized meetings of an ecumenical council sponsored by the Roman Catholic Church, many are turning specifically to the canons and decrees drafted by the Council of Trent for a fresh study of the extent to which they do or must divide Christians. But fully to understand these Tridentine decisions from an ecumenical perspective requires not only a knowledge of their texts and of the debates from which they emerged. It requires also a knowledge of the hostile reactions which they aroused among the many Christians who would not accept these decisions or the authority of those who promulgated them. An interesting spectrum of such reactions can be found among French criticisms of Trent published during the sixteenth century. Of these publications, three semto me to demonstrate this proposition neatly: one by a distinguished French theologian, John Calvin; a second by a dustinguished French Jurisconsult, Charles Dumoulin; a third by a prominent French lawyer and historian, Innocent Gentillet. These works have not been ignored by such experts on the historiography of Trent as professor Jedin. But I feel they merit a more detailed and more considered examination than they have as yet received. This paper sketches some of the lines upon which such an examination might proceed.

scholarly journals Spiritualitas Doa Puja Yesus Menurut Bapa-Bapa Philokalia

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-347
Author(s):  
Hisikia Gulo ◽  
Hendi Hendi
Keyword(s):  
Research Method ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Human Soul ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Spiritual Discipline ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Jesus Prayer ◽  
Pain And Suffering ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Church

This article is a review of the spirituality of Jesus prayer according to the    Philokalia Fathers for the spiritual growth of the congregation in a book entitled Philokalia: The Bible of Orthodox Spirituality, this book is a book that is not widely known by believers because this topic is rarely discussed, even studied by the Church. The aim of this research is to explore that the Jesus Prayer Prayer is a spiritual discipline, its practice is to help a person control the mind of many wandering thoughts so that they can focus more on Jesus Christ. The research method is literature and then interaction with other related texts in the Bible and other Church Fathers. The results of the analysis show that the Prayer of Jesus praying for mercy from God will make someone realize that only God is the source of help in the pain and suffering of the human soul and body.

scholarly journals Congruence problem in Christian communication

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-219
Author(s):  
T.P. Gavrilova
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Feature Matching ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Human Personality ◽  
Personality Integration

We reveal possible approaches to the interpretation of the congruence phenomenon and its projection in the Christian community. Congruence is regarded as intrapersonal and interpersonal feature. Matching and mismatching of intrapersonal and interpersonal congruence depends on the degree of integration of human personality, his attitude towards himself and others, communication skills, willingness to maintain contact or to engage in dialogue. The article emphasizes the importance of integration of Christian personality and authenticity for his progress towards spiritual growth. These types of religious persons differ in the nature of response to the sins of others, are analyzed in terms of congruence / incongruence and personality integration / disintegration.

scholarly journals Konsep Teologi Kekudusan Seorang Hamba Tuhan Menurut John Chrysostom

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 310-330
Author(s):  
Fransiska Juliawati ◽  
Hendi Hendi
Keyword(s):  
Spiritual Growth ◽  
Intimate Relationship ◽  
Spiritual Discipline ◽  
Relationship With God ◽  
John Chrysostom ◽  
Christ Church

The holiness of a priest is an important review in this paper based on the study of the text in the book entitled Six Books on the Priesthood written by John Chrysostom. A book dealing with the priesthood. The holiness of life is not only seen from one aspect, but there are three things that must be considered both in the position as a representative of Christ, in shepherding, and spiritual growth through spiritual discipline. That is why an Imam has a very noble job despite many difficulties and temptations. Only the priest is qualified to bring offerings to God on a holy (intermediary) altar. The priest is not only responsible for his status as a representative of Christ (church confirmation) but must lead Christ's sheep to salvation even if his own life is at stake. Grace and mercy as well as an intimate relationship with God will further purify the heart, soul, and mind of a priest so that through the spiritual discipline he does (prayer and repentance) more and more reflect Christ in his life, including his pastorate.

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