IT is not difficult to label the agent of evil in Flannery O'Connor's signature story, "A Good Man is Hard to Find." An escaped convict, self-named the Misfit, dispassionately orders the murder of a Georgia family - everyone from grandmother to baby - after coming upon them when their car ov...

Bible 301 Our English word Bible comes from the Greek word Biblos, which means "book." In theology a study of the Bible is called bibliology. While the word Bible simply means "book" the words "The Bible" distinguish it as the supreme, unique and incomparable Holy Bib...

Introduction Mark 16:16 says, "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."1 This is the basis for which Christian's all around the world shares the gosp...

Culture is a catch-all term that is used to describe the various rites, traditions, and rituals attached to a specific group of people. A people's culture encompasses more than his or her religion; it encompasses everything from political beliefs to family traditions. While culture certainly...

Since prehistoric times, human beings have believed in the existence of a reality greater than themselves that serves as a definer and creator of cultures, and as an antidote to the fragility and apparent finality of human existence (Coogan 1998). Each major religion generally recognizes an individ...

The Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount is one of Jesus' most quoted, and most referenced teachings. The Sermon, a guideline to Christian behavior, worship, and spirituality, is found in the Gospel According to Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7. The sermon is broken into a vast array of ideol...

Introduction My great aunt was a fascinating woman. She was raised in Canadian by English parents, married and immigrated to the United States. She understood French and English and was fluent in several different languages. She attended services, in places of worship, all over. She chose to p...

Knowing God In the scriptures we read of relationships that people like the apostles had with Jesus. The friendships that they had were deep and personal. They were also challenging. Jesus challenged the disciples regualarly as well as encouraged them. He warned them of the evil they were to ...

Introduction: The General Concept of Angels in Catholic Doctrine Angels are integral to the Catholic experience, doctrine, and cosmology. Defined most simply as a "pure spirit created by God," Angels were mentioned in the Old Testament as well as the New ("Angel Pages"). However...

"The truth about man is not merely that he is, by nature, savage and afraid, but that he refuses deliverance, and murders the messenger of light"(Dick, "Criticism" 197). This view of our nature as human beings is based on the teachings of the Christian doctrine of original sin, ...

Discovering the essence of Christianity is too varied and diverse a topic for anyone to pin to solely one definition. How one approaches the topic of Christianity is often in accordance to their personal foundations of religious belief. Sometimes these beliefs are deeply seeded during childhood ...

John Calvin created the patterns and thought that would dominate Western culture throughout the modern period. North American culture, in particular, is thoroughly Calvinist in some form or another; at the heart of the way North Americans think and act, you'll find this fierce and imposing reformer...

Abigail Abigail was the wife of Nabal. Nabal was rich but quite mean and surly in his dealings whereas Abigail was intelligent and beautiful. Her intelligence and discernment saved her family from destruction (1 Samuel 25) When Peter made his famous statement about women being the weaker ve...

Like most morality plays, The Digby Mary Magdalene, uses allegorical exemplum form to relate moral material to the audience. The usual plot of morality plays is an allegorical challenge for the spiritual good of the mankind figure. Susan Haskins, in her book Mary Magdalene, Myth and Metaphor, state...

Hind site is always 20/20. Looking back on history, especially the history of painting, one can decipher a great deal about the time it was painted in and the changes in those times. One can understand the value systems, the ethics, government, morality, economics and personal lives of the times r...

THE SERVANT OF CHRIST "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10). Does The Preacher Please Men Or God? With sarcasm Paul asks in Galatians 1:10: "Am I trying to persuade God to fall in li...

Disciples In the dictionary of the New King James Version of the Bible the term disciple is described as a learner. It is also stated as one who follows Jesus Christ. They were also described as being the first Christians. The disciples were from all different settings and conditions, but throu...