REL134 ModernChallenges
Modern Challenges in Christianity
Randal D Dillow
REL/134 World Religious Traditions II
Professor William Sunday
April 13, 2015
Modern Challenges in Christianity
We are all familiar with the Christmas story: the child in the manger, the young mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph, seeking shelter in the stable where they warmed by the breath of the beast. The word “epiphany” is used to commemorate the event of the wise men coming to the child; it means a showing forth, an unveiling. But what the “gospel depicted is not the revelation of a powerful king surrounded by a splendid court, or of any such symbol of power, which the world might recognize and respect. What is shown is a child, a week, and helpless infant in his mother’s arms. Christians are asked to look upon this infant, to believe he is the Son of God, the very image of God’s splendor, to recognize him as the Lord of history, the Messiah, the Savior, the Truth, the Way, the Life.” (Lott, B. (2010). To the Christian, the wisdom of God contradicts the wisdom of the world and can well be called folly. As St. Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (Fisher, M. P. (2011). There are many Christian denominations with differing creeds, but they all share a faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came in the person of an infant, born in a small country during a time of oppression. Indeed, it does seem as a mysterious folly, one for which there can be no logical explanation, and one or which no one can offer any scientific verification. The world is asked to accept the manifestation of God’s love, not in abstract terms, but in the full presence of a man in “our image and likeness,” one who can weep, suffer, bleed and die. This is the mystery that is shown to the world in the revelation of Jesus Christ, and Christmas believe it with awe, love and joy. The child in Mary’s arms is the Lord, the Son of God, and the one who holds the keys of
Randal D Dillow
REL/134 World Religious Traditions II
Professor William Sunday
April 13, 2015
Modern Challenges in Christianity
We are all familiar with the Christmas story: the child in the manger, the young mother, Mary, and her husband, Joseph, seeking shelter in the stable where they warmed by the breath of the beast. The word “epiphany” is used to commemorate the event of the wise men coming to the child; it means a showing forth, an unveiling. But what the “gospel depicted is not the revelation of a powerful king surrounded by a splendid court, or of any such symbol of power, which the world might recognize and respect. What is shown is a child, a week, and helpless infant in his mother’s arms. Christians are asked to look upon this infant, to believe he is the Son of God, the very image of God’s splendor, to recognize him as the Lord of history, the Messiah, the Savior, the Truth, the Way, the Life.” (Lott, B. (2010). To the Christian, the wisdom of God contradicts the wisdom of the world and can well be called folly. As St. Paul says, “The foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (Fisher, M. P. (2011). There are many Christian denominations with differing creeds, but they all share a faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came in the person of an infant, born in a small country during a time of oppression. Indeed, it does seem as a mysterious folly, one for which there can be no logical explanation, and one or which no one can offer any scientific verification. The world is asked to accept the manifestation of God’s love, not in abstract terms, but in the full presence of a man in “our image and likeness,” one who can weep, suffer, bleed and die. This is the mystery that is shown to the world in the revelation of Jesus Christ, and Christmas believe it with awe, love and joy. The child in Mary’s arms is the Lord, the Son of God, and the one who holds the keys of
References: Fisher, M. P. (2011). Living Religions (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Graves, M. F., Juel, C., & Graves, B. B. (2011). Teaching Reading in the 21st Century. Motivating All Learners (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Lott, B. (2010). Multiculturalism and Diversity. A Social Psychological Perspective. Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Molloy, M. (2013). Experiencing the World 's Religions. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.