A Better Way: Lauren Brooks

Lauren Brooks

A better way

9-15-2008

The idea that stuck out most to me after our discussion of early Christianity was the ideas of Paul and the way in which he preached the gospel to many different peoples. Dr. Redick discussed the main example of taking Christianity to the Greeks. I wrongly assumed that Paul would have “bashed” the gods and goddesses and the immorality of the peoples. I figured that this is where the “tradition” of assimilation into the “right” culture or “right” way began. I think back to some of our darker times in history and the destruction of the Native Americans really stands out in my mind; it’s so unfortunate that some people thought their culture had to die in order for them to be saved. However, I should have known that this was not the case. Paul did what we should have done long ago and what we should be doing today. He took Jesus and placed it into the void with the

I just finished reading a wonderful book on Christianity that had a similar story. Blue Like Jazz recounts the tale of a missionary living with some indigenous peoples in South America for a year until he even brought up Christ and when he did he incorporated Christ into their myths and teachings of some higher being in the forest, unfortunately a young boy thought Jesus was in the forest and ran into the forest before he could be stopped. The missionary was disappointed because he thought the boy would be back later having not found Jesus and not understanding what he was trying to say. Much to his surprise the boy returned a couple of days later, saying that he met Jesus in the forest and he became saved.

Wow! This is what I wish I could remind all Christians, two things. Number one is that a relationship with God is a personal one and one that can not be judged by another person. The second is that to believe in God does not mean you have to reject cultural beliefs or ideals, because again that goes back to the first point of a personal relationship. However, I do know that accountability between all peoples is important, but there is a fine distinction between accountability and judgment.

These ideas and teachings of Paul remind me of how much information there is in the Bible and how much of it I don’t know! I really want to learn more and more about Paul and all of his work with the church; I am sure this semester will make for many revelations in my spiritual life. I say bring it!

Amanda: Christianity

One of the things I found most interesting in our discussion on Christianity thus far is the latin term “Felix Culpa.” We talked about this translated into English as “happy fault of original sin” which was explained through human ability to experience the grace of God after the fall. This stuck out to me the most in our discussion because we had spent so much time prior to this talking about Jewish law, and the strict rules of society which pertained to behavior in the synagogue, communication between men and women, the role of women in religion, dietary restrictions, etc. and yet, these Latin words praise the introduction of sin into the world. I understand the explanation of this term, and the importance of this in the Christian faith, yetcan’t help but wonder how insane the Jews must’ve thought these Christians were! And yet, I myself can not deny the attraction and pull towards the life and story of Jesus, but the context of His life is so far beyond my reach and my comprehension.

This leads to my next main thought about our first class discussions on the beginnings of Christianity, and the perspective of the culture at the time. For example, if I was to put myself in the shoes of the woman at the well, I would probably fetch water during the day, without all the other women because I was ostracized from society to begin with. Then to have any man, let alone a Jewish man, speak to me in public would be considered bizarre, but to have the Son of God himself!…I can not fathom how crazy this must have seemed, and how great an act of love this would have been. We then learn that Jesus knew she was a Samaritan who had many husbands before, and was now with a man out of wedlock, yet instead of turning away from her, He reveals who He is to her.

The next idea of focus I had is on the general ideas and beliefs which set Christianity as a whole very far away from the other Religions of the world. Although it is quite evident that the focus on love rather than law or ritual is a primary factor, the form in which the figure of Jesus exercises his ability to love is what is truly unique. The non-verbal acts of Jesus are what capture me the most, and draw me into paying attention to his words. His actions also emphasize his human qualities, rather than a God that just speaks in parables leaving room open to interpretation and misinterpretation, Jesus actually lived and breathed among us. Not only did he walk on earth, He was the revolutionary behind destroying social norms… what an even more exciting thought!

A prime example of this is shown in the parable about Jesus and the man with Leprosy. The man asks Jesus to heal him if it is His will, and what does Jesus do? He reaches out and touches him. He touched him! A man that probably hadn’t had contact with another human being for years, was touched by the Son of God. Only after Jesus touched him, did He heal him. First, he shows his love and compassion with this action, His touch, then he shows his power and majesty, by healing the man. Only after this does Jesus verbalize to him, “see that you don’t tell anyone, But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift of Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (Matthew 8:4). As if His example wasn’t enough, Jesus then specifically tells him not to speak to them, but to show them what had happened through his faith.
The power of example is far greater than power alone, even if that power is infinitely beyond human comprehension.

amy- Early Christianity

What do we think about early Christianity? We can purely examine it from a human perspective, or we can examine it from the spiritual realm. I hope to have a good view of both. As I examine early Christianity from the human perspective, I start to really look at the difficulties of unity and function.

Because Christianity comes from Jewish roots, I would think that it would be a strange for Jewish-Christians to realize they must put aside the sense of pride and love for their nationality and go into the realm of accepting all peoples. Yet, in some ways, the Jews who would truly know the law would be able to comprehend the core ideas of Christianity by the concept that Jesus fulfills the Law and the new idea that His love has grafted in all nations.

On the other side, it would be difficult for the "Gentile" Christians to understand what was required after accepting this new, strange, perhaps even occult-like religion. To go from a polytheistic religion that focused mainly on worshiping the desires within humanity to a monotheistic religion that taught one to deny himself is an overthrowing of lifestyle. I would think that the phrase, "Where do we go from here?" would be common among the Hellenistic, Roman etc. Christians of the day.

The undercurrents among the nationalities and cultures is what interested me most in these discussions. Amidst all the adjustments of life, the Church itself was struggling to find the right path for believers to follow so they could spread Jesus' message most effectively. In my mind, I believe that the Roman Catholic Church was born of this deep desire for unity and function among early Christians. It seems to me this is why the Roman Catholic Church stresses a set of rules and regulations to the Christian within their church. Innately, these regulations and organizational tools are not bad, but taken to far can form another type of Law. Ironically enough, this is what the earliest Jewish believers also tried to do.

Whats in a Name? Garrett Lambur

Garrett Lambur

September 16, 2008

It is amazing to me to look at the resilience of Judaism and the Jewish people throughout the world.  There are very few groups of people that have continuos common identity dating back before the time of Christ.  One of the only other groups of people that I know of off the top of my head with a common identity dating back that long is the Chinese.  The Chinese have had a common homeland and country to inhabit continually as their own unlike the Jews.  It is true that the Chinese did face invasion and war but they quickly assimilated the invaders into their culture and society.  As for the Jewish people, they had their homeland as their own for a short period, then part of them were dispersed while the others were under the yoke of one empire or another.  It is even more impressive that they were unified under a common tribe or group before religion became the unifying factor.  Once the basis of their religion became more concrete, its significance as a common bond of the group surpassed any other bond.

I am always impressed with the ability of human race to show compassion and its ability to bond together.  In early times, this was driven predominantly by survival.  Natural selection was faced by groups of humans bonding together, giving them a greater chance of survival.  Even in today's world where survival is not the predominant drive behind bonding together, humans easily bond together.  Humans are naturally social creatures true, yet certain subjects can bring together immense amounts of people and bond them together.  Religion is a subject upon which people create a bond with millions of others.  There are many other things, such as sports teams, birthplace, heritage, etc.  Sometimes though, it is not until a significant event happens that the ability of humans to easily bond with each other becomes evident.  This event can be either good or bad or somewhere in between.  I can not say whether the early Jewish people would have felt similar.  That it was not until something trying happened where they truly came together.  For them perhaps, their religion was strong enough that there was no need for an outside trigger for them to recognize the bond with each other.

I unfortunately cannot say the same for myself.  I usually do not recognize how deep the bonds run that I have forged with others until some disconcerting event occurs.  April 16 at Virginia Tech was one such event for me.  I received more support from people that day and after than I would have ever expected.  Whether it was as little as a message on Facebook or a shoulder to cry on.  It was one of the most trying experiences in my life, it was the first time my dad cried on my shoulder, opposite of what I had grown up with, and I do not believe that I would have made it through it as well as I did without the help of people around me.  I recognize that it may pale in comparison to what the early Jews went through yet it sparks within me a feeling of jealousy.  Jealousy of the deep bond they shared with each other that was strong enough to help them to endure through the hardships that they faced in the early years of their religion.

Elise: Christianity

Elise Sjogren

Visions of Christianity

14.09.2008

Since our study of Christianity began with a overview of Judaism, I want to explore some thoughts regarding the essentially pre-Christ history of Christianity. Dr. Redick reminded us that there was no law before Moses. No rules for daily life. No writings. No sacred texts. When I realized what the full extent of that sentence meant, I was struck with the fact that the "religion" of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph was incredibly different than the one practiced by later Jews, and even later by Christians. 

These original patriarchs based their faith solely on hearing from their God. Their families had even less to follow... only the word of their fathers. And what did this faith mean to them? They no longer worshipped the idols of their people, but what did they practice instead? Were there daily ramifications to their religion, or only the occasional actions required by God? 

What did the generations of Israelites living under Egyptian slavery believe? They were waiting for their God to deliver them, but what did they practice? Did they ever gather together to worship their God? Did they recount the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? It seems they (especially Joseph) had some concept of sinning against God, but before the ten commandments were given, was there a definite morality streak to the religion?

And did the early Israelites have an axis mundi? There was so temple, no torah, no center for their religion. Could their axis mundi have been the monuments erected by the forefathers when they met with God? That would certainly agree with the notion that an axis mundi is where hell, earth, and heaven intersect, but I don't think the Israelites visited these monuments over again. 

When God appears to Moses at the burning bush, he says, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." It had been over 400 years since these men walked the earth, and I can only assume that their stories were passed down by oral tradition to the generation of Moses. I wonder what Moses thought about this God before his encounter with him. Did he really believe in his existence? Was he totally surprised? 

Moses tells God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" It seems the early Israelites didn't even have a name for their God! What kind of a religion did they have?

I wish I knew more about the beliefs and practices of the early patriarchs, before the law and the temple. The direct relationship between God and his chosen leaders is fascinating, as is the evolution of Judaism and ultimately Christianity.

Kip Introduction

Write something about our discussion of early Christianity.