The History Concerning the Outreach Body of Christ

Missional living is definitely a trendy title that is everywhere these days. the idea that we are required to title church buildings, missional, has since the beginning of creation been somewhat different to me. I ask you, shouldnt all bodies of Christ be missional in their very character? all churches, at its very essence, desire to engage their culture and area with the story of Christ as a missionary would in a foreign country? Isnt this what the churches is instructed to do in the great commission in Matthew 28:19? Our own hometown requires this type of church. Church in Austin is slowly moving to what Jesus instructed in the Bible.

Jesus gives the direction in Acts 1:8 saying, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 justifies this idea as, right before Jesus Christ rises to Heaven, He directs the disciples on a exploration that would start right in their own community. He begins with their area of Jerusalem, and then stretches the call to the many parts of the creation.

As disciples of Jesus, we are not called to social clubs, but to be missional followers of Jesus who are aggressively going out and going to areas right where they are with the story of Christ. We have gazed at this throughout history: God moved Abraham on a mission to go out of his home and his people and go to the land that God would show him (Gen. 12:1), God moved Moses on a mission to restore an enslaved people and lead them to joy (Exodus 3:8-10), God moved Jesus on a journey to globe to bring back all things to Himself through the blood of Christ (Colossians 1:20). And now God is sending the church on a story to engage areas, cities, ethnicities, and even nations with the good news (Matt. 28:19 Mark 6:7 Luke 10:1 John 20:21 Acts 1:8). If we dont respond to this urge and continue to display the bodies of Christ like a private country club ” requesting that people straighten up their abilities, pay their deposit, and visit to our building God will continue His story without us.

The Christian Sabbath

God sanctified the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.

So if God ordained Sunset Friday to Sunset Saturday, the seventh day as the Sabbath, why do most Christians go to Church on Sunday?

Who changed the day to Sunday, and when? Did Jesus? Is it spoken of in the scriptures? Was there a new commandment written to amend the fourth commandment after Jesus died? Do we keep Sunday in honor of his resurrection?

It has been firmly established by numerous historians and theologians that the books of Matthew and Luke were written between 60 and 80 AD. This means that if the Sabbath had changed to Sunday after Jesus death, then it should have been recorded by these Bible writers. Instead though we see that rather than inform us of any change to the day, Luke instead he states in Luke 23:56, “…And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”

Jesus Himself in His prophecy about the destruction of the temple, which occurred in about 70 AD, when He was talking to His Disciples said Matthew 24:20, “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” This shows conclusively that Jesus knew that the Sabbath would still be in existence many years after the cross.

Historians also confirm that the seventh day Sabbath was kept by both Jews and Gentiles, until around 120 AD. At this time the persecution of the Jews became so great that many Christians in some areas decided to start keeping Sunday, so as to try to differentiate themselves from the Jews, who were still faithfully keeping the Sabbath of the Lord. Some Christians began to use the excuse that it was in honor of the resurrection, as there was no scriptural basis for this change. At that time Christians in areas outside the Roman empire continued to keep the true seventh day Sabbath of God.

In 321 A.D. Constantine, who was a pagan, became Caesar in Rome. As he began to see the balance of power shift from paganism to the Church he passed the first law enforcing Sunday worship in 321 AD. Sunday of course was the day that the pagans kept holy in their worship of the Sun god. Two years after passing this law Constantine joined the Roman Catholic Church and began mingling paganism with Christianity. The pagans were very involved with idolatry, so he took many of the statues of their gods and gave them Christian names, like St Peter and Mary. It was well after 400 AD before Sunday eventually took on the name of the Lord’s Day.

In many documents, papers and books written by the Roman Catholic Church, they openly take credit for moving the sanctity of the Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday, by their own authority, which they believe is above that of the scriptures. Here are some examples.

“Protestants…accept Sunday rather than Saturday as the day for public worship after the Catholic Church made the change…But the Protestant mind does not seem to realize that…In observing the Sunday, they are accepting the authority of the spokesman for the church, the Pope.” Our Sunday Visitor , February 15, 1950.

“From this we may understand how great is the authority of the church in interpreting or explaining to us the commandments of God - an authority which is acknowledged by the universal practice of the whole Christian world, even of those sects which profess to take the holy Scriptures as their sole rule of faith, since they observe as the day of rest not the seventh day of the week demanded by the Bible, but the first day. Which we know is to be kept holy, only from the tradition and teaching of the Catholic church.” Henry Gibson, Catechism Made Easy, # 2, 9th edition, vol. 1, p. 341-342.

“It was the Catholic church which…has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church.” Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.

“Sunday is our mark or authority…the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.” Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923.

“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed…the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263.

So it seems that if Christians keep the Sabbath on the seventh day, we are following the commandment of God, but if we keep Sunday, we are following the traditions of man. Does that really matter?

The Bible says in Mark 7:6-9 “Jesus answered them, “How right Isaiah was when he prophesied about you! You are hypocrites, just as he wrote: ‘These people, says God, honor me with their words, but their heart is really far away from me. It is no use for them to worship me, because they teach human rules as though they were my laws!’ “You put aside God’s command and obey human teachings.” And Jesus continued, “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching.”

It seems clear that Jesus wanted us to stand firm on the teachings of the scriptures, and not on any religious traditions instituted by man.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this subject please visit http://www.GodsBibleTruth.com

Debra Lohrere is the author of several books on property investment, creating financial security, goal setting and the power of compounding. Please visit her homepage http://www.debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml or storefront at http://www.lulu.com/DebraLohrere

Religious Education Most Appropriate for Adolescents According to Developmental Psychology

INTRODUCTION:

According to Developmental Psychology, Religion is not an innate aspect in human beings. It is an acquired phenomenon. As J.J. Smith (1941) views it is like any other quality that is acquired by the child while growing up.
“A child is non-religious at birth as he is non-moral, non-aesthetic, non-thinking. He inherits none of these qualities in a functional form but acquires them gradually through experience.”

It is one of the concerns of Developmental studies to deal with the changes in religious concepts with one’s age and how it originates, develops and gets refined with age. These changes can be clearly observed from the research findings of Harms on the stages of religious beliefs. He evolved a three fold structure.

Stage 1- (3 to 6 years)- The fairy tale stage of Religion. Here God is perceived as a great King, Daddy of all children living in clouds etc..

Stage 2- (7 to 12 years) - The realistic stage. The child is more able to adapt itself to nstitutional religion.

Stage 3- (12 & above)- The individualistic stage. Children show a variety of interpretations from the conventional to the creative & mystical.

The above findings show that there is a constant change or rather development in one’s way of understanding religion. This process to a greater extent depends also on the religious education offered to the pupils at different stages of growth. Hence it is the responsibility of the religious educators to impart right knowledge at right time. It should be borne in mind that the religious education offered is neither too elementary nor beyond the power of apprehension of a particular group. This essay will discuss about the type of religious education that is more appropriate for adolescents in terms of Developmental Studies.

RELIGIOUS TRAITS OF ADOLESCENCE:

It is important to take a brief look at the religious traits that can be identified among the adolescents before we delve in to the discussion on religious education that is more appropriate for the adolescents.
Adolescence is the period that is beginning with puberty that is approximately 13 years, and up to about 18 years. It was Stanley Hall (1882), the first one who drew the correlation between puberty and conversion experience. This conversion experience may occur in three different types as explained by Allport:

1) Definite crisis or conversion experience

2) Emotional stimulus type of awakening where a significant event or factor can be attributed to such an awakening or religious re-orientation

3) Gradual awakening which does not have any particular occasion whereby one experiences a sudden conversion.

Therefore adolescence is not only an age of sexual maturity but also a period of spiritual transformation. The religious belief which was at fairy tale stage gradually develops to the realistic stage. This stage is a crucial stage when the adolescent’s attitude changes ‘from egocentrism to altruism’. Also the adolescents at this stage undergo an intellectual and moral crisis trying to justify between his scientific knowledge and the traditional concepts of an all powerful creator God.

Few other traits that could be identified are: wavering faith which oscillates from self-assertion to self-abnegation; from a fanatical dedication to religion, to discarding of traditional doctrines; feelings like alienation from parents and the Church or the religious institute one belongs to; harsh moral judgements and questions about problems of evil and existence of God will be predominant. According to Erickson’s stages it is a stage of ‘identity confusion’.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:

The religious educator should have a clear understanding of the nature and the needs of the adolescents as discussed above so that the education offered would really promote growth in the individual.

As far as the religious education is concerned, there is always the danger of over stuffing the pupils with the historical facts, doctrines, chronological and informative details about religion. As Pierre Bouet (1878-1965) says,
‘the primary task of religious education is not the inculcation of doctrine but the loving transmission and evocation of love.’

One should also pay attention to, ‘How adolescents are taught’ because it is as important as ‘what they are taught’. The most common complaint of adolescents is that they are being treated like children. Adolescence is a period where there is a search for identity and a need to prove that they are someone. They try to project themselves as grown ups. Therefore they should be treated likewise, if contradicted in this respect; there is a possible danger of refusal to accept what is being taught. Instead of spoon feeding them they should be allowed to think on their own. Their tendency to question and explore into the problems and to verify the truths should be positively utilized rather than restraining their capabilities. Dr. Hilliard suggests that,
‘the teacher now has to begin deliberately and consistently to help his pupils to explore the inner meaning of stories, incidents,… myths, magic, miracle, …angels, evil spirits, and heavenly voices all these phenomena must be discussed in terms of which thoughtful adolescent can accept’ and understand as ancient modes through which a particular religion was expressed.

GOAL OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:

It is substantial that the religious education offered during this stage makes one realize or to identify one’s vocation. By vocation we do not necessarily mean religious consecration as opposed to marriage, but the universal call, the vocation to follow one true God and to love and serve the society, which is one’s vocation as a religious person and as a professional. The religious education offered should enable one to clearly understand who s/he is, that is s/he is only a ‘creature’ and not the ‘Creator’ and hence teach humility, and what s/he wants to become for the good of the humanity. In other words it should lead one to ‘identity formation’. It should help one to transcend the mundane standards and to attain maturity and realization of the call to love and that set as one’s goal of life. In the words of Hall, ‘To love and to be interested most in those things that are most worthy of love and of interest that is the end of life.’ It should also build in the individual, basic trust, initiative, industry, identity and integrity.

CONTENT OF TEACHING:

The content of religious education should be decided keeping in mind the above aim. The intellectual state of an adolescent would allow abstract thinking and hence to understand the truths of one’s faith and belief system. The adolescents at this stage will be able to incorporate the religious values into one’s own life.

Therefore two major areas of concern that would facilitate the inculcation of religious value thereby to the realization of one’s vocation would be initiation into 1) Scriptural Themes and 2) Life Themes.

1) SCRIPTURAL THEMES:

The adolescents should be initiated into one’s own Scriptures and should be helped to identify respective Scriptural themes such as forgiveness, salvation, life, prayer, law, morality, charity, interpersonal relationship, relationship with God, marriage etc. it is the responsibility of the religious educator to provide adequate motivation required in order that the pupil may appreciate and accept these values as life guiding principles. Besides providing the adolescents with the history of religion they should also be made aware of the effect which their Scripture and their religious leaders are having on the world. This is to give the pupil an idea of what is expected of them as an adherent of any particular religion.

2) LIFE THEMES:

Religious education can bear fruit or rather can only begin, when the pupils are exposed to the concrete problems of the world. Religious education should incorporate social awareness. It should make one’s religion real and as something enacted in everyday life.

Harnold Loukes suggests ten such life themes: ‘Friendship, sex, marriage, snobbery, money, work, leisure, prayer, death, suffering and learning.’ The individuals should be enabled to question themselves about their attitude towards each of these themes and where one stands with regard to these. This questioning should gradually lead one to self-realization.
Apart from leading one to self realization the adolescents should be involved in the practical approaches related with social concerns and needs like helping the sick, the orphans and elderly for whom there is no one to care for, aids victims, the handicapped and the refugees etc. This would help one to recognize and discern in what way one is capable of serving the humanity. However if these values are not incorporated into religion the adolescents can justifiably disregard religion as impractical and useless to everyday life.

EDUCATION ABOUT OTHER RELIGIONS:

After all religious education should contribute towards the maturity of the individual. One’s maturity can be gauged through his or her capacity for tolerance towards the other religions. Today’s world with the vast movement of people from one end of the world to the other and with the immigrants filling in different parts of the world, forces one to come into contact with different religions, cultures and faiths different from one’s own. Since adolescence will be a period when basic attitudes and values are formed religious education at this stage should inculcate toleration and respect towards other religions and faiths while still being faithful to one’s own religion.

CONCLUSION:

In this essay we tried to have a brief look at the religious education that is appropriate to the adolescents. But, ‘is this religious education all that important?’

In today’s world it is a common sight to notice the sordid and callous behaviour of humankind. It is only the human race which can degrade into a lower state of ‘bestial existence’ and it is not the animals that can descend to a lower state . This curse on the human kind is because of the freedom s/he has been endowed with. This freedom when left unbridled without any principle or guideline to counter check, will shove one into this ‘mean existence’. This is where the role of education is called upon. The prime goal of any discipline of education should be to elevate one into a fully dignified status as human beings. Therefore one should realise the gravity of religious education which is all the more important in making one fully human and in helping one to maintain his or her status as a human being by widening the horizons of one’s ability to love through their relationship with the Divine. It is not only the stage of adolescence that is important but also the other stages of life which needs to be studied in order that an appropriate religious education may be availed to all.

P.S. Footnotes for the above article are available on request. For endnotes and more articles on religion, psychology, philosophy visit:
www.cashyourcontent.com

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ALLPORT, G., The Individual And Religion, The Macmillan company, NEWYORK, 1961.

BERRIDGE, D.M., Growing To Maturity, Burnes & Oates Ltd., LONDON, 1969.
BROWN, L,B., (edr), Psychology And Religion, Penguin Education, AUSTRALIA, 1973.

BROWN, L,B., The Psychology of Religion An Introduction, SPCK , LONDON, 1988.

GOLDMAN, R., Readiness For Religion, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., LONDON, 1970.

GOLDMAN, R., Religious Thinking From Childhood To Adolescence, Routledge & Kegan Paul, LONDON, 1968.

WULFF, D.M., Psychology Of Religion, John Wiley & Sons, NEWYORK,1991.

ZUNINI, G., Man And His Religion, Geoffrey Chapman Ltd., LONDON,1969.

END NOTES
Available on request.

Analytical Thinker!