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Religions, Dec 2, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Religions, Dec 2, 2022

Communicating the Gospel is simple – or so most believers have been taught in church.While this m... more Communicating the Gospel is simple – or so most believers have been taught in church.While this may be true in a North American context, in particular in like levels of socio-economic strata, it is not as simple when taken to another context. This differing context may beas close as an ethnically different neighborhood or even one that is similar, but placed at another stratum of society. Very quickly it becomes clear that the message of the Gospel, while in and of itself unchangeable, does require adaptation for a particular target audience. In Eugene A. Nida‟swords, “in order for communication to take place it is necessary for the communicator to establish an effective relationship between the message and the total cultural context.”
Taking the Gospel to the nations requires yet another layer of contextualization ascultural values vary to an even greater extent. From different values to dissimilar mores tounfamiliar facial expressions to unaccustomed body language, communicating a simple messagesuddenly becomes complex. Yet missionaries can overcome these boundaries to Gospelcommunication by learning and understanding a number of critical elements, which
– if unobserved - can facilitate or hinder sharing the good news of Jesus Christ significantly.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, often referred to as the Prince of Preachers, serves as a rolemodel of a... more Charles Haddon Spurgeon, often referred to as the Prince of Preachers, serves as a rolemodel of a great defender of truth. As the inspiration and absolute reliability of Scripture came
under attack, in particular as Darwin‘s theory of evolution b
egan to take root, Spurgeon exhibited a great hunger and thirst for the truth of God‘s Word to remain untainted and took a valiant stand for the truth of the Bible. Even though relatively few sided with him at the time, Spurgeon‘s courage in withdrawing from the Baptist Union over this issue sets him apart as a defender of true biblical faith.
From Spurgeon‘s experience, several lessons can be taken away for dealing with thetheological issues in today‘s world. The struggle for preserving the Word of God and safe-guarding truths such as the Trinity and biblical inerrancy are never far from the body of Christ.The more believers can learn from the lessons of those who have gone before, the betterequipped they will be to stand up when it is time for them to be counted among the faithfulfighting for truth to be preserved.

Women missionaries working alone in Africa was an unheard-of concept when MarySlessor arrived in ... more Women missionaries working alone in Africa was an unheard-of concept when MarySlessor arrived in Africa to serve. It was not that it was impossible, but that it was deemed toodangerous. Yet at five feet tall and with bright red hair ensuring she would stand out in anAfrican setting, this twenty-eight year old Scottish woman set out to do just that in 1876, startingat the Calabar River of modern-day Nigeria and pushing further and further into the Africaninterior to tribes deemed too dangerous to interact with, even by the indigenous people Slessorencountered. Showing uncommon bravery and challenging tribal traditions propelled MarySlessor to a legendary status even during her lifetime. Her approach to missions shows thathands-on, fearless love of those deemed unapproachable can bear Kingdom results and in turnserves as a model to a new generation of missionaries who face the threat of death from othersources than cannibals.

Pietism has been deemed by many church historians “one of the most influential Protestant movemen... more Pietism has been deemed by many church historians “one of the most influential Protestant movements since the Reformation,” yet this movement is also one of the least understood ones. Through the centuries it has been viewed through the lens of separatism, mysticism, and anti-intellectualism. Yet Pietism was the attempt to counter the solely theological expression of Lutheranism, which was perceived as cold and lifeless by those who wanted to live out their faith in a much more felt and expressed manner. Pietism led not only to focus on personal holiness, but also found expression in social work. One Pietist’s life work, that of German August Hermann Francke, serves as a showcase of Pietism’s emphasis on a living faith that would not solely trust God for salvation, but sought to serve man as an outgrowth of a regenerated life. It also serves to show that Pietism is a movement that brought about not just a vibrant faith, but also great advances in societal improvements in a country and people greatly scarred by the Thirty Years’ War.

Speaking at the United Nations over the past few years since his 2005 election, Iranian president... more Speaking at the United Nations over the past few years since his 2005 election, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has confounded Western minds paying attention to his words with his petition for the speedy return of the Twelfth Imam during his speeches.
Uncertain of what this reference to Imam al-Mahdi means, some listeners have sought to understand Islamic eschatology better, in particular, as it appears threatening in light of the terror attacks of 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The question at hand is whether the references to this Mahdi are a particularity of Iranian Muslim beliefs (or maybe even a sect, which Ahmadinejad is a part of), or whether this is an integral part of Muslim eschatology.

Much has been written about messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures, and evenmore has been ... more Much has been written about messianic prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures, and evenmore has been argued for how or whether Jesus fulfilled these prophetic statements and to whichdegree of competition. Yet when taking a look at the Old Testament without applying the filter of a post-cross New Testament influence, it becomes much more difficult to understand whatspecifically Jewish sages believed to be predictions about a future Messianic figure.

In the Gospel of John, scholars have found seeming irregularities, termed “literary seams” or apo... more In the Gospel of John, scholars have found seeming irregularities, termed “literary seams” or aporiae. This expression was coined by Eduard Schwartz in 1907. Schwartz considered them difficulties in the text, as have other scholars such as Fortna or Teeple. Other scholars have considered these passages and have found arguments that allow an explanation, which protects the integrity and one-authorship of the Fourth Gospel.
In this paper, the 21st chapter of the Gospel of John is under evaluation. While the ending of chapter 20, particularly in verses 30 and 31, seems to suggest that the author is now concluding the gospel narrative with a clear statement as to the deity of Christ and the need for salvation through faith in Him, chapter 21 adds another episode of Jesus’ encounter with some of His disciples that seems somewhat out of place.

Conference Presentations by Elke B Speliopoulos, PhD

Migration to Germany has been a fact of life for the average German since the 1960s. Immigrants s... more Migration to Germany has been a fact of life for the average German since the 1960s. Immigrants started arriving from countries like Turkey, Spain, Greece, or Italy as a post-war labor force was invited to Germany to address workforce shortages. Many of these immigrants ultimately brought their families to live in Germany. One group of these newcomers was Aramean families of Syriac Orthodox faith, forced to flee the Tur Abdin region in southeast Turkey via Syria, Lebanon, and Northern Iraq. Heidi Armbruster published an extensive work on this community in 2013, “Keeping the faith: Syriac Christian Diasporas.” Her book looks at the immigration experience and the impact of their persecution background.
This paper will discuss the impacts on the faith of Syriac Orthodox families while living in Germany, a secular country. It will also take an initial look at how evangelical communities in Germany, compelled by the love of Christ and interested in sharing living relationships with Jesus, can come alongside this group, still suffering from a different kind of persecution: the “otherness” of living in Germany.

Religions, Dec 2, 2022