Samson Covatch | Trinity Episcopal School (original) (raw)

Papers by Samson Covatch

The complexity of African social structures are as dynamic as they are intimate. In Western cultu... more The complexity of African social structures are as dynamic as they are intimate. In Western culture we have little to no concept of communal life and identity. The United States of America was founded on rugged individualism and not on identity politics and communal existence. The missionary movement into Kenya could have been a very fruitful endeavor if not for the need to Westernize. The cultural clashes were do to the miscalculation that Africans do not have a rich and long culture with solid reasoning behind their behaviors. Female circumcision is the linchpin of Kikuyu society and of many surrounding tribes and countries in central Africa. If missions are to be successful as cultural change agents then they should be lead by native Africans.

Submission for Master of Arts in Religion , 2020

The modern Protestant Christian trusts in personal faith rather than Christ for the impetus of ju... more The modern Protestant Christian trusts in personal faith rather than Christ for the impetus of justification. Reformed Theology has influenced Protestantism in defining both justification and faith in such a way as to implicitly teach fideism. An understanding of this claim will be demonstrated through a survey of books on systematic theology, topical books relating to justification and faith, and commentaries on supporting proof texts. This paper will include the historical development of understanding the relationship of faith to justification. Focus on the language and expansion of the doctrine of justification by faith in John Calvin’s 1536 Institutes and his 1559 final version will be compared. Examining the major confessions and catechisms of Reformed Theology will demonstrate what is presently taught is consistent with the modern understanding of justification by trusting in one’s faith. Finally, this paper will articulate the doctrine of justification by faith in light of the research.

“He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses th... more “He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses them” (Job 12:23 NET). God causes nations to rise and he makes kings. God removes and displaces nations. As Christians, we believe these truths as scripture presents them, and we desire to please God. When God establishes a ruler for you to obey it becomes your good duty to do so. Romans 13 tells us that we will be rewarded with praise, but if we resist, we resist the will of God and incur judgment. So, what are we to do if the rulers are evil or ungodly? What if we become rulers? How should we behave and whom are we accountable? Has the Holy Spirit ordained the authorities to be immune from the consequence of those whom they have ruled poorly? In this paper, we will examine the way in which God establishes a nation and what he requires from it, the proper response of Christians to their leaders, and the American experiment of a self-governing republic in which the people are the leaders over their government.

In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul gives us one of the most incredible Christological trut... more In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul gives us one of the most incredible Christological truths on the natures of Jesus Christ as fully human and fully God. Through the kenosis (ἐκένωσε), usually translated as “emptying,” but a more accurate understanding would be “to divest one’s self of one’s prerogatives.” When saying that Jesus “takes on the form of a servant” (Phil 2:8) we need to qualify the constitution of mankind. Our anthropology will influence our Christology, and in turn, our soteriology. The necessity of Jesus existing as a human being is an axiom of the Church. The reason being, as Gerald O’Collins writes, is so “he can represent us before/to God because he belongs to us by completely sharing our condition in life and death.” The question being asked is, what does it mean to be human and does that correlate with our understanding of the hypostatic union?

The meta-narrative of humanity found in scripture can be described as the generation, degeneratio... more The meta-narrative of humanity found in scripture can be described as the generation, degeneration, and regeneration of mankind. God is active throughout the entirety of human existence in an intimate and personal way. The Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are to be understood in this context as indivisible ontologically as well as instrumentally regarding our redemption. As fallen humanity living as redeemed believers eagerly awaiting the perfection of our glorification, we are in a position, soteriologically, to ponder the work of the Spirit while the sting of sin and death are still fresh in our minds.

In the letter to the Galatians a central theme is understanding how faith, both our faith and Chr... more In the letter to the Galatians a central theme is understanding how faith, both our faith and Christ’s faithfulness, functions in relation to our justification. There is no lack of passion or effort in the scholarly arena in regards to πίστις [᾿Ιησοῦ] Χριστοῦ even though there seems to be a lack of scholarly consensus. Dr. Dan Wallace has written on this subject to the SBL Annual Meeting in November of 2000 reasoning for the defense of the work being done for the NET Bible. Wallace stated, “In 1975, when C. E. B. Cranfield’s first volume of his ICC commentary on Romans was published, he could speak of the subjective genitive view of πίστις Χριστοῦ in Rom 3.22 as ‘altogether unconvincing’ without giving much support for this conclusion, and citing only an early articulation of the subjective view written in 1891.”
Modern scholars today seem to have opinions on the proper translation of πίστις [᾿Ιησοῦ] Χριστοῦ as faith in Christ or faithfulness of Christ due to theological or ecclesiological implications and tend to push strongly for their presupposition instead of following the rationale of the opposing implication.

One of the most lasting questions since the birth of the Church has been, who is Jesus? In the Go... more One of the most lasting questions since the birth of the Church has been, who is Jesus? In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Matt 16:15). Some have taken this passage of Scripture to mean that if you know Jesus as the Son of God, you have salvation. If this is true then what about believers in the Old Testament? Did they too have faith in Jesus Christ? If not, what did they have to do or believe? If not Jesus Christ specifically how can salvation be possible? The debates surrounding this question rests on degrees of knowledge; from no knowledge is required, to all must be known in a particular articulation.

The complexity of African social structures are as dynamic as they are intimate. In Western cultu... more The complexity of African social structures are as dynamic as they are intimate. In Western culture we have little to no concept of communal life and identity. The United States of America was founded on rugged individualism and not on identity politics and communal existence. The missionary movement into Kenya could have been a very fruitful endeavor if not for the need to Westernize. The cultural clashes were do to the miscalculation that Africans do not have a rich and long culture with solid reasoning behind their behaviors. Female circumcision is the linchpin of Kikuyu society and of many surrounding tribes and countries in central Africa. If missions are to be successful as cultural change agents then they should be lead by native Africans.

Submission for Master of Arts in Religion , 2020

The modern Protestant Christian trusts in personal faith rather than Christ for the impetus of ju... more The modern Protestant Christian trusts in personal faith rather than Christ for the impetus of justification. Reformed Theology has influenced Protestantism in defining both justification and faith in such a way as to implicitly teach fideism. An understanding of this claim will be demonstrated through a survey of books on systematic theology, topical books relating to justification and faith, and commentaries on supporting proof texts. This paper will include the historical development of understanding the relationship of faith to justification. Focus on the language and expansion of the doctrine of justification by faith in John Calvin’s 1536 Institutes and his 1559 final version will be compared. Examining the major confessions and catechisms of Reformed Theology will demonstrate what is presently taught is consistent with the modern understanding of justification by trusting in one’s faith. Finally, this paper will articulate the doctrine of justification by faith in light of the research.

“He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses th... more “He makes nations great, and destroys them; he extends the boundaries of nations and disperses them” (Job 12:23 NET). God causes nations to rise and he makes kings. God removes and displaces nations. As Christians, we believe these truths as scripture presents them, and we desire to please God. When God establishes a ruler for you to obey it becomes your good duty to do so. Romans 13 tells us that we will be rewarded with praise, but if we resist, we resist the will of God and incur judgment. So, what are we to do if the rulers are evil or ungodly? What if we become rulers? How should we behave and whom are we accountable? Has the Holy Spirit ordained the authorities to be immune from the consequence of those whom they have ruled poorly? In this paper, we will examine the way in which God establishes a nation and what he requires from it, the proper response of Christians to their leaders, and the American experiment of a self-governing republic in which the people are the leaders over their government.

In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul gives us one of the most incredible Christological trut... more In his letter to the Philippians St. Paul gives us one of the most incredible Christological truths on the natures of Jesus Christ as fully human and fully God. Through the kenosis (ἐκένωσε), usually translated as “emptying,” but a more accurate understanding would be “to divest one’s self of one’s prerogatives.” When saying that Jesus “takes on the form of a servant” (Phil 2:8) we need to qualify the constitution of mankind. Our anthropology will influence our Christology, and in turn, our soteriology. The necessity of Jesus existing as a human being is an axiom of the Church. The reason being, as Gerald O’Collins writes, is so “he can represent us before/to God because he belongs to us by completely sharing our condition in life and death.” The question being asked is, what does it mean to be human and does that correlate with our understanding of the hypostatic union?

The meta-narrative of humanity found in scripture can be described as the generation, degeneratio... more The meta-narrative of humanity found in scripture can be described as the generation, degeneration, and regeneration of mankind. God is active throughout the entirety of human existence in an intimate and personal way. The Godhead of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are to be understood in this context as indivisible ontologically as well as instrumentally regarding our redemption. As fallen humanity living as redeemed believers eagerly awaiting the perfection of our glorification, we are in a position, soteriologically, to ponder the work of the Spirit while the sting of sin and death are still fresh in our minds.

In the letter to the Galatians a central theme is understanding how faith, both our faith and Chr... more In the letter to the Galatians a central theme is understanding how faith, both our faith and Christ’s faithfulness, functions in relation to our justification. There is no lack of passion or effort in the scholarly arena in regards to πίστις [᾿Ιησοῦ] Χριστοῦ even though there seems to be a lack of scholarly consensus. Dr. Dan Wallace has written on this subject to the SBL Annual Meeting in November of 2000 reasoning for the defense of the work being done for the NET Bible. Wallace stated, “In 1975, when C. E. B. Cranfield’s first volume of his ICC commentary on Romans was published, he could speak of the subjective genitive view of πίστις Χριστοῦ in Rom 3.22 as ‘altogether unconvincing’ without giving much support for this conclusion, and citing only an early articulation of the subjective view written in 1891.”
Modern scholars today seem to have opinions on the proper translation of πίστις [᾿Ιησοῦ] Χριστοῦ as faith in Christ or faithfulness of Christ due to theological or ecclesiological implications and tend to push strongly for their presupposition instead of following the rationale of the opposing implication.

One of the most lasting questions since the birth of the Church has been, who is Jesus? In the Go... more One of the most lasting questions since the birth of the Church has been, who is Jesus? In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Matt 16:15). Some have taken this passage of Scripture to mean that if you know Jesus as the Son of God, you have salvation. If this is true then what about believers in the Old Testament? Did they too have faith in Jesus Christ? If not, what did they have to do or believe? If not Jesus Christ specifically how can salvation be possible? The debates surrounding this question rests on degrees of knowledge; from no knowledge is required, to all must be known in a particular articulation.