Tertampiknya Injil-injil Gnostik

Until now, challenges on the validity of the Bible based on the use of the Gnostic Gospels are still rampant, especially by anti-orthodox Christians and liberals. For this reason, this study attempts to answer the question of how the historical description of the Gnostic Gospels was dismissed in the century of its appearance, so that it did not enter the New Testament canon. Through a qualitative-descriptive research method, it was found that the answer to the rejection of the Gnostic Gospels as part of the canon was due to: 1). there is a significant time gap between the appearance of the Gnostic Gospels and the canonical ones, 2). its distribution was secret, and was not common among the early Christian congregations. 3). his teachings that contradict the teachings of the canonical gospels about the life of the Lord Jesus and the way of human salvation, 4). several important figures of the second to third centuries such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clemens, Origens, and Esuibius firmly rejected the Gnostic Gospels to enter the canon. The result of this research certainly confirms the Christian belief in the acknowledgment of the validity of the New Testament canon.

Breaking the peace: Representation, affect and materiality in pre-modern England

The pax was an object intended both to symbolise and to enforce peace among Christian congregations in pre-modern Europe and so when a man named John Browne smashed one over the head of the parish clerk during one of the holiest services of the year in a church in southeast England something had evidently gone wrong. This article is dedicated to explaining not only why Browne reacted with such fury at precisely the moment when he was expected to do the opposite but also why the pax and the clerk were chosen as his victims. The pax's material and visual qualities are integral, and overlooked, parts of this story but it is only by relating them to its representational and institutional contexts that Browne's actions begin to make sense. By integrating the material and the semiotic in this way, this article posits a conceptual structure for explicating not only an important dimension of the relationship between materiality, representation and affectivity but also how such relationships can, indeed must, be historicised to particular objects, ideologies and institutions.

Environmental awareness of Protestant youth in Germany: Perspectives from an empirical exploration

Climate change and environmental degradation are pressing issues in the 21st century, which have also been addressed by Christian churches. Christian congregations are expected to provide an important impetus towards a more sustainable way of life. However, in Germany, empirical data on how Christian congregations and their members relate to this issue are scarce. This article presents the first results of a quantitative study on this topic, in particular, with regard to the differences between age groups. The focus is on the perceived importance of environmental conservation, environmental awareness, and the opportunities and obstacles for the engagement of Christians in creation care. An online survey which was conducted in 2020 yielded 736 complete responses from members of the Protestant churches, 19.7% of which were from young people under 30 years. Regarding the perceived importance of environmental conservation and environmental awareness, the results were largely consistent with the data of a representative study on environmental awareness in Germany. The young generation showed slightly lower values than the older ones. Members of Protestant church seem to be more willing to behave sustainably than the general public, with the under 30 years old being in particular concerned about food consumption. Motivational and subcultural opportunities for Christian conservation efforts were identified. Obstacles were based primarily on eschatological views and the fear that other mandates of the church may be neglected. Regarding obstacles, young respondents showed a stronger approval than the older generations.Contribution: The article presents empirical evidence on the environmental awareness of Protestant Christians in Germany and identifies the opportunities and obstacles for their engagement in creation care.

It's all about needs: the role of Christian congregations in addressing the social exclusion barriers of seasonal agricultural workers

This paper examines the role of Christian congregations in addressing the social exclusion barriers experienced by seasonal agricultural workers (SAWs). This research study reviews the ways in which local churches support SAWs specifically in the Niagara Region. This paper also examines the benefits and limitations of this support and thus offers recommendations to enhance the future work of congregations in this area. This study reveals the evolving role of Christian congregations from offering only fellowship and spiritual services to SAWs to responding to their true needs in areas such as transportation, health care, language, and social inclusion. Because SAWs continue to face significant social exclusion barriers and still remain ineligible for settlement services in Ontario, it is important that congregations continue to do this work, meeting the needs of SAWs and growing in their ability as social service providers. Key words: seasonal agricultural workers (SAWs), congregations, Christian, the Niagara Region, social services, settlement support, social exclusion, needs

It's all about needs: the role of Christian congregations in addressing the social exclusion barriers of seasonal agricultural workers

This paper examines the role of Christian congregations in addressing the social exclusion barriers experienced by seasonal agricultural workers (SAWs). This research study reviews the ways in which local churches support SAWs specifically in the Niagara Region. This paper also examines the benefits and limitations of this support and thus offers recommendations to enhance the future work of congregations in this area. This study reveals the evolving role of Christian congregations from offering only fellowship and spiritual services to SAWs to responding to their true needs in areas such as transportation, health care, language, and social inclusion. Because SAWs continue to face significant social exclusion barriers and still remain ineligible for settlement services in Ontario, it is important that congregations continue to do this work, meeting the needs of SAWs and growing in their ability as social service providers. Key words: seasonal agricultural workers (SAWs), congregations, Christian, the Niagara Region, social services, settlement support, social exclusion, needs

Effervescence Accelerators: Barriers to Outsiders in Christian Interaction Rituals

In interaction ritual theory, barriers to outsiders are cues that communicate who is and is not excluded from a ritual. Prior research on religious rituals has established strong support for the hypothesis that barriers promote collective effervescence and social solidarity. Questions remain, though, regarding how this social dynamic impacts the practices, identities, missions, and conflicts of congregations who strive to be inclusive. We conducted microsociological analysis of rituals based on participant-observation and focus groups at six Christian congregations: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, Christian Scientists, Brethren, Catholics, and Episcopalians. Barriers were built in all the rituals, bringing congregational distinction through contrast with different types of outsiders. We also observed effervescent moments where barriers were low and inconsequential, suggesting that severe barriers are unnecessary. Rather, the special ritual function of barriers is to provide instant jolts of effervescence, especially when other social dynamics are failing.

A Way Forward for Discernment in Congregations: LGBTQ+ Inclusion Discernment

Christian congregations and denominations are increasingly struggling with questions of LGBTQ+ inclusion. The questions of hiring ministers who are LGBTQ+ persons, including LGBTQ+ persons in leadership, and conducting LGBTQ+ marriages are just a few of the discernment discussions that congregations are considering. This article reports on the findings of 97 interviews in 21 congregations reporting on their own discernment conversations. Researchers identified commonalities and differences in groups of congregations with processes that participants saw as instructive. This article is the third in a series of three: common models in the literature, lessons learned from the 97 interviews, and potential processes for congregations considering discernment.

“I Love It When You Play that Holy Ghost Chord”: Sounding Sacramentality in the Black Gospel Tradition

This essay argues that the distinctive aesthetic practices of many African American Christian congregations, indexed by the phrase “the Black gospel tradition”, are shaped by a sacramentality of sound. I contend that the role music routinely plays in the experience of the holy uncovers sanctity in the sound itself, enabling it to function as a medium of interworldly exchange. As divine power takes an audible form, the faith that “comes by hearing” is confirmed by religious feeling—both individual and collective. This sacramentality of sound is buttressed by beliefs about the enduring efficacy of divine speech, convictions that motivate the intensive character of gospel’s songs, sermons, and shouts. The essay begins with a worship service from Chicago, Illinois’ Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church, an occasion in which the musical accompaniment for holy dancing brought sound’s sacramental function into particularly clear relief. In the essay’s second section, I turn to the live recording of Richard Smallwood’s “Hebrews 11”, a recording that accents the creative power of both divine speech and faithful utterances, showing how reverence for “the word of God” inspires the veneration of musical sound. In the article’s final move, I show how both of the aforementioned performances articulate a sacramental theology of sound—the conviction that sound’s invisible force brings spiritual power to bear on the material world.

The Future of Christian Marriage

Marriage has come a long way since biblical times: Women are no longer thought of as property, and practices like polygamy have long been rejected. The world is wealthier and healthier, and people are more able to find and form relationships than ever. So why are Christian congregations doing more burying than marrying today? Explanations for the wide recession in marriage range from the mathematical—more women in church than men—to the economic, and from cheap sex to progressive politics. But perhaps marriage hasn’t really changed at all; instead, there is simply less interest in marriage in an era marked by technology, gender equality, and secularization. This is a book about how today’s Christians find a mate within a faith that esteems marriage but a world that increasingly yawns at it, and it draws on in-depth interviews with nearly two hundred young adult Christians from the United States, Mexico, Spain, Poland, Russia, Lebanon, and Nigeria, in order to understand the state of matrimony in global Christian circles today. Marriage for nearly everyone has become less of a foundation for a couple to build upon and more of a capstone. Christians are exhibiting flexibility over sex roles but are hardly gender revolutionaries. Meeting increasingly high expectations of marriage is difficult, though, in a free market whose logic reaches deep into the home today, and the results are endemic uncertainty, slowing relationship maturation, and stalling marriage. But plenty of Christians innovate, resist, and wed, suggesting the future of marriage will be a religious one.

Converting White Christian Congregations to Sites of Anti-racism

This paper uses the idea of the hidden curriculum to discuss how predominantly White Christian Organizations (PWCOs) teach about race. By introducing multicultural education into PWCOs, they have the potential to function as sites of combatting racism. Using a case study of a Christian conference that was focused on racial unity, I describe how Christian organizations can join in the efforts to create a more racially equitable society.