Theology Essay

Theology Reflection
In every field of study there is tension in definitions, but in theology, the word theology itself is full
of tension. On one hand, it is almost indescribable because it studies God who is without perfect
description, but on the other hand St. Anselm's statement, "faith seeking understanding" seems to
describe with perfect flexibility what it means to practice theology. My intent is to attend Graduate
school at Marquette University so that I can dive deeper into the history, study, and
communication of what it means for faith to seek understanding. My faith began to seek
understanding from an early age as I entered Catholic schools and learned about what it meant to
be Catholic. There, I was formed and there I was raised: I grew to know and love the Church and
God through my experiences in Catholic schools. My teachers imparted to us the prayers and
called us to do more than just pray the words: to live out the words within our lives. It was here I
that I became compelled to question the systems of justice in the world and in the church. My sister,
born with a cognitive disability, was told she could not receive the Eucharist when it came time for
her first communion. This prompted my family to dedicate time and work to make and create spaces
in the Church for people with disabilities. In the space of Catholic schools, my faith needed
understanding; it needed theology, which would illuminate how to construct change to help open the
doors to marginalized people in the public square to be welcomed into the Church. During my time
as an undergraduate student at the University of Dayton, I continued to develop skills and
knowledge assisting me in the process of faith seeking understanding. I chose to pursue two
degrees: a B.A. in religious studies and a B.S.E. in Secondary Catholic Education. The former
became my love, nothing excited me like going to a religion class. Here, I learned about the methods
behind theology and deepened my understanding of my religion and my faith. My education degree
formed me into someone more than just a teacher. My education degree served me in more ways
than just teaching in high schools because it taught me the invaluable skills of communication,
planning, research, and
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Liberation Theology Essay
Arising out recent class discussion topics touching on the ideas of James Cone's ideas on Liberation
Theology and the relationship between the Cross and the Lynching Tree, our group decided to focus
the topic of our presentation around Liberation Theology. However, in order to create a counter
argument to stimulate further discourse, we introduced the Theology of Prosperity, as an opposing
theological concept, to our presentation. Hence, we came up with the topic of Liberation Theology
vs. Theology of Prosperity.
Firstly, it was necessary to give the class a concise definition of these broad theories, and follow
these definitions with general background explanation on the idea behind the respective theologies.
The definitions that we...show more content...
This idea, however, is very unpopular among the church.
Although this information on Liberation Theology is essential to understanding of this concept,
the focus of our presentation, in relation to our class, was Black Liberation Theology. It is easy to
see how African Americans relate to the idea of Liberation Theology, as a historically socially
oppressed group of peoples. The encompassed theme of Black Liberation theologians is the concept
of God emancipating African Americans from white racism. Jesus in Liberation Theology is
commonly represented as a 'Poor Black Man', therefore allowing the representation of a relatable
figure for the African American people. One way in which we felt the concept of Liberation
Theology come together with class discussion, was in relation to the Black Liberation Theologian,
James Cone, whom we had previously discussed in class time, leading up to this presentation.
When it came to the Theology of Prosperity we discovered that it boiled down to this: those who
have money, health, and are essentially successful in every facet of life have been rewarded for
their faith in God. This theology predicts that those who are not successful in every aspect of their
lives, whether it be financially, martially, health, general well–being, have not been completely
faithful to God. The Theology of Prosperity (Also referred to as 'Prosperity Gospel,'

what is theology Essay
What is theology? What does it explain if anything? According to the encyclopedia, it is related to
the Greek Religion. In Christianity, the systematic study of the nature of God and God's relationship
with humanity and with the world. Although other religions may be said to have theologies, this is a
matter of controversy within, for instance, Judaism , which holds that God is unknowable. This
article will therefore confine itself to Christian theology. The development of theology in
Christendom arose from the need for educated Christians of the ancient world to express their ideas
in terminology familiar in current thought. Hence arose the close relation of Christian theology with
Greek philosophy formulated by the Greek and Latin...show more content...
The 'Revealed' theology is the showing of the growth of the theology. Next is the 'Dogmatic'
theology. This theology is the dealing with authoritative teaching of the scriptures and the Church.
This theology is based on the writings. It means that it is only using teachings from the elders and
the authority figures to adhere information. After is 'Speculative' theology. This is known as the
giving scope to human speculation, not confined to revelation. This theology does not base its
beliefs on the revelation but also on the humans and what occurs in their speculation and thoughts.
Lastly is the 'Systematic' theology. It is the methodical arrangement of the truths of religion in their
natural connection. This theology is based on nature, yes, as is the 'Natural' theology, but it also is a
better understand of the truths of religion. Each specific sector of the nature of theology has its own
points to bring to the concept. Each individual theology is based on different aspects of the nature of
theology.
The nature of theology is found the Western theologian era. The nature of God is known to be in
monotheistic religion. It is a broad, important topic in Western philosophy of religion and theology. It
apparently consists of a very old and distinguished history. In history, it was one of the central topics
in medieval philosophy. The Abrahamic faiths, Judaism,Christianity, and Islam, all affirm theism, or
belief in God. These religions each give different answers as

Essay about Liberation Theology
Liberation Theology
I see [liberation theology] as a 'theology of the people,' rather than of professional theologians;
rising out of the cries of the oppressed; refined in the experience of those who may not even be
able to read and write; clarified in thousands of base communities; embodied in lives that risk
everything to be faithful to the good news that God hears their cry, sides with them in their distress,
and works with them for liberation– a liberation in which they play a central role even while
recognizing that the ultimate attainment of liberation will be God's gift. (McAfee).
Liberation Theology is a movement within the Catholic religion in Latin America that began around
1973 with the publication of A Theology of...show more content...
Before, the Church said of our suffering. "It's the will of God." Today they see that God doesn't
want people to suffer, suffer, suffer. Today we believe we should struggle for change.
&endash;Goreth Barradas, Brazilian Social Activist (Puelo 51).
The dominant spirituality of our church puts God on a mountaintop.
In this view, we Christians have to scale the mountain by degrees through the practice of moral
virtues. We spend our lives like the myth of Sisyphus, trying to carry the rock of virtues. Yet the
weight of our sins is very great, and each time we reach a certain height of the mountain, we fall to
the bottom, begin again, and fall yet again.
This is a non–liberation spirituality. A liberating spirituality is that of Jesus. Which is? Well, the
primary demand is not moral behavior to bring one closer to God. It's the inverse! There is not
mountain! Rather, there is a God who pours Godself out in love for all of us. &endash;Frei Betto,
Brazilian Catholic Priest (Puelo 90).
The connection of the Catholic religion with radical politics and activism is extremely controversial
in Latin America as well as the rest of the world. Pope John Paul II, and many others with an interest
in maintaining the hierarchical status quo of the Catholic Church are vehemently opposed to the
idea of Liberation Theology, and many activists find much resistance from this central authority
(Hadjor). However, although located mainly in Latin America the

Liberation Theology
Liberation theology is situational. The emergence of liberation theology and the interpretation of the
Bible under liberation theology stems directly to the participants place in society. As the title
suggests, liberation theology interprets the Bible as a document of hope that will give strength and
validity to a struggle against an oppressor. Liberation theology rises out of a new political
consciousness. The oppressed people have to realize they are oppressed and that the Bible text can
be used as a tool to overcome their oppressors. In regards to South Africa, there was an awakening
when the black people realized their lack of influence in politics, the huge economic disparity
between rich and poor, and their low...show more content...
State theology is controlled by the same people who control the political parities, the economic
situation, and the agents of oppression. In this theology, money talks, and the people without money
have no voice. Apartheid was like a religion in that it was something people strongly believed in, it
used the Bible as justification, and it was practiced every day. The important item to remember is
that apartheid was created by humans. It was flawed (obviously) and actually worked in direct
opposition to the Church's teachings. As Boesak points out, "Can a Christian in a Christian country
with a host of Christian churches speak and preach about the sanctity of family life and about the
responsibility of parents and children and at the same time vote for a government and sustain and aid
a system that gives theological justification to laws that maintain that black people cannot live
together as husband and wife." (120) the hypocrisy here seems so blatant.
As liberation theology has moved on in the post Apartheid era, there has been several problems in its
adaptation. The South African liberation theology movement was based almost solely on racial
equality and the end to apartheid. When apartheid was dismantled, the movement had no direction,
even though several social issues still remained. The focus of the movement was so specific that it
made it difficult to transition to anything more inclusive.
Another problem with liberation theology is that the text it uses

Jeremy Partin I.Title PageII.Thesis Page III.Introduction Liberation theology in Latin America was
first introduced in the late 1960's, although it became famous after the writing of Gustavo Gutierrez.
The roots of liberation theology can be traced back to Europe because Catholic priests were sent
there to go to school. It was there where they became radicalized and sent back to Latin America.
This radicalization led many to start thinking differently, including Gutierrez. He and others wanted
to be independent from the usual European Catholic style. They wanted to create their own theology
for their culture. They believed that they should have their own institution to teach their own beliefs
to their own people. With these new...show more content...
It was a way of thinking and interpreting the bible. However it ended up being more than that. It
analyzed history from different perspectives and acknowledged Marxism thoughts. (V.A.1) One
main purpose of liberation theology was to help the poor. Gustavo Gutierrez coined the term
liberation theology, and is considered to be the father of it to most people. He believed praxis
was the starting point. Theology was the second stage. This was basically a practice of theory.
Praxis involved taking action for the poor and the oppressed. The start of this new was caused
from various reasons. One reason was that all bishops were sent to Europe to be educated. When
they came back, they would be radicalized. Latin Americans wanted their own schooling for priests.
They didn't want European ideas; they wanted their ideas from their culture. Another big problem
was poverty and human rights. Most Latin Americans were poverty stricken. Most countries in
Latin America didn't have any human rights. Therefore one their main focuses was social injustice.
(V.A.1) During their time period, many theologians were criticized or harassed. For example, there
were fifteen attempts to assassinate Dom Helder Camera, who was a significant figure in liberation
theology. Many were threatened. Some were arrested, tortured, or killed. While there were others
who just disappeared. However they still practiced their beliefs and spread their ideas. (V.B.2) One
problem with

What Is Theology Essay
What is theology? What does it explain if anything? According to the encyclopedia, it is related to
the Greek Religion. In Christianity, the systematic study of the nature of God and God's relationship
with humanity and with the world. Although other religions may be said to have theologies, this is a
matter of controversy within, for instance, Judaism , which holds that God is unknowable. This
article will therefore confine itself to Christian theology. The development of theology in
Christendom arose from the need for educated Christians of the ancient world to express their ideas
in terminology familiar in current thought. Hence arose the close relation of Christian theology with
Greek philosophy formulated by the Greek and Latin...show more content...
This would be God's own words or examples of how religion/theology is based on nature and what
he has created. Secondly is the 'Revealed' theology, which is based on revelation. The revelation is
the change and the evolution of things and events. The В‘Revealed' theology is the showing of the
growth of the theology. Next is the 'Dogmatic' theology. This theology is the dealing with
authoritative teaching of the scriptures and the Church. This theology is based on the writings. It
means that it is only using teachings from the elders and the authority figures to adhere information.
After is 'Speculative' theology. This is known as the giving scope to human speculation, not confined
to revelation. This theology does not base its beliefs on the revelation but also on the humans and
what occurs in their speculation and thoughts. Lastly is the 'Systematic' theology. It is the
methodical arrangement of the truths of religion in their natural connection. This theology is based
on nature, yes, as is the В‘Natural' theology, but it also is a better understand of the truths of
religion. Each specific sector of the nature of theology has its own points to bring to the concept.
Each individual theology is based on different aspects of the nature of theology.
The nature of theology is found the Western theologian era. The nature of God is known to be in
monotheistic religion. It is a broad,

Introduction According to Enns (2008), liberation theology attempts to infer the holy writ through
the plight of the poor. This movement originated from South America in the early 1950s when
Marxism was the most popular theory among the poor. It was a response to the ill–treatment and
poverty facing the ordinary people. It dealt with the issue of distribution of wealth among people in
order to upgrade the economic status in life. This movement had strong Romanian Catholic roots
bolstered in Colombia in 1968 at a conference where, the bishops proposed a merger between the
Karl Marx teachings with those of Jesus Christ. Liberation theology support was immense but
various critiques across the religious framework (Novak, 1991). This movement...show more
content...
However, emergence of negative results due to black liberation was evident. This is because the
theory tends to separate the black and white Christian communities thus enhancing racism which is
not religious or biblical. By critically analysing the biblical way of life, a level of unity among the
people who share the same doctrine of Christ is expected. Black Liberation Theology initially
intended to assist the black community, but in reality it ended up hurting the more. It promoted
negative values for instance: racial tension, victimization, and Marxism ultimately leading to more
oppression. Latin American Liberation Theology The liberation theory originally developed from
ideologies and activities instigated by the Catholic missionaries in the colonial Latin America. Latin
American Liberation Theology says that there is oppression and exploitation of poor people by the
rich capitalist nations. The Latin people developed the theology by radical interpretation of the bible
biased to the people. The inclusion of armed pastors was one of the characteristics that brought this
movement in the limelight. This yearning for change got spurred by armed revolution. This is why;
so many churches had people carrying guns and other weapons to shoe how they were fighting for
their liberation. Critique of the Latin American Liberation Theology Latin American Liberation
Theology is one of the theologies that had a lot of impact on the

Charismatic Theology Essay
Research Paper
Of
"A Select Issue in Contemporary Theology: Charismatic Theology."
THEO 510–C03 LUO (Fall 2012)
Survey of Christian Doctrine
Dr. Eunice Abogunrin, Professor
Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
Carol H. Montgomery (ID# 24993689)
November 11, 2012
CONTENTS
COVER PAGE1 CONTENTS2 THESIS3 INTRODUCTION3 CHARSMATIC GIFTS
DEBATE3–12 CONCLUSION12 BIBLIOGRAPHY13
INTRODUCTION
This research paper will show that biblical referred to as glossolalia; the ability to "speak in
tongues" is fiercely debated. While the Bible gives clear examples of genuine glossolalia, which will
be examined later, the modern debate centers around the need or not, nature, importance, and usage
of...show more content...
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an act whereby the individual is placed in the body of Christ. John
the Baptist, after witnessing the descent of the Holy Spirit as a dove at the baptism of Jesus,
recorded Most Pentecostal, and Charismatic believe that tongues are the initial sign of the baptism in
the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts is its foundation stone. If the book of Acts were excluded from the discussion,
there would be no other source of information since the only other passage in the New Testament that
discusses tongues at any length is 1 Corinthians 12–14 which clearly teaches all do not speak in
tongues.
Also, Paul examines tongues as one of many differing spiritual gifts that are given freely by the
Spirit after one has been baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
In Charismatic Theology, Stronstad states, "And tongues is the sign that all who belong to this
charismatic community have been empowered by the Spirit for charismatic ministry."
I choose the charismatic gifts debate because coming from a Pentecostal/Charismatic background
growing up in church, I know a little about the gift. With growing up in a Charismatic church, I saw

the gifts in action.
There is a lot of debate on whether the gift is relevant for today or have they ceased from the
church. One side says that the gifts are in the past and is not relevant for the day that we live in and
another side says that the gifts are still

Theology Essay

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