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Christianity's impact on society
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A.)
The first church I went to was my coach’s church; Hope Christian Reformed Church. I went to a Sunday morning service. The service was very serious and well planned out. I felt as if every minute was planned and we had to follow it to the tee, everything was very robot like. The program was sort of like a conversation filled with chants and paper turning. The “Liturgist” would say something and then the “People” would reply and ten we would sing a song. I felt like I was at a business meeting rather than a place to worship. I did not feel welcome and was slightly uncomfortable. The way the pews were set up felt very welcoming aside from how hard the pews were. The entire atmosphere was very cold and harsh. I felt as if I coughed everyone would turn and scorn me. Every noise seemed to eco against the walls. It was so cold in every sense of the word. The sanctuary was very dim lit. The few lights that were hanging were very low lights the majority of the light came from the stained glass windows. After leaving the service I felt like I could stop holding my breath. I felt like I was at my grandmother’s church while I was there and that if I did anything wrong I would be scorned. I do not think that I would want to go back to this church. I did not feel welcomed during the service which is the most important thing.
B.)
The second church I went to was Vineyard Church of Houston. This is a youth church that is a part of a nondenominational church that branched off of The Assemblies of God church. I went to a Tuesday night service. This church was very welcoming. I felt as if I was at a family gathering rather a church service. The service started with free time. Free time is not mandatory it is kind of like an afte...
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...is their obligation to lead the children in the right path because of “original sin”. “Through the disobedience of Adam original sin is extended to all mankind.” Because of the mistake made in the beginning the church has a responsibility to instruct the youth in godliness. The church needs to catechize the youth and lay the grounds for their faith to grow. No matter the other difference between these two churches they both are holding their responsibility as Christians to bring souls to Christ.
Works Cited
Exploring Protestant Traditions; W. David Buschart
Viewpoints:Exploring the Reformed Vision; James D. Bratt
The Reformed Pulpit: Volume 1
Reformed Confessions of the 16th Century; Arthur C. Cochrane
The Assemblies of God at the Crossroads: Charisma and Institutional Dilemmas; Margaret M. Poloma
American Evangelical Christianity: An Introduction; Mark A. Noll
When choosing a religious service I was very limited on my choices so I was intrigued to go back to my roots and try the Catholic denomination. This denomination is the one that is most prevalent in my community and also in my social circle as well. Since I have actually been to a Catholic church as a child I thought I knew what to expect but I was shocked at how naive I was to the subject. My preconceived ideas and thoughts were that there would be a lot of getting down on your knees then back up again then saying your Hail Mary’s with not much depth to a service. Also growing up with a social group that was full of Catholics you would always hear of confession so that was something I was particularly dreading for the fact that I did not quite understand the concept and believe in it. This did not take place however which was a sigh of relief on my part cause I was not ready for that big of a leap from my own comfort zone.
In my paper I will talk about my visit to The Community Church at Murphy's Landing (CCML). I have chosen this particular Church because it is a family church type and my neighbor goes there and she encouraged me to go with her. I went there with my neighbor on April 6, 2014.This church is an appropriate for this assignment because the people there are welcoming me with an open heart and they are willing to help and provide me with information. When I visit the Church’s site I read these words “We know visiting a new church can be intimidating. But, we want to help you to be as comfortable as possible when and if you join us”. The people gather in the church weekly to glorify God in joyful worship. The expressions of worship on CCML take many forms a prayer, a hymn of reverent awe, a guitar ringing with a chorus of praise, or a warm handshake and a welcoming smile. Their weekly services begin at 9:30 each Sunday at church. Also, they have weekly podcast if anyone wants to listen online. They have many types of services for parents, kids and students. People at CCML were so friendly; they gather around me and start welcoming me, one by one. People there introducing themselves to me, one after another and provide me with their contact information and help. Then we start talking about the church services and Christianity in particular. The mission of CCML was knowing, growing and loving. They seek to live out our mission by worshipping together as a local community of believers, growing in spiritual maturity through discipleship, education, and small groups, caring for one another within the context of the larger church body and small groups, and Communicating the love of Christ to our world, both through local outreach and global mis...
The sanctuary was bare, and the pews hard. I mentally tallied a comparison between my own church's sanctuary and this. The two, I found, were similarly austere, but with theirs tending toward items of religious kitsch and our own tending instead towards polished brass. Both lacked stained glass in the windows. I suspected, however, that where our sanctuary was plain in token tribute to the long-dead strict streak of our Calvinist tradition, theirs was bare because it could not economically be otherwise. And the lack of air conditioning ! Memphis' summer heat is unbearable and pervasive, and a roof overhead does nothing against the big blanket of humid air.
I am a nondenominational Christian and I decided to attend a catholic mass. I attended mass at the Conversion of St Paul Parish on April 6, 2014. The preside was Father Senan Glass and the starting time was 10am. The Conversion of St Paul Parish’s location is 4120 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, Ohio 44103. The church was very big and the stain glass windows were beautiful. At first, I felt uncomfortable because I did not know where to sit or what to do. I really did not have an idea of what to expect. Everything seemed very formal and the service was easy to follow because of the bulletin I was given, which had the order of service on it. The service was concise and it only lasted about an hour.
The church external appearance was quite different than other churches that I have seen. It was basically a big white stucco block with a gold dome on top and four decorated spikes on each corner of the building that surrounded the dome. The people of course were all Greek and were very well dressed. Most of the men and boys all wore suits, and If not they had some kind of vest on. I don’t know if this was some kind of rule or tradition, but it mostly seemed as a respect to God. The women all wore the basic dresses, and all the skirts fell down below the knee. Everybody was proper and ordered. As I walked in the church I entered a lobby of some kind. What I saw hear was something like social hour. Everybody was in there. They were all speaking Greek, and I felt as if I was in a family reunion party. The children were all together; the adults talked together and the young adults all were together. The way they all socialize is when someone comes up to say hello, they give each other a kiss on the cheek and a hug. These people are all very close to each other. It seems as if the church is the center of their lives. I admire that trait as well. To enter the auditorium you must enter this little room, which has a piece of garment from St. Constantine and St. Helen. Also there were candles lit. As they walked through this little room they lit a candle and knelt down for a moment to pray, and then touched each garment and made a cross over their chest.
The first Christian Church (the Orthodox Church) came to be in the Late Roman Empire because of Jesus of Nazareth, and the first Christian Emperor Constantine. The messages Jesus wanted to reach his disciples were this: brotherhood, equality, elevation of the poor, and anti-materialism. He preached a lifestyle that changed mankind, and gave people hope. Jesus gave the people of the Late Roman Empire some hope, and guided them through times of need. On the other hand you have the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe, with a lot of power in the medieval society. The Catholic Church was the western counterpart the Eastern Orthodox Church and it slowly became a very strict religion. Their mission was simple: faith+good works=salvation. Religion over 2000 years ago was almost more important then, than it is today. It was new, and it was important, the rise of Christianity played a central role in the early historical
In order to gain a full understanding of the United Methodist Church’s practices and doctrines, it is important to compare and contrast the modern tradition of the Methodist Church to Wesley’s original tradition; by considering Wesleyan-influenced worship specifically relating to Methodist preaching, the Methodist sacraments, order of worship, significance and meaning of various baptism ceremonies, open communion, and the nature of the early Methodist worship service. The Methodist tradition and it’s future has been significantly transformed from its original theology because of controversial challenges, such as: interpretation of scripture, abortion, evolutionary theory, sexism, racial issues, and homosexuality.
" Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
The Mormon service I attended was a lot different from the church service I typically
I attended a Catholic Church called Our Lady of the Highways Catholic Church. Mass started at 10am each Sunday morning. I go to a small church so the size difference was a change, as there were many people who went to the Catholic Church. During Mass I could already see the similarities between the two churches. We both believe in the Trinity: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. All Christians see Jesus as our savior. His sacrifice serves to save us, forgiving us for our sins. It was God’s work through Christ that let this happen. The priest talked about salvation. I recognized that both the Methodist and Catholic Church say that anyone can fall from God’s grace. It is possible for people to reject Christ as their savior even after salvation or conversion, which can lead to the person going to hell.
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It is the beliefs above that has shaped the theology of Christianity, bringing about the writing of many creeds that Christians still value today. It is what distinguishes the many denominations and unites them as well. With each passing generation it seems that Christianity is continually losing its popularity amongst the young people. Christianity is relevant in today’s society. Churches today should greatly value the historical aspect of Christianity as a religion. If certain values and principles of Christianity have withstood the test of time then this should reassure Christians of the validity of their beliefs. Young people today are interested in the theology of the bible they value the message of Jesus Christ. It is the “religious” aspects that many are fed up with. People are frustrate with the church because of the corruption that has occurred over time and its inauthenticity at times. To some it appears that the church is more concerned with appearances then actually fulfilling the work of God. This generation needs church leaders that embrace the historical roots of Christianity. And someone who isn’t afraid to be teach the raw and passionate message that is the gospel. Getting at the core of what it truly means to be a
As a young child, I spent Sundays in the pews of various churches. My extended family had a wide variety of different denominations of Christianity. Some churches had loud music with singing and dancing, others lots of sitting and standing. But the
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