The articles “Pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world”, is of the opinion that the life of Christians is faced with numerous challenges however Christians should always have hope, joy, and trust in the promises of eternal life.
The Christians should have strong believe and hope that Christ who was crucified for their sins in intervening for them thus incase of the challenges they encounter on earth, they should rest assured that there is a better place that is preserved for the righteous and the genuine followers of Christ.
To ensure that its people are liberated from earthly actions and deeds, that are considered as ungodly and unethical, the church has the role of reading signs of time as illustrated in the bible and advising their followers on the right track or the actions they should take for a righteous life.
Although there might be some changes in social order, attitudes or the perceptions of people, there is always the need to remember that the teachings of God can have a solution to every problem or situation someone is going through; with this in mind, then Christians should have the self will and drive to love each other and persevere problems of life.
Christians teachings are of the view that earthly matters should not be an issue for the Christians however they should dwell on heavenly nourishment which they will get when they go to heaven. According to the article, the life in world today has a number of imbalances and challenges, thus the most important thing to do is to understand that oppression today will be crowning in the eternal life.
Reflections
When I was reading the chapter, I was amazed on how Christians are expected to uphold high moral standing and respect for each other; every step and oppression that they get on earth should be interpolated in line with the bible.
The main importance of the topic was to elaborate on how Christians should life in modern challenging life yet they should not loss their focus on eternal life that God and their faith has promised them.
The article or topic stimulated the thought of the role that the church plays in our communities as well as how interesting life would be if the teachings of the Christians is embraced across all spheres of life. The teachings seem to give high hope in eternality than how the life in modern world is.
After leading the text, I felt that it is my personal mandate to live a happy and jovial life; I felt I should do this by respecting other people’s views, feelings and viewpoints. The reason why I felt this is as a result of the believe as practiced by Christians which seems not to be practical.
The focus is more inclined in eternal life expectation at the expense of modern life or life on earth; despite the focus, the article shows how the religion considers earthly righteousness to be paramount for the chances of getting eternal life.
Liberation and Salvation
The chapter is of the opinion that First-World theologies are not inclined with social perspectives and social relations, the chapter is of the opinion that modern social lifestyle hinders the spread and admissibility of religion. The religion of Christianity assumes that when someone has been saved, then he has been delivered from sins and oppression of different kinds.
The deliverance is in the form of liberty they enjoy after the delivery in the form of salvation. The perception of the religion is that the issues and milestones that can be attained with salvation goes further than “admission to heaven” but it includes having a virtuous life on earth as one prepares good relationship with God.
The most important aspects brought about by the topic is how people should respect each other and how the respect can build a community that is well interlinked and cares for each other. The topic seem to suggest that evil prevail in the community because people have little or minimal regard for each other; there is no mutual respect and people seem to be selfish and act as individuals.
One of the most interesting aspects brought about by the topic is the role played by religion as an ethical principle; the chapter shows that people can live in harmony and liberate each other from social, economic, and political. Christians are supposed to think about each other and how they can solve problems of other people in the community.
When reading the chapter, I was feeling that dignity in the world can be restored by people respecting and having value for each other; despite the differences in the community, Christianity always offers the people a chance to solve their differences and assist each other improve their living conditions, socially and economically.
The role of the church has been brought about in the chapter; the church should have frameworks that ensure its people live well amongst each other. The following are the questions that came into the picture:
- How will the religion ensure that the virtues have been adhered to?
- Who should set the standards of the religion?
- Are the deviant people expelled from the religion? (Jorg 34)
Encountering God in History
According to the chapter God talks to his people in different ways; when ones righteous, he can communicate with God through players and ask for what he wants however it is God who makes the final decision regarding the best action on a certain issue. The chapter emphasises to the Christians to follow and respect God’s will. The following are the questions that were triggered as a result:
- In which channels does God communicate?
- When will God communicate again?
- Are there specific people that communicate directly to God?
- Can Christians communicate with God and negotiate their stands with him?
In the Old Testament, God was appearing to the people in different forms, he did so through answering prayers like making rain to fall or curing people who had different ailments. The bible in itself can be seen as constitution that harmonizes culture with Christian thoughts; the people are expected to have high value for the religion and the bible.
To gauge whether someone’s behavior is aligned to the demands of the religion is gauged according to the standings and actions of Jesus Christ who is believed to be the son of God. Communication to God by Christians is believed to pass through the son who is also believed as the negotiator and arbitrator in case of an issue (Riesebrodt and Rendall 12-34).
Works Cited
Jorg, Stolz. Salvation goods and religious markets: theory and applications. London: Peter Lang, 2008.Print.
Riesebrodt, Martin, and Rendall, Steven. The promise of salvation: a theory of religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. Print.