Micah lived in a time in which there was great exploitation of the middle and lower classes by the ruling, Jewish elite. He is appalled at what is going on, and his book is written largely in response. It contains many different styles of writing, and includes some very well know passages that have become part of the churches lexicon – good thing?

Whilst this is quite a technical paper, I found the opportunity to study a book about which I knew nothing most rewarding. I know it raises some difficult questions, especially the violence motiff – with its usual set of questions, ethical side-steps and misunderstandings… All I’ll say here  is that we need to remember that the bible records the spiritual journey of a people as their understanding, like ours, progresses. I certainly am reflecting at length on this as i write.

This essay was within the field called ‘systematics’ – which is about drawing out doctrines from the whole teaching of scripture. In this essay I chose to look at the differences between Barth and Pentecostalism. I grew up under a synthesis of Evangelicism and Pentecostalism. Barth has been described as the ‘Most influential theologian since Thomas Aquinas’ – and no, I don’t have a reference for that.

What I found is Barth waffles. Strong statement? Maybe. His ‘Dogmatics’ runs to 13 volumes. Fortunately, his writing on the baptism in the Spirit runs to around 30 pages. Interesting?

This was one of the best essays I have had to write yet – I knew next to nothing about Jonathan Edwards – was I in for a treat! Coming from a scientific background I really appreciated Edward’s analytical approach which he applied to the Little Awakening. He left an enormous legacy of theological writing, and is regarded by some as the greatest theologian from America.

I for one, couldn’t get enough!

For about two years I worked in the healing rooms, an international para-church organisation offering prayer for healing. The history of the Healing Rooms, based in Spokane is well worth a read, but for this essay I had to reflect on the shared beliefs of the group I worked with.  Some of these were obvious, such as ‘God still heals today,’ but as I reflected I realised that there were many assumed beliefs and practices that under girded what they did, and that a number of these were just assumed to be true.  Of course, this could be said about any ministry!

It is not my intention to knock the healing rooms. I was blessed by the people and the work. I both ministered and received ministry,  and learnt a lot on the journey. I shared the vision, and went week in week for nearly 2 years. It has been very interesting to look back though and consider what was going on!

Over the years, both in and out of the church, I have been subjected to a lot of “Leadership studies”. Much of it was interesting, especially the psychological material, but some of it seemed to be rather separate from the real world of trying to engage busy colleagues with a variety of “Opinions” in change across a culture.

Whatever you think about Jesus I guess he must have been a superb leader – not many can claim a legacy of change like his. I was particularly interested in what drove him – how did he keep focus when he was pulled in so many directions by so many people, and just what was he aiming at anyway?  When he closed his eyes and day dreamed what was he thinking about? 

This was one long title… “Describe and reflect critically on the contribution of Jesus of Nazareth and the study of his life to an understanding of leadership today with specific reference to you own, somebody else’s or a community’s development”

What, according to Genesis 1, is the nature of human identity and purpose in God’s original design for creation?

I want to start my essay with a reference to a novel by C S Lewis. The character Ransom, sent from Earth to the Edenic Venus, finally meets the Adamic character referred to as “the King” together with “The Queen”. Ransom is overcome, and lies prostate before them and finds himself involuntary speaking.

‘Do not move away, do not raise me up’ he said. ‘I have never before seen a man or a woman. I have lived all my life among shadows and broken images…. Take me for your son. We have been alone in my world for a great time’.[1]

The idea of Adam and Eve as royalty never appealed to me before, but it now seems probably to me in the light of study for this essay, that Lewis had grasped the royally, divine nature of Elohim’s creation.

In Mark 13 one of the disciples, on seeing the temple, seems to have an excited moment and says to Jesus something like

“Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

Jesus replies by giving a prediction of the destruction of the temple, but then seems to muddy the waters by talking about earthquakes  famines, wars and other end-time “Apocalyptic” type signs. The gospel must be preached to all nations. The “abomination that causes desolation” will come ‘The sun will be darkened and the moon will no longer give its light.’ And so on. He then really makes things hard by saying:

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

Beccafumi Crucifixion and trinity Trinity (detail) 1513 – is this how you see the crucifixion?

I am doing a part time theology post-grad course which, naturally enough, has led to having to write essays. I haven’t always found that this comes naturally to a scientist who now does what I loosely call “Programming”…