The society has become aware of the rate at which our environment is being destroyed. Different schools thought to aim at savaging the environmental problems which have emerged. While some blame this environmental mes...The society has become aware of the rate at which our environment is being destroyed. Different schools thought to aim at savaging the environmental problems which have emerged. While some blame this environmental mess on Social Darwinism, others blame it on Biblical Creationists. On the other side of the ecological debate is the New Age Movement （pantheism）, which to some extent are evolutionist and opposed to the Creator God, though they worship and serve nature （Rom 1：25）. The New-Agers believe that it was as a result of the ＂dominion mandate＂ God gave to humanity that has led to human destruction of the ecology. Some Christians have been indifferent towards nature; because they oppose the New-Agers, they do not want to have anything to do with their views about controlling the environmental problem. Christians are being called upon either to compromise with Darwinian evolution or pantheism （New-Age）. The main concern of this study is to find the meanings of kabash and radah as used in Gen 1：26-28. It also aims at ascertaining the kind of dominion God gave to humanity. Did God grant to man a totalitarian despotic dominion over nature？ Or was the dominion given to man in the form of stewardship？ These are the concerns of this paper.展开更多
When it comes to the afterlife, Seventh-day Adventists advocate ＂soul sleep＂ condition, in which the dead person is in some sort of suspended state until the final judgment. On the other hand, many Evangelical Chris...When it comes to the afterlife, Seventh-day Adventists advocate ＂soul sleep＂ condition, in which the dead person is in some sort of suspended state until the final judgment. On the other hand, many Evangelical Christians believe that the dead go directly to Heaven to be with the Lord. But in Roman Catholicism, purgatory is considered as the place where most dead believers expiate their remaining sins before entering the visible presence of God. This doctrine has been criticized extensively both by Catholics and Evangelicals in spite of its massive defence by the Holy office. Several alternative views about the resurrection of the dead have been propounded by some twentieth-century Protestants and some notable Catholic theologians. Although the doctrine of purgatory has been approved and reaffirmed by several Church councils, the questions that still remain are： Is the doctrine of purgatory biblically justifiable？ Does the work of salvation extend beyond the grave？ This study attempts to find answers to these questions. The study therefore surveys the doctrine of purgatory in the light of the biblical teachings about death. The second section surveys the background to the doctrine with reference to Judaism, the Apocrypha, the New Testament, the Church Fathers, and Church Councils. The third section looks at the nature of purgatory, the duration and the nature of the punishment meted out to those who go to purgatory and how souls are released from purgatory. The fourth section also examines the biblical teaching on death. The study concludes that the doctrine of purgatory is based on tradition rather than the Bible. The Bible emphasizes the finality of one＇s destiny in this life rather than after this life.展开更多
文摘The society has become aware of the rate at which our environment is being destroyed. Different schools thought to aim at savaging the environmental problems which have emerged. While some blame this environmental mess on Social Darwinism, others blame it on Biblical Creationists. On the other side of the ecological debate is the New Age Movement （pantheism）, which to some extent are evolutionist and opposed to the Creator God, though they worship and serve nature （Rom 1：25）. The New-Agers believe that it was as a result of the ＂dominion mandate＂ God gave to humanity that has led to human destruction of the ecology. Some Christians have been indifferent towards nature; because they oppose the New-Agers, they do not want to have anything to do with their views about controlling the environmental problem. Christians are being called upon either to compromise with Darwinian evolution or pantheism （New-Age）. The main concern of this study is to find the meanings of kabash and radah as used in Gen 1：26-28. It also aims at ascertaining the kind of dominion God gave to humanity. Did God grant to man a totalitarian despotic dominion over nature？ Or was the dominion given to man in the form of stewardship？ These are the concerns of this paper.
文摘When it comes to the afterlife, Seventh-day Adventists advocate ＂soul sleep＂ condition, in which the dead person is in some sort of suspended state until the final judgment. On the other hand, many Evangelical Christians believe that the dead go directly to Heaven to be with the Lord. But in Roman Catholicism, purgatory is considered as the place where most dead believers expiate their remaining sins before entering the visible presence of God. This doctrine has been criticized extensively both by Catholics and Evangelicals in spite of its massive defence by the Holy office. Several alternative views about the resurrection of the dead have been propounded by some twentieth-century Protestants and some notable Catholic theologians. Although the doctrine of purgatory has been approved and reaffirmed by several Church councils, the questions that still remain are： Is the doctrine of purgatory biblically justifiable？ Does the work of salvation extend beyond the grave？ This study attempts to find answers to these questions. The study therefore surveys the doctrine of purgatory in the light of the biblical teachings about death. The second section surveys the background to the doctrine with reference to Judaism, the Apocrypha, the New Testament, the Church Fathers, and Church Councils. The third section looks at the nature of purgatory, the duration and the nature of the punishment meted out to those who go to purgatory and how souls are released from purgatory. The fourth section also examines the biblical teaching on death. The study concludes that the doctrine of purgatory is based on tradition rather than the Bible. The Bible emphasizes the finality of one＇s destiny in this life rather than after this life.
