New Testament Essay Example for Free

New Testament Essay For all readers of the New Testament, the theme of the redemption of man through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is fascinating reading; in the case of the believer in the word of God, it is something else entirely. Believers and scholars alike agree that Paul’s letters to the Romans embody the theme of justification, or God’s gift of grace by which the truly repentant are forgiven of sins and accepted by God because of the price that Christ paid by dying on the cross. Implicit in the concept of justification is the identification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Cullmann). In this essay, the concept of justification will be more closely examined; within two specific chapters of Romans, 4 and 5, justification will be discussed and examined in order to better understand the concept as well as these pivotal chapters of the New Testament itself. In order to better understand the significance of Romans, one must first consider the historical context in which its ideas were shared by the faithful. Most people governed their actions, and defined their worth, through the laws of the day, which ruled all aspects of life. Within Romans, however, the concept of justification by faith alone, not the law (Perrin Duling) set the conventional order askew. This concept alone undoubtedly opened the eyes of many people to the refreshing possibility of redemption through the one true God. Those who read these words were introduced to the writings of the apostle Paul, who presented himself in the New Testament as â€Å"a slave of the Messiah, Jesus Christ† (Bryan), the word slave being used not Order#311114061 Justification Pg. 2 in the conventional sense of bondage and harsh servitude, but rather in a way that allowed those who sought God to come to Him without fear of punishment. The concept of coming to God for justification is personified in Romans through 2 specific verses, as follows: Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. ROMANS 4-4 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness ROMANS 4-5 What these verses tell the reader is that their submission to God, while it will benefit them, is not something that He considers to be optional; moreover, belief in God will lead to redemption because of justification. Beyond the explicit text of justification within Romans, there are also some key themes of justification within it that reinforce the overall concept. Specifically, when Romans calls the people to â€Å"lift up their hearts†, this is an outright plea for people to embrace justification (Knox). The bottom line in justification is peace with God and salvation through the Holy Spirit, and by the lifting up of the heart, one can attain inner peace and security in the warmth of God’s love. This peace and security is described as being â€Å"clothed in the righteousness of Christ† (Harink), and is further clarified by this passage: â€Å"therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God† ROMANS 5-1. While this brief essay can hardly scratch the surface of the promise of the New Testament and the gift of justification from God to the Pg. 3 human race because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, one thing is for certain. For the faithful, the redemption from sin by God is a priceless gift, and the New Testament is a rock upon which the hopes of Christians can be bolstered today, tomorrow, and forever. As long as humans walk the face of the earth and beyond, God will be there for them and His words are eternal. Works Cited Bryan, C. (2000). A Preface to Romans: Notes on the Epistle in Its Literary and Cultural Setting. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=96373444 Cullmann, O. (1963). The Christology of the New Testament (Guthrie, S. C. Hall, C. A. , Trans. ) (Revised ed. ). Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=95085143 Harink, D. (2005, June 14). Setting It Right: Doing Justice to Justification. The Christian Century, 122, 20+. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5009653212 Knox, J. (1961). Life in Christ Jesus: Reflections on Romans, 5-8. Greenwich, CT: Seabury Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=13880819 Perrin, N. , Duling, D. C. (1982). The New Testament, an Introduction: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History (2nd ed. ). San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=59589847

Abortion - More Questions than Answers :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

Abortion - More Questions than Answers      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is abortion?   Is it the killing of a defense less child or is it the freedom of a woman.   In the case of the latter, it is easy to see how abortion can be very beneficial for the mother.   Perhaps she is a teenager who is too young and too scared for such an awesome responsi bility or perhaps she simply does not have the resources for or want another child.   The situation becomes more complicated when the father of the fetus wants the baby.   Does the father, whose very DNA was transferred to the fetus, have any right to determine whether the mother receives an abortion or is the decision totally that of the mother, who must endure the nine month pregnancy and the birthing process as well as any lingering physical or psychological effects.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even if abortion is considered the killing of a defenseless child, serious and difficult questions cannot be avoided.   Certainly, it is illegal and immoral to kill a week old baby; but can the same be said of the termina tion of a week old fetus?   When does a fetus become a life entitled to the same protection as a newborn baby or when is it too late to end a pregnancy?   Some would say at any point before birth; however, a fetus can be viable and live outside its mother's womb quite some time before its natural birth otherwise would occur.   Is that the point at which abortion is inappropriate and, thus, illegal as well as immoral?   While there are those who would answer in the affirmative, many would argue that a life entitled to protection began at the time of concep tion, the entry of a sperm cell into the egg.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In any event, abortion must be viewed as an issue with many angles.   If a person is pro-life, is he or she opposed to abortion altogether, is there a

Book The First Of Hard Times Essay

In book the first of Hard Times, Dickens introduces many different philosophical ideas that many believed in, in the time of Dickens’ life in England. Towns were developing around coalmines and the blast furnaces took over farming as the main employer of labour. Roads and canals were built to connect industrial areas with cities. One of these industrial areas is, in the book, Coketown. As more public buildings developed, living conditions in towns and cities decreased. Most were cramped, damp, and poorly heated and much malnutrition and disease started to spread all over the country. Dickens used his writing to show his readers what was behind the gleaming concealment of Victorian society. Behind these forces was Utilitarianism, a philosophy that emphasised the practical usefulness of things. This meant that art, imagination, play and entertainment were not valued because they had no practical use. Dickens believed that all these things that made human beings diverse, interesting, free creative, happy and warm hearted were being driven out by the values of a factory system geared only to productivity and profit. Dickens satirised abuses of the utilitarian theory. In book the first, facts and figures are introduced right at the beginning. An authoritative voice is laying down the law. ‘Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts’ The speaker’s appearance is described as his voice is ‘inflexible, dry and dictatorial’; his hair is ‘bristled’. These descriptions give us emphasis to the importance this person places on facts. The children resemble rows of: ‘†¦ and swept with their eyes the inclined plane of little vessels then and there arranged in order, ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim. ‘ The speaker stresses facts, but the narrator is fanciful, turning factual details into metaphors. ‘The square forehead is a wall’ ‘Eyes are curves’ ‘His hair is a plantation of firs’ These suggest that Dickens try’s to make the speaker’s appearance fanciful when the speaker’s whole life is based around facts and figures. There is much repetition that seems to mock the idea of sticking to facts in a lively way. ‘†¦ Square coat, square legs, square soldiers. ‘ Dickens is trying to suggest that his appearance as well as his personality is factual and he has no fancy in him. Much of the plot arises from the speaker’s (later we find out his name is Mr Gradgrind) determination to teach his own children according to his ‘system’ of facts and no feeling or imagination. ‘This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. ‘ When he boasts about it on the first page he is ironically unaware of how much sorrow is to be reaped and garnered from this teaching. This factual life stands for a whole view of life, which the novel will condemn.

Ballads Case Essay

Ballads are poems that tell a story. These ballads are distinguished by such features as few characters, dramatic plots, and may include dialogue, as well as action because it tells a story. They are considered to be a form of narrative poetry. They are often used in songs and have a very musical quality to them. According to the dictionary, Ballad is a narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain. It is the music for such a poem. It is also defined as a popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature. Here is an example: (Ballad of a Mother’s Heart) Origin There have been many theories about the originators of the ballads all of which have some validity when applied to the different types of ballad, the main ones are as follows:  · Minstrels: A minstrel is a musician or a poet. Originally, the minstrels were paid entertainers who worked for the Court and influential personages. They wrote songs about current events and historical victories of their patron and they included rewritings of old songs, legends and ballads in their theatre. The theory that the minstrels were the originators of the ballads was held for quite a long time. They are certainly a factor in the spreading of the ballads into the community; ballads were a stock item in the theatre of the minstrels even when their status had declined to that of street singers.  · – Dance: Certainly some of the ballads were tied to dances. The word ballad probably comes from medieval French dance songs or ballet (â€Å"ballares† dance).  · Ceremonial dance and songs. Some ballad refrains contain ceremonial chants and responses  · Monks: The monks were the amongst the few who could read and write in the early times of the ballad history and that it follows that they must have had a hand in the composition and writing of the ballads.  · Communal composition: It has been suggested that ballads may have developed as a communal effort; particularly those that contain refrains and rhythms that are connected with work such as weaving and spinning. Example is the walking songs of the Hebrides.  · Cante-fable. This is a story, which is classified with verses that are sung or chanted. Some ballads are distinctively English or Scottish in origin but the older ballads are more likely to have a European source as their beginnings, deriving from earlier poems and old folk tales brought into Britain by its many invaders, immigrants and soldiers returning from foreign wars. Composition Scholars of ballads are often divided into two: The ‘communalists’ who argue that ballads arose by a combined communal effort and did not have a single author. They tend to lead to the view that more recent, particularly printed broadside ballads are a debased form of the genre. The ‘individualists’ who assert that there was a single original author. They tended to lead to the view that later changes in the words of ballads are corruptions of an original text. More recently scholars have pointed to the interchange of oral and written forms of the ballad. Classification European Ballads have been generally classified into three major groups: traditional, broadside and literary. * Traditional ballads Traditional folk ballads exhibit certain characteristics which help to identify them as being genuine in origin. Traditional ballads or folk ballads were universal songs meant to be understood by everyone, so writers would choose words that even the uneducated might understand. Traditional ballads follow a standard format and tell lengthy stories that call on imagery. * Broadsides Broadside ballads are descriptive or narrative verses or songs sung or recited in public places or printed on broadsides for sale in the streets. It is commonly in a simple ballad form. Broadside ballads appeared shortly after the invention of printing in the 15th century and were hawked in streets, fairs, and marketplaces of Europe into the 19th century. Among the topics were love, religion, drinking-songs, legends, and early journalism, which included disasters, political events and signs, wonders and prodigies. * Literary ballads A literary ballad (also known as â€Å"art ballad†) is a narrative poem written in imitation of the old anonymous folk ballad; the author is most often a known professional poet. Usually the literary ballad is more elaborate and complex. Literary ballads were quite popular in England during the 19th cent. The literary ballad, unlike the traditional ballad and the broadside ballad, is a sophisticated rather than a popular form. Importance of Ballads Ballads are important to look at because they show how the form has developed over time. A ballad is not simply a romantic song, although that definition will still apply in the field of music. Romance can be infused into ballads, especially if they are a narrative tale of love (or hate) as seen in the ballad by the anonymous Spanish poet. However, they are so much more as well. Anyone who knows the ballad knows how complex the story is in terms of theme, imagery, characters, symbolism, and many other literary devices and significations.

Doing Good

Doing Good Doing Good Doing Good By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked me to comment on the following sentences: Didnt they do good. The boy did good. The word good has numerous definitions and nuances. I started to count all those listed in the OED entry, but gave up, there were so many. The chief use of good is as an adjective: Read any good books lately? It is also frequently used as a noun: Political leaders should consider the common good. A few special constructions exist in which good is used adverbially: He as good as told me he was quitting. Besides being ungrammatical, using good to modify a verb creates ambiguity. The sentences â€Å"Didn’t they do good† and â€Å"The boy did good† suggest that â€Å"they† and â€Å"the boy† were occupied in doing good works. In one of my favorite scenes in the television show 30 Rock, Tracy Morgan asks someone â€Å"How are you doing?† When the other character responds Good. Im doing good! Tracy fixes him with a disapproving stare and says Superman does good. You’re doing well. If â€Å"they† and â€Å"the boy† are not â€Å"doing good† in the sense that Superman and Habitat for Humanity do good, then the good is being used incorrectly. One way to improve these sentences is to replace the adjective good with the adverb well: Didn’t they do well? The boy did well. If this use of â€Å"well† sounds too stuffy for conversation, then the sentences could be rendered as Didn’t they do a good job? The boy did a good job. As language descriptivists would tell us, good is often used as an adverb in conversation. This is true. I use it myself at times, in fun, or to convey praise without seeming sentimental. Ex. You done good, Son! Nevertheless, speakers and writers aiming at standard usage acceptable to a wide audience do well to avoid this construction. Bottom line: Using good to qualify a verb is still considered by most style-conscious writers to be nonstandard usage, best reserved for use as a character marker in fiction to indicate class, region or educational level.   Ã‚   Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"7 Patterns of Sentence StructureQuiet or Quite?

An Enemy of the People

Contemporary social universal issues are reflected in common themes that are evident in extensively appreciated texts. Written by Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People is a prominent example of a text that incorporates universal topics which are those of integrity and environmental damage. Similarly, the film Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh, reflects these themes. Due to the variant mediums the techniques used to portray these themes to the audience are vastly different. Integrity is essential if corrupt forces in society are to be constrained or abolished. In An Enemy of the People, the protagonist, Dr. Stockmann, sacrifices everything for his moral beliefs to assist in eliminating the corruption: Id rather see it ruined than prospering on a lie! This emotive language reinforces that he values honesty, and would rather suffer financial hardships than dishonestly gain from a hazardous industry like the baths. The Doctors fierce dedication stands out in contrast to many of the plays secondary characters who seem to compromise their supposed beliefs: I should be slow to accuse the mayor because hes your bother. But I know you think as I do – the truth should come first The high modality language emphasises that Hovstad is manipulative and duplicitous as he accuses the mayor of lying to start with, but ultimately supports him, a result of his lack of integrity. Moreover, the play exemplifies the consequences that are sometimes presented to those who have a strong sense of integrity. Dr Stockmann strives diligently to expose the sordid condition of the baths so that people do not fall ill. Eventually, however, Peters machinations turn the public against him. Emotive language is used to portray the publics hatred towards the doctor: Hes an enemy! He hates us, thats what he does! Shame! Boo! Enemy of the people! The irony of this play is that the good person, Dr. Stockmann, is the one labelled as the enemy of the people. The play reveals itself as a sharp examination of the terrible price that society often demands of an individual who stays true to his or her principles. Erin Brockovich reflects the same issue of needing integrity to eradicate social ills. The protagonist, Erin Brockovich, acts in a manner motivated by morals. Fighting to sustain her life with her three children as a single parent, she is concurrently fighting for the rights of people who cannot fight for themselves. Her boss, Ed Masry, initially lacks integrity to take the case on. Brockovich, who is in rage at his moral deficiency screams at him: I don’t know shit about shit! But I sure do know the difference between right and wrong! The strong colloquial language and high modality of this statement highlights the fact that ethics do not have to rely on formal education. Furthermore, through the close up shot of Masrys stunned face the audience sees that an appeal to a persons conscience can sway a persons decisions. Consequently, Masry supports Brockovich and they ultimately win the case. This demonstrates that the virtue of integrity can lead to overcoming corruption within society. An Enemy of the People reflects Erin Brockovich in that integrity is still vital for an ethical society as both their protagonists stood up for what they believed in. Stockmann was still maintaining his stand against the solid majority and the socially corrupt institutions they support. However, Brockovich, according to the films epilogue, continued to pursue other social injustice. Hence, both texts reveal that upholding integrity is imperative. Damage to the environment can lead to grave social problems within society. In An Enemy of the People, the contamination of the environment is not only the vehicle for the plays plot but also the catalyst for the conflict that is palpable during the play. Peter Stockmann is primarily motivated by greed and power, whereas, his brother, Dr. Stockmann has passionate ethical beliefs. When the doctor tells his brother about the polluted baths and that they must be fixed Peter is deeply concerned about financial loss: We should probably have to abandon the whole thing, which has cost us so much money – and then you would have ruined your native town. The emotive language used here reinforces that in Peters unethical perspective the town and its visitors health is secondary to the fact to what the town will endure economically. The circumstances of the play highlight how money the key motivation in society and demonstrates the on-going social dilemma about balancing the needs of a community with the needs of the environment, if this balance is out the effect s on society will be detrimental. Erin Brockovich also reflects the universal theme of environmental pollution. In Erin Brockovich the reason for the environmental damage is corporate greed. The multi-billion dollar company Pacific Gas and Electric, is portrayed as socially corrupt, because they did not enact policies to keep the water contaminate free, and therefore compromised the future of Hinkley. The companys deceit about the effects of chromium in the water is revealed in dialogue: So you say this hexavalent chromium Well, its poisonous? Well, its just gotta be different than whats in our water, cause ours is okay. The guys from PGE told me; I mean they sat in my kitchen and told me. They said it was fine. This underlines the companys stance, that the suffering of the environment and society is secondary to making money. The scene in which Brockovich is collecting evidence juxtaposes the close up shot of the small dead frog with a long shot of the huge power plant nearby, to raise audience awareness of the enormity of the deleterious effect of unethical behaviour. Furthermore it encapsulates the necessity of each individual opposing such behaviour. In conclusion, An Enemy of the People depicts universal themes which are relevant to contemporary society today these themes are reflected in Erin Brockovich. Both texts illustrate to the audience how integrity is an imperative element when eradicating corruption and that a tarnished environment can have an injurious effect on society.

Individual marketing article analysis which happened in 2012 Essay

Individual marketing article analysis which happened in 2012 - Essay Example This is realized from the different point of views as per different analysts of firms with interest in IPOs and general investments. Hersey (1991) argues that there is no much news expected even with companies tying their best within a week. The earliest that this could occur is December 17th with series of meetings so as to interact with potential investors. This has been caused by the new rules, which governs the process of going public. Another hindrance is Christmas, which will come in the middle of marketing and may last for at least one week. The presidential elections also interfered with many companies, which could have had deals before the end of the year. Gaiman (2009) argues, however, not all of the companies had this, there were exemptions who pitched shares just a day after voting due to high levels of confidence in gaining potential customers attention, according to the chief financial officer. It still remains tricky to strike deals before the end of the year. There is a backlog of companies who have signed IPOs initial documents waiting processing but still having the lowest recorded dollar value of IPOs backlog, since the year 2009. Lomborg (2012) argues, however, according to the new laws grading IPOs, companies will have their planning confidentially. Those with an annual revenue less than one billion US dollars will have submissions of prospectus done out of public view. This would remain for at least twenty one days before the company sets off. It has been argued that deals can be underway before the public get a glimpse of the idea (Walter & Howei, 2012). This is not what is reflected by the silence in the markets. Many companies have already put up terms on offer or some have had their deals postponed after pitching to investors. A possibility is that the companies could decide to enter the fray quickly. This may come as a surprise to many who are not aware of what is happening. A typical