The Churches Mission in the World Research Paper

The Churches Mission in the World - Research Paper Example This paper will look at 2 of the most reliable and popular sources in the world of Christian literature regarding information on the church’s mission. These 2 sources are â€Å"Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World† by Robert E. Webber and â€Å"Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World† by Lee C. Camp. The chapters that are most appropriate for this paper’s questions will be taken studied and assessed. There will be feedback given on these sources and then the paper will provide its own reflection regarding the church’s mission. It will also explain weather or not it agrees with the information from the sources. It will take on these subtopics as such: Discussion on â€Å"Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World† by Robert E. Webber Discussion on â€Å"Mere Discipleship: Radical Christianity in a Rebellious World† by Lee C. Camp. Reflection on both sour ces and personal feedback Discussion on â€Å"Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for A Postmodern World† by Robert E. Webber This paper took information from chapters 17, 18 and 19 from this book by Robert E. Webber as the portions of the book that most relate to the question this research is trying to answer. In this book, Webber’s approach on explaining the church’s role is mainly associated with evangelism or sharing the word of God. His approach in telling us about the church’s role starts with explaining some historical information about how the church’s evangelism began then moved to telling of evangelism’s progression and how this idea changed or evolved thru time. The book also provides information regarding the church’s shift in how it viewed baptism. According to the book, ancient churches treated baptism as the first step toward conversion, while the early church viewed baptism as â€Å"the culmination of a pr ocess of personal salvation†. (Webber 141-42) According to the book, this is also why the medieval church used force as a tool for evangelism. The book also tells us about the church’s role or its purpose. It tells us that there came a time where reform was needed in the church’s ideas and methods, but despite these reforms, the role of the church was still understood and still remained the same. In essence, the church’s role is to â€Å"Christianize† the world, all while emphasizing the importance of faith, rather than works. The reform movements worked toward letting people know that God initiates salvation. Many movements also worked thru evangelism in their own ways and making sure to introduce God and his teachings into society. The book tells us of â€Å"The great commission† which is the church’s ultimate goal, to convert people to Christ. (Webber 143) The book also tells us about â€Å"problems inherited from the enlightenment †. This tells us about the movement’s association with individualism as being the major problem in the situation. It tells us that this approach focuses too much on â€Å"You† and loses the ultimate message of the gospel. This section of the book also provides deeper differentiation between evangelical and Baptist movements. It provides us both the positive and negative sides of these movements as well as tells us about evangelism’s apparent separation from the church. Along with this information is the

William Burroughs’s Fiction Essay Example for Free

William Burroughs’s Fiction Essay This paper will argue that William Burroughs’s fiction is directed at subverting and deconstructing the dominant social order and mainstream conventions and social practices. In such novels as The Western Lands (1987), The Soft Machine (1961), The Ticket that Exploded (1962) or The Nova Express (1964) the author constructs full-fledged literary outlaws – gangsters, conmen, etc. – in order to epitomize the forceful and illegitimate ways in which ideas, opinions or the entire reality can be imposed on the ostracized other. Therefore, William Burroughs’ novels also offer a reflection of American capitalist society and its unorthodox power relations. This theme will be investigated in the novel in light of Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle which discusses the specular character of the capital society and the gaps between reality and representation. In his article on Burroughs, Frederick M. Dolan argues that   in the writer’s novels, all the rogue figures â€Å"control others by mastering the art of producing vivid and convincing representations, exploiting the naà ¯ve, metaphysical urge to believe that when language appears most meaningful, it has because it has established a referential relationship to the world† (Dolan, p. 536). This is precisely what the â€Å"society of the spectacle† is attempting to achieve by superimposing the show of capitalist order on everyday reality. Burroughs was also very interested in showing the distorting power of language and the ways in which reality can be manipulated because of this. From this perspective, Jacques Derrida’s book, Of Grammatology, will be particularly useful in the analysis of Burroughs’s language treatment and of the ways in which the writer’s deliberate foregrounding of the gaps between signifier and signified undermine the capitalist social order and ingrained thought-mechanisms. Burroughs denounces contemporary man as automaton, as passive receiver of ideology. Works Consulted: Burroughs, William S. The ticket that exploded. Grove Press, 1987. Dolan, Frederick M.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Poetics of Postmodern Subversion: The Politics of Writing in William S. Burroughss The Western Lands†, pp. 534-551. Contemporary Literature  © 1991 University of Wisconsin Press. Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone Books, 1994. Derrida, Jacques: Of Grammatology. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Harris, Oliver (Oliver C. G.). William Burroughs and the secret of fascination.   Southern Illinois University Press, c2003. Lee, Witness. Word virus : the William S. Burroughs reader. Grove Press, 1998. -. Nova express. Grove Press, 1965. -. The soft machine ; Nova express ; The wild boys : three novels. Grove Press, 1988. Lydenberg, Robin. Word cultures : radical theory and practice in William S. Burroughs fiction. University of Illinois Press, 1987.Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998 New York : Zone Books, 1994. New York : Zone Books, 1994. New York : Zone Books, 1994. Morgan, Ted. Literary outlaw : the life and times of William S. Burroughs. H. Holt, 1988. Pepper, Andrew. â€Å"State Power Matters: Power, the State, and Political Struggle in the Post-War American Novel†. Textual Practice, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 467-91, December 2005. Philips, James. â€Å"Life in Space: William Burroughs and the Limits of the Society of Control†. Literature and Aesthetics: The Journal of the Sydney Society of Literature and Aesthetics, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 95-112, June 2006. Schneiderman, Davis. Retaking the universe : William S. Burroughs in the age of globalization. Pluto Press, 2004. Sobieszek, Robert A. Ports of entry : William S. Burroughs and the arts. Los Angeles County Museum of Art ; 1996.

Dual Citizenship In Canada :: essays research papers

Dual Citizenship in Canada Karen and Ross have been married for six years. During these years, each has had to make decisions concerning their careers to accommodate each other. Two companies have now confronted Ross with a career opportunity, those being California Energy Systems and Petrolia Oil. He must decide by September 28 what opportunity to act upon, taking into account the effects it will have on his career, Karen's career, and their marriage. Situational Analysis Both individuals come from traditional families and are career orientated people. Karen believes the women in her life were career women but this is not entirely true. Her father held an executive job that forced continuous movement. Where as her mother held a ‘traditional' position as a school teacher and she was not permitted to have work "interfere with home life and child- rearing responsibilities". On the other hand, Ross had a mother who devoted herself to the well-being of her husband and son. Where as his father was a business man that earned a high income, allowing the family to live in a comfortable home with a luxury lifestyle. Karen and Ross appear to be leading a life that is different from their parents but this is not entirely true. It is noteworthy to mention, that each has a traditional role within the marriage. For example, Ross is responsible for the financial aspects of the home while Karen is responsible for the household chores. At the beginning of the marriage, they attempted to have a "weekend marriage" but this was a great strain and Karen sacrificed her career by finding a job closer to Ross. This demonstrates they are traditional within the marriage, although Karen has an untraditional career. Career Opportunities As both Karen and Ross hold dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, they have frequently discussed the possibility of working in Canada. They concluded the Canadian market is less competitive and offers more options than California. However, Karen considers Canadian culture to be slower than U.S. culture concerning the treatment toward women. In June 1990, a Canadian utility company asked Karen to consider the possibility of joining their company. Upon consideration, Karen became less enthusiastic about the position and decided to decline the offer. Then in mid September, California Randle Corporation offered her a job in the organizational development department. This position would provide an increase in salary, double responsibility, and a great opportunity to learn and advance. The Bank of Ontario also interviewed her for a junior position and told Karen an opportunity might open later in the year. Simultaneously, Ross reluctantly extended his own job search to Ontario.

How does Brian Friel establish the theme of language Essay

How does Brian Friel establish the theme of language and its effects on communication, power and identity in Act one? In the play Translations, language and its effects is clearly one of the central themes. This is evident because the characters all show what language means to them ranging from Hugh who uses his knowledge of languages as a form of power over the British to Owen who does not show any concern for his language and identity and allows the British to call him Roland. Furthermore the title of the play Translations is ironic because although one of the themes of the play is keeping your identity the book itself looses its identity. This is because although the play is written by an Irish author and set in Ireland, it is written in English. Thus the title foreshadows the outcome of the play. One of the ways Brain Friel establishes the theme of language is by using Sarah as a device to convey the bare minimum of language. Her limited knowledge of language limits her communication. However this could also be a benefit to her as she is able to have secrets without being expected to share them. Sarah is first introduced in the play by the stage directions which say â€Å"Sarah shakes her head vigorously and stubbornly† this is because Manus wants her to speak so she has an identity in the world. This could foreshadow that the Irish, who do not want to speak English will be forced too for there own good as it will help their country prosper. The character Sarah can be interpreted as the symbol of Ireland due to the play opening with her trying to claim her identity by saying â€Å"My name is Sarah†. This achievement of Sarah saying her name at the start of the play shows just how powerful language can be as just a few words can turn you from someone who is unknown to a person who has status in the world. Manus understands this and reacts by saying â€Å"nothing’ll stop us now†. This can either be interpreted as nothing will stop Sarah from learning Gaelic now or that the â€Å"now† in the quote refers to all of Ireland and that as long as people are still learning Gaelic the British will not stamp out their language. The character Manus is Hugh’s eldest son and is a teacher at Hedge School. The relationship that Manus has with his father is made very clear by Brain Freil when Hugh first enters the play as he treats Manus like a slave by handing him his hat and coat â€Å"as, if to a footman†. Brain Friel shows that due to Manus’s lack of communication with his father and his willingness to do all the things his father asks of him, that he has become a servant. Out of all the characters in the play it is only Manus who really sees the British as an enemy in the First Act. This is likely to be because Manus clearly loves his country and his language and sees these two things as part of his identity. Also although the play is not overtly political, political issues do run under the surface. For example when Dan Doalty moves the British’s poles Manus says this is just a â€Å"gesture† to indicate a â€Å"presence†. However when analysing Doalty’s character it can easily be seen that it is highly unlikely he was doing it for this reason and was more likely just looking to make fun of the British. Furthermore Manus is the only one who sees Owen’s job as traitorous to Ireland. All the other characters do not even mention it. However although Manus feels this way about Owen, he himself is guilty of betrayal as he â€Å"ignores† Sarah when she tells him that she said her name. As Sarah symbolises Ireland’s identity ignoring her is like a betrayal to Ireland. The character Jimmy, although contributing to the comedy in act one when Doalty and Bridget are making fun of him. I believe also that this represents just how different the British and Irish culture was in the nineteenth century as his character reveals that in Ireland even the most poor man can speak Greek and Latin. In England it is most likely only the richer upper class people would be able to speak these languages revealing that language doesn’t represent status in Ireland. Furthermore Jimmy’s character is also the only character that stays true to his identity as he is unable to speak English and shows know signs of wishing to learn English â€Å"I have only Irish†. However although Jimmy shows know signs of wanting to learn English his love of Latin and Greek have caused him to be unable to communicate properly with other characters as they only speak Gaelic. Thus Jimmy portrays what could happen to Ireland if they do not learn English as they will be cut off from the world. Additionally Jimmy’s character also uses his knowledge of languages as a power over the British as he mocks captain Lancey for not being able to speak Latin â€Å"Nonne Latine loquitur?†. Brain Friel also shows that due to Jimmy’s reading of Greek stories such as the â€Å"Odyssey† he has created an alternative reality for himself in which figures of myth are as real to him as the people he sees everyday. This is revealed as he imagines situations when he would have to choose between Athene, Artimis and Helen. Due to these fantasies Manus calls Jimmy â€Å"a bloody dangerous man† suggesting that living in the past is dangerous. Thus foreshadowing that Manus, who does not embrace the English language in his country, may be dangerous as he is still living in the past The characters captain Lancey and Yolland although both working for the British army have very different views on what they have been ordered to do in Ireland. This is apparent by the way that they act when they first meet the Irish people. Captain Lancey who clearly symbolises England as his manner is polite and imperative, is very patronising when he talks, thinking that if he just talks slow and loud as if to a child the Irish will some how be able to understand him â€Å"a picture- you understand picture?†. However even though he uses this patronising tone it is clearly unjustified because when jimmy asks him â€Å"Nonne Latine loquitur?† he mistakes it for Gaelic showing that he is not as intelligent as them. Furthermore the language used by Lancey although already in English is very political and imperialistic and it is likely some British people wouldn’t understand what he was saying. In comparison Yolland although a soldier has few characteristics normally associated with the military as he is shy and awkward. This is shown when Yolland says â€Å"I – I – I’ve nothing to say – really -â€Å". The quote reveals that he is not uncomfortable being in Hedge Schools as he stutters. Furthermore unlike Lancey, Yolland is uneasy about not being able to speak Gaelic as he says â€Å"Sorry – sorry† when he can’t understand Maire. Additionally Yolland shows very clearly that he values language and identity as he wishes to learn G aelic. The â€Å"strong-minded, strong bodied women† Maire is a very pragmatic character as she will do things to better herself. This is shown by her willing to embrace the future and learn English so that she can move to America as it is the land of opportunities. This reveals that learning English to Maire is a form of power as it will allow her to escape her poor life in Ireland. However although she desires this, there is a clear uncertainty in what Maire wants as she speaks approvingly of â€Å"modern progress† but on other occasions finds comfort in the belief that things will never change. This is shown when she talks about Baile Beag’s potato crop never failing. The repetition of the word â€Å"never† suggests that her willingness to embrace the future is idealistic and selective showing that she wants some things to change while finding a misplaced assurance in the belief that something’s will never change. This could suggest that although she is willing to give up part of her identity, she is comforted by the fact that it is unlikely to happen. The character Owen is Hugh’s youngest son an presents a striking contrast to Manus, as he is lively and charming. Furthermore although Owen is the son who left his father to pursue his own ambitions he is treated more warmly then Manus. This could be why Owen and Manus’s relationship is uneasy. Owen can either be interpreted as a traitor or as a pragmatic character like Maire. This is because although Owen is helping the British â€Å"standardise† Irish place names, he could just be doing this as he believes embracing English is the only way Ireland will prosper. However due to Owen allowing the British to call him Roland, which is a common British name it is likely that the former is true. This is further apparent as when questioned by Manus about why the British call him Roland he replies with â€Å"It’s only a name. It’s the same me isn’t it?†. This quote reveals that Owen places know value in his identity. Owen’s translation of what Lancey is saying on pages 31/32 also show how Owen uses his ability to communicate with the English as power over the Irish. This is because his mistranslation of what Lancey is saying to the Irish allows Owen to make it seem that the British are in their country to help them, not remove their language. The character Hugh although conveyed as a figure of dignity in Baile Beag is ironically a heavy drinker and is shown little respect by characters such as Daolty as he mocks him behind his back by impersonating the way he acts. Hugh, who is fluent in English, Latin, Greek and Gaelic is very critical of the British language referring to it as a language for traders. Furthermore the distain with which he speaks of Lancey for not knowing any Gaelic, Latin and Irish shows how he uses his knowledge of languages as a weapon against the British as he is able to show his superior intelligence. In conclusion Brain Friel’s uses characters, dramatic setting and many other devices to show how language plays a key role in this play. Furthermore his use of characters in the play to convey the bare minimum of language (Sarah) and the height of language (Hugh) add to the effect of how he uses language.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In Rebecca Skloot’s novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks many ethical questions are raised regarding the practices used to collect and distribute Henrietta’s cells. These practices led to emotional challenges faced by each of Henrietta’s family members and close friends. These ethical issues combined with the struggles faced such as poverty, trust and the lack of education by the Lacks’ family contribute to the overall theme of the novel. Once Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she was forced to undergo harsh radiation treatments in the hopes to battle the disease, which ultimately led to her demise.Her family and friends watched her suffer without any knowledge of her cells being taken or continuing to live after her body had departed. The Lacks family, including Henrietta, trusted the doctors at Hopkins and never thought to question anything tests they needed to run or surgeries they asked to preform. The family was also very uneducated. When told her mother’s cells were immortal and still living, Deborah as well as other Lacks began to think there were millions of Henriettas roaming the world.The question of ethics, which reoccurs throughout the novel, was that of whether the doctors at John Hopkins should have asked for permission before collecting Henrietta’s cells. Another question raised was whether the HeLa cells fame, should have been explained to the remaining Lacks’ and whether or not the family was entitled to a portion of the profits. When Slook came in touch with the family, she began to teach them about their mother and her cells; they were finally beginning to understand the nature of their mother’s cells. The theme that had the largest impact on my reading of the novel was that of ethics.The use of human cells without the knowledge of the patient is unethical especially when the education level and social class of that patient is used to the doctors advantage. There were s everal decisions made throughout the novel in which the family had no say, therefor they were made to the advantage of the decision maker. The initial sample taken from Henrietta’s tumor is one of many examples. Henrietta thought that she was simply going in to have her cancer removed, when in fact her cells were removed and currently are still thriving.The question of ethics did not come into play when the outcome benefited someone other than the patient. The nature in which Henrietta and her family were treated is very unethical. They were virtually left in the dark and the fame that Henrietta’s cells received was never shared with the family. There are many different views on people’s cells once they have been removed from the body. Whether or not I agree with these views would be enough for a paper itself. The novel written by Skloot gave Henrietta, her family, and her cells the proper place in history to which they deserve.