Hot answers tagged definition
12
Not really sure it is enough for an answer, but feels too long for a comment; as with here, it primarily seems to be people who feel that the label "Christian", regardless of it's origin and literal meaning, has too many associations (perhaps more in the people they interact with than themselves).
As an example, there are phrases often used in media and ...
12
"Amen" is a Hebrew word that stems from the word aman, which means "to be faithful, support, or confirm." The word "amen" actually means, "so be it," or "truly."
The Catholic definition agrees.
’Amen itself is an interjection used to agree with, affirm, approve,
or emphasize something else that has been said. Thus when Jesus begins
certain sayings ...
9
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
NKJV
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
NIV
Faith is tangible in a certain sense of the word in that it is tangible to me and God.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, ...
8
This question is very subjective as it appears you are trying to separate what Christianity is from what its adherents do, and that is very tricky.
Jesus had a vision of God's message that he understood very well. Then he gave the pieces of the mosaic to his apostles, and taught some parts to his disciples.
They then tried to recreate the picture that ...
8
This may be redundant, but from a Sola Scriptura/Biblical Literalist/Protestant/Evangelical/Fundamentalist view...
Is Christianity defined by the Bible?
If so, is belief in the Bible the most important (or foundational) belief in Christianity? Is it the basis of Christianity?
Yes. Christianity is the faith in the God of the Bible. ...
8
This is going to be a difficult, if not impossible question to answer to everyone's satisfaction for precisely the reason you say it should be defined. It's bandied about so much, not only by the press, but by just about everyone,that I doubt there is a universally accepted definition.
There are, however, certain characteristics that could be listed that ...
7
An attempt at a generic version. Note that these are guidelines, and additional tradition-specific versions should be consulted!
Clergy:
Priest One who conducts the rituals that mediate between God and man.
Pastor From a word meaning 'shepherd', one who 'watches over' a church, manages it, and tends to its members. Because of the shepherd connotation, the ...
7
Yes and No
It is fair to say that Baptist services are liturgical, but I don't think I'd say that they have "a" liturgy (meaning that they generally adhere to a common liturgy).
Many Baptist churches I've been to don't quite follow the formula you described. Most follow it somewhat, but I think that to call it a common liturgy, it needs to be followed ...
7
"Evangelical" is certainly difficult to pin down! The Encyclopedia of Christianity says
[In America] it covers a wide range of not completely harmonious uses, from the Pentecostal churches to the peace churches, Missouri Synod Lutherans, Southern Baptist Convention, Holiness movement (eg Church of the Nazarene), charismatic groups (including Roman ...
7
Heresy (αἵρεσις) means "choice," and "a heretic is one who chooses what he wants according to his own ideas and opinions, selecting certain parts of the Christian Tradition while rejecting others" (OCA). Some additional insight from this article:
By his actions, a heretic not only destroys the fullness of the
Christian truth but also divides the life ...
7
Neither of your options is correct. Catholics typically refer to what Protestants call the Apocrypha (1-2 Macabees, Sirach, etc.) as deuterocanonical books, and they do include them in the Bible as inspired, God-given writings.
They were in use in the church from before the NT times, and IIRC, it was Jerome that gave them the name "apocrypha" and the ...
6
Catholic version
Priest The biblical order of presbyters. One who conducts sacrifices
Vicar, a priest who is the bishop's helper
Dean (arch-priest) a priest who is designated by the bishop to oversee a number of parishes
Monsignor, a title given by a Bishop to an exemplary priest.
Pastor The priest who is in charge or a parish, he may have associate ...
6
It seems the definition of Christian, at least in America, has become so broad as to include so many disparate teachings that it really fails to distinguish a devoted Christian from one who rejects the Bible and most of its teachings. "Follower of Jesus" is, perhaps, a way to make this distinction. "Followers of Jesus" are not Christian in name only, but ...
6
Short Answer: When we say "God is omnipotent" we mean "He has the power to do whatever He pleases". There are other definitions, such as "capable of doing anything man can think up", but by such definitions He would not be considered "omnipotent".
Semantics
As indicated in the wikipedia post you linked, there are many definitions for the word omnipotent. ...
6
Tithing actually has its roots in the Levitical law. In Leviticus 27, it states:
30“‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. 32The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal ...
6
I think there is an assumption behind your question that is not quite right, regarding the Christian conception of "the Messiah". As David Stratton shows in his answer, the Messiah concept is originally Jewish, and Christians believe that Jesus is that very same Messiah, and the fulfilment of various prophecies. But bear in mind that most Christians ...
6
Sin comes from the Greek Hamartia, which carries with it the idea of an archer missing his mark. The opposite of that would be to hit the mark- to succeed.
I would argue thus that obedience would be the opposite of sin, as it "hits the mark" to which we aim.
Alternatively, telos - the purpose or aim for which we are destined would be pretty good too.
...
6
The Nephilim are a subject of much debate. There are a number of views on what they were, the two prominent views being the Sethite view and the Angelic view. Both are an opinion on who or what the "sons of God" are.
The Nephelim are most notably mentioned in Genesis and seem to be a driving decision to send the Flood of Noah.
The Nephilim were on the ...
5
(I know my answer is similar to James Khoury's, but a longer answer is needed. Even this is not near enough, but here goes anyway...)
It is accurate, but maybe a little simplistic to say that faith is "the belief that God means what He says."
Hebrews 11:1-2 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the ...
5
From the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary:
BAAL (Bāʹ ȧl)
Lord of Canaanite religion and seen in the thunderstorms, Baal was worshiped as the god who provided fertility. He proved a great temptation for Israel. “Baal” occurs in the OT as a noun meaning “lord, owner, possessor, or husband,” as a proper noun referring to the supreme god of the ...
5
To some extent the trend stems from the 2007 book unChristian. The authors surveyed young American adults (late teens to early 30s) and found that the words this group most commonly associated with "Christian" were:
judgmental
antihomosexual
hypocritical
too political
sheltered
The book challenges Christians to move away from behaviors and activities ...
5
Jesus said to be "as wise as serpents, but as gentle as lambs.". Being a Christian does not mean checking our brains at the door when it comes to interacting with the world. Indeed, we are often called to be "discerning."
My interpretation of that word is this - forgiveness doesn't mean forgetfulness.
We can still be guarded when dealing with others, and ...
5
I am a Catholic, and though I'm certainly not professing to be an expert on doctrine... the answer I've been given goes along the lines that The Catholic church will not declare that any given deceased individual is in Hell (or not in Heaven) as we can't know the forgiveness of our Lord, but that there are individuals who, after careful examination of their ...
5
For purposes of this question, protestants can be divided up into three main political camps:
Those that align closely with Catholics, such as Anglicans, older Lutheran groups, and other highly-centralized and liturgical groups. This category tends to either vote exactly as the denomination suggests, or will discount religion in their voting patterns ...
5
Lordship salvation is basically when you submit yourself to Christ, obeying him, turning from sin, and receiving him as your Lord. The premise: that Jesus cannot be one's Savior without also being his Lord.
This is a theological dispute, sometimes called the "Lordship salvation controversy", or "Lordship Controversy". One site that takes this from two views ...
5
I guess I can add something to this. As the Jewish Historian Alfred Edersheim seems to have done a fair bit of research on the subject. Basically the subject is extremely more complex than a simple 10% and would have generally amounted to more under the Old Testament. In fact I am not sure I fully understand what Edersheim has explained but that helps ...
5
In order to know what the opposite of sin is, we must first understand what sin itself is. Sin is defined as a violation of God's law or rebellion against God or His moral purity.
1 John 3:4 (KJV)
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law.
The opposite of sin is, then, the state of obedience to ...
5
Most of these terms are used interchangeably. So a clear cut definition may not be possible.
Doctrine: The official teachings of the Catholic church contained in the Word of God, written or handed down, and defined with a solemn judgment of the Church as divinely revealed truths. This may or may not be a dogma. Example, Mary, Co-Redemptrix
Dogma: Doctrines ...
4
In order for the language of being "saved" to make sense one has to understand what we are being saved FROM. There has to be a before and after scenario. We are saved from the wrath of God. Those without faith in Christ are described as children of wrath.
Consider this passage that uses the language of being "saved" including some details on our original ...
4
As already discussed on meta.C.SE here and here, the short answer is probably "no", except to say that one who identifies himself as a Christian is a Christian.
Of course the long answer depends on the perspective of the person answering the question. It is for this reason we have essentially decided this question is off-topic on this site.
And as an ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
