Mary Grace Serreno
October 28, 2009
I found it interesting how the church begins to become more and more structured like the Roman Empire with hierarchies and distinguished offices. There is a strong respect for the authority of the Bishop and they practice the laying on of hands whenever they appoint a new one. Bishops start appointing Bishops and the office and responsibilities increase. The Bishop had the responsibility to take care of the needy in the community, the poor and the widows. Initially they were appointed over their household so they had to have a good standing in the community both with respect and financially in order to become that leader. Also as the church begins to look more like the Roman Empire in structure women are seen less and less in leadership positions; however, we can still find them as Prophets and being honored as martyrs. House churches can still be found in the rural areas, but no longer in the urban areas with the intensity of the growth of the church.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Class Participation Assignment - October 26, 2009
In the class movie we learned how some things originated and saw visuals on stories we have only read about. A new thing I learned was the Roman perspective of the image of a man carrying a sheep on his shoulders. The Roman’s believed it meant compassion toward human life, different then how the church views that same image today. Also very interesting was the vision of Constantine that totally changed the empire towards Christianity. He believed in the sun god and one day had a vision of a cross on the sun with words under it saying “by this conquer.” And so he did and won the battle making Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire.
In the class movie we learned how some things originated and saw visuals on stories we have only read about. A new thing I learned was the Roman perspective of the image of a man carrying a sheep on his shoulders. The Roman’s believed it meant compassion toward human life, different then how the church views that same image today. Also very interesting was the vision of Constantine that totally changed the empire towards Christianity. He believed in the sun god and one day had a vision of a cross on the sun with words under it saying “by this conquer.” And so he did and won the battle making Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Mary Grace Serreno Class Participation Assignment - October 21, 2009
In the first century of the church I found it interesting how the role of the Bishop began to morph as the Church was morphing. The Bishop-Elder-Deacon in the Jewish culture was considered a Mentor in the faith, but began to get more complex with the Greek structural view. Moreover, the role of the Bishop was more of a “guardian of the faith” the Professor explained and later became more involved with the hierarchy of the church with added responsibility. The church began to reflect more and more the culture surrounding it and adapted to those societies i.e. The Church in Rome was more contemporary with women holding positions as Leaders of the household, society and in ministry where on the other hand in Corinth they were kept uneducated and told not to speak in the church.
In the first century of the church I found it interesting how the role of the Bishop began to morph as the Church was morphing. The Bishop-Elder-Deacon in the Jewish culture was considered a Mentor in the faith, but began to get more complex with the Greek structural view. Moreover, the role of the Bishop was more of a “guardian of the faith” the Professor explained and later became more involved with the hierarchy of the church with added responsibility. The church began to reflect more and more the culture surrounding it and adapted to those societies i.e. The Church in Rome was more contemporary with women holding positions as Leaders of the household, society and in ministry where on the other hand in Corinth they were kept uneducated and told not to speak in the church.
Monday, October 19, 2009
My Thoughts on the Last Class...
Mary Grace Serreno MC500
Class Participation Assignment - October 19, 2009
My thoughts on the last class session begins with the scripture reading and reflection of Acts 2:42-47. This passage really gives us a glimpse of the heart of the first church and how unselfish and giving they were by selling what they had so everyone's needs were met. Earth was clearly not their home. I also found it interesting to learn about the house churches and how the leader of the house had such a significant and powerful influence on not only their house but the community surrounding it. The book of Acts shows us the Acts of the first church and how the Holy Spirit falls on all who seek him and does not discriminate based on race or gender. We can also see how things were a bit free and organic in the beginning with Church leadership and became more and more formalized as time went on.
Class Participation Assignment - October 19, 2009
My thoughts on the last class session begins with the scripture reading and reflection of Acts 2:42-47. This passage really gives us a glimpse of the heart of the first church and how unselfish and giving they were by selling what they had so everyone's needs were met. Earth was clearly not their home. I also found it interesting to learn about the house churches and how the leader of the house had such a significant and powerful influence on not only their house but the community surrounding it. The book of Acts shows us the Acts of the first church and how the Holy Spirit falls on all who seek him and does not discriminate based on race or gender. We can also see how things were a bit free and organic in the beginning with Church leadership and became more and more formalized as time went on.
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