In the second chapter the very human conditions of Jesus' birth are displayed.He imagines the impact of the virgin birth on a first century Jewish community, noting that under Jewish law Mary could have been stoned for becoming pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. ... Yancey notes that Jesus' genealogy is traced back to Abraham, the founder of Israel; Jesus was circumcised according to Jewish custom; and he worshiped in the Jewish temple. ... They did not believe Jesus was the Messiah because he did not seek to become a king, and rather than freeing the Jews, he preached that they we...

• Word Count: 959
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The very language of the Constitution and Bill of Rights suggest that, though created with Christian morals in the back of their minds, the framers of the Constitution intended America to be a nation free from any one religious authority. ... However, to say that the colonies were free from religious persecution is far from truth. ... In 1689, Great Britain had passed a religious Act of Toleration, but this meant little for American colonies.4 In his Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson highlighted the fact that in 17th century Virginia, it was punishable for "parents to refuse...

• Word Count: 3342
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In Galatians, Paul notes the importance of love as one of the "Fruits of the Spirit ". ... In this way, Paul made Christianity accessible to all, whether they were "Jew or Gentile, male or female, freed or slave " Galatians 3:28.This revolutionized religious expression as salvation was previously earned through works (sacrifices and commandments). ...

• Word Count: 1093
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In particular, he notes that his Master, Captain Auld, was one Christian who would vocally justify his abuse of slaves with a passage from the Bible that he misconstrued. ... Douglass is, therefore, strengthened in his fight for freedom because he understands that his true nature through the will of God is to be spiritually, mentally and physically free. ... He states: The old preacher could go no further than to give utterance to the familiar exhortations: "Trust in the Lord, the Lord can make you free"; "Ask in faith and He will give you what you ask." ...

• Word Count: 1984
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

At the heart of the gnostic concern was the revelation of the hidden Gnosis (Greek meaning "knowledge"), the possession of which would free one from the fragmentary and illusory (or evil) material world (bodily existence) and teach one about the origins of the spiritual world to which the gnostic belonged by nature. ... Even on its own terms, the psycho-cult explanation is barely coherent: reporters were compelled to note, almost grudgingly, that cult members died "willingly"--indeed with a certain quiescent joy--and that Applewhite let his followers mingle rather freely with the world at larg...

• Word Count: 1846
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate