First assignment for FDREL 212

I read the sections and did a little research into customs of the time, and gave my wife a brief overview of what happened in the first few chapters of Acts. My lesson was kind of rushed, and not all that important, but my wife asked a question which sparked an important lesson for me.

She asked, “If the church was growing so quickly, and with such strength, how did it come to end?”

I told her that I thought that the church may have grown too quickly and too much. That the Apostles didn’t have enough time and ability to hold the church together, that on top of the fact that they were always busy being imprisoned and killed. It was hard to get enough leadership to keep true doctrine flowing.

She said, “but that can’t happen now because we have the ability to communicate so well across the globe.”

God has blessed us with increases in technology as part of the fulfillment of his promise that “no unhallowed hand can stop the work of the Lord.” God loves us so much he has given us prophets and apostles, and has given them a voice that can be heard on every climb.

My wife is so smart. And, for the record, she did not make me write that.

219 words.

Acts 17: Image of the Unknown

     One of my favorite songs begins like this: "We're more than carbon and chemicals, We are the image of the invisible!"

    In a religion class I am taking, we read Acts 17. Paul, being the total tough guy he was, went to one of the cultural centers of the Roman empire: Athens. During the time of his visit, Athens was in decline. The people of Athens were doing what they could to restore the city to its former glory. They still used the structures which had been built in centuries previous. Among them was the marketplace. This was a place where people could go an share new ideas. This is where Paul went to preach the relatively new doctrine of Christ.

     Paul was met by a people altogether different than the Jews. The people of Athens supported many doctrines. The doctrines of the Epicureans and the Stoics. The Epicurean Doctrine was that the earth was created by chance and that the point of life was to avoid pain, and to find as many pleasurable experiences as possible. The Stoic view was that God created the world, and that trying to change your lot in life is pointless. The people of Athens also had built a shrine to the unknown god.

     Paul had minimal success with the people of Athens, but his effort was not wasted. There were a few converts and those people did receive some attention in later epistles.

     The real point of Acts 17 is the manner in which he preaches. He uses references to local landmarks, texts of the Stoics, and used the argumentative style that was popular in that area. What is more important than that, however, is the fact that he stuck to his principles. Despite the fact that he was surrounded by varying doctrines and popular opinions, he told the people of Athens the truth of the gospel. In a manner which they could understand.