Theology Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theology - Term Paper Example It involves celebrating Gods revelation to humanity through Christ. The Second Advent is characterized by scriptural references with themes majorly inclined to being accountable during his second coming. Judgment of sin and hope of everlasting life is given preeminence in the Second Advent. Advent has deep-rooted focus in the past and the coming future. It is characterized by great symbolism that refers to spiritual journey of individuals and utmost the congregation. The congregation celebrating the advent should be encouraged to do so with hope, anticipation and a spirit of longingnes.They should yearn for deliverance from temptations and evils of the universe. The advent service should start by deliverance to resemble the Israelites who wept out to God to deliver them from bondage in Egypt. The cry of the faithful should rest in the fact that, there is still future hope for deliverance despite being part of a world full of sin and exploitation. The hope by the faithful fills them w ith anticipation that in the near future; a Just King will come whose rule will be marked by righteousness. Themes on anticipation that signifies a new dawn with the royalty of the anointed are to be included in the service. The introduction part of the advent service begins with a song. The song must be relevant to the season and introduce the theme. Songs related to the scriptural readings of the day should be encouraged. ... At this stage, reconciliation is encouraged among the Faithfulls, which signifies that the Christ who is to be born is a prince of peace, and he will bring peace on earth. In the liturgy of the scripture or the word as it is sometimes known, one or even more verses from the scripture are read. The reading can come from the book of psalms. Duration of silence would be observed accompanied by reading from the bible to allow the word to be well understood by the congregation. Preferably in the case of one reading, a verse from the gospels should be read. In liturgy of reconciliation, the minister opens a reconciliatory statement then the congregation joins in. The congregation confesses their sins and prays for those who have wronged them. Musical instruments and the tunes they play should match with the theme of the season. Musical instruments play a great role as they focus thoughts of the congregation on the main theme of the day. A prayer of thanks giving should conclude the Advent service. The prayer gives gratitude to God for His constant love and redemption. The priest concludes the service by blessing the congregation. Words of Gods constant love, care, and protection dominate the blessings. The priest then ends the service by releasing the gathering. He proclaims Gods peace on the congregation. In Barth’s shoes, the advent session service would be a period of fasting and repentance of sins. The service would derive its concept from that of Lent season. When fasting, the congregation is expected to anticipate for good things in future when Christ comes. This should happen even though the return of the Messiah in both Judaism and the Old Testament shows no connection with the aspect of remembering sins. On the contrary, it was marked by

Role of Confucian scholars or advisors in government on the period of Research Paper

Role of Confucian scholars or advisors in government on the period of Tang Dynasty - Research Paper Example â€Å"The Tang dynasty was a dynasty that was characterized by such strength and brilliance that it is unprecedented by any other. The civil service examination was so refined, that the tests basic form was used in the 20th century. The role of the imperial and local government was amplified so that it centralized administration and enacted an elaborate code of administrative and penal laws.† (Tang Dynasty†¦.)The coup by Li Shihmin, the founder of the Tang Dynasty, proved to be a remarkable event in the history of China and it heralded many structural and administrative changes in the system of governance. The highlights of the achievements were new concepts in foreign relations, unification of national culture, more centralization of powers, radical changes in the fiscal policy that helped the overall growth of the nation from all ends. The good spadework done by the Sui dynasty that ruled previously in administrative, transport and communication areas helped Tang dynast y rulers to consolidate the gains. â€Å"Tang Empire was able to create a strong centralized government and work towards unifying the political and cultural divisions between its people†¦..The Tang emperors set up a strong centralized system of government, in which the emperor was the supreme authority†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Although most of the officials came from influential noble families, some officials were chosen through civil service examinations which tested a persons knowledge of classical Confucian learning and literary composition. With a staff of only 13,465 officials the Tang government was able to oversee a population of more than 50 million people.† (Influences†¦..) To understand the influence of Confucian Teachings on family and society, it is necessary for us to know something in brief about Confucianism. Wing-tsit Chan writes, â€Å"Confucianism did not begin with a tradition. Confucius (551-479 BC) taught various subjects on self-cultivation and the ordering of the society. To be