Empowerment Narrative By
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
Hello,
I want to welcome everyone to “Christian Education Center (C.E.C.) Online.” Thank you for visiting the site.
This is an online site established under our main site, “PERDUE'S POSITIVE EMPOWERMENT”. http://perduespositiveempowerment.blogspot.com/
I believe it is important to understand Christianity & the importance of not being biased & subjective, but the importance of being unbiased & objective when studying & speaking about subjects concerning what is called “The Bible”.
Labeling oneself as a Christian, does not give a person the right to give condemnation to everyone that does not call themselves Christians. For example, there are others who have faith in what they believe.
They believe in their sacred texts.
Canon Of The Ethiopic Bible.
The Pyramid Texts.
The Sumerian Texts.
The Quran (Muslim).
The Vedas (Hinduism).
The Sutras (Buddhism).
Tao Te Ching (Taoism).
Avesta (Zoroastrianism).
Before Christians start criticizing other religions, one thing to note, is the followers of other devotions, are as strong in their beliefs & convictions as Christian believers. There are 2.3 billion Christians.
Before Christians start criticizing other religions, one thing to note, is the followers of other devotions, are as strong in their beliefs & convictions as Christian believers. There are 2.3 billion Christians.
There are also:
1.97 billion Muslims.
1.2 billion followers of Hinduism.
520 million believers in Buddhism.
People who differentiate their God from other Gods & their perception should be the focus of concentration.
It should never be the position of a Christian to spend time thinking & speaking about everyone else being wrong in their beliefs and Christians are the only group right in their thinking.
There are people that adhere to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism Buddhism, Taoism.
There are people that are Atheists, Agnostics, Secular Humanists.
There are Analytical Thinkers, Free Thinkers, Critical Thinkers.
Everyone has the freedom to actuate their individual Code Of Behavior & Ethics.
One can agree or disagree. Respect & goodwill should be demonstrated to everyone.
Christian Education is learning and understanding why one believes what they believe.
The following 12 questions are very important:
(1) Is your belief based from research or what someone told you?
(2) Do you gather at an assembly weekly? If so, what is the purpose?
(3) Is it important to you to read and/or study the Bible consistently, sometimes or not at all?
(4) Do you have a denominational & organizational bias to fit into your personal narrative?
(5) Do you see everything in the Bible as literal?
(6) Out of 45,000 Christian Denominations do you see your Denomination as the only one that is correct & true?
(7) Does your Denomination engage in Reclusive Introspection & Ecclesiastical Isolationism on a regular basis?
(8) Are you able to define the difference between Theological & Historical?
(9) Do you see every claim in the Bible as factual? If so, are you prepared to give irrefutable evidence to show the claim made is true?
(10) How would you feel, if you found new information & presented with apodeictic evidence that many things you believed were not true? Would you investigate the evidence given?
(11) When reading what is known as the Bible, are you able to determine objectively what is factual & fictional?
(12) Are you willing to continue to be a Student Of Learning?
The above questions can apply to any belief system.
When we study the Codex Manuscripts of what is called the Bible, we should understand that we are studying writings that are cited as being written 2,000 - 4,000 years ago by many different people. We should also be educated in understanding that the word "Bible" was never used by any of the writers during those times. We are reading from many translations & interpretations. There is no possession of original copies.
The writers who wrote specific books, wrote to the people of their day. Those writings were not written to us today. We can extract and apply many things today by the writers if we choose to. There are also writings in the Old and New Testament which are not applicable today.
When reading translations, it is important to comprehend that Christian Education is understanding that writings that were put in the Canon, regularly noted as the 66 books, are allegorical, metaphor, literal, hyperbole, symbolism, and parabolic narratives. We should know how to distinguish the difference.
The writers who wrote specific books, wrote to the people of their day. Those writings were not written to us today. We can extract and apply many things today by the writers if we choose to. There are also writings in the Old and New Testament which are not applicable today.
When reading translations, it is important to comprehend that Christian Education is understanding that writings that were put in the Canon, regularly noted as the 66 books, are allegorical, metaphor, literal, hyperbole, symbolism, and parabolic narratives. We should know how to distinguish the difference.
Also many things written are stories & not actual historical events that took place. Those stories are not meant to be taken literal. The Christian Codex gives claims. If those claims are presented as facts, then it must be supported by evidence to show if the claim made is true.
There were also a number of other books, outside the popular 66 books, that can be researched. Such as the "New Testament Apocrypha." The N.T.A. has a minimum of 100 books. These may not be in the Canon, however, they are noted as books written by some of the early Christians. Some of the N.T.A. books are:
“The Gospel Of Thomas”
“Gospel Of Mary”
“Questions Of Bartholomew”
“Secret Book Of James”
“Greek Gospel Of The Egyptians”
“Acts Of Peter & Andrew”
Christian Education is about understanding that we are not to limit ourselves to just what has been handed to us as tradition from one generation to another.
We should use analytical, research and communication skills, along with the advancement of technology to distribute and circulate objective information.
Being a Christian is not about Reclusive Introspection and Ecclesiastical Isolationism. (See my writing on: "RECLUSIVE INTROSPECTION & ECCLESIASTICAL ISOLATIONISM”
There is argument among Christian denominations & organizations. According to “LIVE SCIENCE”, there are 2.3 billion Christians in the world.
According to “Center For The Study Of Global Christianity”, there are 45,000 Christian denominations.
Each denomination believes their tenets, doctrine, teachings are correct. Many of these denominations are in opposition to one another.
It is important to study Greek & Hebrew text translations & grammar via exegesis study & not through a narcigesis lens.
Many Christians may never study translations, Greek, Hebrew & Aramaic etymology. It is important to note when one wears the title of Christian, they should show continuity in Encouraging, Empowering, Educating, Uplifting and Enlightening others. If using the scriptures as guidelines, then it is necessary to do in-depth analysis & research.
I am a firm proponent that people should always engage in Scholarship, Research & Analysis to get grammatical & contextual understanding as to why they arrived at their conclusion. One should understand the difference between subjective reality and objective reality. When studying any subject matter, one should be able to explain the Science Of Interpretation, Narrative Conveyance & Procedural Directives. Of course, one has to study unbiasedly if they are committed to authenticity.
Jarrett L. Perdue Sr.
