The Anonymous Christian As Described By Karl Rahner Essay

The Anonymous Christian As Described By Karl Rahner Essay I would like to first start by giving a short biography of Karl Rahner as described by the Karl Rahner Society. He was born in Freiburg, Germany, on March 5, 1904 and died in Innsbruck, Austria, on March 30, 1984. He entered the Jesuit order in 1922 and he was one of the most influential theologians in the Vatican II era. His essays covered a broad range of topics; most of these issues were what concerned the Catholics from the 1940s to the 1980s. His essays provided many resources for both academic and pastoral theology. He was quite popular in his native German-speaking countries through his teaching, lectures, editorial labors and membership in learned societies. He was published in international publications like Concilium. He had a large collection of works 1651 publications (4744 including reprints and translations); He also enjoyed a positive reception of his contributions by many Protestant thinkers. Rahners influence became more evident after his service as an official papal theological expert from1960 to 1965 before and during the Second Vatican Council. To understand how Rahner arrives at his concept of the anonymous Christian, it is important to understand the basis of ideas of Rahner. He was greatly influenced by Immanuel Kant, Heidegger, and the Belgian Jesuit Joseph Marà ©chal. The basis of Rahners thoughts comes from a vision of the world being a profound area of Gods self-communication. Rahners first two books were Spirit in the World and Hearer of the Word. Rahners position, as written in his essays, was deeply rooted in the Ignation way of thinking, believing that God is in all things, sacramental piety, and devotion to Jesus and the Catholic doctrine. Rahner addresses the anonymous Christian in an interview provided to Rev. Norman Wong Cheong Sau in an article titled Karl Rahners Concepts of the Anonymous Christian an Inclusivist View of Religions, he provided his personal definition of anonymous Christian to Rev. Sau interviewer: We prefer the terminology according to which that a man is called an anonymous Christian who on the one hand has de facto accepted of his freedom this gracious self-offering on Gods part through faith, hope, and love, while on the other he is absolutely not yet a Christian at the social level (through baptism and membership of the Church) or in the sense of having consciously objectified his Christianity to himself in his own mind (by explicit Christian faith resulting from having hearkened to the explicit message). We might therefore, put it as follows: the anonymous Christian in our sense of the term is the pagan after the beginning of the Christian mission, who lives in the state of Christs grace through faith, hope, and love, yet who has no explicit knowledge of the fact that his life is orientated in grace-given salvation to Jesus Christ. A non-anonymous Christian for lack of a better term or a declared Christian is someone who has accepted Christ and lives with the grace of Gods grace, love, hope and understanding. This person declares himself a Christian, was baptized and lives by Gods laws. Rahner bases his belief in the anonymous Christian as someone who lives a Christian lifestyle but has not yet declared himself a true Christian. By declaring oneself a true Christian, according to Rahner, you must be baptized, attend mass and pray in the traditional standardized way. This of course, includes living by Gods laws and living in a Christ like manner. This person declares themselves a Christian in every way, the way they talk, the way they pray and their absolution from original sin. A good example of the declared Christian would be Mother Teresa. Mother Teresa acknowledged that she lived in the Grace of God and followed his words and teachings. She accepted Jesus as her way to God. In believing that Jeus Christ is the only way to God would be to think in an exclusivist manner. According to Rahner there is more than one way to reach God. This would be the Inclusivist view. It accepts that Jesus is but only one way to God, but acknowledges that there are others. Rahner talks of the supernatural salvation for people who live in Gods grace without the acknowledged title of Christian. The Inclusivist view is what has led to Karl Rahners description of the anonymous Christian. According to Rahner it is not necessary to be a declared Christian to work your way to God. In Pope John Paul IIs visit to Mahatma Gandhis tomb The Pope put flower petals on the grave and said that followers of other religions can be saved by Christ without being converted. This gave some popularity to Rahners claim that any man who practices a religion or acts according to natural law and is blessed by Gods grace is an anonymous Christian, even if he does not wish to admit it. Gandhi was a perfect example of this anonymous Christian, although he did not call himself a Christian by name he lived in a Christ like manner, followed his religion faithfully and exercised Christian attitudes to others, thereby living in Gods grace. There is a quote in the Rahner Reader on Page 75 that best describes the awareness utilized by Gandhi in being called an anonymous Christian, The mind of even the anonymous Christian is raised to the supernatural order by the grace of Christ, philosophy is not purely secular activity. The best of modern philosophy should be considered the self-reflection of a mind to which God has revealed himself implicitly through his grace. This quote described the grace given to Gandhi through his self awareness and through his thought process that leads to his Christian like beliefs. Although, again, not being a declared Christian, Gandhi, would be considered an anonymous Christian as his beliefs and life style brought him into the grace of God. Of course, any person can become an anonymous Christian; it is based on their beliefs and their way of thinking, and their supernatural salvation. If a mans reason is that which leads him closer to grace then as per Rahner, The anonymous Christian whether they know it or not, whether they distinguish it from the light of their natural reason or not are enlightened by the light of Gods grace which God denies no man. Being a Christian is not a prerequisite to receiving Gods grace. According to Rahner, Gods grace is open to all men. Presented in Rahners Reader is a passage about exploring new lands, Christs message can still be heard. Although, the inhabitants may not understand Christ or his word it does not mean that they are not living in the grace of God. The Western World, during its wonderings into strange lands while carrying Christs message, always encounters a world in which Christs grace has long been at work even though not called by its own name. (Rahner 80) Basically what Rahner is saying here is that no matter where we travel we can find anonymous Christians. He believes that Gods grace is at work in many lands, places where the inhabitants may not even have heard of Jesus Christ or of God Himself. Rahner has a very open mind, in the exclusivist view the only way to God is through Christ. Rahner is exemplary of the inclusivist view. I agree with Rahner that to be near God does not necessarily mean that we must only accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior. There are many people that live a good life, are Christian like in all of their ways but they do not worship Jesus the same as Christians. Many people in many lands are blessed by Gods grace. Many of the people of Israel, although Jewish, still live a life that is graced by God. They pray, the exhibit Christian like atitudes, Jewish people can live a righteous pious life and through reasonable intelligence believe that they are righteous, and imagine God telling them that no matter how good of a life they lived they could not get into heaven or be awarded the gift of his grace. This is where Rahners anonymous Christian theory believes that although they are not considered Christians, they still can receive Gods grace and love. To sum up Karl Rahners position of the anonymous Christian, anyone can be an anonymous Christian; it only takes the act of living as a Christian and not the explicit declaration of being a Christian. Grace exists by affecting a spiritual, personal substantiality, by being the divinizing condition of the latter, and hence presupposes and incorporates into itself the whole reality of this person as the condition of its own possibility and makes it part of the factors o fits own concrete being (Rahner 75) In other words grace exists by the actions of people and the actions are a part that makes up the whole. Therefore, it is the actions of the people that decide if they are worthy of Gods grace. The world is full of anonymous Christians. Some we may recognize by name such as Gandhi and others are the anonymous faces we pass everyday on the street. But we are not able to pick them out except by their actions because even their worshipping or non worshipping habits cannot help to pick out those worthy of Gods grace.

Business Model Assignment Essay

Had been very busy lately finishing up on all the marking and a host of other stuff. Why is it that everything has to come together at the same time? Now I have to advise my students on completing their Business Model Assignment. My advise to them: â€Å"Do a little bit every day. Don’t wait until the week of submission and then try to cramp everything in one week. You will go haywire if you do that.† There are four parts to the business model as required in the coursework brief: core strategy, strategic resources, partnership network, and customer interface. Now, we are in Week 4. Try to cover one part in one week, and you will be able to complete your assignment by Week 7. Of course, you would have to compromise on your CNY celebrations. Never mind, you still have many more CNYs to come. :)) In this post, I will touch on the first part – i.e. core strategy. Let me start with business model. A business model is just a simplified description of how a business makes money. Usually, it is the precursor to the business plan. The objective of having a business plan is to â€Å"sell† your project to external financiers or internally to top management. If you have a well-thought out business model, then it forms the basis for writing a good business plan. A business plan may consist of the management team, the business model, the implementation plan, the financial plan, an analysis of the external environments, and maybe also a part on risk analysis. So you see, the business model is actually just a part of the business plan. Okay, now let’s look at core strategy. What exactly do we mean by â€Å"core†? It simply refers to our most valuable customers – who we are selling to. It also refers to our most important product – what we are selling. Also refers to our most important channels – how we are selling. Strategy? It’s just the art and science of today’s business environment i.e. how we differentiate ourselves from others. It refers to us finding our very own space in an over-crowded market. In the marking scheme, marks for this part is allocated for three areas of discussion: the mission statement (3 marks), product and/or market scope (4 marks) and basis for differentiation (4 marks). Let us move to the first of these: the mission statement. The mission statement simply defines what we sell and who we sell to. Having a mission statement provides us and our employees the framework and purpose of the existence of our business. The mission statement can be stated in one sentence or several sentences. Get your group’s members to sit down together and brainstorm on a mission statement for your group’s business venture. If you put your brains together, you will be able to come up with a reasonably good mission statement. Google for examples of mission statements. Learn from the mission statements of others and try formulate a good one for yourself. After your group has come up with the mission statement, then explain your mission statement. So, in this area, two things you need to do: State and explain your mission statement. The next area of discussion is your product and/or market scope. Product scope refers to the number of products you carry for sale in your business. You may build a successful business based on a single product strategy or you may have different lines of product to cater to a larger variety of customers. Your product scope will determine your future marketing strategy, your profit goals, and market saturation. With a single product scope, you build your business around one primary product. You become a specialist and often can build a niche market for your product, especially if you can develop territories over which you have complete control. Management is simple and inventory is easily monitored. A multiple product scope can include selling two or three or hundreds of products. Market scope is similar to product scope. It defines the number of customers you sell to and who they are. Yeah, you are right – it’s akin to market segmentation. You should have studied about market segmentation in your Fundamentals of Marketing course. If you have forgotten, well, just Google and find out. So, in this area, what you need to do is to describe your product/s and/or your customer segments. What’s next? Oh yeah, basis for differentiation. Meaning how you differentiate your product or service with those offered by your competitors. Differentiating your product makes you stand out from the crowd. It represents the X-factor that sways the customer’s preference in your favor. In other words, successful product differentiation creates a  competitive advantage for you because customers will tend to perceive that your product is unique or one of a kind. Product differentiation may be as simple as just changing the way that a product is packaged. It may also be as elaborate as introducing new functionalities to the product. So, in this area, what you need to do is to explain how your product/service is differentiated from those of your competitors.

The I Go By Scooter - 2256 Words

I go by scooter. My real name is Alfred Smith, and I’ve lived on my mom’s farm with her, my brother, my best friend and his sister and mother my whole life. My best friend’s name is Marcus Brown and his sister’s name is LeAnne. Mrs. Brown and her children live on the farm with our family and work on the farm. They aren’t slaves though, so don’t be mistaken just because they are African American. They are paid, but that doesn’t really matter because in our minds they are just family and that’s how we treat them. Their father died before they came to work for us. My brother’s name is Jason and he’s a year older than Marcus and I at 15. My dad died of Tuberculosis when I was seven years old. So us three boys have always had to do the farming†¦show more content†¦Everyone I show my sport to thinks there are too many rules, or it takes too long, and there’s too much waiting. I think as long as ur a knowl edgeable person you should have an attention span long enough to appreciate baseball. The only people who have ever appreciated my sport are Marcus, Jason and two men who run the mail post in town. Their names are Jerry and Phil ever since they saw Marcus and I playing with a stick and a ball of rubber bands while Our mothers gathered supplies in town, they’ve wanted to know the new rules I’d made up every time I’ve seen them. You play the game by these simple rules: there are 9 players on each team plus their subs. All 9 players of the defensive team are in the field, and one player at a time goes up in order to the plate on the offensive team. Once the defensive team gets three players out the teams switch offense to defense. It’s fairly simple, but it involves lots of technique, skill, and athleticism. The next week the government sent officials to our little town to form a militia with the men of the town. Secretly we weren’t allowed to join because of our age, but if it meant having more soldiers then they’d let just about anybody fight. The real problem was sneaking out without our moms catching us. If they found out we were going to fight they’d lock us up in our room s up forever. The official stayed in town for a little longer than a week to gather men. The night weShow MoreRelatedMotorcycles, Scooters, or Cars- Which are Best? Essay671 Words   |  3 Pagestwo. Going green is the way to go when it comes to our everyday commute or our runs around town. There are many advantages to both and disadvantages when it comes to two wheels or four. I believe it is all up to person and there needs to suit them. Nevertheless, I believe we need to move towards a greener two-wheel future. With all the inflation and pollution, we need to move towards a more green chrome future. Widely throughout the world, motorcycles and scooters are primarily the main sourceRead MoreThe Leadership Skills Workshop Class993 Words   |  4 Pages Self-Assessment Last semester I took the Leadership Skills Workshop class (LD 225) here at Blackburn. 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Current Midwifery Practice Can Improve Outcomes For...

As a midwifery student, the author has worked with two women, within the Continuity of Care Experience, who have been induced for post-term pregnancy. Reflections have been written about the care these women received and are located in the authors Continuity of Care Experience reflective journals under the pseudonyms RO’B and EE. The purpose of this portfolio is to explore current midwifery practice in relation to this event which can turn an uncomplicated pregnancy into a complex labour and birth. Current literature will be reviewed to determine best practice in care provision for woman who are post-term and a recommendation will be made on how midwifery practice can improve outcomes for women whose pregnancies progress past term. For†¦show more content†¦Induction of labour involves one or more of the following interventions to artificially initiate labour: amniotomy, insertion of prostaglandins and intravenous oxytocin (Rimmer, 2014). Expectant management requir es waiting for labour to initiate spontaneously however it is recommended that this method is coupled with increased fetal surveillance via cardiotocography and ultrasound monitoring (Wennerholm et al., 2009; Oros et al., 2012; Heimstad et al., 2007; Queensland Health, 2011). IOL is always indicated where maternal and/or fetal health is compromised by continuing the pregnancy (Queensland Health, 2011; Thorogood Donaldson, 2010). Five articles were identified to determine best practice in care provision between IOL and expectant management in relation to post-term pregnancy. These articles were a mixture of trials and reviews published between 2006 and 2012. The results of these five articles were surprisingly varied. Oros et al. (2012) claimed that both options are equally risky as IOL reduces the number of babies being born small for gestational age but increases risk of birth by caesarean section, particularly for failed induction, and therefore increases length of hospital stay. Heimstad et al. (2007) maintained that no difference was found between IOL and expectant management in relation to neonatal morbidity or mode of birth. Glantz (2010) argued that the