1.0Sgwrs Tei Bowhttp://52.19.228.105/cyClarke Robertshttp://52.19.228.105/cy/author/clarke-roberts/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="GdKD81fWKo"><a href="http://52.19.228.105/cy/2013/12/24/was-jesus-death-necessary/">Was Jesus’ Death Necessary?</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="http://52.19.228.105/cy/2013/12/24/was-jesus-death-necessary/embed/#?secret=GdKD81fWKo" width="600" height="338" title="“Was Jesus’ Death Necessary?” — Bow Tie Talks" data-secret="GdKD81fWKo" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=http://52.19.228.105/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>A bit of a morbid subject matter considering the time of year we have arrived at, but nevertheless an important question to consider all-year-round. As we all sit down and get ready to tuck into our Christmas lunches tomorrow afternoon, we must consider that the reason we celebrate Christmas (Roman politics aside), is to acknowledge the birth of Jesus. As this boy grew up into a man and began his ministry, he embarked on a journey that would eventually lead to him being revered all around the world and widely regarded as the messiah, the Son of God, God incarnate; these are ideas I shall deal within this discussion and will lead me to ask the question: was Jesus’ execution necessary, in order for him to ‘fulfill his purpose’? Now I don’t mean to brag, but the subject of Christology is something I’m quite confident and comfortable with; my dissertation was written on the subject of liberal vs conservative understandings of Christ and I’ve spent many hours researching and debating the topic with friends, family, students and lecturers. Christology is the area of theology that deals with the person of Christ both historically, and more importantly theologically. Undoubtedly intertwined with this area of doctrine is Salvation/Atonement, Soteriology, and to some extent Eschatology, all of which are owed some form of definition. Let’s take a look at the traditional understanding of these areas of theology: Christology: The traditional understanding of Jesus’ existence is that he was simultaneously divine and human; he was God incarnate. God manifested Himself as a human in order to live among and die for us. This classic idea often goes hand-in-hand with a belief in the Holy Trinity. God exists as the Son, the Father and the Holy Spirit simultaneously whilst each of these three personas are mutually exclusive of each other; the Son is not the Father, just as the Holy Spirit is not the Son. This is quite a difficult concept to attempt to grasp and as this article moves forward, I will highlight some of the issues in this traditional understanding. Salvation/Atonement: Undoubtedly one of the most important doctrinal areas attached to Christology, the traditional ideas surrounding Salvation and Atonement dictate that Jesus died on the cross in order to save humanity from its sins. Just exactly how this works logically isn’t often considered in conservative branches of Christianity, instead the idea of a celestial ransom is adopted; God offered Jesus as payment to the devil in order to rid humanity of its sins. This is just one of the conservative theologies concerning Salvation and Atonement but sadly I don’t have the time nor the requirement to go into this area in any great detail. Needless to say, the traditional theology of Salvation/Atonement sees Jesus’ death as a literal salvific event that rid humanity of its sins. Soteriology: This is understood as the work of Jesus throughout his life. There isn’t much else to say on this area of theology that adds anything insightful to this discussion; the […]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-59Z4nh8HLpc/Tva5bpTUaVI/AAAAAAAAANQ/xfyMCgcuKLA/s1600/jesus-born-537778.jpeg