The History of Christianity

Among the oldest religions, in the world is Christianity. The religion dates back to the coming of Jesus Christ in the first century. The religion has grown, and different sections of Christianity have emerged based on differences in faith. With the growth of religion, the question of leadership sets in the picture. For Christianity to grow into a formidable religion, the choice of the leaders is crucial. Characters, such as charisma of the leader, are some of the most influential factors in the choice of the leaders. The Bible is the book to which the Christianity faith relies on entirely. The interpretation of the Bible is one of the important factors in religion and thus there are guidelines used. These issues, together with some of the notable individuals in the history of Christianity, are the basis of discussion in this paper.

The influence of Augustine to Christianity

Augustine grew to become one of the most revered saints in the Christian history. He rose from being a pagan to one of the senior Christians, which resulted to Augustine’s elevation to the priesthood amid animosity from various people. This animosity heightened on his elevation to the position of the bishop. He wrote several Christian materials. The Confessions are some of Augustine’s literal works. The aim of writing the 4 confessions was to examine the events that had already passed and those that were ahead. The impact of the confessions has been brought through time, and is used even by Christians today for self -examination of the human spirit. Then again, office is the authority that one gains to occupy a position in the hierarchy of leadership (Nystrom, & Nystrom, 2004).

Charisma and Office in Christian Leadership

Charisma is the character of forceful presence that makes a person noticeable and earns respect in the society. The people who possess the charismatic presence are easy to listen to, and they impact the society on a higher notch than the ordinary person. The quality is desirable for Christian leaders as it helps to influence the congregation. Jesus is perhaps one of the most charismatic people in the Bible. His presence is profound even among the enemies of his gospel, and Jesus gained audience wherever he went. The charismatic leaders occupy the highest position in office, and they influence both members of the office as well as the nonmembers. These positions include the position of the bishop, the priest, and the church leaders.

The Pentecostal Church

The church deviated from the traditional Roman Catholic Church in the search for a personal experience with God. The church grew on the principle of baptism in the power of the Holy Ghost. The members of the church seek the gift of the Holy Spirit for revelation in their spiritual life. The churches are led by pastors normally revered as teachers, coordinators, and motivators to the congregation. Their beliefs rely on the gift of the manifestation of the Holy Ghost, and the specific material reward of the faithful (Lewis, 2001).

Contributions of Martin Luther King to the Freedom of Christianity

The freedom preached by Martin Luther focuses on an inner soul rather than the bodily desires. Martin advocates for a freedom to serve guided by the revelation of the Holy Spirit on the Christians. Faith and the gospel are the true contributors to the freedom taught by Martin Luther. Faith leads to righteousness and together with knowledge of the Bible, the Christian becomes free to serve humanity.

Principles of Biblical Interpretation

Peter Gomes has addressed the subject of interpreting the Bible in his book titled The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus.  Peter Gomes addresses and explains the principles of biblical interpretation in a way that they are easy to understand. The first principle focuses on around the subject of ignorance and reticence, in which the need to be biblically literate arises as one of the main principles in interpreting the Bible. The second point is the principle that focuses in adequacy in studying the Bible. Peter points out that it is a mandatory to study the Bible thoroughly as there is a greater problem in not studying the Bible adequately than in not studying the Bible at all. The third principle is the actual change of focus from death as well as resurrection of Christ to the content of Jesus preaching. The last principle is the acknowledgement that there is no one to blame but ourselves in relation to the situations that the church is in today (Gomes, 2007).

Teresa of Avila as Theologian and Spiritual Master

Having subjected her life to criticisms, Teresa faces prosecution and suspicion. The peak of suspicion towards her by her contemporaries was reached when she took a young man half her age as a friend and companion. Having acknowledged her sinful nature, Teresa sought out a way towards God through prayers and determination to face all the challenging circumstances in life. She employed the use of imagery and metaphor in designing a guideline for attaining spirituality through monastic lifestyle. It because of her inborn determination in relation to finding the way to God that Teresa is considered theologian and spiritual master (Teresa, 1976).

Highlights of J.S Bach’s Life

J.S Bach was a talented baroque, German composer born in Saxe-Eisenach in Germany. He had 20-number of children though only 10 of them lived to adulthood.  He wrote his music based on the biblical texts as well as chants and psalms. His work was often regarded as the high – watermark due to the unique quality and nature of his music. This is because only he could compose the music, which reflected the actual essence in relation to Christianity that other composers could by no means match in expertise. He represented the essence of Christianity in his work, taking the role of an organist as well as a director of the church choir in the church (Schweitzer, 1996).