Thanks for sharing this. When I was studying theology, I most enjoyed learning about the first and second century communities that circulated the gospels, and that was because of points like the one you’ve raised (although I wasn’t familiar with “praus”). It’s a shame most of it never made it into church when I was a kid! The messaging of those early communities and the messaging of modern churches are very different.
You’re welcome. There’s a stronger continuity if you look at pre-modern Catholicism and Orthodoxy, but yes, Christianity changed a lot over time.
By the way, something that may help you locate your own personal moment in your relation towards the religious teachings you received are in light of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Kohlberg’s theory of stages of moral development, and Fowler’s theory of stages of faith development, as these helped me understand my own. They build one atop the other in this same sequence, Fowler’s depending on Kolhberg’s, which in turn depends on Piaget’s, so it’s important to read the 3 links in the order provided.
Thanks for sharing this. When I was studying theology, I most enjoyed learning about the first and second century communities that circulated the gospels, and that was because of points like the one you’ve raised (although I wasn’t familiar with “praus”). It’s a shame most of it never made it into church when I was a kid! The messaging of those early communities and the messaging of modern churches are very different.
You’re welcome. There’s a stronger continuity if you look at pre-modern Catholicism and Orthodoxy, but yes, Christianity changed a lot over time.
By the way, something that may help you locate your own personal moment in your relation towards the religious teachings you received are in light of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, Kohlberg’s theory of stages of moral development, and Fowler’s theory of stages of faith development, as these helped me understand my own. They build one atop the other in this same sequence, Fowler’s depending on Kolhberg’s, which in turn depends on Piaget’s, so it’s important to read the 3 links in the order provided.