 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | William Penn |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Published |
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| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
No Cross, No Crown is one of the chief works of William Penn, first published in 1669. It was written during Penn's imprisonment in the Tower of London. [1]
Penn exhorts the spirit of Primitive Christianity. [1] The book is divided into two parts, the first dealing with the importance of self-denial in the Christian life and the second gathering a series of references to men through the ages who have written of the importance of self-denial, including "heathen," professed Christians, and "retired, aged, and dying men, being their last and serious reflections, to which no ostentation or worldly interests could induce them." Penn's view of Christianity is intensely spiritual rather than formal, and in passing he defends several practices typical of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) including clothing which was not fashionable and speech which addressed royal and commoner alike in the second person singular "thee" and "thou."
A 1931 scholarly edition was edited by Norman Penney. [2]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential; his 1937 book The Cost of Discipleship is described as a modern classic. Apart from his theological writings, Bonhoeffer was known for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship, including vocal opposition to Adolf Hitler's euthanasia program and genocidal persecution of the Jews. He was arrested in April 1943 by the Gestapo and imprisoned at Tegel Prison for 1+1⁄2 years. Later, he was transferred to Flossenbürg concentration camp.
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Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members of these movements are generally united by a belief in each human's ability to experience the light within or "answering that of God in every one". Some profess a priesthood of all believers inspired by the First Epistle of Peter. They include those with evangelical, holiness, liberal, and traditional Quaker understandings of Christianity. There are also Nontheist Quakers, whose spiritual practice does not rely on the existence of God. To differing extents, the Friends avoid creeds and hierarchical structures. In 2017, there were an estimated 377,557 adult Quakers, 49% of them in Africa.
Muscular Christianity is a philosophical movement that originated in England in the mid-19th century, characterized by a belief in patriotic duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, masculinity, and the moral and physical beauty of athleticism.
Self-flagellation is the disciplinary and devotional practice of flogging oneself with whips or other instruments that inflict pain. In Christianity, self-flagellation is practiced in the context of the doctrine of the mortification of the flesh and is seen as a spiritual discipline. It is often used as a form of penance and is intended to allow the flagellant to share in the sufferings of Jesus, bringing his or her focus to God.
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William Penn was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonial era. Penn, an advocate of democracy and religious freedom, was known for his amicable relations and successful treaties with the Lenape Native Americans who had resided in present-day Pennsylvania prior to European settlements in the state.
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The Five Crowns, also known as the Five Heavenly Crowns, is a concept in Christian theology that pertains to various biblical references to the righteous's eventual reception of a crown after the Last Judgment. Proponents of this concept interpret these passages as specifying five separate crowns, these being the Crown of Life; the Incorruptible Crown; the Crown of Righteousness; the Crown of Glory; and the Crown of Exultation. In the Greek language, stephanos is the word for crown and is translated as such in the Bible, especially in versions descending from the King James Version. These five rewards can be earned by believers, according to the New Testament, as "rewards for faithfulness in this life".
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