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  Roman Catholic and Adventist understandings of salvation : a comparative study and its missiological implications

  (Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, 1995-05) Kim, Nam Yong

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  This study addresses the understandings of salvation in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church and the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The teaching of salvation is the fundamental doctrine of the two religions. Both religions regard human salvation as the primary doctrine of their faith and the ultimate and final object of religious life. Adventists have not always understood Roman Catholics well, especially their understanding of salvation. So, this study leads Adventists into a proper understanding of the Roman Catholic concept of salvation, and gives some ideas for approaching Roman Catholics and communing with them. Roman Catholics believe that even though human salvation is God's free gift, each person can reach salvation only through the Roman Catholic Church, the Universal Church. Therefore, if an individual whats to be saved, he must belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Roman Catholics believe that Jesus Christ is a mediator for sinners. But also Mary and all saints are intercessors between God and man. In particular, Mary, Mother of God, can do everything which belongs to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Roman Catholics concede that in their belief the Eucharist and the Mass have the same value as the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Although Jesus Christ secured salvation on the cross for all, the reality of salvation reaches to the individual only through the ceremony of the Eucharist and the Mass. Justification means an application of Jesus Christ's merits to sinners in Roman Catholic belief. So, sinners become free from all thier sins and from the slavery of Satan. This privilege can be accomplished by faith including good works. True faith and good works of believers are expressed by participating in the seven sacraments. The sacraments are necessary for salvation. Especially the two sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist are absolutely essential. For this reason, it is impossible that man can be saved without performing the seven sacraments. Roman Catholics understand that death is just a time for the separation of the soul and body. After death, the soul goes to an appointed place: heaven, hell, or purgatory, according to one's deeds. In purgatory, souls who have not achieve their salvation on earth prepare to go to heaven through an experience of suffering and patience. Adventists understand that all humankind has a prvilege to accept or to reject the gift of salvation. God freely offers salvation to all. Only through personal faith can man accept it. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross has a unique and perfect value for human salvation. Only through the death of Jesus Christ can man have the hope of salvation. By the righteousness of Jesus Christ, God declares the sinner righteous. Adventists believe taht there is no life after death. At death, indidividual probation cloeses. The destiny of each person is decided by God's judgement at death. No one know who will be saved or be lost. Adventists should recognize individual Roman Catholics as fellow Christians, not as pagans who will be lost withou the true light of salvation. God's salvation includes all people including Roman Catholics. Adventists have a privilege and responsibility to share the Bible messages with Roman Catholics, particularly in the light of prophecy. With accurate concepts about the Roman Catholic understanding of salvation and effective strategies for soul winning, Adventists may be able to work positively, productively, and successfully for Roman Catholic evangelization.

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  Factors associated with job satisfaction of the Adventist elementary school teachers in Metro Manila

  (Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, 1995-03) Khan, Kanther Obed

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  The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence job satisfaction of the Adventist elementary school teachers in Metro Manila. The study was also designed to find out the status of teachers' job satisfaction, to identify the extent of association of each independent variable with job satisfaction, and to deternine the extent to which the selected variables contributed to job satisfaction. Fifty-five teachers fron nine Adventist elementary schools in Metro Manila for the school year 1994-1995 were both the population and sample. All teachers in the nine schools were included in this study. The response rate was 100 percent. The tool used was constructed by the researcher with some adaptations from Hoy and Miskel (1987), Libato (1992), and Robbins (1991). The tool consisted of 72 items on a written tool containing demographic questions, 8 items; scale B, an agreenent scale of 37 items, and scale C, an adequacy scale of 27 items. Face validity was established by submitting the tool to five doctoral prepared professors for evaluation. Reliability was tested using cronbach's Alpha in SPSS for Windows, version 6.0, for microcomputer. The tool was piloted with 7 teachers. This study was descriptive and correlative in nature. The predictor independent variabres were various teacher-related factors and school-related factors. The dependent variable was teachers' job satisfaction that was defined as a score on a Likert scale. Proper permission was granted by the Central Luzon Conference education superintendent. A verbal consent from teachers was obtained prior to the administering of the tool. The teachers were assured of no known risks in participating in the study. They were also promised that data would be kept confidential. All data were collected by the researcher. The data were first analyzed using descriptive statistics of means, percentages, and frequencies. The statistical program used was SPSS for Windows, version 6.0. The hypotheses were tested using stepwise multiple regression, and Pearson's product-moment correlatLons. The probability level was set at p < 0.05. Three of the eight demographic items did not enter the statistical analysis. These were gender, civil status, and highest educational attainment, which were excluded because they owed little variance. The factors correlating positively and significantly with job satisfaction were age, total years of teaching experience, teachers' professional qualities, school climate, principal's leadership, physical plant, salary, and audiovisual equipment. The factors which were not correlated with job satisfaction were benefits for teachers, library, number of class preparations per week, and class size. The best overall predictor of teachers' job satisfaction was teachers' professional qualiities. Teachers' professional qualities correlated highly with school climate, and principal's leadership. Despite some inadequacies in the schools, the teachers were generally well satisfied with their jobs and roles. Measures should be in place in the schools that will promote and reward teachers for their interpersonal relationship skills, their professional development, their stress-handling capability, and their values with respect, to teaching. One way to promote these qualities is by in-service, mentoring, and recognition. A replication of the study should be done in Adventist schools in other parts of the Philippines and Asia to see if results are similar. A further study should be done with quality of performance as the dependant variable, and levels of satisfaction as one of the predictor variables.

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