Mullins' Doctrine of Sin Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

Mullins' Doctrine of Sin - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Edgar Young Mullins (1860-1928) has been described as one of the most important theologians and "statesmen" in Southern Baptist life., Although important Baptist leaders such as B. H. Carroll, Lee Scarborough, and George W. Truett were contemporaries of Mullins, R. Albert Mohler claimed that Mullins’s influence as a denominational leader and theologian was more widespread. He served as president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in addition to his teaching systematic theology for almost thirty years. Fisher Humphreys identified three theological issues that Mullins faced during his career: the tradition of staunch Calvinism held by Mullins's predecessors at Southern Seminary, the Landmark Baptist interpretation of Baptist history, and the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversy. Mullins wrote numerous articles and books on a variety of subjects. In his first work, The Axioms of Religion, Mullins alluded to the doctrine o f original sin in his discussion concerning the inappropriateness of infant baptism. However, his argument against infant baptism did not consist of a denial of original sin or even an interpretation of it. He insisted that baptism required conscious obedience to Christ and denied the principle of vicarious faith. The only works in which Mullins stated his position on original sin were Baptist Beliefs and The Christian Religion in Its Doctrinal Expression. Because of the brevity of Baptist Beliefs, Mullins's description of the "fall of man" was only an outline of his position, In The Christian Religion in Its Doctrinal Expression, Mullins did not provide a systematic presentation of the doctrine of original sin. However, he discussed the important details of the doctrine of original sin in his discussion of providence, in the chapter on the doctrine of sin, and more thoroughly in his description of Paul's doctrine of sin, Components of Mullins's doctrine of original sin are distribu ted throughout this work. This paper will analyze how well Mullins substantiated his doctrine of original sin. Analysis of Mullins's Doctrine of Original Sin In order to analyze Mullins’s doctrine of original sin, this paper will provide a summary of Mullin’s overall argument. The summary will be followed by a critique of the premises upon which the overall argument is built. Summary of Mullins’s Argument Although Mullins did not explicitly define his doctrine of original sin, the components of the doctrine are found within his systematic theology in various places. However, the central claim of his argument is apparent. He contended that although persons inherit a tendency to sin from Adam, condemnation is incurred only through personal acts of rebellion against God. The overall flow of his argument is as follows: All persons are biologically connected to Adam. Thus, a tendency toward sinful behavior is transmitted through the hereditary connection. However, persons are not condemned because of their tendency toward sinful behavior because the death of Christ removed the condemnation accompanying the tendency to sin. Therefore, persons are condemned only on the basis of their personal rebellion against God. Three claims are central to Mullins's overall argument, his assertion that the tendency to sin is transmitted from Adam to his progeny, that persons can be condemned for their tendency to sin, and that Christ's death removed the condemnation resulting from this tendency. This paper will analyze how effectively Mullins substantiated these claims. The Source of the Tendency toward Sinful Behavior Mullins described Adam before the fall as free, moral, and inclined toward righteousness. However, after the fall, humanity is described as depraved, sinful, and inclined toward sin. The fact that Mullins asserted that a hereditary connection exists between Adam and his progeny and that this connection results in a transmission of sinful tendencies, necessitates an explanation of how

Case Study-Apple in 2010 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

-Apple in 2010 - Case Study Example By 2004 the firm held a 70% market share in the digital music industry. The success of the iPod helped build the brand value of the company. The popularity of the brand helped the company revive its computer business. In 2005 the firm held a market share of 4% in the computer business which was a tremendous feat considering the firm had less than a one percent share a few years earlier. The transformation of Apple helped the firm visualize opportunities in other markets such as the cellular industry. In 2007 Apple released a product that changed the cellular industry. The iPhone was the first smartphone. Steve Job’s leadership was critical to the success of the company. He pushed his engineers and staff to provide innovative ideas. He also had the foresight of getting rid of unprofitable business segments and divisions. The firm had great leadership which motivated the employees to achieve their potential. The COO of the company, Tim Cook, was also instrumental in the success of the company. Apple Computers adapted well to market changes. The firm realized that the success of the company relied on the ability of the firm to look beyond the computer sector for sales. During the 21st century the generic strategy of the company evolved and the firm started utilizing a diversification strategy. â€Å"Diversification growth makes sense when good opportunities can be found outside the present businesses† (Kotler, 2003, pg. 101). The three main business segments Apple penetrated are the computer industry, cellular products, and music media players. The computer industry in 2009 was consolidated with five vendors accounting for 78.5% of the U.S. shipments and 60.3% of the sales worldwide (Marino & Gamble, 2010). The recession of 2008-2009 slowed down the growth in sales and negatively impacted the prices of computers. By the second quarter of 2010 industry sales rose once again experiencing a growth of over 20%. A tendency among computer users was replaci ng desktop computers with laptops and notebooks. As of 2010 Apple despite the fact that a growing number of its sales came from non-computer products considered the computer division its core business. The Mac product line differentiated itself from the competition due its superb quality, superior operating system and graphic interface. The market share of the company jumped from 4% in 2005 to 8% by 2009. The firm benefited from a halo effect of users of iPod and iPhone wanting a computer product from the same brand. The computer product offering of the company included the Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac Mini. The notebook offering of Apple was composed of the MacBook Pro, MacBook, and the MacBook Air. The most recent innovation to the Apple line of computer products was the MacBook Air. This notebook targeted customers that seek durability and portability. The computer was designed to have a height of 0.76 inches when closed and it weighted only three pounds. All Apple desktop and notebook products were priced at a premium. This strategy helped boost the profitability of the company. Due to the fact that Apple no longer depended solely on computer sales the strategy worked better than in the past. In order to boost the demand for its computer products the company implemented a 10% or more discount on all its computer products in June of 2009. The law of supply and demand states that a decrease in price will