Worldwide Church of God: history and teaching

The Worldwide Church of God (WCG), originally Radio Church of God and now Grace Communion International, is a millennial sect founded and associated in the personality of Herbert Armstrong. Although it has never been one of the largest in the USA sects, however its development and presence in the world of media has been great, so much so that it has been described as "the Armstrong empire". Its history, its teaching, its influences, and its latest developments have made it a subject of concern for many researchers. Already while Armstrong was alive and much more so with his death, dozens of new offshoots came from the movement, which essentially have in common his teaching, a phenomenon known in the literature as armstrongism. Thus, despite the changes made by the movement after Armstrong's death, his teaching remains a multitude of small movements. WCG sometimes in the literature is part of the Sabbath Adventism, other times it is a whole category in itself. However, Armstrong is now considered to have contributed to the formation of an entire category, namely the group of sects that derive from him (Armstrongites).The theory of Dispensationalism, especially through Scofield, influenced Armstrong and his movement. This has been widely reported in the literature, however we believe that we have entered into a deeper examination of the aspects of the connection between WCG teaching and the broader theory of Dispensationalism. We also highlight further influences from other perspectives, something that has been relatively recently promoted by research. We also distinguish between WCG positions and Dispensationalism theory. The Bible was the focus of the WCG's life and teaching. However, its interpretive principles were different, not only from Orthodox theology, but even from Protestantism. The dominant image that Armstrong presents for the Bible is that it is a puzzle that has been deconstructed, so it needs to be restored, reinterpreted. Although the basic principle remained the sola scriptura, more and more extra-biblical teaching was produced through movement. The WCG dualistic or binary theology of degradation of Holy Spirit, also Christological degradation, has sometimes been controversial in recent decades. However, after Armstrong's death and the reform of the movement, the leadership clearly acknowledged the above. At the same time, it became increasingly clear that the ambiguity of the above heterodox teachings, like that of all the other WCGs, was due in part to the popular, unsystematic, sectarian form of its preaching. One such characteristic was the anthropomorphic dimension of God. Christology included heretical teachings, such as the denigration of the full deity of Christ and the questioning of the bodily Resurrection of Christ. Pneumatology also includes the degradation of the Holy Spirit, who was not regarded as a Person, but with various vague meanings.Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή αποτελεί μία προσπάθεια συστηματικής έρευνας της αίρεσης της Παγκόσμιας Εκκλησίας του Θεού (Worldwide Church of God, αρχικώς Radio Church of God και σήμερα Grace Communion International) και περιλαμβάνει την ιστορία και διδασκαλία της. Εκπονήθηκε στο Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας και Χριστιανικού Πολιτισμού της Θεολογικής Σχολής του Αριστοτέλειου Πανεπιστημίου Θεσσαλονίκης. Η αίρεση της Παγκόσμιας Εκκλησίας του Θεού, παρά το μικρό σχετικά με άλλες αιρέσεις αριθμό των μελών της, είχε μία σημαντική παρουσία στον κόσμο των μέσων μαζικής επικοινωνίας. Η διάδοση των μηνυμάτων της υπήρξε ευρεία μέσω του ραδιοφώνου και έπειτα της τηλεοράσεως. Συγχρόνως η οικονομική δυνατότητά της ήταν ιδιαίτερα μεγάλη. Ο ιδρυτής της, Herbert Armstrong, υπήρξε ένας πολύ γνωστός θρησκευτικός κήρυκας ("τηλευαγγελιστής") και συνάμα γνωστός αιρετικός στους προτεσταντικούς κύκλους των ΗΠΑ. Η διδασκαλία του επιβιώνει μέχρι σήμερα μέσα από διάφορες ομάδες, ένα φαινόμενο γνωστό ως αρμστρονγκισμός (armstrongism). Η παρούσα διατριβή αποτελεί την πρώτη προσπάθεια έρευνας της αίρεσης με βάση την ορθόδοξη θεολογία, και υπό το φως των ολοένα νέων ερευνητικών υποθέσεων και διαπιστώσεων για τη συγκεκριμένη αίρεση. Το περιεχόμενο της παρούσας διδακτορικής διατριβής αφορά σε μία αιρετική κίνηση για την οποία η ελληνική θεολογική βιβλιογραφία είναι ανύπαρκτη, ιδιαιτέρως μετά την μεταρρύθμιση της αίρεσης που θεωρήθηκε από αρκετούς ερευνητές του προτεσταντικού χώρου ως εντυπωσιακή

The education in Thassos, during the last hundred years of the ottoman domination (1813-1912): Historical and pedagogical approach

The present thesis is a study of all these facts, the procedures, the institutions, the people and the actions that have formed the educational scenery in Thassos, during the last hundred years of the Ottoman domination over the island, which is now considered to be a transitional period of rapid developments both in the economical and the political section. We have set the year 1813 as the beginning of the period we wish to study. It was the year that the Sultan had rendered the island of Thassos to the emperor of Egypt, Mohamed Ali. The year 1912 was set as the last year of the present thesis, since that was the point when Thasos was integrated to the Greek nation, there was a thorough change on its political scenery and there was observed a transition to the Greek educational system. In conclusion, we should report that until 1870 there was observed a significant intellectual and educational regression in the island, since the rudimentary “schools of church”, which had no qualified teachers and a deficient educational program, could not cover the educational needs of the students. In 1870, the municipality established schools in every village of Thassos, while various Education - friendly communities tried to change the political scenery by boosting the intellectual regeneration of the island. However, the progress was not the expected one, given the political organization and the financial facilities of the island. The reasons maybe attributed a) to the settlement of the residents due to the preferential regime and the financial management that were followed by the Egyptians, as well as the lack of nationalistic battles, due to the Greek homogeneity of the population, b) to the lack of a native charismatic leader, who could boost the literal development and contribute to the organization of the education system, c) to the lack of Thassian immigrant benefactors, who could help in the establishment and funding of schools d) to the total absence of financial aid by the Education - friendly communities in Athens and Istanbul, e) to the inaction of the diplomatic office in Kavala, f) to the distance of the Metropolis (in Komotini), g) to the political and local oppositions among the residents of the ten communities in the island, h) to the incapacity of building common schools, i) to the lack of exploitation of the island’s resources by its residents (forests, olive trees and ports). Their stance kept the Thassians in a low financial level and made them unable to contribute financially to their children’s education, j) As a result of their stance, the Egyptian commanders were indifferent, especially after the death of the emperor Ismael.Η παρούσα εργασία αποτελεί μια ερευνητική προσπάθεια ανάδειξης όλων εκείνων των γεγονότων, διαδικασιών, φορέων, προσώπων και ενεργειών που διαμόρφωσαν την εκπαιδευτική πραγματικότητα της Θάσου, κατά την τελευταία εκατονταετία της Οθωμανικής κυριαρχίας στο νησί, που ήταν μια μεταβατική περίοδος ραγδαίων οικονομικών και πολιτικών εξελίξεων. Ως αρχή της χρονικής περιόδου που αποφασίσαμε να μελετήσουμε θέσαμε το 1813, έτος παραχώρησης της Θάσου από τον Σουλτάνο στον ηγεμόνα της Αιγύπτου, Μεχμέτ Αλή. Η αλλαγή του πολιτικού σκηνικού και το προνομιακό καθεστώς που παραχώρησε ο Μεχμέτ Αλή στους Θασίους, ως απόδοση τιμής για την προστασία που του προσέφεραν οι Θάσιοι σε δύσκολες στιγμές της ζωής του, διαμόρφωσε μια μοναδική περίπτωση πολιτικής διοίκησης του τουρκοκρατούμενου ελληνισμού, η οποία πιστεύουμε ότι επηρέασε και την Εκπαίδευση. Ως τερματικό χρονικό σημείο της εργασίας ορίστηκε το έτος 1912, αφού τότε η Θάσος ενσωματώθηκε στο ελληνικό κράτος, άλλαξε ριζικά το πολιτικό σκηνικό και άρχισε η μετάβαση στο ελληνικό εκπαιδευτικό σύστημα. Συμπερασματικά, αναφέρουμε ότι μέχρι το έτος 1870 υπήρξε μεγάλη πνευματική και εκπαιδευτική οπισθοδρόμηση στο νησί, καθώς η λειτουργία των υποτυπωδών «σχολείων της εκκλησίας», χωρίς καταρτισμένους δασκάλους και με ελλιπές πρόγραμμα σπουδών δεν μπορούσε να ανταποκριθεί στις εκπαιδευτικές ανάγκες των παιδιών. Η ίδρυση κοινοτικών σχολείων σε όλα τα χωριά της Θάσου, μετά το 1870, και οι οργανωμένες προσπάθειες των Φιλεκπαιδευτικών Συλλόγων άλλαξαν το εκπαιδευτικό σκηνικό δίνοντας σημαντική ώθηση στην πνευματική αναγέννηση του νησιού, όχι όμως και την αναμενόμενη για τις δυνατότητες που παρείχε η πολιτική οργάνωση και οι οικονομικές δυνατότητες του νησιού. Τα αίτια μπορούν να αναζητηθούν α) στον εφησυχασμό των κατοίκων από την προνομιακή πολιτική διοίκηση και οικονομική διαχείριση που εφάρμοσαν οι Αιγύπτιοι και από την έλλειψη εθνικιστικών εντάσεων λόγο της ελληνικής εθνικής ομοιογένειας του πληθυσμού της, β) στην απουσία της τοπικής χαρισματικής προσωπικότητας που θα μπορούσε να δώσει ώθηση στην ανάπτυξη των γραμμάτων και στην οργάνωση της εκπαίδευσης, γ) στην απουσία Θασίων απόδημων ευεργετών που θα μεριμνούσαν για την ίδρυση και χρηματοδότηση ευαγών εκπαιδευτικών ιδρυμάτων, όπως γινόταν σε άλλα μέρη της Μακεδονίας και της Ηπείρου, δ) στην ανυπαρξία χρηματικής βοήθειας από τους κεντρικούς Φιλεκπαιδευτικούς Συλλόγους της Αθήνας και της Κων/πολης, οι οποίοι στήριζαν μόνον τα διεκδικούμενα από τους Βουλγάρους χωριά και τα μεγάλα αστικά κέντρα, στ) στην αδράνεια του προξενείου Καβάλας, καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια του 19ου αιώνα, ε) στην απομακρυσμένη έδρα της Μητρόπολης (Κομοτηνή), που δυσχέραινε την πνευματική της αρωγή, ζ) στις πολιτικές και τοπικιστικές αντιπαλότητες μεταξύ των κατοίκων των δέκα κοινοτήτων του νησιού, η) στην αδυναμία ίδρυσης κοινών σχολείων για την εξυπηρέτηση μαθητών/τριών δύο ή τριών κοινοτήτων, αφού οι μεταξύ τους αποστάσεις ήταν μεγάλες και το ορεινό οδικό δίκτυο υποτυπώδες, θ) στην ελλιπή εκμετάλλευση των πλουτοπαραγωγικών πηγών του νησιού από τους κατοίκους της (δάση, ελαιώνες και λιμάνια), ι) στην αδιαφορία της αιγυπτιακής διοίκησης, ιδιαίτερα μετά το θάνατο του ηγεμόνα Ισμαήλ

General Critical Care, Temperature Control, and End-of-Life Decision Making in Patients Resuscitated from Cardiac Arrest

Cardiac arrest affects millions of people per year worldwide. Although advances in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and intensive care have improved outcomes over time, neurologic impairment and multiple organ dysfunction continue to be associated with a high mortality rate. The pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the post-resuscitation disease are complex, and a coordinated, evidence-based approach to post-resuscitation care has significant potential to improve survival. Critical care management of patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest focuses on the identification and treatment of the underlying cause(s), hemodynamic and respiratory support, organ protection, and active temperature control. This review provides a state-of-the-art appraisal of critical care management of the post-cardiac arrest patient

Developing and Disseminating a New Historical Geospatial Database from Kitchener’s 19th Century Map of Cyprus

Extraction and dissemination of historical geospatial data from early maps are major goals of historical geographic information systems (HGISs) in the context of the spatial humanities. This paper illustrates the process of interpreting, georeferencing, organizing, and visualizing the content of a historical map of Cyprus in the context of GISs and highlights the development of a national-scale spatial database of the island in the 19th century. This method was applied to Lord Kitchener’s historical map of Cyprus (published in 1885), which is considered the product of the first scientific topographic survey of Cyprus, is rich in geographic information about the area, and covers the entire island at a scale of 1:63,360. Previous attempts to create historical geodatabases have either focused on small areas or, when conducted on a national scale, have been thematically focused. The positional accuracy of the map was found to be 1.08 mm in map units, which was equivalent to 68.76 m on the ground. Accordingly, the main categories of geographic content (land cover, administrative units, settlements, transportation/communication networks, stream networks/water bodies, points of interest, annotations) were digitized from the georeferenced historical map. The Web-based application developed in this study supported the visualization of the historical geographic content of the map and its comparison with modern basemaps. The creation of the geodatabase presented in the study provides a template for similar studies and a basis for further development of the historical geodatabase of Cyprus

Medication administration prior to cardiac arrest and during cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a comparative study on the knowledge of cardiology residents and nursing personnel working in anesthetics department, cardiology ward, coronary care unit and emergency department

Introduction: Τhere is increased interest of the scientific community in assessing the level of knowledge on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) among health care professionals, mainly due to the high prevalence of cardiac arrest (CA). Research data demonstrate the health care professionals’ lack of knowledge regarding medication used in CA and during CPR. Aim: To assess health care professionals’ knowledge (residents, nurses and nurse assistants) on medication in CA and during CPR. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in four big tertiary hospitals in Athens, Greece and in a large resuscitation educational center, in November and December 2016. Two hundred fifty six healthcare professionals, nursing personnel and doctors, working in various wards participated in the study. The participants completed a 14 questions research tool, assessing knowledge regarding medicine administration in CA and during CPR. Data were analyzed using statistical package SPSS 20. The statistical difference was set to p<0,005. Results: The majority of the sample was female (77,3%), with 57% of respondents having attended advanced life support training. The correlations between demographic characteristics and total score of correct answers showed statistical significance with age (p<0,05), educational level (p=0,011), years of working experience (p=0,033) and attendance of advanced life support seminar (p<0,01) with total score of correct answers. There was also statistically significance between total score of correct answers among nurses and doctors, with doctors showing higher score (p<0,05). Conclusions: Continuous education through seminars has a positive impact on health professionals’ knowledge on medicines used during CA and CPR. It is necessary to standardize undergraduate healthcare professionals’ education on pharmacokinetics aiming at the optimal management of the critically ill patient during CPR in clinical settings

Stress hormones kinetics in ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest and resuscitation: Translational and therapeutic implications

Background: Knowing the kinetics of endogenous stress hormones during cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CRP) will help to optimize personalized physiology-guided treatment. The aim of this study was to examine the dynamic changes in stress hormones in a swine model of ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest. Methods: Ventricular fibrillation was induced in 10 healthy Landrace/Large White piglets, which were subsequently left untreated for 8 min. All animals were resuscitated according to the 2015 European Resuscitation Council guidelines. The concentration of adrenalin, noradrenalin, and cortisol was measured at baseline and at the 4th and 8th minute of VF-cardiac arrest, as well as at 30-min, 60-min, 24 h and 48 h post-ROSC. Results: By the end of the 4th min of VF, the animals of the ROSC group exhibited significantly higher adrenaline levels compared to those of the no-ROSC group (7264 pg/ml vs. 1648 pg/ml. p - 0.03). Noradrenaline was higher in the ROSC group at the 4th min of VI (3021 pg/ml vs. 1626 pg/ml, p = 0.02). Cortisol levels in the ROSC group were significantly lower by the end of the 8th min of VF[16.25 ng/ml vs. 92.82 ng/ml, p 0.031. With a cut-off point of 5970 pg/ml, adrenaline at the 4th min of VF exhibited 100% sensitivity and 80% specificity for predicting ROSC. Conclusion: Higher endogenous adrenaline and lower endogenous cortisol levels were associated with ROSC. (C) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Exploring the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with the simplified ‘triangle’ technique for soil water content and evaporative fraction retrievals in a Mediterranean setting

Δημοσίευση σε διεθνές επιστημονικό περιοδικόSummarization: Information acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is frequently used nowadays in a variety of disciplines and research fields. The present study explores for the first time the combined use of UAVs with a newly proposed technique for estimating evaporative fraction (EF) and surface soil moisture (SSM). The investigation is performed in a typical Mediterranean setting, a citrus field with flat topography divided in two plots with different irrigation schemes, in Sicily, Italy, at which ground data acquired during an extensive field campaign in July 2019. Reasonable estimates of both EF and surface wetness were produced, with patterns in agreement to vegetation cover fragmentation, topography, and other sitespecific characteristics. Validation shows average error of 0.053 for EF and of 0.040 cm3 cm−3 for SSM. The results are comparable or better to those reported in analogous studies performed in similar areas. This implies that the investigated approach performs well under the semi-arid conditions characterizing the experimental set up. To our knowledge, this study represents the first evaluation of the combined use of the ‘simplified triangle’ with very high-resolution UAV imagery. As such, the findings are of significance regarding the potential future use of the ‘simplified triangle’ approach particularly with very fine resolution imagery such as that provided by UAV for mapping and monitoring EF and SSM in agricultural and natural ecosystems.Παρουσιάστηκε στο: Internaitonal Journal of Remote Sensin

Exploring the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with the simplified 'triangle' technique for soil water content and evaporative fraction retrievals in a Mediterranean setting

Participation of Dr. Petropoulos has been funded by the ENViSIoN-EO Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant (grant No 752094), part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Part of the present collaborative work was also materialised in the framework of a short Term Scientific Mission (STSM) of the HARMONIOUS Cost Action which financially supported Dr Petropoulos’ visit between 4 to 15 February 2020 to the Department of Engineering of the University of Palermo, Italy.Η συμμετοχή του Δρ. Πετρόπουλου χρηματοδοτήθηκε από το πρόγραμμα της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για Έρευνα και Καινοτομία «Oρίζοντας 2020», δράση Marie Sklodowska - Curie , έργο ENViSIoN-EO (αριθ. 752094). Επίσης μέρος της παρούσας συλλογικής εργασίας υλοποιήθηκε στο πλαίσιο μιας βραχυπρόθεσμης επιστημονικής αποστολής της HARMONIOUS Cost Action, η οποία υποστήριξε οικονομικά την επίσκεψη του Δρ. Πετρόπουλου από τις 4 έως τις 15 Φεβρουαρίου 2020 στο Τμήμα Μηχανικών του Πανεπιστημίου του Παλέρμο, Ιταλία.Summarization: Information acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is frequently used nowadays in a variety of disciplines and research fields. The present study explores for the first time the combined use of UAVs with a newly proposed technique for estimating evaporative fraction (EF) and surface soil moisture (SSM). The investigation is performed in a typical Mediterranean setting, a citrus field with flat topography divided in two plots with different irrigation schemes, in Sicily, Italy, at which ground data acquired during an extensive field campaign in July 2019. Reasonable estimates of both EF and surface wetness were produced, with patterns in agreement to vegetation cover fragmentation, topography, and other site-specific characteristics. Validation shows average error of 0.053 for EF and of 0.040 cm3 cm−3 for SSM. The results are comparable or better to those reported in analogous studies performed in similar areas. This implies that the investigated approach performs well under the semi-arid conditions characterizing the experimental set up. To our knowledge, this study represents the first evaluation of the combined use of the ‘simplified triangle’ with very high-resolution UAV imagery. As such, the findings are of significance regarding the potential future use of the ‘simplified triangle’ approach particularly with very fine resolution imagery such as that provided by UAV for mapping and monitoring EF and SSM in agricultural and natural ecosystems.Presented on: International Journal of Remote Sensin

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation in adults over 80 : outcome and the perception of appropriateness by clinicians

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of clinician perception of inappropriate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) regarding the last out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) encountered in an adult 80 years or older and its relationship to patient outcome. DESIGN: Subanalysis of an international multicenter cross‐sectional survey (REAPPROPRIATE). SETTING: Out‐of‐hospital CPR attempts registered in Europe, Israel, Japan, and the United States in adults 80 years or older. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 611 clinicians of whom 176 (28.8%) were doctors, 123 (20.1%) were nurses, and 312 (51.1%) were emergency medical technicians/paramedics. RESULTS AND MEASUREMENTS: The last CPR attempt among patients 80 years or older was perceived as appropriate by 320 (52.4%) of the clinicians; 178 (29.1%) were uncertain about the appropriateness, and 113 (18.5%) perceived the CPR attempt as inappropriate. The survival to hospital discharge for the “appropriate” subgroup was 8 of 265 (3.0%), 1 of 164 (.6%) in the “uncertain” subgroup, and 2 of 107 (1.9%) in the “inappropriate” subgroup (P = .23); 503 of 564 (89.2%) CPR attempts involved non‐shockable rhythms. CPR attempts in nursing homes accounted for 124 of 590 (21.0%) of the patients and were perceived as appropriate by 44 (35.5%) of the clinicians; 45 (36.3%) were uncertain about the appropriateness; and 35 (28.2%) perceived the CPR attempt as inappropriate. The survival to hospital discharge for the nursing home patients was 0 of 107 (0%); 104 of 111 (93.7%) CPR attempts involved non‐shockable rhythms. Overall, 36 of 543 (6.6%) CPR attempts were undertaken despite a known written do not attempt resuscitation decision; 14 of 36 (38.9%) clinicians considered this appropriate, 9 of 36 (25.0%) were uncertain about its appropriateness, and 13 of 36 (36.1%) considered this inappropriate. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that despite generally poor outcomes for older patients undergoing CPR, many emergency clinicians do not consider these attempts at resuscitation to be inappropriate. A professional and societal debate is urgently needed to ensure that first we do not harm older patients by futile CPR attempts. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:39–45, 201