How old is the theology of the rapture presented in the Evangelical churches?

This Theology has not been around in the current form very long . So what did they say about the rapture 200 years ago?

The concept of the rapture, in connection with premillennialism, was expressed by the American Puritan father and son Increase and Cotton Mather. They held to the idea that believers would be caught up in the air, followed by judgments on the earth and then the millennium.[13][14] The term rapture was used by Philip Doddridge (1738) and John Gill (1748) in their New Testament commentaries, with the idea that believers would be caught up prior to judgment on the earth and Jesus’ Second Coming. The concept of a pre-tribulation rapture was articulated by Baptist Morgan Edwards in an essay published in 1788 in Philadelphia.[15]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapture
more here

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Currently, I’m considering studying theology as a major or a minor, and I was curious to see what kind of jobs I could get if I got a degree in Theology. If possible, please list the job, what it requires (or what the main idea is) and an estimated salary.
Thanks!

Religion teacher, priest, deacon, or other church leader.

When Obama was campaigning the POPE announced that Black Liberation Theology is a SIN. Since Obama went to Rev Wright church for 20 years listening to Black Liberation Theology does that concern you? BLT- wants revenge on whites, its hateful stuff! Anyone know how long BLT has been considered a Sin with Catholics?

I have heard of Liberation Theology but not Black Liberation Theology.

Liberation theology is theology from the viewpoint of the economically poor and oppressed of the human community.

Liberation theology explores the relationship between Christian, specifically Roman Catholic, theology and political activism, particularly in areas of social justice, poverty, and human rights.

Emphasis is placed on those parts of the Bible where Jesus’ mission is described in terms of liberation, and as a bringer of justice.

In areas without a majority of economically poor and oppressed people like the United States, a liberation theology is not needed and is even eyed with suspicion.

For more information, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology

With love in Christ.

I have average intelligence in most realms of existence…

I am able to interpret scripture at a phd level… I think I have the brains to get a phd in theology of harvard divinity school…

But other than getting a phd from harvard divinity school… what benefit is it to me… if I understand every verse in the bible?

A Phd in Theology from Harvard is no easy task. Most people could not get past the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. The long English words are even a different language. But if you earned a Phd from Harvard, you could get your books published and be a professor of theology.
No one understands every verse in the Bible. But if you have a good understanding of the New Testament, that is enough.

My pastor lent me his Dictionary of Christian Theology, that he had in seminary. I would like to return it to him. But so far i cant find any good dictionaries of Christian Theology in Book stores. so whats a recommendation for one that i might be able to find online?

The one listed in the first answer has the advantages of being free and online. Here is what I found with Google:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dictionary+of+christian+theology&btnG=Search

The Westminster comes up first in the shopping results, testifying to its popularity.

It seems like the goal of Theology is to do philosophy but starting out with the assumption that the god of your choice exists and look for arguments that support that conclusion. This is what ID proponents do with biology. What do you think of my comparison? Valid?

Exactly.
Theologians are usually very dumb. Take CS lewis for example.

Creation "scientists" are usually very dumb. Take Michael Behe for example.

*Anyone* who takes a dogmatic position on an issue and bases their thought around them being right, is an idiot in my book.

Ask the right questions, never agree or disagree.

I just found out that cosmology is a branch of theology, is ontology the same thing? What exactly is the ontological argument in laymen terms? Would the cosmological argument and ontological argument be good subjects to compare and contrast in a research paper? I’m looking for a good topic and haven’t really been able to wrap my head around this subject. Your Help is really appreciated

It is a popular subject in Theology… I don’t know about "branch." The "greatest conceivable being" or the "necessary being" can be quite different from the "umoved mover" in a theological context… The cosmological proof my by more popular for like Deists. The proving of God and the nature/predicates of God are different subjects. Different "branches" of Theology disagree on the nature of God more than the proofs. (Atleast that’s my understanding… I’m a philosopher not a theologian.)

It would be a great paper subject… I wrote similar paper in first year. (It would be too broad for a graduate thesis.) I’ve explained both proofs in Y! answers before, but for you I’m going to refer you to the sources….

Stanford Page on Ontological
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ontological-arguments/

Stanford Page on Cosmological
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmological-argument/

Here are some really important references you will want to check out:
Summa Theologica (I,q.2,a.3) by Saint Thomas Aquinas
Proslogion by Anselm
Critique of Pure Reason by Immanual Kant
Meditiations (III) by Descartes
Physics (VIII, 4–6) by Aristotle
Metaphysics (XII, 1–6) by Aristotle

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EDIT – I see that you got "cosmology is a branch of theology" from an answer to your previous question. Although his answer was kindof correct in the definitions, that is a very misleading statement. I’ll answer that question too, try and clear up the confusion over the terms.

I have starting reading the book "Theology of his/her body" by jason everet and im one chapter in and its really boring, i want something that is really convicting, but still based in catholic roots. something that really touches their hearts, but i also dont want a resource that is too expensive, maybe about $10 a person in the group.

Undeniable evidence that there is a God …….. http://homepage.virgin.net/vernon.jenkins/First_Princs.htm

The word Theology is defined as "The study of the nature of God and religious truth; rational inquiry into religious questions."

Once again, this question is primarily directed to Christians, but I welcome all to answer as well.

God is God.
No words can describe Him; how can they when man invented words?!
Nothing we can ever imagine will even come close.
He is Benevolent; He is Onmipotent; He is Omnipresent; He is most Holy; He is just; He is our Creator; He is my Lord and Father; He is EVERYTHING, and I love Him with all my soul.

I read about this priest when I was studying liberation Theology. With the little spare money he had, he took young people to see movies rather than buying them food because he thought it was more important to feed the dreams of the soul

It doesn’t ring any bells and it sounds more like a parable than an actual event. Do you have any idea where and when this supposedly happened?