REL 313 Test #1
What does the "Relativistic Bog" illustrate?
If man = own authority Then all are in a relativistic bog Only God can reveal what God is like (God is our authority)
What is "middle-of-the-road theology"?
If we are in the middle of the road between the bible and today's practices, we are in danger as each year today's practices grow further away from the Bible's standards. (Drifting away from the Bible's standards)
Why is it important to understand the biblical view of creation?
If we don't understand the meaning of creation, then we won't know how to relate to God and to other people
How does "general providence" differ from "special providence?"
In GP, God does not direct every detail, but maintains, relays on natural laws he has set in place SP is God's personal and all-inclusive governance
What do partial inspiration theories say? (CP 41, #4)
While some parts of the Bible are inspired (matters of faith) others are not (history)
What are the two questions asked by Job that are answered by the biblical doctrine of providence?
Why Do the Righteous Suffer? Why do Wicked People Prosper?
Literal interpretation of Scripture
- The primary meaning of Scripture was its literal, historical sense, and what the biblical writers intended to convey by ordinary usage of human language
How do evangelicals sometimes undermine the authority of Scripture? (CP 40 top)
- Giving church statements the same authority as the Bible - Giving personal preferences the same authority - Making personal religious experiences authoritative - making a lack of personal religious experiences authoritative - Sanctioning disobedience to God's written word by claiming that the Holy Spirit led them to do what they did
The question 'why did God create the world?' may be interpreted in two ways. How?
- For what purpose or end did God create the world? - What caused God to create the world as he did?
Doctrine of the Trinity (CP 75-78)
- God is one essence or substance, eternally existing in three Persons - OT indications of a 'Fullness' in the Godhead - Trinitarian Consciousness in the NT
Why did Thomas Aquinas reject a priori arguments for God's existence?
- He believed God is only known by his actions - Preferred to argue from what God had created
Historical-critical interpretation of Scripture
- History is a closed continuum of cause and effect, thereby leaving no room for miracles - The biblical accounts of miracles were not history, but "myths"
What is general revelation not able to do for human beings? What is the "moral predicament" resulting from this?
- It cannot give us the wisdom we need to come into a right relationship with the Divine Lawgiver whose Law we have broken - Can those who've never had special revelation be saved?
Views on the six days of creation (CP 85-87)
- Gap theory: gaps in between vs 1 and 2 where Satan rebelled and brought sin into the universe, bringing an ice age and that's where fossils come from - Young Earth/ Creation science: Earth is only a few thousand years old, Noah's flood caused rock layers and fossils - Appearance of Age theory: God made it look like the world is older than it is - Day-Age theory: the 'days' of Genesis were actually epochs of time, not 24 hours - Literary Framework Theory: days of creation as logical structuring rather than chronological order
What is Anselm's definition of God? Why did he believe such a definition necessitates the existence of God?
- A being than which nothing greater can be conceived - God is greater than what we are possibly capable of imagining, so God must exist since God is "that than which nothing greater can be conceived."
What six basic statements about angels are made in the final part of this chapter?
- Angels are spiritual beings created by God - Angels may appear in bodily form - Angels minister to God's people - Angels exist in a hierarchy - Angels possess limited powers - Angels are free moral agents
Four snares for the modern student of theology (that arise out of modernism)
- Autonomous individualism (self-sufficient sovereign self) - Narcissistic hedonism (spiritual but not religious) - Reductive naturalism (scientific laws can account for all phenomena) - Absolute moral relativism (no true right or wrong)
The implications of Peter's statement in 2 Peter 1:19 (CP 38, ##2-4)
- Bc Peter experienced it, God's word was made more sure; however, God's word is true whether or not someone experiences it - having an experience is a gift and a blessing, but we do not deserve it - God's word is always true, no matter if we experience it or not
In your own words, define the terms conscience, judicial sentiment, and senses divinities. Cite Scriptures that refer to each.
- C is the moral faculty that judges a person's thoughts and actions toward others Rom. 2:15 - JS is the moral faculty which judges the acts of others toward oneself Rom 2:1-3 - SD is moral sentiments are part of a larger reality which appears to be a universal human experience: a sense of God Ps. 42:1-2
What is general revelation able and not able to do? (CP 28)
- Can establish common ground between believers and unbelievers - Gives weight for the cause of theism - Displays God's grace - Enough to condemn sinful people - Cannot give a saving knowledge of God
Different views of creation: direct, theistic, progressive, evolutionary (CP 87 and Dorman)
- Direct: young earth, God created everything in 6 24 hour periods - Theistic: evolution as mechanics with some divine direction/intervention - Progressive: successive stages of creation with micro-evolution - Evolutionary: evolution as mechanics with no divine direction/intervention
How does providence differ from fatalism?
- Fatalism views the ultimate force or forces affecting our lives as impersonal and totally beyond our control - Providence is that God guides our lives
How do the first three chapters of Genesis demonstrate that people need the Bible in order to be made "wise unto salvation" (2 Tim 3:15)
- First two ch have no difference between general and special revelation - 3rd ch separates gen and sp rev bc of the fall - We have gen rev in the world, but sp rev comes from the Bible, Jesus, etc (not what we can know ourselves)
Summarize the three implications of general revelation
- Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self --We cannot understand what it means to be wise people unless we see ourselves in relationship to God - Accountability before God -- We judge others by the truth of God which we already know, and thereby also pass judgement on ourselves - Common Ground between Christians and Unbelievers -- Whether the existence of God can be proved
Be able to briefly describe the principles of biblical interpretation (CP 51-57)
- Pay attention to the immediate context - Understand the historical and socio cultural contexts in which the Bible was written (things may not apply the same in today's world) - When confronted with 'problem' passages (those which do not tell us everything we need to know to make a clear decision) look at Scripture as a whole - Competent exegesis (meaning and significance of text) must be done in the original languages - interpret literally, with the genre of literature - revelation is geared to time when it was written - revelation is progressive - Scripture interprets Scripture
What do we mean by the phrase "verbal, plenary inspiration" of Scripture
- Plenary = "full" - Verbal = "the words written are what God wanted" - verbal plenary = all Scripture is inspired by God and what is written is the teachings of the Spirit
What is the difference between priori and a posteriori argument for the existence of God? Briefly describe an example of each.
- Priori - logical arguments derived from self-evident propositions apart from observed facts -- The ontological argument from Anselm of Canterbury - Posteriori - arguments derived by reasoning from observed facts -- Thomas Aquinas's five proofs for the existence of God
What kind of material do we find in inspired Scriptures? (What's compatible with divine inspiration?) (CP 40 middle)
- Researched material, both oral testimony and written sources - Historical accounts by eye witnesses - quotations from the writings of unsaved people - allusions to or quotations from uninspired apocryphal literature - Expressions that are highly personal and emotional - Paraphrases or summaries of the Lord's teaching
Be able to identify the four sources of authority when they pop up in an argument (CP 22-23)
- Revelation :: God's Word which is found in Scripture - Reason :: Scientific proof via the scientific method - Tradition :: your church and family beliefs - Personal Experience or Opinion
Four aspects of the definition of "inspiration" according to Ryrie (CP 41 top)
- Superintended (God oversaw and guided the writers) - Composed (God didn't dictate, but worked through the writers) - Without error - Original writings (applies to the original manuscripts of the NT writers)
Briefly summarize Thomas Aquinas's five proofs for the existence of God. Why did Thomas reject Anselm's ontological argument for the existence of God?
- The Argument from Motion -- God must have existed to initially set everything into motion - The Argument from Efficient Casuality -- Efficient causes produce beings, however nothing can be the cause of its own being - The Argument from Possible Beings -- Possible beings are being that exist and cease to exist -- Can only be created from existing beings therefore must have be originally created by God - The Arguments from Graduation of Perfection -- Something must be perfect (God) for us to have a scale of perfection - The Argument from Design -- Natural agents do not have their own intelligence and hence must be directed by something (instincts created by God)
What does it mean that Scripture is "inspired by God" (2 Tim 3:16)
- all Scripture is a product of the work of the Spirit of God - both the author and the document are inspired - Word of God and Spirit of God are linked
Why did the Protestant Reformers emphasize the relationship between the Word of God and the Spirit of God?
- if you don't have the Spirit of God, you reject the Word of God because it's opposite your worldview
Compare and contrast the three modern alternatives to verbal, plenary inspiration
- no revelation outside the risen person of Jesus Christ (Karl Barth); Scripture is only revelation when Jesus confronts us through it - divine revelation is God's saving acts in history; rev as form of encounter - Partial-Inspiration Theory: biblical statements concerning spiritual matters are inspired and therefore true, while statements regarding matters of history may not be historically accurate
Presuppositional, ecclesiastical, evidentialist, and spiritual approaches to Scripture
- presup: bc it says so - Ec: bc church says so - Sp: bc God/Holy Sprit says so - Ev: there's convincing proof that it is so
How do presuppositionalists, Roman Catholics, and John Calvin differ in their response to the question," How do Christians know the Bible is the Word of God?" How are all three of these positions nevertheless alike as opposed to evidentialism?
- presup: bc it says so - RC: bc church says so - JC: bc God/Holy Sprit says so - Ev: there's convincing proof that it is so
Allegorical Interpretation of Scripture
- readers of Scripture must reinterpret many of the events recorded therein as allegories
Christ's view of Scripture (CP 50 conclusion)
- spelling of words can be trusted - the only way Scripture can lose authority is if it's wrong, but Scripture can't be broken - the Lord built sophisticated arguments on single words and even the tense of a verb
Avenues of special revelation (CP 61-62)
- the lot (casting of lots to determine God's will) - dreams and visions - miraculous signs - miracles - theophanies (manifestations of God; angels, burning bush) - Angels - Prophets
How does the Bible's view of the relationship between faith and knowledge differ from that of enlightenment?
-E defined knowledge a statement that could be verified by the empirical process of inference and conclusion -God transcends the empirical realm -Faith is an essential component of knowledge
What is general revelation? Special Revelation? Be familiar with the different kinds of general revelation?
-GR refers to what God has revealed to all humanity via the created order -SR refers to what God has revealed to a limited number of people through the events of redemptive history, especially Jesus Christ and the Bible -Outward GR is realities in the world around us -Inward GR is realities within us as spiritual and moral beings
Historical significance of Origen
First systematic theologian in the history of Christianity
How did Marcion limit the biblical canon?
Only Paul's Letters (minus Pastoral Epistles) and the Gospel of Luke (minus Jewish elements)
What does Jesus' use of abba as a name for God tell us about God?
Abba is what small children call their fathers Show an intimate relationship with God
Why do both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, which center on Christ, nevertheless begin by affirming God the Father as Creator of heaven and earth?
Affirm God both created the world and redeemed fallen people through Jesus Christ, the same God
Methods of interpretation: where & how meaning is found: allegorical, grammatical-historical, historical-critical, canonical--know chart but not proponents on bot. CP 58
Allegorical: Meaning found above the text; "spiritual" interpretation; Christ -> apostles -> teachers of the holy Church Grammatical-historical: within the text; see where the evidence leads Historical-critical: behind the text; Scripture = human product; burden of proof = guilty until proven innocent; principle of analogy; history = closed continuum of cause and effect Canonical: idk
Wrong views of the Trinity (i.e., the relationship of the members of the godhead) (CP 79)
Arianism: Jehovah's Witnesses: 'begotten' = Christ was not eternal Modalism: one Godhead with three different names, roles, or activities Economic: One substance in three manifestations, but not divided Dynamic: Jesus was an ordinary man with the Holy Spirit in him
Explain the significance of the threefold use of the Hebrew verb barah in Genesis chapter 1 (verses 1, 21, 27)
Barah == 'to create' 1: God created the world from nothing 21: God created conscious life from nothing 27: God created male and female Each of these have a difference between before and after similar to how there became something from nothing (very big difference)
Compare and contrast Calvin's and Wesley's views on general providence. How are they alike? How are they different?
Both affirm that God's providence extends to all kinds of events and creatures, whether great or small Unlike Calvin, Wesley believed that special providence includes both God's directive will and God's permissive will
How does the Catholic definition of "apostolic tradition" differ from the protestant definition
C: Scripture, oral tradition from apostles, if it can be traced back to the apostles then it's apostolic P: Scripture, the actual men who witnessed life, death, and resurrection of Jesus
What do theologians mean when they speak of God's communicable attributes? Incommunicable attributes? Absolute attributes? Relative attributes?
CA - Attributes that humans share with God since we are created in his image IC - Attributes that are unique to God AA - Attributes that refer to God's relationship with Himself RA - attributes that relate to God's relationship to people
The four rational proofs of God's existence (e.g., cosmological argument, teleological argument, etc.) (CP 32 bottom)
COAT - Cosmological: something had to have made the universe - Ontological: the idea of a most perfect being includes its existence, and this suggests that such a being must exist - Anthropological: a personal, moral, intelligent being could not have come from material, inanimate, or unconscious forces - Teleological: the purpose, order, and design in the world calls for a designer
Know the theological significance of John Calvin and John Wesley, and the significant events in their lives (case studies).
Calvin - converted from Catholic faith to Protestantism, published Institutes and had to seek refuge from persecution, brought about reforms through spiritual and moral persuasion Wesley - founder of Methodism, became a priest at the church of England, was called to evangelize Great Britain
Different views on God's sovereignty and human responsibility (Calvin, Wesley, Greg Boyd [Warfare Worldview guy (CP 123, 126)])
Calvin: believes that nothing takes place by chance, God controls everything Wesley: Emphasizes the doctrine of human freedom or responsibility Greg Boyd: God's sovereignty has been self-limited by virtue of the creation of free agents
What are communicable (ones we can share with God) and non-communicable (only God has) attributes of God?
Communicable: grace, mercy, goodness, truthfulness, rational thought, and relationality Non-communicable: omnipresent, immutable, omnipotent, sovereign and good, omniscient
How do Greek dualism and Eastern pantheism differ from the biblical view of creation?
D: Creation is God forming eternal matter to fit God's ideas. God and matter are coordinately self-existent and eternal P: the world is seen as a part of God. God == 'all that is'. Monistic and emphasizes unity of all things
Compare and contrast Direct Creationism, Progressive Creationism, and Theistic Evolution as Christian interpretations of the Genesis accounts of creation
DC: Gen 1-2 are basically descriptive language of how the world in general, and humanity in particular, were created PC: Gen 1 depicts successive stages of creation with some microevolution per. The final stage is the direct creation of humanity by divine power TE: Accepts most of the theory of evolution as the mechanics of creation (we are descended from apes but we're special bc God put a soul in us)
Theory of natural selection (A theory that cannot explain the origin of the bacterial flagellum
Evolution in the common day Bacteria is far too complex to be randomly right
What are demons?
Fallen angels
General providence, special providence, and natural law
GP - God does not direct every detail and relies on "natural laws" SP - God's personal and all-inclusive governance NL - laws that God has set in motion to sustain creation
According to Rabbi Harold Kushner, why do bad things happen to good people?
God cannot do everything, God is limited to the spiritual parts of our lives and cannot prevent or stop bad things
Why did the deist Alexander Pope say, "Whatever is, is right?"
God has selected the best path of all possible opportunities
The three propositions that capture the problem of evil for believers in the God of the Bible (CP 125)
God is all-loving God is all-powerful Evil exists in a world created by God
Define and explain the term Trinity and cite biblical evidence in support of the doctrine.
God is one essence or substance eternally existing in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit OT: Gen 1:2, Judg. 13:5, Ps. 51:11 NT: John 6:27, 1 Peter 1:2
What is Orthodox formulation of the Trinity (79 bot)
God is one essence or substance, eternally existing in three Persons
What is the significance of the divine name Yahweh?
God of the Covenant "He who is" "He who is what he is" "the self-existent one"
What is the Holy Spirit's role in biblical interpretation? (CP 58 middle box)
Holy Spirit does not tell us what the Bible means; we need to figure it out. Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and helps us to submit our wills to what God wants us to do
What is the "problem of providence?"
How can one who is both a loving Father and God Almighty send bad things to his people?
What do Dialectical Materialism (Marxism) and Atheistic Evolution (Darwinism) teach about the nature of the world?
Human history is an ongoing struggle between competing economic interests that were in perpetual tension and conflict, with these conflicts continually resolving themselves and leading to new conflicts
Historical Significance of Karl Barth
Jesus Christ is the only source of revelation Bible is God's witness to self-revelation Dominated theology in USA and Europe for decades
Know the Lord, Liar, Lunatic, Legend C. S. Lewis apologetic (CP 6-7)
Jesus must be a liar (bc he said he was God and he was not), a lunatic (bc he believed he was God and he was not), legend (the gospels were made up and he was just a regular guy), or he told the truth (he said he was God and he is)
What is the major problem for Darwinian evolution in the fossil record? (CP 88 bottom)
Lack of transitional forms in fossil record
How does C.S. Lewis distinguish between "making" and "begetting?"
Making is creating something different from oneself Begetting is making something of one's own kind
What is the significance of John Piper's statement that 'the chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever'?
Man is the only being in all creation capable of worship/praising God
According to Edwards, what is the activity of God that most glorifies him? Explain why this is so
Mercy - Doing something you don't need to is more glorious than doing something that is necessary
Which attribute most glorifies God? (CP 83)
Mercy or benevolent love; He didn't need to make us or to save us
Satan's counterpart in the spiritual realm
Michael, the archangel [Dan 10:13-21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev 12:7-9], not Jesus!
How did Athanasius limit the biblical canon?
NT has the 27 books it does today
Can a pantheist meaningfully say that all things that happen are the will of God? Why or why not?
No, they view God as impersonal, but mentioning the "will of God" suggest a personal deity, since will is a function of personality
Attributes of God
Omnipresent (He is here) Immutable (doesn't change) Personal Omnipotent (he can do it; can't lie) Sovereign and good Holy (set apart) Omniscient (he knows it) Mercy (doesn't treat us like we deserve) Love
Be able to list at least three communicable attributes and three in communicable attributes, with scriptural references for each.
Personal Sovereign - Ps. 115:3, 135:6, Luke 1:37, Titus 1:2, 2 Tim, 2:13 Holy - Ps. 99:5, matt. 6:9 Righteous - Matt. 4:48, 1 John 1:5, Ps. 23:3 Wise - Rom. 11:33 Good - Ps. 118:29, Ps. 103:10 Love - 1 John 4:8, 16, 17:24
Proposed solutions to the problem of evil: providential blueprint model (CP 123, 127), warfare worldview, Rabbi Harold Kushner's view, etc. (cf. 125 II.)
Providential blueprint: the doctrine of God's sovereignty is defended at all costs Warfare Worldview: God's sovereignty has been self-limited by virtue of the creation of free agents We should reject solutions from: Fatalism, Deism, Pantheism, and Rabbi Kushner
How did Martin Luther limit the biblical canon?
Questioned inclusion of James and Revelation
Universalism
Since God is love he will ultimately save all people Magnifies and isolates God's attribute of love
What does it mean that God created the world ex nihilo?
Something out of nothing God just called things into being
Define special revelation, conscience, and judicial sentiment
Special revelation: what you couldn't know from yourself and your life Conscience: fallible for our own behavior, as if cultural relativism were true Judicial Sentiment: almost infallible guide for others' behavior; not cultural relativism
Know the significance of the following theologians in the historical development of trinitarian doctrine: Tertullian, Origen, Augustine, Johnathan Edwards.
Tertullian - denied that God was one person, became the first theologian to define God as one substance and three persons Origen - viewed both the Son and the Spirit as subordinate to God in function and nature Augustine - emphasized that the Trinity was of coequal persons Johnathan Edwards - developed the "Social Trinity"
Be thoroughly familiar with the historical significance of Tertullian and Augustine (case studies).
Tertullian - left the Catholic church and became Montanist, creative thinker in theology and Christology, coined the term Trinity Augustine - lived a secular life despite being raised in a Christian home, after conversion he became a bishop of Hippo, his writing have greatly influenced the Catholic church
What does the "Social Trinity" model teach about God?
The Father and the Son mutually delight in each other, the Holy Spirit flows out of the life of the Father and the Son
What can we say is positive about the focus of spiritual warfare books?
The adversarial relationship between Christians and demonic powers is a biblical concept
How did Origen limit the biblical canon?
Three categories of books in the church Undisputed: Letters of Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Disputed: Unsure if Scripture (2 Peter, 2-3 John, Hebrews, James, Jude) False: totally heretical
How should we view restrictions in Scripture (i.e., the "Do nots")?
To protect and provide for us
What was Satan's sin?
Wanting to be like God [cf. Isa 14:12-14].
Names of God—the one primary in the OT and in the NT?
Yahweh (OT) theos (NT) Adonai
The ultimate objective of Satan and demons? (CP 102 last bullet)
destroy the image of God in humankind
What characterized the Enlightenment? (CP 25)
faith in human abilities and reasoning
Define providence in your own words.
foresight
What is the ultimate goal of studying theology? (See "Course Syllabus," p. 1.)
to "know God", grow in friendship with Jesus, and become more Christlike in everything we think, say, and do
