UFDN Final

According to Matthew 27, Pilate agreed that Jesus was a criminal.

False Pilate saw that there were no real legal charges that could be made against Jesus; the Jewish people wanted to kill Jesus for religious (populist) reasons. In fact, Pilate was amazed that Jesus did not defend himself. In an attempt to let Jesus go, Pilate asked the crowd if they would rather Jesus or Barabbas - a notorious criminal - go free (it was customary for the Roman governor to let a prisoner go free during the Passover festival). The people asked for Barabbas to go free, and called for Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate did so, and literally washed his hands of the matter, probably because he was worried that the crowd would riot if he did not convict Jesus.

According to Celebration of Discipline, silence - which is an essential part of the discipline of solitude - always involves the absence of speech.

False Silence does not just mean to refrain from talking. It sometimes involves absence of speech. Sometimes it involves saying things. It always involves listening. The key is disciplining the tongue - knowing when it is important to speak, and when it is important to be quiet.

According to Matthew 28, when Jesus met with his disciples after his resurrection, they all embraced him and believed he was raised from the dead.

False Some doubted, according to Matt. 28:17.

According to Calling and Clarity, the purpose of spiritual disciplines is to answer questions about vocation.

False The purpose of spiritual disciplines is not to answer questions about vocation or anything else. Rather, the purpose of spiritual disciplines is to be drawn more deeply into love and knowledge of God. We cannot make spiritual disciplines do anything to us, but we can, over time, engage spiritual disciplines to create space for God to transform us -- and wait for God humbly and expectantly to do that. Within that transformation, we might discern our missional calling as we learn God's "voice."

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the second section of the Old Testament, or the Jewish Bible?

It centers on the story of Moses and his presentation of the Law The second section of the Hebrew Bible, after the Torah, is "Prophets," which tells the story of Israel after it enters the Promised Land when Israel obeys, breaks, and renews its covenant to God a number of times, God stays faithful to Israel. Prophets are people God sends to convey a message to Israel, usually how they had broken the Law and were called to repent. In this way, the Prophets extend and apply the covenant that was established in Torah to Israel's life and development in the Promised Land. The first section of books in Prophets, the "Early Prophets" or "Former Prophets," is made up of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, and are meant to tell history. Joshua picks up the story from the death of Moses and tells of the entrance of the Jewish people, under the leadership of Joshua, into the Palestine region, the Promised Land. Judges tells of early leadership ("judges") in Israel, before there were kings, who guided the Jewish people through conflict with neighboring peoples; notable judges are Deborah, Samson, and Gideon. Samuel (usually divided into two books in the Christian Bible) tells of the prophet Samuel and of the rise and rule of David, Israel's greatest king. Kings (also divided into two books in the Christian bible) continues Israel's story through David's death and the rule of his son, Solomon, under whom Israel is divided into two kingdoms (Israel in the north, and Judah in the south), a division that never fully healed. The second section of books in Prophets is the "Latter Prophets," which tell of the words and work of the great prophets of Israel, beginning in the 700s B.C. Within the Latter Prophets are two sections: the "Major Prophets" and the "Minor Prophets." The Major Prophets consists of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and are so-called because of their great length. Isaiah, the longest and best-known of these books, tells of the pride and sin of Israel's people and leaders, calling for them to return to God; it also predicts a future age of peace and justice. Isaiah was one of Israel's most important prophet and lived during the 700s B.C.E. Jeremiah tells of the fall of Israel to the Babylonian empire (586 B.C.) and of the consequent exile when many Jews were taken away in captivity to Babylon. Ezekiel was written during this exile and, in its apocalyptic visions (symbolic images of God, heaven, and the future), delivers a message of judgment and hope to captive Israel. The Minor Prophets, so called because of their length and not level of importance relative to the Major Prophets, consists of twelve shorter books, the most famous of which are Hosea, Amos, and Jonah (the others are Joel, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). Hosea's prophecy, against the northern kingdom, tells of God's love for his people and his pain at their unfaithfulness to the covenant; Hosea's own marriage to an unfaithful wife is imaged as a parallel. Amos's prophecy states God's judgment against Israel and the surrounding nations. Jonah tells of a reluctant prophet and his frustrated attempt to disobey God's call.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a tradition that was born out of the Church of England?

The Anglican Tradition Two groups who broke off from the Anglican tradition were particularly influenced by Dutch Anabaptists, though they all were persecuted and worked underground and thus the exact nature of this influence is hard to trace. The Congregationalist tradition asserted, like Anabaptists, that the local church ought to be a fellowship of committed disciples independent of any bishop or government, though their theology was largely Calvinist; they sought religious freedom first in Holland and then America, the most famous being the "Pilgrims" who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620. The Baptist tradition, which became far larger, began in 1612 when a group of Christians formed the first Baptist church after their return from exile in Holland; like the Anabaptists, they emphasized biblical literalism, adult baptism, that church should consist of believers only, and the separation of church and state, and like other English radical separatists, they were persecuted until the Act of Toleration (1689). Baptist churches are independent, though they typically align themselves with other congregations in larger bodies for purposes of education, missions, and relief work, though there are no denominational bishops or creeds; they also emphasize the authority of scripture and the importance of evangelism. The Baptist tradition has become one of the largest Protestant groups; modern examples of the Baptist tradition are Southern Baptists, English Baptists, or American Baptists, though, in addition, many contemporary non-denominational churches owe their existence to the Baptist tradition of free and independent congregations. A third separatist tradition that broke off from the Anglican Church was the Society of Friends, usually called "Quakers," which is a name initially given to them by critics; they were first led by George Fox (1624-1691), Margaret Fell (1614-1702), and a number of other non-ordained preachers. The Friends movement emphasized the personal revelation of God to each individual's conscience, what they called the "inner light of Christ," which called for radical egalitarianism; they had no clergy or official liturgy, called their buildings "meetinghouses" rather than "churches," argued for the equality of all men and women, and opposed slavery from very early on. Like the Anabaptists, the Quakers were also pacifists and refused to swear oaths (taking their lead from Matthew 5:33-37). Because of the radical shape of their faith and their rejection of the authority of the Anglican Church, the Quakers were among the most persecuted of the religious separatist movements in England. Though the have never been a very large denomination, the ideas of the Friends tradition spread around the world, including to the American colonies where Quaker William Penn (1644-1718), a friend of George Fox, founded the state of Pennsylvania. Quakers, to this day, have gained a reputation for equality, honesty, and fairness. A fourth separatist tradition that broke off from the Anglican Church was the Methodist tradition, the theology of which is often called "Wesleyan"; it began with the great evangelistic work of Anglican ministers John Wesley (1704-1791), brother Charles Wesley (1707-1788), and friend George Whitfield (1714-1770) as they sought to bring the good news of Christianity to all people, and though Methodist meetinghouses were established in the cities and countryside of England, it soon spread to Scotland, Wales, America, and around the world. Methodists emphasized the need for conversion to faith but also to living a holy life, and thus advocated continued careful study of the Bible along with showing Christian kindness to those in need; the Methodist movement was especially present among the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned because the style of traditional ministry in the Anglican Church did not always address the life experiences of many ordinary people. In the 1800s, Methodism grew tremendously in the United States in the 1800s, primarily as a result of the Second Great Awakening, a period of intense religious revival and zeal; today, the Methodist tradition includes the Holiness tradition and denominations that arose in response to issues related to slavery and racism, such as the Wesleyan Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Zion.

According to Matthew 21, soon after Jesus enters Jerusalem, he does and says things that further exacerbate the friction between himself and the religious authorities.

True First, he goes to the Temple and rejects the purposes for which it is being used. Then he affirmed the praise -- "Hosanna to the Son of David" -- being accorded to him. Then he refused to answer the authorities when they asked him where he got his authority; in fact, he challenges them with their own hypocrisy by giving them an unanswerable question.

According to Celebration of Discipline, celebration is at the heart of following Jesus.

True For instance, Jesus began his ministry by declaring the year of Jubilee (Luke 4:18-19), which in the Old Testament was an occasion of celebration.

According to class lecture, it took hundreds of years for Christians, based on what they believed was revelation, to make sense of who Jesus was and what Jesus told them about God.

True For instance, it was not until the Council of Nicaea in 325 that the doctrine of "fully human, fully divine" was established. And it was not until the Council of Constantinople in 381 that theologians sort of officially put concepts to the assertion of God as Trinity. And throughout all this time, there were lots of varying opinions on the nature of Jesus and God.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Foster uses the example of the ways children celebrate (e.g., imagination, dancing, games) as good examples for ways we can all celebrate.

True Foster encourages us to relish simple things, engage in creative imagination, in essence, be more child-like!

According to Celebration of Discipline, the limit of submission is when it begins to lead to destructive behavior.

True Foster says that submission is bad when it leads to destruction of the self, of others, of relationship with God, of the earth, of justice, etc.

According to Matthew 27, Judas felt bad after Jesus was arrested.

True He left the 30 pieces of silver (ironically, the price of a injured slave) at the Temple, and went and hung himself.

T/F: According to Matthew 17, Peter wanted his experience of the Transfiguration to continue.

True He wanted to build houses for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.

According to Matthew 17, the disciples were unable to heal the boy with epilepsy (it also says he was demon-possessed) because of their lack of faith.

True He wasn't happy. He advocates faith the size of a mustard seed.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the content of worship matters, but the form is merely a secondary concern.

True However, while the form that worship takes is secondary and relatively unimportant, that does not mean that it is irrelevant.

According to Celebration of Discipline, service can help in encouraging the virtue of humility within us.

True Humility is tricky; it is not something that we can go and get. But, as says Foster, "Nothing disciplines the inordinate desires of the flesh like service, and nothing transforms the desires of the flesh like serving in hiddenness."

According to Celebration of Discipline, the key to submission is to understand it as self-denial and not self-hatred.

True Self-hatred is when we deny the value of the self. Self-denial is when we know our value in God's eyes, and yet we understand that value in light of our command to submit to others. Our culture does not like the idea of self-denial, preferring instead ideas of "self-fulfillment" or "self-actualization." But self-denial is not the loss of identity as the world may have you believe. The message of Jesus is that self-denial - the way of the cross - is the path toward finding our true identity by loving God and others radically.

According to Matthew 19, when the rich young man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus first answers that to enter into life, he must follow the commandments.

True So the rich young man asks which ones. So Jesus tells him. So the rich young man says he's been doing those. So Jesus tells him to sell his possessions. So the young man walks away.

According to Matthew 25, Jesus teaches about the coming Kingdom of Heaven with a parable about the Ten Bridesmaids (or Ten Virgins). This parable indicates that people should be prepared for the return of Jesus, the advent of the Kingdom.

True Some were not prepared for the return of the bridegroom, as they had run out of oil for their lamps.

According to Introducing Christianity, the wealth, power, and prestige gained by the stability and institutionalization of the church in the West also led to corruption that became challenged by Renaissance reformers.

True The Crusades exhibited the wealth and power, both political and social, that the Catholic Church had amassed, but with that wealth and power came corruption as well. However, from within the church also came orders of monks and nuns oriented toward religious reform. The most famous of these monastic reformers of the Middle Ages was Francis of Assisi (1181/2-1226 C.E.), the "troubadour for Christ" who embraced a life of poverty and simplicity in contrast with the ostentatious wealth of many Catholic leaders. He founded the Franciscan Order; his friend and fellow saint, Clare of Assisi, founded a similar order, the Order of Poor Clares, in the 1400s. Europe also grew in wealth and power as well as learning, benefitting from ideas and riches brought back from the Crusades. One result of this stability was the growth of towns and the attendant craftsmen and tradesmen, and another result was a growing cultural appetite for education, leading to the founding of universities in Bologna, Paris, and Oxford. With increased education, the stories of the Roman Empire captured people's imagination, leading to an interest of Greco-Roman literature; this grew into the widespread Renaissance or "rebirth" of classical Western culture, beginning in Italy in the 1300s. The Renaissance was the climax of the Medieval Period in the West, but it was also the end of the hegemony of the church; as old and new ideas were discovered and discussed by educated cultural leaders, the authoritarianism and corruption of the church became increasingly noticed and deemed unacceptable. Catholic Renaissance scholars such as John Wycliffe (lived around 1320-1384 C.E.) in Oxford and John Hus (lived around 1372-1415 C.E.) in Prague were among those who called for reform in the church. Those who called for reform in the church did have some success, but especially those who called for radical reform were excommunicated and condemned by the church; some were even executed. But the new ability to travel and spread ideas and technology based on Renaissance learning led to reformers eventually successfully revolting against Catholic power and corruption. This revolt became known as the "Protestant" movement, led by the German monk Martin Luther. The end of the Middle Ages was also the end of Christendom, which is the period of unity between the church and state political powers. The first 1500 years of Christianity features many important moments and themes that shaped it. The New Testament canon was determined and the Bible was translated into many languages; basic Christian doctrine was established in councils and codified in creeds; the shape of church leadership (priests and bishops) was developed along with written and unwritten regulations for church life; Christian worship, despite regional variations, gained a general structure and character. In all these cultural developments, Christianity became a religion. However, along with stability, order, power, and wealth came corruption, arrogance, greed, and hatred that divided the church and dishonored the name of Jesus. Nevertheless, the growth of Christianity brought enormous goodness to the world. The message of a poor carpenter from Galilee and the devotion, love, and service of his followers have over the centuries inspired millions toward peace, selflessness, and common life together. While it has not attained what its founder embodied, Christianity nevertheless has never failed to pass light from generation to generation.

According to Matthew 28, Jesus went immediately into Jerusalem to see his disciples after his resurrection.

False He met them back up in Galilee.

According to Calling and Clarity, which is not a kind of vocation?

London calling Koskela says that much of the frustration that comes in discerning one's vocation surrounds confusion concerning which type of vocation they are dealing with. "London Calling" is an album by the British punk rock group The Clash, released in 1979. There is also a song on that album called "London Calling" that was a very successful single.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not one of the conditions that Jesus describes as "blessed" in the Beatitudes?

Outcast A fourth significant biblical resource for Christian ethics is the Beatitudes. Perhaps the most famous summary of Jesus's teaching on Christian virtue is found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7); there, Jesus called his disciples together and taught them on a hilltop near the Sea of Galilee, challenging them to reframe how they define love, power, and goodness. At the very beginning of this sermon, Jesus describes the sort of people who find themselves blessed by God in nine statements called the "Beatitudes," taken from the Latin word for "blessed" (since each of the nine statements begins with "Blessed are those..."). In the Sermon on the Mount that follows, Jesus focuses on human character or virtue, not on behavior or rules, though it has been interpreted that way; rather, the Sermon on the Mount describes the sort of virtue that pleases God and serves as a witness to God's Kingdom, and it is indeed a very high standard. The Beatitudes describe the sort of people who strain to live according to these virtues, and the way that God is already blessing them. The first Beatitude states that those who are "poor in spirit" will possess "the Kingdom of Heaven"; they are not concerned with money (Jesus soon after points out that "You cannot serve both God and money" in Matthew 6:24), but rather with the difficult task of serving God and others, and as a result, experience God's reign ("Kingdom"). The second Beatitude states that those who "mourn" will be "comforted"; those who share God's compassion for the world will mourn the destruction and suffering that evil brings, but they also have hope in God's present and future reign. The third Beatitude states that those who are "meek" will "inherit the earth," recalling the example of humility that Jesus modeled; God will exalt those who have endeavored to embrace humility in the face of arrogance and power. The fourth Beatitude states that those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" will be "filled"; the Greek word for "righteousness" here in Matthew 5:6 also includes the notion of justice, and, like Jesus, Christians are called to strain for both justice and righteousness in the world. The fifth Beatitude states that the "merciful" will "receive mercy"; this is echoed in the teachings of Jesus and in the Lord's Prayer which connects the believer's own forgiveness with their forgiveness of others. The sixth Beatitude states that the "pure in heart" will "see God"; the effort to attain pure intentions and motives is incredibly difficult, and yet Jesus says that those who are experience such purity glimpse the presence of God. The seventh Beatitude states that the "peacemakers" will be called "children of God"; Christians who seek mercy and justice will also seek peace, and will make their own peace with others. The eighth Beatitude states that those who are "persecuted for righteousness sake" will possess "the Kingdom of Heaven"; those loving, humble, and honest Christians who work toward righteousness in their own lives and in the life of the world around them will invariably face persecution, just as their Lord did, and yet, like their Lord, they will also experience God's reign in the world. Finally, in the ninth Beatitude, Jesus states that when Christians find that others "revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account" should "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven"; Jesus is well aware of the courage his followers need to follow his ways, and thus the Beatitudes end as they began, with the promise of God's future reign to those who seek to follow the difficult path of God's will on earth, that they will be restored and will continue the relationship with God that they began in this life.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not a suggested practice of celebration?

Purchasing things There are many ways to practice celebration in our lives; these are a few of Foster's ideas.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not one of the four sources Christians look to in figuring out belief and practice?

Sacrament Though it involves worship practices, sacred texts, and a series of teachings, Christianity is more than just a set of information, but is based on a living relationship that exists between its adherents and God. This relationship leads to a new way of life and a new way of understanding human existence. Christian morality and ethical teachings are grounded in what Christians believe to be true as stated in its theological beliefs. At the center of Christianity is the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ. The Christian gospel teaches that God has come in person to humanity to redeem it. In other words, the good news is that salvation is possible through Jesus Christ. But this simple message is based on several foundational beliefs. Christians believe in a holy creator God that is all-powerful, loving, just, and merciful. Christians believe that humans have acted do act in ways that are morally blameworthy, and that these acts, or "sin," separate them from God. Christians believe that faith is trusting God has made a way for humans to be spiritually reconciled with God through the person and work of Jesus Christ who, as God in the flesh, enabled all to have this reconciliation. Through his life, the sacrifice of his death, and his resurrection, humans have new life available to them. But this new life is not just asserting these beliefs; it is trusting God for all aspects of life and learning to be obedient to God. Following Jesus entails transformation in which humans take on God's likeness in love, kindness, compassion, joy, humility, and patience. However, Christianity also teaches that "faith without works is dead" (James 1:17), which means that inward changes should be evident in their actions, responding as Jesus would in all life situations. Christians believe that, through the power of God's Holy Spirit, they are enabled to live in service and obedience to God in every aspect of existence - relationships, their possessions, even their thoughts. Christians do not divide areas of life into holy and unholy, but rather believe that everything that they do ought to honor and glorify God; this means that all aspects of life have value, and that the most mundane task can be holy and sacred, making life itself an act of worship. In figuring out belief and practice, Christians look to four sources: Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason: "Scripture" refers to the Bible, Christians' sacred text; "tradition" refers to the historic wisdom and teachings of Christianity that have been passed down from generation to generation; "experience" refers to personal insight gained through encounter with God and the world; "reason" refers to rational capacity given to humanity to reflect on Scripture, tradition, and experience. Of these four sources, Scripture is primary. First, Scripture interprets itself; the Bible is a "book of books," and therefore any one part has to be understood in light of the whole. Second, Scripture is interpreted by tradition, which itself is guided by wisdom that has its source in the God of Scripture. Third, Scripture interprets and validates experience; because human experience is limited to our own finitude, Scripture gives us categories by which we can understand spiritual encounter. Fourth, Scripture guides reason in that Christians believe that the Bible gives unique insight into God's character and will, thus informing their judgment and action. Through these four sources, with the Bible as the regulator, Christians believe that God provides a vision of life and a story of all creation which leads to hope, joy, and peace.

According to Celebration of Discipline, true joy can only come as a result of obedience.

True We cannot expect to have joy if we are not striving to be obedient. "Without obedience joy is hollow and artificial."

According to Celebration of Discipline, the purpose of spiritual disciplines is not the discipline themselves, but rather the freedom that they deliver.

True When someone focuses on the discipline, it becomes legalism.

"Self-righteous service fractures community."

True service builds community

"Self-righteous service is insensitive."

True service can withhold the service as freely as perform it

"Self-righteous service comes through human effort."

True service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside

"Self-righteous service is temporary."

True service is a life-style

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the Deuterocanonical texts?

It includes the story of Mattathias retaking the temple from the Babylonians There are ten Deuterocanonical texts in the Roman Catholic canon of the Old Testament, and those ten plus an additional three Deuterocanonical (and one Psalm) texts in the Orthodox canon of the Old Testament. Protestants call this grouping of books the "Apocrypha" because they do not consider the texts to be canonical in any way. They were written between the time of the last book of the Jewish Bible and the beginning of the New Testament. The ten Roman Catholic (and Orthodox) Deuterocanonical texts are Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (also called "Ecclesiasticus"), Baruch, Letter of Jeremiah, Additions to Daniel, and 1 and 2 Maccabees. Tobit tells about a man who is righteous, but whose good deeds bring suffering to others; another man named Tobias comes from Nineveh to Jerusalem to help Tobit, and the story details many miracles that occur, including the healing of Tobias's blindness. Judith tells about a righteous Jewish woman who lures the general of a foreign army to his death, saving her hometown. Additions to Esther are extra parts to the Old Testament Book of Esther found only in the Greek translation. Both the Wisdom of Solomon and Sirach are pieces of Jewish wisdom literature that show the influence of Greek philosophy. Baruch is credited as the secretary and friend of Jeremiah, his book telling of his experience during exile, and includes some wisdom literature; the Letter of Jeremiah, a long sermon condemning idolatry, is sometimes included in Baruch, and is probably not written by Jeremiah. Additions to Daniel are three extra parts to the Old Testament book of Daniel found only in the Greek translation: the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon. The books of 1 and 2 Maccabees tell of the invasion of the Greeks and the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem around 167 B.C.E. by Antiochus IV who wanted to dedicate it to the god Zeus and outlaw the Jewish religion. This provoked a rebellion, led by the priest Mattathias and his sons, most notably Judas Maccabeus; the Jews recaptured Jerusalem and the temple and ousted the Greeks, cleansing and rededicating the temple in 164 C.E. The three additional Orthodox Deuterocanonical texts are 1 Esdras, the Prayer of Manasseh, and 3 Maccabees. First Esdras (which is Greek for "Ezra") retells the story of Ezra featured in the protocanonical Old Testament; there also exists a book 2 Esdras, not considered canonical by most Orthodox churches, which tells of apocalyptic visions attributed to Ezra. Third Maccabees takes place at about the same time as 1 and 2 Maccabees and tells of the persecution of the Jewish people under Egyptian rule, and of their eventual deliverance. There also exists a book 4 Maccabees, not considered canonical by most Orthodox churches, which uses the death of several figures from 2 Maccabees who died for their faith as subjects for philosophical reflection; it is heavily influence by Greek philosophy.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not true about the Kingdom of God?

It is a future reality, not a present one. The Kingdom of God may be consummated in the future, but it is present as well. Jesus refers to the presence of the Kingdom many times. Koskela makes the point that our missional callings are related to the Kingdom in that they aim to provide a visible sign of the coming Kingdom, a peek into the world as it is supposed to be.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not one of the things necessary for confession?

A certain amount of holiness Confession is a gift of God for healing. Confession is not a result of holiness; it is rather a gift of grace that promotes holiness, peace and love. If we waited to be "Christian enough" to confess sin, we'd be waiting a looooong time. Instead, we should long for the grace and feeling of release so much that we will want to confess.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not an example of radical submission commanded by Jesus in the New Testament?

Mutual submission of God and Satan The submission that Jesus modeled to those considered to be of "lower status" at the time - to the outcasts, to women, to lepers, to children - was revolutionary. Not sure God wants to submit to Satan.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not an example of how the early Christian church attempted to define what it believed?

Through Gnosticism which asserted the evil of created matter As Christianity continued to spread, the role of the apologist gained prominence. A significant apologist, Justin Martyr (lived around 100-165 C.E.), a Roman philosopher who converted to Christianity, defended the beliefs of the faith against both Jewish and other non-Christian intellectuals in several works, two of which were called "apologia," or a reasoned defense. Another significant apologist was Clement of Alexandria (lived around 155-220 C.E.) who explained the teachings of Christianity to non-Christians in a defense against Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a popular philosophy found in many Jewish, Christian, and other religious sects that combined Greek and Asian ideas; it had a dualistic view of the universe, dividing reality into two parts (light and dark, spiritual and material, good and evil), and advocated for a salvation found in "secret knowledge" ("gnosis" means "knowledge" in Greek) revealed by enlightened teachers that enables inward escape from the physical world. Christian Gnosticism was widespread in Egypt, Asia Minor, and Greece, forming their own sub-groups within churches and utilizing their own secret texts, such as the "Gospel of Thomas." Many great Christian teachers such as Irenaeus (lived around 125-194 C.E.) in Gaul (modern-day France) and Tertullian (lived around 160-215 C.E.) in Northern Africa wrote long texts against Gnosticism. As Christianity gradually defined its belief and practice, there also became more instances of heresy, which is an idea deemed to be a distortion or misunderstanding of what is accepted within the Christian faith. (One example of an early heretic was Marcion, who, like the Gnostics, limited the bible to those texts with which he agreed.) So as to be able to deal with heretical ideas from both inside and outside the Christian community, the church developed canon, creeds, and bishops. A "canon" is a list of books officially acknowledged as being true, sacred, and authoritative; the Old and New Testaments are the Christian canon. A "creed" (from the Latin "credo," which means "I believe") is an official statement of standard beliefs of a religious group, and are very important in the Christian church, and were especially so before the New Testament was canonized. One of the most important Christian creeds began as a set of replies by new believers when asked to state their beliefs about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; these replies became standardized and often used in worship, and much later became known as the "Apostles' Creed" (so called because legend said that each of the twelve apostles contributed a portion), which is the earliest summary of Christian beliefs outside the New Testament. The first official creed, the Nicene Creed (325 C.E.), was written to refute Arianism (which asserted that Jesus was a lesser divinity than God) by claiming that that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine; this doctrine continue to be refined up until the Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.). Though the teachings of the apostles and the Apostolic Fathers provided significant guidance in the practices and beliefs of the early church, there was a need of leadership to deal with questions and challenges for the generations that followed. The teaching and leadership of bishops, who are Christian leaders for a city and surrounding regions, gained a great deal of power and prestige. Under the supervision of bishops, priests (or "pastors") presided over local churches and worship services, and deacons oversaw financial and missionary work along with acts of charity.

According to Matthew 27, which of the following was not part of the suffering of Jesus?

Broken legs Crucifixion was a capital punishment usually reserved for the worst of prisoners. Some accounts of crucifixion claim that the prisoner's legs are broken after a while to speed their death (because they would no longer be able to lift themselves to breathe). But it is not mentioned here.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not an action step that we can take to embrace our general calling?

Cutting off relationships with people who keep you away. Regarding reminders, Koskela suggests adding features of general calling to our to-do lists, or even using software to remind us to do different things related to the life of faith (perhaps as detailed in one of the above Scripture passages, or another, related to the content of general calling). Regarding personal accountability, Koskela points out that it is impossible to live the Christian life alone. We need both formal (say, a regularly-meeting small group) and informal (say, friends who check in on us) structures that encourage us and support us. Regarding focusing on one aspect of Christian life at a time, Koskela points out that having one thing that we are "working on" can lead to the abundant life God wants for us; this is not an invitation to ignore hard things we must do, but rather a strategy toward comprehensive discipleship. Momentum can build as you move toward becoming the person God wants you to be, bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not an indication that we are neglecting all or part of our general calling?

Drinking a lot of coffee. We may or may not be consciously aware of being distracted from our general call, so it is good to know some indicators; Koskela says that ignoring these signs and therefore our general call can lead to significant long-term damage. Regarding the comments of friends or family, they may not word it in terms of "general calling" (though it is great to have accountability partners who can), but it will usually be in the form of speaking about the consequences of forgetting aspects of our general call (e.g., how we might seem edgy or reclusive or distant). We should pay attention to those comments, especially if they are surprising to us. Regarding preoccupation with the future, Koskela reminds us that, though there are good reasons to think about the future (and it can help us to make wise decisions here and now), it can distract us from living in the present. Whether it is eagerly anticipating what is coming or worrying about what may happen, preoccupation with the future can keep us from focusing on how to live God's will now; but when hopes and worries paralyze us, remembering our general call can be freeing. Regarding busy schedules, we often have are over-scheduled and over-committed, and we are anxious because of it. Too many urgencies take us away from what is important. In summing up how we respond, Koskela notes that we can sometimes get defensive, saying that the situation is beyond our control, wanting to shift the blame off ourselves. Alternatively, we can sink into guilt and self-blame, already feeling bad about the symptom (the indicator, such as a comment), and become frozen. Or we can simply live in denial and ignore the indicators. But rather than shifting blame or merely eliminating a symptom, we can see the indicator as a gift, as an invitation to deeper life in the course of the everyday.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about martyrs, saints, and monastics?

Early Christians worshipped martyrs for their faith and courage Before the legalization of Christianity in 313 C.E., many Christians were killed for their beliefs. While martyrdom was never something to seek, the early church honored and revered those whose faith was strong enough to face it; some churches even had communion services in the catacombs (underground tombs) so that they could be near the bodies of martyrs and saints (which are heroes of the faith). Christians attributed miracles to their relics (remains), and they regularly remembered and "venerated" (respected and revered, but not worshipped) martyrs and saints for their witness and example. Icons, which are pictorial representations of saints (or biblical characters or stories), were also highly valued and used in worship and veneration. Because saints were understood to be alive again in the presence of Jesus in heaven, Christians would, in their veneration, ask them to interceded (pray) for them; the idea was that these saints were so courageous and holy in their lifetime, they must have special proximity to the Lord in the next life for their prayers to be heard. Over time, and especially during the Middle Ages, the Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus) became considered the chief of the saints, leading to many of the faithful entreating her to pray for them, and "patron" saints became associated with specific causes, groups, nationalities, and occupations, leading to "prayers" to those saints in various situations; while Protestants do not engage in veneration, millions and millions of Christians across the world still do. When Christianity was legalized under the rule of Constantine, the church grew in power, importance, and wealth, and became more Roman in cultural character, but there were many zealous Christians who did not like this "imperialism" of the faith and retreated to secluded areas such as deserts and forests to live in solitude and worship, fast, and pray for the church, which they believed had become compromised. Early Christians had always valued prayer and spiritual disciplines, and, now that the age of the martyr had largely passed in the Roman Empire, many Christians believed that the most honorable thing for a believer was to "die" to worldly pleasures and live a life of poverty and prayer, dedicated to God. These men ("monks," from the Greek word for "solitary" or "alone") and women ("nuns," from the Latin title of respect for an older woman) lived a "monastic" life of religious devotion, giving up things like marriage, sex, family, and wealth in order to live lives of spiritual disciplines. The most famous early monk was St. Anthony (lived around 251-356 C.E.) who lived alone in the Egyptian desert. Pachomias, another monk who lived about the same time and also in the Egyptian desert, did not think monks should always be alone, but should live and work near each other for group worship and mutual support. He founded one of the first monasteries, his sister Mary founded one of the first convents, and he created a system of rules for community life. Benedict of Nursia (lived around 480-550), founder of the Benedictine monastic "order" (or "movement") that still survives in great numbers today, wrote the most famous and influential set of monastic rules, called the "Benedictine Rule"; it was so helpful and wise that it was used far and wide, becoming a standard for monastic life, and versions of it are still used the world over. When a man or woman entered into monastic life, they were leaving the values of the rest of the world and choosing a life of silence and relative solitude in monasteries and convents, some choosing isolation as hermits. Monks and nuns prayed on behalf of the church, that it would become righteous where it had gone astray; great reforming bishops and popes came out of monastic life in both the East and the West. Ironically, some monasteries, ironically, became very famous, powerful, and wealthy.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not a feature of general calling?

Embracing our general calling will always include feeling joy and using our gifts. Regarding different ways to live out our general calling, Koskela points out that we can be more general or specific. We can think of specific ways we are called to live out our general calling -- prayer, worship, being involved in a faith community, doing works of justice and mercy, reading Scripture, etc. -- knowing that many different things are part of Christian life. And we can also think more generally -- called to follow Jesus, love God and others, pursue the Kingdom of God, etc. -- understanding that the Bible uses many different images to describe what we are called to do as Christians. Regarding figuring out our general calling, Koskela reminds us that Scripture has already described our general call. This helps to direct our focus in everyday discipleship. General calling is like direct calling in that it is plain, but unlike direct calling, everyone has been given this call; that can be a relief in the midst of not knowing one's missional call and not having a direct call. Regarding the community of faith, Koskela notes that Christians know and understand various parts of Scripture because of their (explicit or implicit) communities of faith; either formally (e.g., sermons or Bible studies) or informally (e.g., conversations), our community mediates Scripture to us. Scripture tells us our general calling, but we need our spiritual community to help us to understand it, and to help us actually live what we learn. Regarding "easy life," Koskela remarks that Scripture (especially Wisdom literature) claims that the life of faith will give us peace and hope and flourishing, but also that the life of faith will cause us to face brokenness and misery and evil. The life to which God calls us is for our good and well-being, but it will not be easy or free of adversity; our obedience to our call is not to get a reward, but as a response to God's love. Regarding joy and gifts, Koskela says that, like direct calls, our gifts and passions are immaterial to our general call. Whether or not we are good at it or like it, we are called to, for instance, pray or be loving to others. There will be many times that life will go along with your gifts and loves, but also times when it will not; when life goes against what God wants for the world, we are called to stand against injustice and indifference, which can be hard. Yet we can know that God gives us the power of Christ to fulfill our call. Further, it is not only "out there" that God's will is done, but also in us; if general call were always easy, it would mean we do not need to grow or learn. God wants to transform us into the likeness of Christ, a model of faithful and obedient discipleship; again, we do this not alone, but by the power of God's Spirit.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not a "fruit of worship"?

Escape Foster says that worship ought not be an escape from light, but ought to spur us on to bring about the Kingdom of God - personally, socially, and institutionally.

According to class lecture, which of the following is not considered a denomination of Christianity?

Evangelical "Evangelical" tends to describe a style or culture of church, and often a group of theological emphases. It is not a "denomination" in the sense that it belongs to a larger, centralized church body. You can find evangelicals in many different denominations. Similarly, there are also groups of theological "traditions" like "Pentecostal" or "Charismatic" or "Reformed" of which many different denominations consider themselves a part. For instance, Presbyterians belong to the Reformed tradition, and Assemblies of God belong to the Pentecostal tradition.

According to Matthew 25, Jesus teaches about the coming Kingdom of Heaven by describing the judgment of the nations. Which of the following is not one of the ways that the faithful loved Jesus by loving "the least of these"?

Evangelizing with the Gospel Though in other places, Jesus does tell his disciples to teach others what he has taught them, that is not a focus here. This shows that evangelization - spreading a particular belief about Jesus so that others will "accept it" - was not Jesus' only concern. Moreover, "the least of these" could be referring to Christian disciples who were out in the nations doing Jesus' work. Jesus could be "judging the nations" based on how well they cared for Christian disciples.

According to Calling and Clarity, Scripture provides the life to which Israel is called as an example of general calling.

False First Koskela makes the point that perhaps we need not too sharply distinguish the call to all people toward salvation (which is what some call "general call," as opposed to "effectual call," which is given to those who answer the call) and the call for believers to live a certain kind of life (since "salvation" includes the life we life). Then he brings up the case of Israel, saying that when the Old Testament speaks of the call of Israel, this is a case of "collective direct calling." God uses Israel in a specific way in the divine work of salvation. It is too particular to think of it as a general calling; God may not call us to the same role that God calls Israel.

According to Introducing Christianity, new theological movements and Vatican II show an unwillingness to rethink theology and church practices in light of increased cultural awareness and contemporary issues.

False "Liberation Theology" arose within the work in Latin American countries for independence from their European colonizers in the 1960s; it is a movement of thought and practice proclaiming that God is on the side of the poor and oppressed, and that political powers, often assisted by the church, have been the root of oppression and injustice. Liberation theology attempts to give voice to the economically and politically powerless, and it has been a part of revolutionary movements in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. "Black Theology," which arose in African American communities in North America, like Liberation Theology addresses issues of injustice as it tries to articulate theology that reflects African American experience and perspective; it has also spread to other countries and contexts. "Feminist Theology" challenges theological assumptions shaped by patriarchal cultures and negative views of women, and, like the previous two, remains a potent theological perspective the world over. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), or "Vatican II," was a gathering of all Catholic bishops from around the globe convened in Rome by Pope John XXIII (1881-1963), a much-beloved and greatly respected figure who was influenced by the ecumenical movement and saw the need for church reform and to respond to cultural changes and issues. Especially in comparison to the more conservative Vatican I (1869-1870), Vatican II brought a great deal of change to the Roman Catholic Church; the role of laity (non-ordained people in the church) in worship was expanded, the Mass as the center of worship was approved to be recited in local languages and not only in Latin, and the teaching and rule of the pope was proclaimed to be not solitary but in cooperation with the bishops. Dialogue with Protestant and Orthodox Christians was established and later with other world religions such as Judaism and Islam; as part of Vatican II, the Roman Catholic pope and the Eastern Orthodox ecumenical patriarch revoked their churches' mutual excommunication that was pronounced in the Great Schism of 1054. Women still cannot be priests in the Catholic Church, but Vatical II paved the way for greater places of leadership in that tradition. The global diversity of the Catholic Church is also better represented in the hierarchy of leadership; there are bishops and cardinals representing many more ethnicities and geographical areas. The diversity present in Christianity as a whole is a blessing and also a challenge for individual Christians to understand themselves better along with the breadth of their calling. The early church understood that the good news of Jesus Christ was meant for everyone, the Reformation asserted that the gospel does not belong to any one tradition, and the modern church has affirmed that the gospel is not the property of any culture; Christians believe that the biblical message of forgiveness, salvation, and peace are for all, and that it challenges the sin present in all. Central to the Christian understanding of church is also the biblical call to all followers of Jesus toward unity in the body of Christ, though it remains difficult for many Christians around the world to embrace this reality; differences in worship styles, organizational structures, and modes of leadership have often overtaken the common elements of faith that different traditions share. Unnecessary division in the church has resulted from human shortcomings such as ignorance, misunderstanding, confusion, prejudice, unquestioning allegiance to powerful institutions, political and cultural ideologies, and unwillingness to communicate with those who are different. The church needs to continue to repent of these sins and remember their presence in its history. Yet Christians have in their history shown a willingness to gather across denominational boundaries and work for unity; though there will likely never be just one Christian denomination, the core beliefs that form the foundation of the Christian faith still serve as common ground among believers. Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christians all embrace the good news of the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and this transforming message meets them wherever they are and calls them into a new life of obedience to God who created and loves all humanity.

According to Calling and Clarity, "missional calling" refers to the ways that God calls us to spread the message of Jesus through various opportunities, including "mission trips."

False "Missional calling" is the way that God has called someone to contribute to the Kingdom of God. Koskela suggests that one might see this as their life's "mission statement," and the primary way they are meant to use their time, gifts, and energy as a "sustained and specific purpose that can find expression in many ways throughout your life." Though this may include spreading the message of Jesus on mission trips, it need not.

According to Celebration of Discipline, worship is meant to come before everything except for service.

False "Service flows out of worship. Service as a substitute for worship is idolatry. Activity is the enemy of adoration."

According to Introducing Christianity, in reciting the Greatest Commandments, Jesus was quoting the heart of the Christian New Testament.

False A second significant biblical resource for Christian ethics is the Greatest Commandments, which are at once a summary of Jesus's teachings and indeed all biblical ethics. When Jesus was asked which commandment was the most important, he responded that it was to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind," saying that was the "greatest and first commandment." He then added a second commandment: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." He said that on these two commandments depend "all the Law and the Prophets" (Matt. 22:37-39). Here Jesus is quoting two parts of the Old Testament (Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18) and pointing to the heart of biblical ethics: the love of God ought to lead to the love of neighbor. Christian ethics is not about outward appearances or a list of things to do and things not to do, but rather Christian ethics is an "inside-out" morality; once a person's inward spiritual self is reconciled to God in Jesus Christ by the power of the Spirit, the rest of their moral life will take shape over time. As the inner orientation of the self is possessed by love, the love of God above all and then also the love of others, it then results in acts of love. Christian love is not merely an emotion or feeling but is rather an active willingness to work on behalf of the other, an attitude or orientation in which we work to serve others. In this love we see the needs that others have and seek to meet those needs with our own strengths and gifts; we see this love, for instance, in parents' love for their children, which is why the Bible uses this sort of relationship as an analogy for God's love for humanity. Yet this sort of self-giving love for others is also not the same as being a "doormat," in which we give in to evil and sin, but rather we seek the good in others and help to nurture that goodness. One of the most famous meditations on this sort of love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, in which Paul extolls the nature of selfless love.

According to Matthew 19, shortly after a final teaching about divorce, Jesus leaves Galilee.

False After he leaves Galilee and begins his journey toward Jerusalem, he teaches about divorce.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Pauline Epistles are eleven letters written to individual believers about specific questions about the faith.

False After the Gospels comes the Acts of the Apostles, which is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke; it tells the story of the earliest followers of Jesus after he is gone, especially Peter and Paul, and how the gospel spreads from Jerusalem, even all the way to Rome. After Acts comes a group of books called the "Epistles" ("letters") because it consists of many formal and general letters. First comes letters written by Paul, called the "Pauline Epistles," listed in order of length; these letters were written to churches in various cities across the Roman Empire and addressed specific problems or questions these churches had. The Epistle to the Romans is the longest and most important of the Pauline Epistles, written to the Christians in Rome before his visit to them; in Romans one finds the major theological themes of Paul, who called himself the "apostle to the Gentiles," about salvation and Christian life. The next two letters, 1 and 2 Corinthians, addressed some serious problems Christians at the church in the city of Corinth were facing. Letters to the Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians also feature Paul's teachings and advice to the Christians living in Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae, respectively. The last four Pauline Epistles are 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, and are written by Paul to specific individuals, but also meant for the churches in which those individuals served.

According to Matthew 28, an angel rolled away the stone of the tomb for the purpose of letting Jesus out.

False An angel did appear and cause the stone to be rolled away - it was likely done so that others could go in and see that Jesus was gone. The angel told the two women there - Mary and Mary - that Jesus was already gone.

According to Celebration of Discipline, we ought to choose to serve rather than choosing to be a servant because the former will protect us from being taken advantage of, and the latter will lead to slavery.

False Being a servant is choosing to give up rights, to be "available and vulnerable," and therefore it leaves us vulnerable to the possibility of being taken advantage of. But this attitude is a good thing, for perfect service is perfect joy. When we choose merely to serve others, we are still controlling the service. To choose to be a servant - for us to choose it, and not for it to be forced on us - is to be a slave "of love."

According to class lecture, when Christians were under persecution in the Roman Empire, they were all sought out and executed.

False Christians were persecuted, but not all of them were killed. Persecution could be simply derision, or a fine, or arrest, or execution. If you were a Christian, how you were persecuted depended on who the emperor was, where in the empire you lived, if you were a leader in the church or not, and how public you were about your faith.

According to Introducing Christianity, apologists were responsible for reconciling factions of Christians within the church.

False Within the Roman Empire, Christians often had to defend their beliefs against those who questioned or attacked the coherence of what they confessed to be true. Apologists (from the Greek word "apologia," which means "defense") presented a reasoned defense of the faith, explaining things such as worship practices and what the teachings of Christ meant, especially to intellectuals of the Greco-Roman world.

According to Introducing Christianity, the remarkable similarity in belief and practice among the many diverse Christian communities spread out over the Greco-Roman world during the Patristic Period was a reason for the growth of Christianity.

False During the first two hundred years or so of the Patristic Period (roughly, 100-300 C.E.), there was a great deal of persecution and growth. While it is easy to see how persecution from outside its ranks was difficult, the rapid growth of Christianity also caused difficulty within the community of faith. Jesus was Jewish, as were his earliest followers; the fact that they shared the Hebrew scriptures and Jewish theological concepts (including notions of monotheism and "Messiah") and practices meant they had a common religious foundation and vocabulary. However, especially after the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., Christianity spread into non-Jewish areas (places such as Egypt, North Africa, Syria, Persia, Asia Minor, and Greece); as more Gentiles converted to Christianity after hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the cross (that God loved them and that sin was forgiven), Christianity became decoupled from its Jewish roots since its converts knew nothing about Jewish beliefs and practices. There was no official distinctive Christian canon (other than Jewish scriptures), liturgy, or doctrine. Because of the lack of a standardized Christian identity, followers of Jesus had difficulty figuring out what it meant to be Christian in the midst of so many diverse cultures and languages. Thus the geographical spread resulted in a great diversity of beliefs and practices within Christianity, which was at times problematic, especially because false teachings or incorrect theology could enter into the church as new converts tried to understand or explain what it is they believed. Many early Christian writings, including some texts that are now part of the New Testament, were letters or sermons meant to correct errors in belief or practice for fledgling Christian communities. An important group of these non-canonical texts is called the "Apostolic Fathers," written in Greek by various authors in the late first and early second centuries. Nevertheless, despite the differences in belief and practice, Christians applied and extended their devotion to Jesus to the lives, continuing to worship him, tell stories about him, and spread this good news.

According to Introducing Christianity, because it was part of the Roman Empire, during the time of Jesus, Jews were required to worship the emperor.

False Even though Christians were taught to love their enemies, do good deeds, respect authority, and care for others, Romans did not like Christians. Ironically, the Roman Empire was culturally and religiously quite diverse; the only way that they could hold such a large empire together was through religious tolerance combined with elements of Roman cultural assimilation. Indigenous populations could continue to worship their local gods as long as, for purposes of imperial unity, they worshiped the "genius of the emperor" along with Roman gods. Most complied; it did not seem to bother most to add some Roman gods to the set of gods already being worshipped. Besides, since Rome was so powerful, their gods must be as well. Thus it was wise both socially and spiritually to worship these new Roman deities. Rome, meanwhile, respected religion and felt that the gods protected the empire, bringing it prosperity and peace. For residents to refuse to worship could lead to danger, and so all people in the empire were required to honor the Roman gods. Jews, however, as residents of the empire, were granted an exception out of respect for their ancient religion; because they were strict monotheists (they worship only one God), Jews did not have to worship the Roman gods, but rather only had to pray for the emperor and the empire. However, this exception did not extend to Christians, even though they worshipped the same God; Christianity, though it had at first been treated as a Jewish sect, was soon seen as its own religion.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the lessons of the Reformation point out that private, individual confession to God is sufficient, and that mutual confession to another is therefore to be avoided.

False Foster made the point that even Luther, Father of the Reformation, advocated mutual confession. Both private and mutual confession have advantages and disadvantages.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the freedom gained in the spiritual discipline of submission is the freedom from caring what people think.

False Foster says that the freedom gained in submission is the freedom from needing to have one's own way. In submission we are freed to love others, and freed to give up the right to demand their love in return. In submission, we are freed from the anger that comes when others do not treat us as we feel that they should.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the "sacrifice of fools" refers to when we pray out loud.

False Foster uses Peter's words after the Transfiguration as an example of the "sacrifice of fools." For Foster, it is "humanly initiated religious talk." This is when we disdain silence because; we want to use speech to manipulate, to control our situation. We often want to speak in order to justify ourselves, to show ourselves in the best light. To be silent is to let God take control of our situation.

T/F: According to Matthew 16, Jesus doesn't predict his death.

False He does, as in Matthew 16. He also predicts that he will be raised " on the third day."

According to Introducing Christianity, after the fall of the Rome, the church began to slowly lose influence in the West.

False In 330 C.E., Constantine moved the capitol to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey), shifting the political and military power to the eastern part of the empire; the city of Rome was eventually taken over a number of times by invaders (the Goths, then the Vandals, then the Huns). Though the Roman Empire continued in the East (later historians would call it the "Byzantine Empire"), the western part of the empire fell apart, and, with the death or escape of leaders and government officials, there emerged a power vacuum in the West. The Christian church, which had a significant presence in Rome, used its power and organization to maintain civil order in the West; this brought a lot of power to the archbishop of Rome (which we today call the "pope") who began to accumulate political as well as religious influence. Leo I (reigned 440-461 C.E.) was the first pope to declare himself as the head of all Christianity; he gained notoriety for saving Rome from Attila the Hun in 452 C.E., and increased the power of the papacy in the West (western Europe and Northern Africa). Gregory the Great (540-604 C.E.), through his wise rule of the church, increased the power of the office even more.

According to Introducing Christianity, the rise of Islam affected the Orthodox Church, not the Catholic Church.

False In 622 C.E., a prophet named Mohammad from the Arabian city of Mecca was preaching strict and devout monotheism; he was opposed by polytheists who drove him out to Medina, an oasis not far away. This was the beginning of Islam, the religion of Muslims (followers of the teachings of Mohammad) who date their calendar from that year; as a post-Christian religion, Islam draws from both Christian and Jewish sources. By the time Mohammad died in 632 C.E., a large number of Arabians had converted to Islam. The armies of the caliphs (Muslim political leaders) rapidly expanded the Islamic Empire throughout the Middle East and North Africa (where Islam remains the dominant religion) and from there up into Spain. They were finally stopped there by Charles Martel, or Charles the Hammer, at the Battle of Tours (732 C.E.) and stopped in the East from spreading into Europe by the Byzantine Empire; the caliphate armies continued to expand eastward as far away as India. As the Islamic Empire consolidated its victories, the son of Charles Martel, Charles the Great, or "Charlemagne," was crowned Holy Roman Empire by the pope on Christmas day in 800 C.E. Charlemagne's "empire" was really only the area of modern-day France, and he was German; thus it was not an empire, nor Roman, nor particularly "holy." However, due to the centuries of poverty and warfare and plague that has led many historians to call that ear the "Dark Ages," Europe lagged far behind the Byzantine and Islamic empires in cultural advancement; the emergence of Charlemagne gave some hope that he would restore stability, power, and greatness in Europe akin to the stories of the Roman Empire. As the West began its slow cultural, economic, and political recovery, European powers began to push back against the Muslims; this was the beginning of the "Crusades," in which soldiers and knights went to battle against Muslims for the glory of their God, to ensure the hope of heaven, and to gain this-worldly power and wealth. The first Crusade was commissioned by Pope Urban II in 1095 C.E. at the Council of Clermont, hoping that a great European army would rescue the "Holy Land" of Israel and the "Holy City" of Jerusalem from the Muslims and protect Constantinople. While the West was initially successful, it was costly in terms of lives and money; after about a century, Israel was retaken by a united and strengthened Muslim army. In the fourth Crusade (early 1200s), European armies, eyeing the wealth of Constantinople, attacked and destroyed that Christian city, which they had initially been called to protect in the Crusades; thus the Crusades helped bring about the eventual end of the Byzantine Empire which came officially in 1453 C.E. when the Turks, who were Muslim, overran Constantinople. Both the Orthodox Church and Muslim cultures have never entirely forgotten or forgiven the West for the Crusades.

T/F: According to Matthew 15, Jesus feeds the four thousand because he wants to display his power.

False In fact, Jesus never performs a miracle merely to show power. They always have some purpose, usually compassionate.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Jesus' submission is found only in his action on the cross.

False Foster says that we see Jesus radical submission in his life as well. Jesus lived a life of submission. Jesus served all in his life. Jesus flatly rejected cultural givens of power and position. The most radical teaching of Jesus was the reversal of the notion of greatness - leadership is found in serving all, power is found in weakness, greatness in submission.

According to Calling and Clarity, because we are given freedom to answer or deny our callings, it is possible for us to keep God from fulfilling God's purposes.

False In speaking of divine agency and human agency, Koskela poses the question that many ask: If God is going to bring about God's Kingdom, then why am I needed? And why give me the freedom to deny that calling? Koskela says that the answer to both of them is God's grace. It is because of God's grace that we are chosen to be signs of God's Kingdom, used by God to make that Kingdom real. And it is because of God's grace that we are given the freedom to answer or deny God's callings; there is no real love relationship with out freely given response. When we respond to our callings, it is not forced, but rather given as a free response of obedience. Even in Scriptural examples when God was persistent in calling someone, a response was eventually required, and denials did not lead to nullification of relating to God, but eventually led to deeper communion with God. However, Koskela emphasizes that God does not need us for God's purposes; God is endlessly persistent and creative, and will bring about God's Kingdom. "Divine providence" means that God will bring about God's Kingdom, though God will not do so deterministically. Rather, God will bring it about because God is persistent and creative. God will even use our instances of disobedience, though that does not mean God wants our disobedience. The fullest life is found in following God as signs of the Kingdom; our obedience is for our good, and the good of those around us.

According to Matthew 26, Jesus was never scared before his arrest and crucifixion.

False In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed because he was scared. He even went so far as to pray that he could avoid the coming suffering and death.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Apostles' Creed consists of two main articles corresponding to the two natures of Christ.

False In the midst of living the Christian life, believers find God at work in and among them, and thus Christian ethics is as much about the action of God as it is the action of humans; in the Bible and in Christian doctrine, theology (the study of God) and ethics (the study of morality) have always gone together. Knowledge of God is found within a moral Christian ("godly") life, and a moral Christian life emerges out of a relationship with, and therefore knowledge of, God; since its inception, Christianity has understood the value of both well-articulated theology and strenuous morality. An old and reliable method for summarizing Christian theology is to examine one of the earliest statements of Christian belief, the Apostles' Creed, which arose out of the worship practices of the early church; those who were preparing for baptism would memorize the Apostles' Creed as part of their Christian training, so that they would know precisely what it was that they were professing. The Apostles' Creed is still widely used in churches today, including in worship services, and is accepted as a basic statement of faith by virtually all Christian churches. The Apostles' Creed has three paragraphs, or "articles," each of which talk about one of the three Persons of the one God. Like the other great monotheistic religions of Judaism and Islam with which it is historically connected, Christianity believes that there is just one God who created all things, "heaven and earth"; however, unlike Judaism and Islam, Christianity affirms that the one being of God has three personal centers of existence. The three distinct Persons of God are a unity within the oneness of God's being; however, this "personhood" of the infinite God must not be confused with finite human personhood. God is one, as expressed in three "Persons"; the Bible and the Apostles' Creed name these Persons as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

According to Calling and Clarity, a common mistake in discerning vocation is forgetting that it is simply the same thing as your job.

False It is not the same thing as your job, though you might be lucky enough for there to be significant overlap.

According to Matthew 20, after Jesus heals two blind men outside of Jericho, they run back to tell others what they had seen.

False It says that after they regained their sight, they followed Jesus.

According to Calling and Clarity, you cannot extend the process of confirmation too long.

False Just as we can charge ahead with direct callings without confirmation, so, too, can we extend the confirmation process too long because we have been called to something that is uncomfortable for us. But Koskela points out that once a direct calling is confirmed, there is freedom and peace in knowing what it is that we should do; now we need only obey. Likewise, knowing that direct callings are not hidden, there is freedom and peace in not being directly called to something; without specific directives, we need not be anxious about how we might be faithful to God. There are many possible ways we can respond to God's missional or general calls every day (though there are of course more or less wise choices we can make).

According to Calling and Clarity, first we must come to know who God is, and then we go on the journey of discovering our vocation.

False Koskela says that in obediently following the call of God, who we may not know well, we come to know and love God. Obedience to God leads to greater knowledge and love of God. Theological doctrine paints for us a map, sketched by generations of Christians who have come before us, of this God we aim to come to know and love.

According to Calling and Clarity, ordained ministry is a special kind of missional calling.

False Koskela says that ordained ministry is a direct calling. Though it does use one's gifts, and it is usually intended to be long term, ordained ministry is not merely a response to abilities and interests. He points out that one must have both an internal and external call to pastoral ministry; an internal call is a sense that God is calling you to pastoral ministry (whether or not one is happy or excited about it is secondary to the reality of that call), and an external call is a rigorous process by which a body of believers agrees that you are indeed called to pastoral ministry (usually ratified by ordination). Koskela also reminds us that the presence of pastor-type gifts are necessary but not sufficient for a call to pastoral ministry; there are lots of people in the world with those sorts of gifts that are using them well in other arenas, but who do not sense the call to pastoral ministry. And finally, he reminds us that the missional call of one directly called into pastoral ministry is then lived out within that position; we see pastors who work out their call in diverse ways depending on who they are (though of course their job will also entail doing things that are not part of their missional call), and that this missional call extends to after their pastoral position has ended.

According to Calling and Clarity, worship only takes place in the presence of a gathered congregation.

False Koskela says that worship is the appropriate response to this God that is transcendent and immanent, that is Triune, that uses us to be signs of God's work. Our entire lives are worship (Romans 12:1-2). However, central to this life of worship is worship in a church community, where we remember who God is and who we are, where we are drawn deeper into God's story, and where we proclaim what is true together. Only together can we be transformed into the people who are equipped to carry out God's calling as we worship God with the rest of our lives in the answer to our callings. Thus answering God's callings is not done out of obligation, but an obedient but joyful act of worship as we freely respond.

According to Calling and Clarity, we should choose either vocational intertia or vocational wandering.

False Koskela says that, if we have not yet discerned our missional vocation, it might be wise to consider our present vocation as discovering it so that we might keep in mind that it is an important and involved process, and that our gifts and passions should be directed somewhere in particular. But he says that we should beware the danger of "vocational inertia," meaning that if we are too comfortable with not knowing our missional calling -- perhaps if we think we'll discover it later in life or that it will dawn on us -- we may never feel the urgency of discerning it. But, on the other side of the coin, he reminds us that inertia works the other way, too; once we have momentum built in discovering our missional calling, it becomes easier to continue. Koskela also warns us against "vocational wandering," which is when we are endlessly seeking or trying to refine our missional calling; this is often where perfectionists can land. At some point, we have to take what we have discerned concerning our missional calling and go with it, remembering that when we've finished our discernment, it does not mean that we are finished figuring out our missional calling. As our life goes forward, we may discover new gifts, passions, or needs that help us refine our sense of missional vocation. At any rate, we can go forward, know that God is faithful, and will use whatever we offer.

According to class lecture, when Martin Luther posted the 95 theses in 1517, it was because he wanted to leave the Catholic Church.

False Luther wanted the church to be reformed. It became evident to later Reformation leaders that Protestants would not be able to remain in the Catholic church.

According to Matthew 18, if there is conflict between you and another Christian, you should first go and talk to someone else about it.

False Matthew 18 says that first you should go and talk to that person, then talk to them with others, and then talk to them with the church.

According to Celebration of Discipline, it is better to ask for general forgiveness rather than naming specific sins because the latter can cause a greater-than-necessary experience of guilt.

False Naming specific sins is important. A general confession may save us from humiliation, but it will not provide inner healing for specific hurts. People came to Jesus with specific things for which they needed healing. But at the opposite side, we must be careful not to over concern ourselves in confession by trying to acknowledge every last detail of our lives.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Catholic Reformation included the Council of Trent, which called for increased accountability by church leaders, but also led to less missionary work to focus on internal issues.

False The Catholic tradition has experienced many periods of reform in its long history, each one spurring instances of renewal and contributing to its longevity, strength, and vitality. At about the same time as the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church was also undergoing its own reformation; this is sometimes called the "Counter-Reformation," because it was in part a response to the Protestant movements, but it is more appropriate to call it the "Catholic Reformation" because it began with movements that occurred before and beyond the Protestant Reformation by internal factions responding to internal issues. Perhaps the most important event in the Catholic Reformation was the Council of Trent (1545-1563) due to its efforts to establish and systematize wide-ranging reforms. More significant authority was given to the pope, bishops, and priests in an endeavor to provide accountability to abuse and corruption. Doctrine and church practices were affirmed or more strenuously regulated, and the Mass, as opposed to anything related to the institution, was re-affirmed as the center of worship; canons (or "rules") were established for the celebration of Mass that were made accessible to everyone, and the Vulgate, in Latin, was affirmed to be the official translation of the Bible. The Catholic Church built more schools for children and embraced a renewed commitment to mission work; Catholics were among the first missionaries to the Americas, Asia, India, and Africa, where, among other things, they established schools. Today, the Roman Catholic Church remains one of the oldest, strongest, and certainly the largest and most global of the Christian traditions, and its leader, the pope, continues to be one of the most important world leaders; as an example, Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) was one of the most recognized figures in the world in the late twentieth century and was able to speak with moral authority on a number of issues.

According to Introducing Christianity, the most important translation of the Bible since the Vulgate was the New International Version.

False The Christian Bible was translated very early into Greek and Latin. However, because the Bible is so important to Christians all over the world, it has been translated from the original Hebrew and Greek into many, many languages. The most popular translation in the Western world was the Latin Vulgate for over a thousand years, until the Reformation in the 1500s. Since then, the most influential translation or of the Bible has been an English translation called the "Authorized Version" (1611), also known as the "King James Version." Many other English translations (or "versions") are based on the King James Version: the Revised Standard Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the American Standard Version, the New American Standard Version, and the New King James Version. There are other popular English translations as well: the New International Version, the New English Bible, the Good News Bible (also called "Today's English Version"), the New American Bible, the New Jerusalem Bible, and the Revised English Bible. There also exist several "paraphrases" of the Bible, such as the Living Bible and The Message; while a translation attempts to be readable while attempting to stay as faithful as possible to the original languages, a paraphrase attempts to simplify a translation to make it understandable to a particular context. No matter the translation or paraphrase, the importance of the Bible can hardly be overstated. It is the best-selling and most important book in the Western world, probably of all time. It challenges and inspires Christians and non-Christians around the globe. The Bible is a "book of books" consisting of several different genres of very old writing, some ancient, including stories and visions about the beginning and ending of the world. Christians find the Bible as nothing short of essential for understanding their story, who Jesus is, and how to live.

According to Matthew 28, the Jewish officials, upon being told of what happened by the guards at Jesus tomb, did not believe that Jesus had risen, but rather believed his body was stolen.

False The Pharisees had persuaded Pilate to place his guards at the tomb to prevent the disciples from stealing it and claiming that Jesus had risen. But, when the guards returned to the priests and said that Jesus was gone, the priests bribed the guards to say that the disciples had done just that. But this was a deception.

According to class lecture, the Great Schism in 1054 split the Christian church into the Catholic Church (in the East) and the Orthodox Church (in the West).

False The Roman Catholic Church was in the West (Europe, mostly), and the Orthodox Church was in the East (Greece, Asia Minor, the Middle East, and parts of Asia and northwestern Africa.

According to Matthew 26, the Romans and Jewish leaders plotted together to kill Jesus.

False The Romans did not participate in the plot. It was all the Jewish priests and elders, and Judas.

According to Introducing Christianity, the religious intolerance present in the American colonies made it a difficult place for religion to thrive.

False The United States has been a fertile ground for Christianity due to its guarantee of religious freedom, the diversity of its inhabitants, and the founding of the American colonies that came soon after the Protestant Reformation and renewed Catholic mission work. A number of new religious movements and sects prospered in the United States because religious freedom there was assured; though religious tolerance is now a widely-assumed right, the separation of church and state was a relatively new concept in the late 1700s when the American colonies formed their government. Many independent and separatist Protestants sought freedom of religious expression and received government charters to found colonies in what is now the United States. In addition, the Roman Catholic Church also established itself in the Americas beginning in the 1500s as Catholic countries such as France and Spain settled new territories. However, it should be noted that this missionary work was often accompanied by often-violent oppression of native peoples as European countries, such as Spain and Portugal, sought gold and power in new lands; sadly, the missionaries were too-often complicit in this violence through their acceptance of it.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the only benefit of celebration is to provide relief and respite from sadness.

False The benefits of celebration do include an antidote for sadness, but can also include relaxation, an added sense of perspective on life, an ability to laugh at ourselves, freedom from a judgmental spirit and can lead to even more celebration!

According to Introducing Christianity, all Christians gradually came to agree on what books belong in the Old Testament canon.

False The biblical "canon" is a list of books considered to be sacred enough to be included in the Bible. For a book to be canonical is to be considered to have the authority of God's Word. Regarding the Old Testament, there have been different canons over the years. Centuries before Jesus, before the canon of the Jewish Bible was fully determined (the Ketuvim was not yet set), there were Jews scattered about the Greco-Roman world who understood Greek even better than Hebrew. For that reason, in the third century B.C.E., important Hebrew texts were translated by Jewish scholars into Greek; this translation was called the "Septuagint," from the Latin word for seventy (and abbreviated by the Roman numeral for seventy, LXX), so called because legend says that it was translated by 72 Egyptian scholars in 72 days. There were many Jewish texts of varying levels of sacredness included in the Septuagint, including much more recent texts that were written in Greek (not merely translations of Hebrew texts). For various reasons, some of the books listed in the Septuagint (including the Greek texts) would not be among those declared canonical once the Jewish Bible was determined in the first century C.E. Because Jesus and then the first Christians were Israeli Jews, they likely used Hebrew scriptures and not the Septuagint. But as Christianity spread in the years after, more and more non-Hebrew speaking Jews and Gentiles adopted the faith, and the Septuagint was used as Old Testament scripture (along with other Greek writings that would later become the New Testament). However, as Latin then became the more commonly used language in the Western church, there became a need among many for a new translation of the Old and New Testament. Thus it was that St. Jerome translated into Latin from the original Hebrew most of the books listed in the Septuagint for the Old Testament, along with the books of the New Testament from the Greek, finishing in 405 C.E.; this translation was called the "Vulgate" (meaning "common"), and it was an incredibly important Bible translation in the Western church. Meanwhile, the Eastern church, favoring the Greek language, continued to use the Septuagint, which included three books (and one Psalm) that were not included in the Vulgate translation. At the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, the nature of the Bible came into focus, including questions about which books belonged in the Old Testament. Reformers such as Martin Luther felt that only the books in the Jewish Bible were canonically legitimate in the Christian Old Testament because they were more "original." Therefore, those ten texts in the Vulgate that were not also in the Jewish Bible were not considered legitimately to be God's Word, but rather "apocryphal," by the Protestants. Shortly thereafter, at the Council of Trent (1546), the Roman Catholic Church declared the ten texts to be "deuterocanonical," meaning that they were part of the canon of the Old Testament and useful for edification, but were less important than the "protocanonical" books listed in the Hebrew Bible, and not doctrinally authoritative. Indeed, Jerome himself, while including these ten texts in the Vulgate, seems to have questioned whether they were canonical or deuterocanonical. Meanwhile, at the Synod of Jerusalem (1672), the Orthodox Church declared all books listed in the Septuagint as canonical, though those not in the Hebrew Bible (including the ten of the Vulgate and those three books in the Septuagint but not listed in the Vulgate) as deuterocanonical.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Apostles' Creed describes God as "Father" because God is a male.

False The first article of the Apostles' Creed focuses on God the Father, who is the creator of heaven and earth; God is called "Father" to indicate that he is the creator of all people and is the One who loves us most, and that we love in return. Christians believe that God is a sort of spiritual "Parent" and thus seeks what is best for his "children" (humans) and desires a personal relationship with each of them; in theory, God could be called our heavenly "Mother," though that language for God, while used in some contemporary settings, is rare in the Bible and the tradition of the church. But Christians have always believed that God, who is neither male nor female, is beyond even the best qualities of our fathers and mothers.

According to Introducing Christianity, the first four commandments focus on the believer's relationship with neighbor.

False The first four commandments are mainly about our relationship with God because, in biblical ethics, that is the foundation of everything else. The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods"; as the creator of the universe, the one true Lord commands that worship is due only to him and not anything created. Christians believe that they are called to love, worship, and honor God with every bit of their lives; possessions, jobs, and even families are precious gifts from the creator, but should never be considered more important than the one who gave them. No created thing should be the ultimate purpose or meaning of life, not even loved ones and families; only God, the one who created and sustains the universe is worthy of worship. This applies not only to the individual, but to the collective; Christians are joined together as one in Christ, which means that they worship God as a group, not as individuals. For all Christians together, this commandment is the key to the rest; a right relationship with God, based in faith, they believe, is the foundation to a moral and happy life. The second commandment is "You shall not worship graven images"; because the being of God is beyond our senses, no image of God (or anything else, of course) should be made for purposes of worship. Christians have always created art; paintings, sculptures, and architecture are profound media of artistic expression and spirituality, and gifts in these areas should be cultivated in anyone who are called to create art, which should in turn be cherished. The second commandment does not forbid the creation of art, but rather it forbids worshiping God as contained in any created thing. The third commandment is "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain"; the use of God's name as a curse or to justify evil deeds is symptomatic of a heart that is separated from God and turned toward sin. God, in humility and love, has revealed himself to humanity, giving them his name ("Yahweh" in Hebrew) and, out of God's goodness, establishing a covenant with them. In response, humanity should not seek to manipulate God or take advantage of the special relationship of the covenant he has established and should rather respect God. For those who love God, blasphemy (misusing God's name or the name of Jesus) is a serious moral problem. The fourth commandment is "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy"; the Sabbath day was created to remind humans that, more than anything else, they are created for relationship with God and for holy fellowship or "communion" with others. Work is a gift of God through which we express ourselves God's people, love others, and earn our daily bread; through work humans participate in God's creative activity in the world. But humans are not only created for work, and therefore work should never be made into a god. For the Jewish people, the Sabbath day was Saturday, the seventh day of the week, and it was a holy day during which work was forbidden so that people could rest in God and worship God. Christians generally have their main worship services on Sunday instead, because that is the day Jesus rose from the dead.

According to Celebration of Discipline, to know God as the proper object of worship is to "see" God's being rather than God's actions.

False The first two commandments seem to illustrate the importance of knowing the God we worship rather than worshiping another god (Commandment #1) or worshiping a misconception of God (Commandment #2). Therefore, it is essential to know the God of Israel. And one of the aspects of Israel's God is that it is a God that is known through action.

According to Matthew 25, Jesus teaches about the coming Kingdom of Heaven with a parable about Talents. This parable indicates that people should protect their God-given gifts at all costs.

False The master rewarded those who took risks with their "talents". The one who did nothing with his "talent," but merely protected it by burying it in the ground, was punished. The lesson is that we have responsibilities to use that which God has given us.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Foster claims that spiritual guidance through community can provide neither assurance nor authority.

False The opposite. Spiritual guidance in community provides assurance because it is can provide "checks and balances" against something you might simply assume you "heard" from God. A group can help you to discern what God is really trying to say. Jesus said that the Spirit is present when two or more are gathered. Further, once guidance from God is affirmed by a group, they can pronounce whatever guidance they received with authority.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Foster claims that though we live in community, gifts and guidance are only given to individuals.

False The reverse is true. Foster says that a ton is written about God guiding individuals, but very little is written about God's guidance of communities. However, Foster claims that the Bible shows that God interacts with a people, not persons. God brought a people out of Egypt. God made a covenant with a people. God gave the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts to a group of people, not to individuals. Acts showed that when confronted with a problem, the early church sought guidance corporately, after prayer, fasting and worship.

According to Introducing Christianity, all Protestants shunned alliances with political states.

False The theological revolution of the Reformation accompanied social and political revolutions as well. The teachings of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation spread rapidly because of the invention of the printing press. In addition, the countries of Europe (such as Luther's Saxony) were embracing nationalism and loyalty to local languages and rulers. This led many countries to dislike the idea of such great influence being wielded by a remote pope from another country. Because of this, different Protestant reformers were usually protected by their local rulers who were, in essence, protecting their own power over that of the Catholic Church. This led to reformers moving to towns more favorable to their movement for protection while Catholics consolidated their power in areas more favorable for them; political rulers, whether Catholic or Protestant, still believed that the unity of church and state were vital for national security. This, then, led to wars between the Holy Roman Emperor, allied with the Roman Catholic Church, and different localities, sometimes together, allied with different reform movements; the "Wars of Religion" took place in Germany, Switzerland, and England in the 1500s and 1600s in efforts to gain religious and political power and independence. These wars brought horrible suffering to many, and also created conditions for the Enlightenment and the development of modern Europe.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not an "avenue into worship"?

Finding the most suitable church According to Foster, worship is an "ordered way of acting and living that sets us before God so he can transform us." These are his suggestions of helpful pathways into having a worshipful experience.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Apostles' Creed focuses on three areas in which the Holy Spirit works.

False The third article of the Apostles' Creed focuses on the presence and power of God in our midst as the person and work of the Holy Spirit. Although Jesus now "sits at the right hand of the Father," God is not absent from the church on earth; God the Holy Spirit lives in and with the people of God. The Holy Spirit empowers the Christian to live a virtuous life that gives glory to God; the Holy Spirit is God present in services of worship, in service to the poor and outcast, in the life of prayer, in the believer's heart. In the third article of the Apostles' Creed, the early church concentrated on the work of the Holy Spirit in four arenas. The first arena of the Holy Sprit's work identified in the Apostles' Creed is the "holy catholic church" ("catholic" means universal) and the "communion of saints"; in fellowship as the one, universal Body of Christ, Christians believe that they also experience fellowship with God the Holy Spirit, and believe that even those who have passed on, the "communion of saints," are part of this fellowship that spans time and space. The second arena of the Holy Spirit's work identified in the Apostles' Creed is the "forgiveness of sins," which is essential to fellowship; Christianity teaches that as they repent of evil and sin and accept the gift of God's forgiveness as seen and accomplished in Jesus, the Holy Spirit sanctifies them, or makes them holy. Human sins are forgiven, and new power and joy are made available through the inward work of God; the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the Christian is the presence and power of an enduring relationship with God, one that gives the believer what they need to live the life to which God calls them. The third arena of the Holy Spirit's work identified in the Apostles' Creed is the "resurrection of the body"; the relationship established with God in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the believer is not a relationship that ends in death, but rather God has promised that humans will be resurrected in the power of that same Spirit to new and imperishable bodies, just as Jesus was. The fourth arena of the Holy Spirit's work identified in the Apostles' Creed is the "life everlasting"; the presence and power of God in the work of the Holy Spirit brings hope even in the face of death, reminding the believer that life in God extends forever, an echo of the promises made by Jesus in the Beatitudes, that the meek will inherit the earth, and the pure in heart will see God. However, all the theological affirmations of the Apostles' Creed are a matter of faith, born out of a connection with God. Christians believe that a deep and personal relationship with God, lived out on a daily basis, leads the believer into a more holy life and into a greater desire to know God. Christian theology and Christian ethics both find their center and purpose in the worship and love of God; the true heart of Christianity is found within the personal and spiritual relationship with the creator of heaven and earth, with the savior of humanity, with the powerful presence of life, with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

According to Calling and Clarity, if one finds that their job has meaning and value, then it is certainly their missional calling.

False There may be many things about one's job that are meaningful or valuable, but that does not mean it is their missional calling. Likewise, perhaps only part of one's job relates to their missional calling, or perhaps their job does not relate to their missional calling at all, but that does not mean that their job is not meaningful and valuable. Koskela points out that even the tasks of working as a minister -- which he says is an answer to a direct call of God -- do not always line up with one's missional calling. He also points out that while there may be intrinsic or instrumental value in one's work -- it may produce virtue, or it may produce a virtuous good -- it still need not be seen as a missional calling (and thus we must be careful not to say that someone is "called" to a job merely because it may have value). However, even in "unskilled" work, there may still be connections between one's job and missional calling.

According to Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces 6 prophetic "woes" to the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees.

False There were seven. I know, that was a nitpicky question, but I wanted to see if you actually read it. The "woes" focus on the fact that the scribes and Pharisees are hypocritical focus on ritual and law while disregarding true inner righteousness.

According to Matthew 26, Judas was the only disciple to desert Jesus.

False They all did. Judas betrayed Jesus by conspiring to capture him, but the other disciples denied knowing Jesus after his arrest, notably Peter.

According to Matthew 26, Caiaphas and the Jewish officials were able to easily find testimony against Jesus to condemn him.

False They looked for some, but only false witnesses came forward. Finally, some came forward and told about how Jesus had said that he would destroy the Temple. When asked about this, Jesus did not respond. He was then asked point-blank if he claimed to be the Messiah. Curiously, Jesus did not answer yes. But he did say "You have said so," and that the "Son of Man" will come in judgment. That was enough for the Caiaphas.

According to Matthew 22, the religious authorities, through careful maneuvering, are able to stump Jesus with a question meant to "entrap" him.

False They try. First, Pharisees and Roman officials ask him a question about taxes, trying to get him to say something offensive to Jews or treasonous to Rome. But he outsmarts them. Then some Sadducees try to ask him an unanswerable question about Mosaic Law and resurrection. But Jesus interprets the law to show them that their premises are off. Then some Pharisees and lawyers try to trap him by asking him which of all the laws is the greatest, but Jesus answers by not referring to the 10 Commandments, but by referring to two laws that encapsulate everything. Then Jesus sort of turns the tables by quizzing them on the divinity of the Messiah; they believe that the Messiah is a "Son of David," but Jesus shows them that David himself (in Psalms) showed that he believed the Messiah to be greater than himself.

According to Celebration of Discipline, we should celebrate even when we don't feel like it.

False We should not pretend to celebrate when the spirit of celebration isn't there. Children are often forced to "be grateful" even when they don't feel grateful; this causes confusion in our inner spirits.

According to Celebration of Discipline, we ought to submit to worldly authority under all circumstances.

False We should not submit to worldly authorities if it keeps us from submitting to our spiritual authority.

According to Calling and Clarity, the idea of missional calling is explicitly spoken of in Scripture.

False While there are plenty of examples of general and direct calling in Scripture, missional calling is not something that is presented there. Rather, Koskela says that missional calling is a theological concept that helps us to make sense of what the biblical witness is saying about our lives (he compares it to the doctrine of Trinity, also not explicitly stated in Scripture). He first points out that verses about spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12:1-31, Eph. 4:4-16) seem to suggest that we all have unique gifts given to us by God to be used, together in community, for God's purposes. Second, he looks at Psalm 139:13-16 and Eph. 2:10 to point out that God knows his creations intimately, thus we were created in specific ways to glorify God. Third, he says that God has given us freedom (he quotes James 4:13-16 and Col. 3:17) to choose whatever way we think best if we are not sure of what particular direction God wants us to go. Instead of being frozen in indecision when we are unsure of what choice to make in life (because we lack a direct call), instead we can know that we are within God's will, no matter our choice, as long as we live faithfully. Thus, wherever we are, whatever we are doing in life, absent a direct call leading us to a specific place or choice, we can pursue our missional calling in any context.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Foster claims that we must prepare to hear confession from another. Which of the following is not one of the things to do in preparation to hear confession from another?

Figure out how to solve their problem In confession, we believe that God solves the problems. We must pray for wisdom and guidance from God, and for God to heal their hurt. We are here in confession to listen, and to assure them of God's forgiveness.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not a consideration of confirmation?

Following a direct call will not necessarily be consistent with what God has revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Regarding the "Jesus test," Christians believe that God is centrally revealed in Jesus Christ, and thus no revelation will supersede it or contradict it; however, not every direct calling will be able to be measured against that revelation. Regarding group confirmation, it is important, no matter your maturity, to include others to help you see from different angles; though it is true that groups can make confirmation mistakes, too, this chance can be mitigated if we include mature Christians with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, including those who hear from God and those that do not. Regarding spiritual disciplines, they help is develop a familiarity with God's voice; Koskela reminds us that we do not achieve this familiarity, but rather in spiritual disciplines we create space for God to change us, and thus spiritual disciplines will not necessarily enable you to clearly understand God's call. Regarding avoiding the broadcasting of our experience of direct calls, especially those most directly affected, it can only complicate the confirmation process (or raise anxiety!) if we tell others we've received a direct call before it's been confirmed; rather, we can be patient knowing God will be persistent.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not an implication of discerning vocation in light of God's transcendence and immanence?

God's immanence means that God is coming, any minute. First, Koskela notes that we can recognize God's call while also claiming that God is far beyond us; God's transcendence and immanence means God interacts with us while also being inaccessible. But this duality also means that we really can claim to discern God's call; God's transcendence and immanence means that, though God is far beyond us, God really does interact with us intimately. Second, Koskela says that, if God is immanently working all things for good, then we can trust that God is calling us to be signs of the Kingdom of God. Similarly, if God is transcendently powerful, then we can trust that God will give us what we need in order to fulfill that call. Third, God's transcendence means that, ultimately, we can never understand God or how God works. But this is helpful, for it means we do not need to worry about understanding precisely how our calling fits into God's overall working of the Kingdom of God. We can simply faithfully obey, trusting that God is using us as signs for the Kingdom of God that is being brought to bear.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not one of the final five commandments?

Honor your father and mother The sixth commandment, "You shall not murder (kill)," reflects on human relationships with others in general; it asserts that the life of every individual is holy and to be respected as a creation and gift of God that is not ours to take from another (e.g., in Ex. 23:7). While there is an apparent exception to this commandment in the Old Testament whereby killing is allowed in capital punishment and war (though many biblical interpreters consider killing to be different than murder, and note alternate translations for this commandment), the highest expression of this commandment for Christians is in the teachings of Jesus, who commanded his followers to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). The seventh commandment, "Do not commit adultery," focuses again on the family, and beyond; "adultery" is when a covenant is broken, such as a marriage covenant, or the human covenant with God. Because the love of the marriage covenant reflects the love expressed in the covenant between God and humanity, adultery in the context of marriage would also include the expression of self-giving love, such as sex, outside of covenant relationship. God created sex as a good and intense expression of intimacy to, among other things, embody the lifelong union of love within covenantal relationship. Sexuality describes how our bodies express intimacy, and thus it is a constituent part of what it means to be human; however, Christians do not define sexuality as the foundation of human identity, but rather as something to be ordered within their relationship with God. If sex is created for covenantal relationships, then all Christians are called to "chastity," or proper use of sexual intimacy; whether single or married, Christians believe that they are called to steward well this gift, whether through celibacy or monogamous commitment. For that reason, Christians maintain the virtue of "self-control," and that some sexual passions or lusts should be guarded against (see 1 Thess. 4:3-5). The eighth commandment, "You shall not steal," reflects also on the love and respect of other people. Though the earth belongs to God (Psalm 24:1), to provide for the security of families and individuals, humans also have been given parts of that creation as their "own"; respecting personal property and what God has given them is a form of loving others. Governmental regulation of ownership is meant to be a way that humans institute this respect. However, human ownership of God's creation is not an absolute right; humanity has been commissioned as stewards and caretakers of all earth (Gen. 1:26-30), and therefore some have reasoned that using the property of others for the protection of life is not morally wrong. The ninth commandment, "You shall not bear false witness," applies eighth commandment's respect of others' property to the respect of others' reputation. Though this commandment originally applied to the reliability of testimony in the courtroom, it extends to a general principle of honesty; in human relationships and communication, truth is essential. Because God is true (John 3:33, Rom. 3:4), humans are also called to a life of truth-telling; Christians respect and value truth, and thus they should seek it and stand up for it. They should not hide the truth, even if it is painful truth about themselves; lying undermines human community and flourishing. In Scripture, light is often used as a metaphor for truth; in the light of God, Christians are called to be the light of the world (Matt. 5:14). The tenth commandment, "You shall not covet," guards against what is often at the root of the temptation to steal or lie, namely a desire for that which is not ours. Christians are called to be thankful for their "daily bread" (Matt. 6:11). Envy for material things, or lust for untoward sexual pleasure, can lead to destruction; an excessive or inappropriate desire for things such as wealth, power, or pleasure can block or waylay our relationship with God, our love of others, or our efforts toward Christlike gratitude and peace.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the first section of the Old Testament, or the Jewish Bible?

It culminates in the death of Abraham The first part of the Christian bible is the "Old Testament," which is the Jewish Bible, also called the "Hebrew Bible" because it is written in Hebrew for the Hebrew people. The Jewish people divided this scripture into three parts: Torah, Prophets, and Writings. The Torah, which means "law," is also called the Books of Moses or the "Pentateuch," which is Greek for "five vessels." The five books of the Pentateuch are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Genesis tells a creation story in which God commands the universe into existence, and in it God creates the first humans, who were created to be in a loving relationship with God, but who rejected this relationship in an act of rebellion that Christians call "the fall" because it tells us humans falling out of the intended state of relationship with God. This story and others in the first eleven chapters of Genesis, such as Noah's Ark and the Tower of Babel, are "prehistorical" sagas because they were originally stories told orally, handed down generation to generation before written records existed, and therefore the events they record are mysterious, from a distant past. After these stories, Genesis becomes increasingly concrete with the stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs, the ancient ancestors of Israel, beginning with Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob (or "Israel") and Rachel, and their twelve sons who are the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. The next four books of the Pentateuch focus on Moses, the great lawgiver. Exodus tells of Moses and the miraculous liberation of the Jewish people (also simply called "Israel") from Egyptian slavery, and the gift from God to Israel through Moses of the Law on Mt. Sinai, centering on the 10 Commandments. Leviticus tells of how Israel moves on from Sinai through the desert, the presence of God with them. This travelling goes on for 40 years, Israel worshipping in a movable tent along the way called a "tabernacle"; Leviticus focuses on laws related to rituals and worship in the tabernacle, laws that would be maintained once a permanent temple was built in Jerusalem, aimed to preserve the holiness of Israel. The next book, Numbers, tells us of the journey of Israel through the desert wilderness in search of the Promised Land, the area that we today associate with Palestine or the country of Israel. The final book in the Torah is Deuteronomy, which re-tells the story of how Israel as the people of God, from the Exodus from Egypt to the ending of their desert wanderings, receive and live out the Law, anchored in the 10 Commandments, in a system of rituals and practices; the Law and how it guided life and worship was, for Israel, critical to how they lived in covenant relationship with God. Deuteronomy and the Torah end with the death of Moses after a final blessing to the twelve tribes.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the third section of the Old Testament, or the Jewish Bible?

It does not include books written after the return of Israel from exile The next section of the Hebrew Bible, after Prophets, is "Writings," which are a number of books that detail Israel's response to the revelation of God contained in law and prophecy, the first two sections of the Hebrew Bible. Sometimes Writings is divided into poetry books and wisdom books, but that does not cover all the genres in Writings. In the format of the Hebrew Bible, the first subsection in Writings is the "Poetic Books": Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. Psalms is the best known and favorite of the Writings and is a gathering of the hymns, or songs to God, of generations of ancient Israel; they speak of God and life and display the depth of prayer. Proverbs is a collection of short sayings of wisdom that proclaim how to lead a successful life with God and the world. Job is a book of poetically presented wisdom that tells of the faithfulness of a righteous man in the midst of suffering. The second subsection in Writings is the "Five Scrolls": Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther. The Song of Songs (or "Song of Solomon," or "Canticles") is a collection of love poems. Ruth takes place in the time of the judges and tells of a young woman who leaves her people to join with Israel; she ends up being one of the ancestors of David. Lamentations is a poem of grief concerning the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian empire. Ecclesiastes (or "Qoheleth") is, like Job, a book of poetically presented wisdom proclaiming the foolishness of a life lived for pleasure, power, or fame, and the wisdom of a simple life lived in service of God. Esther, which takes place during the Jewish exile, tells of a Jewish orphan who becomes Queen of Persia (which had conquered Babylon in 539 B.C. and took over its empire) and risks her own safety to rescue her people from persecution and death. The third subsection in Writings is made up of three books: Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles. Daniel tells of a Jewish leader who served Persian rulers during the exile, and contains prophecies, stories, and dreams, including apocalyptic visions. Ezra-Nehemiah (which is usually divided into two books in the Christian Bible) tells of a Jewish scribe and priest (Ezra) and a Jewish court official (Nehemiah) who return with Israel from Persia to their homeland after the exile, and records events surrounding the return to Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple. Chronicles (which is also usually divided into two books in the Christian bible) tells the history of Israel, beginning with a genealogy, going all the way back to Adam and Eve, and re-telling the story of the Jewish people from Abraham to exile, summarizing Israel's story in light of exile and return, with hope for the rebuilding of the temple.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the Reformed tradition?

It has always highly valued the place of art in worship In addition to Luther, two other leaders were major influences on the Protestant Reformation and took the movement further along; those who followed their teachings make up what is called the "Reformed" tradition. About the same time Luther was in Germany, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) was a priest in Switzerland, and was killed defending his town of Zurich against a neighboring Swiss state (or "canton"). His significance is mostly seen on the influence he had on others. An even more impactful reformer was John Calvin (1509-1564), slightly after Luther and Zwingli, who led the Reformation in Geneva, another Swiss city; the theology of the Reformed tradition is often referred to as "Calvinist." Like Luther, the Reformed tradition asserted that the beliefs and practices of the church ought to be limited to what is in scripture; worship in these churches focuses on a reading from the Bible and a sermon based on that reading. Early Reformed Christians, in light of biblical prohibitions against making images of God, often disallowed almost all church decorations. In fact, in their zeal to radically embrace the authority of scripture, in some old churches they tore down statues and destroyed stained glass windows and paintings. Even today, many Reformed churches are very plain, and a few do not even allow musical instruments or choirs, only chanting some psalms as their music. Early Reformed Christians also insisted that the Bible ought also to be the basis for government; when Calvin arrived in Geneva from his native France, he and his political allies introduced strict laws that followed what they felt to be biblical conduct. What had been one of the most immoral cities in Switzerland became, under the reform movement, after some initial riots and disturbances, a place where law was respected, children were educated, and widows and the elderly received care. The movement of these two Swiss reformers was carried afar. In France, the Reformed Christians were called "Huguenots," in Scotland "Presbyterians," in Holland "Dutch Reformed," in Germany "Reformed," and in England "Puritans." Wherever it was, the Reformed tradition emphasized the responsibility of the individual Christian, the importance of education, disciplined life, personal piety, and strict morality. This lifestyle led to the success of many Reformed Christians and became known as the "Protestant work ethic," which led to successful early settlements in America. Calvin's teachings also facilitated the spread of capitalism and democracy. Zwingli and Calvin were both highly educated, and the Reformed tradition has always insisted that people, and especially its pastors, be well educated, and have founded thousands of colleges and universities; for example, Harvard, the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, was founded by Puritans.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not a feature of missional calling?

It usually does not take significant time, prayer, and communal involvement to discern. Regarding gifts, it could be natural talents or "Spirit-given" gifts, because both are from God, given so you can participate in God's work. Regarding passion, missional calling takes advantage of God-given inclinations; callings toward things we do not like are "direct callings." Regarding discernment, Koskela points out that it does take significant time to recognize one's missional calling, but we may see signs early in life that pointed toward it before we even recognized it. Regarding how it is lived out, vocation is broader than one's job because it is present and active when we are not employed and when we are not "on the job." Regarding having just one missional calling, Koskela admits this is not a hard-and-fast rule (e.g., some experience dramatic changes in their life), but that (he believes) everyone has one unique way they are wired to contribute to God's Kingdom (though we may contribute in other ways, too). By recognizing it, they can be more intentional about looking for ways to live it out.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a reason that Christianity spread so rapidly in the early Patristic Period?

It was declared the state religion of the empire There are many reasons that Christianity spread so rapidly. The old Roman religions were considered more of a custom than true devotion, and it seemed to lack power and vitality. Meanwhile, Christian sincerity, good works, and religious zeal was attractive. Also unlike the Roman religions, Christianity only worshipped one God and had a clear moral direction. Further, Christianity accepted all people as one in Christ, which attracted slaves, women, and lower classes, none of whom were treated as equal in the Greco-Roman world. The belonging found in a Christian community of love and service, and the sense of purpose found in the Christian dedication to following God's call would have also been a draw. Finally, the understanding of the person of Jesus and his teachings was ultimately and obviously attractive.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not one of the three theological virtues?

Joy The theological virtues are so called because they focus on God; they are faith, hope, and love. Paul called these three virtues the most significant of all spiritual gifts of God, but, reflecting the ethical teachings of his master, Jesus, he names love as the greatest of the three (1 Corinthians 13:13); love is the foundational motivation in Christian ethics because love describes the proper action toward others and love of God aligns human life in the proper way. Scripture describes God as love, and that those who do not know love do not know God (1 John 4:8); love is the greatest virtue because the love of God is at the very heart of reality and therefore and the center of human life. The second of the three theological virtues is faith, which is second in importance only to love. Faith is the virtue of trust in the goodness, plan, mercy, and promises of God, no matter what; in the most famous psalm, the poet trusts in the presence of God in the midst of darkness (Psalm 23:4). But faith is also belief or acceptance of the truth of certain things even if they cannot be proven; for instance, Christians believe that God created the universe and that Jesus is the Son of God. True faith also results in a new way of life as the believer strives to please God; faith results in action. The apostle Paul wrote that the "righteous shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17) and that faith should bring about "obedience" to God (Rom. 1:5). For Paul, faith is not just trust or belief, but also a way of life in obedience to the commandments. The third of the three theological virtues is hope; because of their love of and faith in God, Christians also have hope in God because they trust in the promises of the good God that they love. Christians have hope in the future because they believe that God is the Lord of all history and will, one day, bring about peace, justice, and harmony for the whole world and destroy the forces of evil and sin; Christians hope in God and not any human power or ideology for the future. But this hope is not an "I wish" sort of hope, but rather a confidence grounded in the reality of Jesus's ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection (Rom. 5:1-12, 8:1-39) that assures of God's provision, promises God's salvation, and gives Christians a glimpse of what is to come. Because their hope is in God, Christians are freed to love others without fear, for they know that their future is held securely by God; likewise, it is only by the power of God's Holy Spirit that Christians are thus empowered in hope to live the life to which they are called (Rom. 15:13). In fact, Christianity teaches that it is only by the work of God through relationship with the individual that growth in virtue is possible; God's Spirit gives people the strength and grace needed to live out of faith, hope, and love. But Christianity also teaches that community and practice are necessary for growth in virtue; this is why Christians need the church and the fellowship of others straining toward the same virtues so that they can assist each other with honesty, support, and prayer. It is also in community that our true character is revealed for it is when we are with those who know us best, even in our unvarnished moments, that we are able to be who we truly are; the Christian's spiritual growth as empowered by God is measured best in the midst of intimate community.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not one of the four cardinal virtues?

Kindness The Christian virtues are ordered in a manner similar to the Ten Commandments, first oriented toward God and then toward neighbor. The three theological virtues describe the Christian's relationship with God and, from that relationship, how they in faith, hope, and love interact with the world. Meanwhile, the next four virtues describe the Christian's relationship with everyday life, though they also affect their relationship with God and the church. These are called the "cardinal virtues"; the word "cardinal" is taken from a Latin word that means "hinge," and these four virtues are seen a key or pivotal for growth in moral character. The four cardinal virtues are wisdom, self-control, courage, and honesty, though in classical Christian texts they are often called prudence, temperance, fortitude, and justice; these virtues are not only found in Christianity, but are also pursued by many other religions and philosophical systems. Prudence, or wisdom, is the foundational cardinal virtue because it is by wisdom that one discerns how to live morally in a difficult world. Growth in wisdom is not easy; called to love God with all that they are, Christians know that moral growth, especially in troubled times, takes insight, thoughtfulness, and good sense. The biblical book of Proverbs says that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 1:7), where "fear" means a sense of awe before the majesty of God and not a sense of fright or terror; the worship of God is the foundation of moral insight and the root of wisdom. Temperance, or self-control, is the second cardinal virtue; wisdom teaches us that we must at times moderate or own involvement or indulgence in any good thing. Temperance means moderation or self-control in any area of life (though it is often incorrectly limited to meaning self-control in the consumption of alcohol); Christianity teaches that humans use God's creation, but must not abuse it through over-use. Overindulgence can come in many shapes (food, entertainment, computer usage, sex, sleep, even exercise); almost anything pleasant or pleasurable can be abused if humans engage it to excess and do not use self-control. Life should be enjoyed, but Christianity has long cautioned that too much of a good thing can be harmful to the body and to the human spirit; just as the Ten Commandments assert, humans ought not place any sort of ultimate meaning or hope in anything other than God. Life should be lived in honor and glory of God and not for the excess of pleasure. Fortitude, or courage, is the third cardinal virtue; though self-control is important, wisdom teaches us also that we must at times assert our will. A life of goodness or love requires fortitude; the world too often runs roughshod over those who are willing to serve others, and these vulnerable people need others to stand up for them. Jesus himself was crucified by the very people he came to serve and save; the followers of Jesus should not expect the same treatment at times, and therefore must have the courage to withstand, endure, or speak out, as wisdom discerns. Courage is not rash, but rather the strength to do what is right, no matter what; the true hero is the one who defends the innocent and vulnerable and do what God calls them to do, even when no one is looking. Of course, courage without wisdom and love can be self-righteous or foolish, but courage in the face of evil or sin is necessary for the virtuous. Justice, or honesty, is the fourth cardinal virtue; in order to practice the self-control and courage that wisdom calls for, Christians must be honest with themselves and others. The world seems to value image and power over truth and honesty; even though people do not want to be known as a liars or cheats, still lying and cheating are among the most common vices. Christians are called to resist such behavior and to instead value purity of heart and mind in embracing truth; this virtue can lead Christians into conflict with the expectations and values of the culture. Christianity has always asserted that believers should look only to Jesus Christ as a model for how to live life in goodness and truth, and that this can be done through the empowerment of the always-present Holy Spirit.

According to class lecture, which of the following is not a sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church?

Liturgy For Catholics, the sacraments are "means of grace," meaning that they are the primary means by which God "delivers" grace to you. Liturgy simply means formalized or traditional worship elements.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not given as a limit that often prevents proper spiritual guidance in community?

Not praying or fasting or worshiping hard enough. Though prayer, fasting and worship are given as examples of practices that often accompany Spiritual guidance, they are not prerequisites. The Holy Spirit will guide however it wants to do so. The key, according to Foster, is for the community to be in complete submission to the rule of the Holy Spirit before anything else. It must be a compassionate community ruled by the law of love. Foster points out to be in a community ruled by the Holy Spirit is not to be under the rule of a spiritual totalitarian leader, nor does it mean that it should be a community that is ruled by democracy or compromise. For the Holy Spirit to run the show, there has to be a measure of submission.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not one of the important qualities to look for in a good confessor?

Ordained as a pastor Some pastors make bad confessors. And there are tons of non-pastors that are great confessors. It is a matter of spiritual faith and giftedness, not education or ecclesial status.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not a true statement concerning the self-reflection necessary for discerning missional vocation?

Our missional calling may not be related to what we love. Regarding intentionality, Koskela reminds us that, while direct or general calling may be evident, discerning our missional call takes work; it will most likely not just come to us. This self-reflection involves thinking about our gifts, our passions, and the particular need(s) you are called to address. Regarding gifts, it can be helpful to start with a preliminary list of what we see as our gifts, and then tweak that list as we think about what has come easy in our lives, and what others have remarked we are good at. Koskela remarks that it can be quite helpful to know what we are not equipped to do as we discern our missional vocation, but we must be careful to distinguish genuine limits and temporary setbacks; he gives us three words of advice in making that distinction. First, if we are able to improve at something over time, it is not a limit. Second, difficulties that are a result of things you can control -- preparation, environment, mood -- do not necessarily suggest a limit. Third, God's power is not the same as God calling, and therefore God will not likely give you some new gift in order to answer a missional calling; God can certainly equip you to answer any direct call, but missional calling is how God has shaped my life, including my limits, to uniquely contribute to God's Kingdom. Regarding passion, Koskela tells us that we need not worry that God will call us to something that we do not love; again, the definition of missional calling is the way that God has uniquely shaped us so that we can be used for God's purposes in the world. Part of that shape is what we love. (Our direct and general callings, however, may lead us outside our comfort zones.) These loves are not merely pleasures, but rather sources of deep fulfillment and a sense of personal meaning. If you have trouble discerning what makes you "come alive," perhaps try doing something new, especially in service of others; Koskela says that it is often when we are focusing somewhere else that we come to know our passions. Regarding particular needs, Koskela notes that it is not enough to know what you are good at and what you love; you must ask yourself how these are directed at a goal. This is done not to limit how God uses us -- for instance, there are lots of parts of our general call that lie outside our missional call -- but rather to help us focus on a particular and unique way that God has built us to make a sustained contribution to God's Kingdom, even if it is only a foretaste.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not an implication of discerning vocation in light of God's trinitarian nature?

Our missional callings will nearly always be oriented toward the redemption of our own individual lives Koskela notes that when we attribute (or "appropriate") a particular work of the triune God to one of the Persons of the Trinity, we are not saying that only one-third of God is involved in it. Rather, all of God is present in all of God's work. Rather, in appropriation, we are simply associating the work of God with a particular Person because it is helpful in our discussion or deliberation. God the Father is often associated with creation, and initiating revelation and salvation, so it is appropriate for us to speak of God the Father as initiating our calling; even Jesus said that he was acting on behalf of the Father. God the Son is often associated with enacting revelation and salvation, so it is appropriate for us to speak of Jesus enacting our general calling (through his words and teachings), our missional calling (because his life shows us the Kingdom), and our direct calling (because Jesus, as the "portrait of God's purposes" can confirm our discernment). God the Spirit is often associated with actualizing revelation and salvation, especially in the community of believers, so it is appropriate for us to speak of the Holy Spirit as actualizing our callings by helping us see them and giving us what we need to answer them. The Spirit guided the inspiration and formation of Scripture, and the Spirit helps us to understand Scripture, so that we might discern our general calling as revealed there. As the Spirit forms us, we are able to discern who we are and who God is, and thus are more able to discern our missional calling. And it is by our experience of the Spirit that we receive and recognize our direct callings. Koskela goes on to claim that we are relational people created by a relational Triune God. (He says this is what it means to be created in the image of God, but, really, it is impossible to know what it means that we are created in the image of God. The key point is that we are.) Because we are relational beings, our own callings are wrapped up in and with the lives of others. Our community helps us to discern and confirm our callings, our community helps us to carry out our callings, and, since the Kingdom of God is the restoration of life as it is meant to be lived, our callings will ultimately be oriented toward the establishment, healing, or deepening of relationships.

According to Matthew 28, which of the following is not among the final commands that Jesus gives to his disciples as part of the " Great Commission"?

Plant churches Jesus never gave any commands or rules about creating communities of believers - which is not to say that they were not necessary. Perhaps Jesus believed that Christians would continue going to Jewish synagogues. Nevertheless, it was the first disciples that came up with the idea and structure and guidelines of Christian communities.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not a step that we can take in pursuing the discipline of solitude?

Realize that spiritual disciplines are states of mind, not actions Spiritual disciplines are not merely states of mind. They are actions.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following was not one of the factors in the Great Schism?

The Crusades After the fall of Rome in the 400s, the western part of the Roman Empire fell into disarray, while the Eastern part continued to flourish. The church in both the East and the West grew and spread, but a number of conflicts and disagreements between Eastern and Western Christianity created tension. For one thing, social and cultural developments took different paths. Western Christians used Latin while Eastern Christians used Greek. There were evangelism battles; in Eastern Europe, for instance, the Eastern Christian church sent missionaries such as Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs, and they were opposed by Latin-speaking missionaries that were sent to the same area. Russia eventually aligned itself with the Eastern Church, the Russian king thinking that the Eastern and Western churches represented two different religions. There were church authority battles; for a long time the West had claimed that, since the archbishop of Rome (the pope) was descended from the apostolic succession of Peter, he was the chief representative of Christ and the head of the church on earth, while the East believed that there was several equal and autonomous bishops, each descended from legitimate apostolic succession. All of these differences contributed to the Great Schism (1054 C.E.), the first major division in Christianity, in which the church split into the Catholic Church in the West, and the Orthodox Church in the East.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the first section of the New Testament?

The Gospels are all very different from each other While the Old Testament chiefly tells the story of God's interaction with the Jewish people, the New Testament is concerned with events and ruminations pertinent to the faith of the emerging Christian community. The New Testament was written in Greek. The first section is called the "Gospels": Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew is the first Gospel, though not the first one written, and has a very Jewish character; it was probably written during a time when Christian Jews and non-Christian Jews, especially Pharisees, were in conflict. The most famous part of Matthew is the Sermon on the Mount, which scholars consider to be a summary of Jesus's ethical teachings. Mark is the shortest and likely the oldest Gospel and portrays Jesus as a great miracle worker; it also as a focus on Jesus's suffering and death. Luke, the third Gospel, builds upon Mark and portrays Jesus as the servant of God and the savior of all. These first three Gospels are called the "Synoptic Gospels" because they are similar in content ("synoptic" means "see together"), including in how they present Jesus. John, the fourth Gospel, is different than the first three, and was probably written last; the life and work of Jesus is presented in several signs and speeches and includes lots of symbolism and philosophical reflection.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a feature of Christianity in the last two centuries?

The Great Schism The Modern Missionary Movement began in the late 1700s as an interdenominational and international endeavor that reflected increased cultural sensitivity, respect for native populations, and growing appreciation for diversity as a gift of God as Christians focused on carrying the good news around the world. Hudson Taylor (1832-1905), from England, traveled to China to spread the good news of God's love and forgiveness and not merely Western culture; he adopted Chinese language, dress, and customs, and though his approach was criticized at first, the idea that missionaries should live like those who they want to reach for Christ soon became widely accepted. British explorer David Livingstone (1813-1873) was a missionary in Africa for many years, living among the people, exploring the interior of the continent, and battling the slave trade. During the 1800s, missionaries found that doctrinal and denominational divisions within Christianity hindered the spread of the gospel, which lead to the Ecumenical Movement, a international effort to bring denominations together, beginning with the deliberations of the International Missionary Council, which met in Scotland in 1910, and leading, after many years of planning (and two world wars) to the formation of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1948. Today, the WCC has 350 members from more than 120 countries, including many Orthodox and Protestant church denominations, and there is official dialogue between the WCC and the Roman Catholic Church; the WCC continues to work to promote Christian unity, renewal, witness, justice, and service to the world and, though not all of its deliberations and decisions have been well received, it has been a place for Christians from across the denominational spectrum can come together in mission work, ministry, and worship. The participation of Eastern Orthodox churches in the WCC reflects renewed connections between Orthodox Christianity and the West (along with the rest of the world). The head of the Orthodox Church, Bartholomew I (1940- ) was active in WCC leadership before becoming ecumenical patriarch. In 1991, he organized connections between Orthodox churches in various Eastern European nations after the fall of the Soviet Union, under whose government they had been restricted, suppressed, and persecuted; Bartholomew's guidance, leadership, and encouragement led to the reestablishment of many Orthodox churches in those countries and a revitalizing of the Orthodox Church as a whole. Like modern-day Roman Catholic popes, the ecumenical patriarch has recognized the power his position brings unique opportunities and responsibilities to speak about global moral and spiritual issues; he has, for instance, raised awareness about the ecological crisis and the need for harmony between humanity and nature. Overall, Christian history is a mixture of tragedies and triumphs, and, just as individuals must repent for their sins, so the Christian church must repent for its sins; also like individuals, sometimes this repentance takes a long time because history has shown us that change is slow, and it can take years for people to go from thinking an action is right to thinking that it is wrong. It is a witness to the power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit that Christian faith has not only survived but prospered in the face of thoughtless, selfish, and brutal actions done in the name of God, but this is because the Christian faith is also a source of hope, justice, and reconciliation.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not one of the advantages of the ritual of mutual confession?

The acts of priests as the only people qualified to dispense forgiveness One of the boons of the Reformation was the reminder that priests do not have any kind of special authority in the work of God's grace.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following was not a feature of the Protestant Reformation?

The execution of Luther The beginning of the rapid growth of Christian sub-traditions, or "denominations," began with the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s in Europe when many leaders and teachers in the Roman Catholic Church sought to reform the church. Influenced by Renaissance interest in antiquities and the study of ancient texts in original languages, these Protestant leaders, who tended to be scholars, learned Hebrew and Greek to study the Bible in the languages in which it was written. However, the Renaissance also taught the universal value of education, and so the Protestant movement also taught that everyone should be able to read the Bible and figure out themselves what it means to follow Jesus. Often credited as the first Protestant leader, the German monk Martin Luther (1484-1546), like John Wycliffe and Jan Hus before him, studied the Bible and wanted to reform the church with scripture as the most authoritative source of Christian faith and practice. The "cry of the Reformation" has often been summarized by three Latin phrases that capture simple but profound foundations in the history of Christian belief and practice. "Sola scriptura," or "scripture alone," indicates that the church ought to base what it believes and how it lives out those beliefs on the Bible alone. "Sola fide," or "faith alone," indicates that salvation from sin is not a result of living a good life or doing good things but rather from putting faith in Jesus. "Sola gratia," or "grace alone" indicates that salvation is a gift of God that cannot be earned. Because the theological revolution of the Protestant Reformation emphasized the authoritative nature of the Bible and the responsibility of the individual believer, many of the ideas and the authority of the Roman Catholic Church were challenged. Practices such as the veneration of saints and the power of the pope were called into question. Luther and the Reformation taught that the Bible claimed Christ as the only true head of the church, and that a life of obedience and devotion to God is not just for a priest or monk or nun, but for anyone who calls themselves a follower of Jesus. Any work a Christian does that is pleasing to God is a calling, or "vocation," of God and an appropriate expression of piety. As a result of this teaching, many monks and nuns left religious orders, leading to the pithy saying that Luther emptied the monasteries of Europe. Luther himself left the monastic life and openly critiqued the teachings of the Catholic Church; this led to his excommunication and put him in danger of execution.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not true?

The spiritual discipline of Scripture reading involves understanding the background and context of the passages we read. Regarding prayer, Koskela notes that, within prayer, we learn more about God and more about ourselves; this is suitable for missional calling as it is where God's work and our particularity meet. Prayer involves attentiveness to that for which we are grateful, where we fall short, where we have needs, and other aspects of life. Yet we cannot be attentive if we are not honest with God and ourselves, and if it is not a commitment, regardless of our feelings about it or perceived time for it. Regarding Scripture reading, Koskela notes that reading Scripture as a spiritual discipline is not the same as reading it for facts or ethical guidance or even inspiration. Rather, Scripture reading as a spiritual discipline involves an openness to encountering the presence of God through Scripture so that we might be transformed. However, as with all spiritual disciplines, we do not know what shape that transformation will take; rather than trying to find God in the text, we should engage the text prayerfully, humbly, and expectantly, and allow God to find us, sometimes over time. Regarding fasting, Koskela notes that, though it has a long history in Christianity, it is often overlooked, perhaps out of concerns over self-abasement or works-righteousness. But as a practice of self-examination, fasting can help you gain a more honest view of yourself. Regarding giving, Koskela defines it as giving time, money, or possessions (I'd add our gifts) to God through others. It can be seen as a spiritual discipline in that it also provides space for God to work in us, and can serve as a both a signal and a catalyst. As a signal, giving expresses where our priorities are In giving, we often discover what is hard for us to give up; just as fasting can show us unhealthy spiritual patterns, giving can show us unhealthy priorities. As a catalyst, giving, over time, transforms us into people with right priorities; sensing our priorities will help us discern our missional call as we begin to detect passions.

According to Celebration of Discipline, service is not a list of things to do, but is rather a way of living. Which of the following is not one of the kinds of service that Christians can offer others?

The service of focusing on Inward awareness Though service will build a strong connection with God, we must also focus outward in order to know how to serve. And as we serve others, we will build the virtue of humility that will then evoke further service of others. Service is not an act to be mastered, but will emerge from spiritual discipline.

According to Matthew 24, which of the following is not something that Jesus foretells?

There will be a great battle between Jesus and the hordes of evil Jesus also says that no one knows when the end, or the Second Coming will happen -- only God knows (Matthew 24:36). He compares this to the sudden flood that came at unawares to the people of Noah's time. He also mysteriously says that all these things would come to pass in the present generation, which is weird.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a reason that Christianity was persecuted within the Roman Empire?

They were former Jews Romans perceived Christianity to be threatening to the empire for a number of reasons. They proclaimed Jesus and not the emperor to be "Lord," and they suspiciously met in secret. Christians refused to worship idols, which was part of Roman worship practice. Some Romans accused Christians of atheism because they proclaimed their God to be invisible. Christians were seen as strange, with rumors of them drowning their babies (baptism) and cannibalizing dead bodies (communion). Christians were also seen as socially suspect; many Christians spent time with or were themselves members of lower social classes, considering individuals such as slaves and women as equal before God. For all these reasons, Roman authorities were wary of Christians, considering them a threat to imperial stability. For this reason, to be a Christian was dangerous, and could be fatal. Some Christians who refused to renounce their faith and worship Roman gods were tortured or killed (such as Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, in 155 C.E., who was a disciple of the apostle John and, at 80 years old, refused to recant his faith and was burned at the stake). These were called "martyrs," which means "witnesses"; the stories of those who were willing to die for their faith, and even their burial places, were remembered with reverence by the Christian community, especially when it was under persecution. Despite the efforts of Rome, the Christian movement continue to grow. Some historians think that by 300 C.E., about ten percent of the Roman Empire was Christian. The faith was also spreading in Asia and Africa.

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not one of the things to which we ought to submit?

To our country The state is not one of the things Foster emphasizes as that to which we should worship. However, this is not because it is bad to submit to authorities, like the police or the government. It is simply an observation that our submission should be toward God and toward others; if we do those things, we will almost always also be submitting to the state. And even so, sometimes submitting to God or the other may mean not submitting to the state. For instance, for some, submitting to God during the early 1800s meant smuggling slaves to freedom.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not true of the Pentecostal tradition?

Today, it is limited to this country with a few international denominations In nineteenth-century America, the Holiness tradition (which emerged from the Methodist tradition) gained a wide-ranging following, eventually birthing the most important new Christian movement of the twentieth century, the "Pentecostal" tradition, which takes its name from a story in the biblical book of Acts in which, on the day of Pentecost, the apostles experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit and received the power to speak in various foreign tongues. Pentecostalism emphasizes this same presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and the manifestation of that presence and power in the life of the believer, including through miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues. Though it began in Topeka, Kansas in 1901, the most important early Pentecostal meetings took place at the Azusa Street Revival (1906) in Los Angeles where an African-American Baptist Holiness preacher William J. Seymour called his followers to go beyond mere conversion into holiness through the "baptism of the Holy Spirit"; the Azusa Street Revival drew large crowds and attracted attention from Christians throughout the country. Pentecostalism soon spread throughout the United States and eventually to every continent; today, there are millions and millions of Christians in over eleven thousand Pentecostal denominations worldwide, including the Assemblies of God, the Church of the Four Square Gospel, and the Church of God in Christ. The related "Charismatic" tradition (sometimes called the "Neo-Pentecostal" movement) emerged in the 1960s and also emphasizes the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, including the work of spiritual gifts in the life of the believer, but does so as movements within established denominations; the Charismatic tradition is led by mostly non-ordained individuals and has found significant influence in Protestant and Catholic churches around the world.

According to Introducing Christianity, the General Epistles are eight letters written to a general Christian audience.

True In the New Testament, after the Pauline Epistles come letters not written by Paul, usually called the "General Epistles" or "Catholic Epistles" because they are letters meant for the general Christian community ("catholic" means "universal"). They are therefore less specific in the issues they address. The first General Epistle, the Epistle to the Hebrews, is an anonymous letter (or possibly sermon) written to Jewish Christians, presenting Jesus as superior to those who came before him in Judaism. The Epistle to James is filled with Christian wisdom, and was likely written by James, the brother of Jesus, who was an important leader in the earliest development of Christianity. The epistles of 1 and 2 Peter are credited to Peter, the leader of the apostles of Jesus, though many doubt he was the author of the second letter; these epistles are written to all Christians, meant to encourage them in the face of persecution. The epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John address some problems and questions facing various churches written from the perspective of "the elder," who is John; these letters are similar in style and substance to the Gospel of John. The Epistle to Jude is a very short letter (or possibly sermon) written by Jude, the brother of James (and therefore the brother of Jesus), to all Christians, warning them to watch out for those who would deceive or divide them. After the Epistles comes the final book of the bible, the Book of Revelation, or "The Apocalypse," which is a book written in apocalyptic style, similar to parts of Ezekiel and Daniel. Revelation presents Jesus as the Lord of all history and the victor in battle with evil. It is filled with symbolism, which evokes a great deal of debate among Christians concerning how it is to be interpreted; some believe that it predicts in symbolic language the future, including the return of Jesus.

According to Introducing Christianity, while many missionaries during the age of European exploration and colonization were complicit in the oppression of indigenous people, there were some Christians that objected to the abuses of the church.

True Christianity exists in a diverse collection of cultures and communities, and this is largely because of the work of Christian missionary activity; a "missionary" is one who engages in the mission of evangelism, which is spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. Missionaries live in foreign cultures, working to express the gospel message in a new context, though this outreach involves more than just preaching the message of Christian faith and salvation; the Christian mission bears the gospel in addressing both physical and spiritual needs. Missionaries are called to assist communities in a number of ways and are therefore sometimes trained in medicine, engineering, agriculture, or other specialties, especially those needed in developing nations; missionaries dig wells, build schools, advise farmers, run health clinics, and meet other needs that the local communities identify. However, the holistic training and the cultural sensitivity that may be present in modern-day mission work were at times lacking in earlier mission work; in too many instances, missionary activity served to advance the interests of European political power. When European nations conquered indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, and Asia, they were accompanied by church representatives; the cross and the sword were both used to subjugate native populations for the purpose of gaining wealth and power by Europeans. From the 1500s through the 1900s, during the "age of exploration," the world was dominated by Western political powers, and the church was part of that domination, including how conquered territories were colonized; missionaries in new lands, who often associated Western cultural values with Christianity, would often work with colonizers to make sure indigenous populations were behaving "appropriately." However, there were also Christian missionaries and church leaders who advocated for native peoples; for example, Catholics such as Antonio de Montesinos (1475-1540), Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566), and Francisco de Vitoria (1483-1546) actively campaigned against the enslavement of indigenous populations in the Spanish colonies, their actions eventually resulting in Charles V signing the New Laws of the Indies (1542). Nevertheless, Western missionaries for the most part worked within the power structures of European colonies during the early years.

According to Celebration of Discipline, celebration is central to spiritual disciplines.

True "Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees." Disciplines, even when really hard, should lead to joy.

T/F: According to Matthew 15, Jesus praises the faith of a Canaanite woman.

True A Canaanite is not Jewish. Praising the faith of a non-Jew, and a woman (women were held in lower esteem than men), would have been counter-cultural.

According to Introducing Christianity, virtues are habits or character traits that are built into the believer over time.

True A third significant biblical resource for Christian ethics is the Christian virtues, which describe the character of the Christian believer. To help in the journey toward love of God and neighbor, Christian ethical teaching has traditionally focused not only on rules and behavior, but also on "virtues," which are habits or character traits that lead to living a good life; conversely, "vices" are habits or character traits that lead to living a bad life. Virtues, like other habits, are built into character over a period of time; for that reason, Christian ethics affirm that the cultivation of personhood takes commitment, practice, and diligence. Christian virtues, or "habits of the heart," are derived from a summary of biblical teachings on holiness and moral character. There are seven Christian virtues that describe the goal of Christian character: three "theological virtues" and four "cardinal virtues."

T/F: According to Matthew 16, Simon confesses that Jesus is the Messiah.

True After he does so, Jesus names him "Peter."

According to Introducing Christianity, the Ten Commandments is a significant biblical resource for Christian ethics.

True Because for Christians the Bible is the guide for human life, it is also for Christians the foundational source for ethics, which is the study of human character, conduct, and moral principles and obligations. A first significant biblical resource for Christian ethics is the Ten Commandments, which are in many ways a summary of Old Testament ethics. The Ten Commandments are found in two places in the Bible (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5); there are slight variations between the two versions, but no substantial differences, though the variations do lead some Christian traditions to number the commandments differently. In the Exodus version, God has just delivered his people from Egypt ("the house of bondage"; Exodus 20:2) and, because of his divine love and goodness, is now expounding upon his covenant with them. A "covenant" is a solemn and unconditional promise between two parties; in this covenant, God promises to be the Lord God and protector of Israel, and Israel promises to be obedient to God (Deuteronomy 6:3). The purpose of the commandments, or the "law," is to bring the blessings of the covenant to Israel.

According to Celebration of Discipline, biblical descriptions of celebration often include dancing, singing, and shouting.

True David danced before the Lord (2 Samuel) and Miriam led the Israelites in a great dance of celebration (Exodus).

According to Calling and Clarity, attentiveness and obedience are key to dealing with our vocations.

True Discerning our vocation requires a posture of discernment and receptivity, and, once our vocations are understood, it takes obedience to answer the call(s) placed upon us.

According to Introducing Christianity, a "tradition" is the collective heritage of wisdom and experience of a subgroup of Christianity, passed down from generation to generation.

True Diversity and oneness are inherent within Christianity. Christians come from many different cultures and communities who live out their faith in many different expressions of worship, devotion, and obedience. This diversity is seen as a gift of God; the New Testament says that God has given people different gifts to be shared with each other. This means that we need each other, and that we should value and respect each other, despite our differences. But this diversity is grounded in a common Lord, Jesus Christ; all Christians are bound together in that they all love God and strive to obedient to the teachings of Jesus. All followers of Jesus are part of one spiritual family; this is what "church" is, and in that unity is a diversity of histories or "traditions." Each of these traditions shows us something unique about God and God's people as a collective heritage of wisdom and experience passed down from one era to the next. Each tradition bears witness to God's faithfulness to preceding generations, and testifies to the fact that, within this faithfulness, the family of Christianity is bound together through time and space. For Christians, life in Christ has no end, and so this life with God and the "company of saints" extends into the future as well, so the wisdom of Christian traditions is honored and respected. The Christian tradition began with the growth of small, persecuted religious movement into the official religion of the Roman Empire. It flourished until, in 1054 C.E., it split into the Catholic tradition in the West and the Orthodox tradition in the East. Each of these two sub-traditions continued to grow in ways specific to their cultural differences, which can still be seen in how they exist today. And five hundred years later, the Catholic Church underwent another split with the Protestant movement. But all these churches are also still one church.

According to Introducing Christianity, women and slaves were initially in positions of leadership in the early church, but lost status as Christianity became more "Roman" in character.

True Female followers of Jesus played an important role in early Christianity. From the beginning, women were attracted to Jesu and the gospel and became disciples. Mary Magdalene, Priscilla (a companion of Paul), Junia (called an "apostle"), and Phoebe (called a "deacon") are women church leaders mentioned in the New Testament. Further, in the New Testament, whenever the leadership of a household is named, it is either a female, or a female and male. There are Christian burial sites from the Patristic Period of women who were priests or bishops. Similarly, slaves and the poor were particularly attracted to the Christian message of equality for all people; many early Gentile converts were likely slaves, and all twelve apostles likely came from the poorer classes. However, as the church grew in both size and significance, some of its leadership, especially bishops, began to be better educated and from wealthy, noble, and free families. This led to a greater push for "respectability," by Roman standards, amongst Christian leadership. This meant that, eventually, both women and slaves were discouraged and then barred from leadership positions as the church since, in the Greco-Roman world, leadership tended to be dominated by men from wealthier and educated classes. This trend toward Roman institutionalization significantly advanced when one of its emperors, Constantine the Great, converted to Christianity. Constantine was a great general who, on the eve of a great battle, had a dream in which Christ showed him a "Christogram" (also called a "Chi-Rho," this is an early Christian symbol formed by superimposing the first two letters in the Greek word for "Christ") and said "in this sign, conquer"; Constantine went on to unify a divided empire under his command. He ended the legalized persecution of Christians with the Edict of Milan (313 C.E.) and favored Christians in his policies, which made Christianity more accessible, popular, and powerful. Constantine also attempted to heal factions in the church by calling for the Council of Nicea (325 C.E.) to establish official teachings about God and Jesus; Christian leaders who refused to accept the deliberations of the council were excommunicated (forced to leave the church), and the emperor added his political weight to the process by, at times, commanding their exile from the empire. This gradual unification of church and state contributed significantly to the development and character of Christianity. It became no longer a religion of a persecuted and zealous people, but now a religion of power, wealth, and civil respectability.

According to Matthew 21, the two parables Jesus tells in chap. 21 seem to challenge the traditional understandings of "righteousness" and authority.

True In the Parable of the Two Sons, Jesus tells people that those who say they follow God (e.g., the Pharisees) but do not live like it are worse than those who do not seem like righteous people (prostitutes, tax-collectors) but who are trying to follow God. In the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, Jesus tells of the tenants (religious authorities) of a vineyard (Israel) who treat the messengers (prophets) of the owner (God) poorly, and even kill the owner's son (Jesus). He then asks them what they think will happen when the owner finally returns.

According to Introducing Christianity, in the three hundred years following the rise of Constantine, the church gained stability through establishing doctrinal positions at ecumenical councils and standardizing worship practices.

True In the three hundred years between the emperor Constantine and the pope Gregory, there were a series of councils and synods (official church gatherings) that met for the purpose of settling on formal statements of church doctrine. They developed and defended a notion of the Christian God as being both three and one, or "Trinity" (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). They also developed a more robust "Christology," or theology concerning the person of Jesus, at the Council of Constantinople (451 C.E.); Jesus was declared to be both full human and fully divine without any mixing, changing, or division of these two natures. The canon of the Christian bible was also officially settled. Decisions such as these created Christian "orthodoxy," which means correct or standard thinking. In all, there were seven particularly important councils, usually called the "ecumenical councils" because they defined the orthodoxy of the universal church, before the church split in 1054 C.E. Those seven councils were the Council of Nicea (325 C.E.), the Council of Constantinople (381 C.E.), the Council of Ephesus (431 C.E), the Council of Chalcedon (451 C.E.), the Second Council of Constantinople (553 C.E.), the Third Council of Constantinople (680-681 C.E.), and the Second Council of Nicea (787 C.E.). Also part of the growth, institutionalization, and standardization of the church was its system of worship. After Christianity became legalized, and especially after it became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 392 C.E., church communities began building structures in which to hold their worship services. The form of these worship services became more regularized, and the clergy (ordained leaders within the church) gained more prominence inside and outside of the church, especially bishops who were seen as the official teachers and spokesmen for the faith for the regions over which they presided.

According to Matthew 22, the Parable of the Wedding Banquet continues Jesus' theme of declaring that the established religious authorities do not truly understand God nor the salvation God offers.

True In this parable, the king (God) sends slaves (prophets) out to invite people (Israel) to his wedding banquet (Kingdom of God). But the slaves are ignored. The king sends more slaves (probably Christians or other prophets) who are rejected and killed. So the king exacts justice upon the people for their evil and murderous ways. So the king sends his slaves back out to bring in "all whom they found, both good and bad" to the banquet. This is another example of how there will be lots of surprises as far as who will be in heaven.

According to Matthew 28, the first people to see Jesus after his resurrection was Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary."

True It is significant that the first two people that saw Jesus after his resurrection was two women, who were not considered to be credible witnesses. It seems that the writer is saying something significant about women.

According to Matthew 22, Jesus seems to know his Scripture.

True Jesus quotes a lot of Old Testament Scripture. But doing this, not only is Jesus shown to be an incredibly knowledgeable teacher, but also an authoritative interpreter of Scripture and one who uses Scripture wisely in application.

According to Matthew 18, when the disciples ask who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus tells them that it is people like children.

True Jesus says that if anyone wants to be great in the Kingdom of heaven, they must be humble like a child.

According to Introducing Christianity, during the New Testament period of Christian history, Christians were persecuted by both Jewish and Roman authorities.

True Jesus was executed by crucifixion sometime around 30 or 33 C.E. His followers, who witnessed his death, claim that he was resurrected. As word of this spread, his followers gathered in Jerusalem. While gathered there, they believed they experienced the presence and power of God, many claimed to see flames flickering above their heads, and many were suddenly able to speak foreign languages; this is the Christian holiday of "Pentecost." Many mark these strange events as the beginning of the Christian church as it spurred believers to take the good news about Jesus throughout the Roman Empire. While Christianity began as a sect of Judaism in Israel, but it soon spread to other areas, such as Egypt, Syria, and Greece. Many different sorts of people became followers of Jesus. Christianity spread and grew quickly, and the increasing number of converts was a challenge for the fledgling faith. In 70 C.E., during the reign of Roman Emperor Vespasian, some Jewish zealots revolted against Roman rule. As punishment, the local Roman magistrate, Titus, had the Temple destroyed (it was never rebuilt, though parts of it, especially one wall, still exist today); this caused a further scattering of Jews. By this time, Christianity had spread to many different cities in the Roman Empire, which encompassed many different cultures; because the Roman Empire was mostly Gentile, Christianity became less and less Jewish in character. However, in addition to the Jewish authorities persecuting this new Jewish sect for, in their opinion, heretical claim that Jesus was the Messiah, the Roman authorities also felt threatened by this new religion spreading throughout the empire, and persecuted Christians.

According to Calling and Clarity, "general calling" is the life to which God calls all people, no matter where or when.

True Koskela makes the point that sometimes we get so fixated on the future, trying to make the best choices to orient our lives in the right direction, that we lose sight of how we are supposed to live in the present. All the everyday choices we make in the here and now make up the substance of our lives and end up shaping who we are; thus our general calling is the best thing we can do for the direction of our lives.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Bible is an important book to Christians because it records God's unique revelation to humanity.

True The word "bible" comes from the Latin word for "books." In a sense, the Bible is a book of books, a collection of a bunch of ancient writings that Christians consider to be sacred. Christians believe that the Bible records how God has interacted with humanity, and therefore these writings are essential to knowing who God is, how God has worked in the world, and how humans might find salvation. For this reason, Christians honor and respect the Bible as providing special revelation and authority, and have always used it in teaching and worship. The Bible's books comprise several genres: historical narrative, poetry, wise sayings, and prophecy about what God will do in the future. Jesus himself studied and taught many of the writings that are in the Christian Bible. Long ago, but long after they were written, the books of the Bible were divided into numbered chapters, and the chapters were divided into numbered verses, to make it easier to remember or find a specific passage of text.

According to Calling and Clarity, Christians believe that God is both transcendent and immanent.

True Koskela notes that Christians believe that God is both transcendent and immanent, and that as we grow in faith, we come to understand this duality more and more; as we come to know God more intimately, we also realize that there is more and more (infinitely more, actually) of God to know. God's transcendence means God is a whole other sort of being than our universe. (Koskela warns against thinking of God's transcendence as being far away, "out there," but in our universe. This reduces God to our realm, and therefore limited, and able to be "figured out." Instead, he says it is more helpful to think of God's transcendence as "mystery.") In fact, Christians believe that everything in our universe depends on God. Thus, God's transcendence evokes wonder and praise, and curbs our pride (in thinking we have God figured out) and idolatry (that we can contain God in our understanding). God's immanence means God is radically present in our world and intimately involved in our lives. Thus, God's immanence also evokes wonder (that God can "descend" from such transcendence) and praise (that God can be known, at least to the extent that it is possible for our minds). Recognizing God's transcendence preserves both God's mystery and our humility concerning our ability to figure God out. And recognizing God's immanence preserves both God's revelation and our confidence concerning our ability to know God. If God is only transcendent, then God is powerful and mysterious, but uninvolved with our lives and unknowable. If God is only immanent, then God is present and knowable, but limited and finite. But if God is both transcendent and immanent, then God is beyond our limitations and imaginations, and also radically involved in our lives and able to be known.

According to Calling and Clarity, we can answer God's call and do God's will right here and now.

True Koskela notes that people who are asking questions about vocation are often anxious about the future or are feeling stuck in discerning what their calling might be. But we can live our vocation right now. Koskela that by "vocation," most people are referring to their missional calling, and confusing that with direct calling can lead to confusion. Missional calling takes prayerful and communal discernment while direct calling is made (at times, painfully) obvious to us. Not everyone receives a direct calling, and you will know if you get one; so, instead of waiting for one, you can live out your general and missional callings, both of which everyone has. And if you do receive a direct calling, the way forward is obedience, even if it is uncomfortable. But, far more often, we are called to obediently answer our general calling to follow Jesus. Our general calling, that we live every moment of every day, can be easily forgotten or relegated in importance, yet it is in living them out that we worship God as signs of God's Kingdom.

According to Calling and Clarity, key practices in discerning missional calling are communal engagement, self-reflection, and spiritual disciplines.

True Koskela says that it can become overwhelming to choose a major or a career. However, discerning your missional calling can help in that regard. It involves, he says, your gifts, your passions (and I would add your experiences), and the needs you see in the world. Considering these things using the practices he suggests with "clear thinking, an open heart, and careful attentiveness" will help direct you toward your missional calling, which can then help you to choose a major and/or a career.

According to Matthew 27, one of the two named "Mary" present for Jesus' crucifixion could have been his mother.

True Mary Magdalene was there, as was the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John). The other was "Mary the mother of James and Joseph." We don't know for sure who that was, but it may have been Mary the mother of Jesus since it says in Matthew 13:55 that Jesus had brothers named James and Joseph (as well as Simon and Judas).

According to Matthew 23, Jesus tells the crowds and his disciples to follow the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees.

True Matthew 23:2. He tells the people to follow their teachings, but not to imitate their actions. Do what they say, not as they do.

According to Celebration of Discipline, solitude is meant to relieve rather than encourage loneliness.

True Often in our society we believe that our only alternatives are loneliness or a constantly cluttered life of noise and activities. But Foster claims that solitude is a state of mind that produces inner fulfillment as opposed to loneliness as inner emptiness.

According to Celebration of Discipline, celebration is a discipline because it is an act of the will to decide to focus on the good and beautiful things in life rather than dwelling on our problems.

True Paul reminds us of this by exhorting Christians to set our minds on what is true, just, honorable, pure and excellent (Philippians 4:8). And Foster confirms this: "[Celebration] is the result of a consciously chosen way of thinking and living."

According to Introducing Christianity, the Anglican tradition was created when King Henry VIII, after a refused annulment, desired a Church of England independent from the Catholic Church.

True Religious reformation in England, also called the English Reformation, began as both a theological and political movement. When the pope refused to grant him an annulment of marriage, the King Henry VIII rejected the pope's authority, broke off from the Catholic Church, and declared himself as head of a new English denomination called the "Anglican Church," or the Church of England. Early English reformers such as Thomas Cranmer (1448-1556) did not want the Church of England to stray too far from its roots; Anglican worship styles tended to resemble those of Catholicism. Bloody conflicts eventually erupted between those who wanted England to return to the Catholic Church, such as Henry's daughter Queen Mary (1516-1558), and those who wanted England to remain religiously independent, such as Henry's daughter Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1506), under whom a compromise was reached in which the Church of England would remain independent, but would adopt a standardized liturgy and polity that was highly Catholic in character. Three texts were foundational for the formation and unity of the Anglican tradition: the Book of Common Prayer (1548), written by Cranmer, is still considered a masterpiece by theological and liturgical scholars; the Thirty-Nine Articles (1563) set forth the central beliefs of Anglicanism; and King James I commissioned an officially approved translation of the Bible into English, which became known as the "Authorized Version" (1611) or "King James Bible."

According to class lecture, Seattle Pacific University was founded by the Free Methodists, an offshoot of the Methodist denomination.

True The Free Methodists branched off of the larger Methodist denomination over issues of slavery, pew taxes, and general theological differences.

According to Introducing Christianity, Christians believe that God has given them the Holy Spirit and community as resources to help them live the life that God has called them to live.

True The biblical ethics found in the Ten Commandments, the Greatest Commandments, the seven Christian virtues, and the Beatitudes seem overwhelming and perhaps impossible to achieve, however, Christians do not believe that they must achieve these goals on their own. Rather, Christians believe that the power of God's Holy Spirit has been sent by Jesus; after his resurrection, Jesus breathed on his followers and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22), and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was so powerful that it prompted the ministry and spread of the Christian church (Acts 2). Christians do not believe that they have been left alone and helpless in the quest for virtue, but rather they believe that the Spirit of God dwells within them, guiding, empowering, forgiving, and loving each of them toward holiness; it is for this reason that the Bible calls the Spirit of God (or the Spirit of Christ) the Spirit of Holiness, or the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1:4-6). In addition, the fellowship of other Christians is another resource for living the Christian life; the members of the Body of Christ come together in worship on the Christian Sabbath day to celebrate the presence of God in their midst and, as they do so, the church as the community of faith finds the support, instruction, and encouragement needed to grow in the life of faith. For centuries, Christians have realized the value of community for life's journey; in the family of faith that Christians learn what every family must learn - to be kind and compassionate, to be patient and forgiving, to share joy and sorrow, to take comfort in being loved unconditionally, and that by practicing common devotion they might be strengthened for the struggles and joys of Christian life.

According to class lecture, the Jewish diaspora facilitated the spread of Christianity.

True The diaspora refers to the spread of Jewish people living outside Israel. This diaspora began as early as the Babylonian Captivity, but accelerated after the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. This spread of Jewish people meant that Judaism could be found in many places throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean region. Because Christianity began as a Jewish sect that grew largely through Jewish synagogues, the diaspora helped enable Christianity to spread far and wide.

According to Introducing Christianity, the diversity found within the Christian faith is bound together in a common story that has shaped common beliefs and practices.

True The diversity of Christianity is an expression of a creative God and made possible by the message of Jesus that was not meant to be entrenched in any one context. Some see the variability among all the denominations of Christianity as disunity, but there are nevertheless several common beliefs and practices that indicate a unity, one that they claim to be found in Christ and his family. These common beliefs and practices have been shaped by the history of Christianity. All Christians share the same roots, and the story of the faith has shaped the nature of Christian life, organization, doctrine, creeds, and worship. This story can be (or at least is in this book) divided into four periods; the dates are rough and approximate but help to identify major transitions in church history. The "New Testament Period" encompasses the first century C.E., beginning with the birth of Jesus and ending after the death of the last apostle. This was a time of great social and political unrest in Jerusalem and Israel. It is characterized by the teachings and miracles, the love and compassion, of Jesus, and his gathering of followers who witnessed these things. It also features Jesus's death at the hands of Roman authorities, his resurrection (according to his followers), and the beginning of the church. The "Patristic Period" encompasses the next four hundred years (100-500 C.E.) and features the development, strengthening, and extension of the early church. "Patristic" means "of the fathers," and refers to the fact that, imagining itself as a family, Christians honorifically refer to the men and women of the early church as the "fathers" and "mothers" of the Christian community because their work so significantly shaped the nature of Christianity. The "Medieval Period" encompasses the thousand years between 500 and 1500 C.E. "Medieval" means "Middle Ages," is that time between the Greco-Roman and modern eras in the West. The "Modern Period" encompasses the time between 1500 C.E. and the present, and refer to what is more or less contemporary, though this period may take on a different name in the future once the current postmodern culture fully establishes itself.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the "dark night of the soul" is a good thing.

True The purpose of the dark night of the soul is, according to Foster, to set us free from the need for emotional experiences. The dark night of the soul is an experience of dryness, aloneness or even lostness, an experience God uses to bring us into a state of hush and stillness so that transformation may occur. This will inevitably happen if solitude is pursued, but we must not try to avoid this "dark night." We must be silent and wait for God to speak.

According to Introducing Christianity, the longest section in the Apostles' Creed is about God the Son, perhaps because Christianity's affirmation of God's presence with us in Jesus is what distinguished it from other philosophies and religions of the day.

True The second article of the Apostles' Creed is the longest and summarizes the story of God the Son, or the God the Father's "only son, our Lord." This belief, that Jesus was somehow the very presence of God in our midst, separated early Christianity from other philosophies and religions that surrounded it in that era, which made the emphasis on Jesus very important for its identity; Christians believe that God came personally to save them in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. In the person of Jesus, God the Son was born of the Virgin Mary, and, like other humans, he suffered and died, which Christians believe is the consequence of sin; he even descended to the realm of "the dead" (or "hell," as some translate it), which is where the authors of the Creed understood the spirits of people to go when they died. But in that suffering and death, Jesus became the savior of the world, which is why he is called "the Lord"; death was not the end of the story of Jesus, as Christians proclaim that he rose from the dead and, in so doing, conquered both sin and death. Christians also look forward to some future moment when Jesus establish the full and final Kingdom of God; until that time, he dwells with the Father in heaven.

According to Calling and Clarity, "direct calling" is a specific task that God calls individuals to do.

True The story of Samuel and Eli is used to elucidate some points about direct calls. Samuel needed Eli's help to figure out what was happening, and, despite the spiritual insensitivity of the time, God did get through to Samuel. Thus we might see that in our own experience of direct calls, in the rare chance that we receive one, that we might need help, and that, if it is a direct call, we will hear it. The challenge of a direct call is not understanding what is being said. Rather, the challenge of a direct call is to figure out if it is God or not that is calling and, if so, will we obey.

According to Calling and Clarity, "vocation" refers to one's "calling."

True The word is derived from the word "vocare," Latin for "call." Though some refer to their job as their "vocation," that is not necessarily true for everyone. In general, vocation indicates the various ways that God calls us to live our lives.

According to Introducing Christianity, the documents that would become canonized as the New Testament were written within the first 70 years after Jesus's death.

True The years immediately following Jesus's death are sometimes called the "Apostolic Age" because it is when Jesus's twelve apostles were active in continuing Jesus's mission, thus it extends until the death of the last living apostle, John, around 90 or 100 C.E. According to the book, the Apostolic Age is 45-90 C.E., which falls within the New Testament Period. It was during this time that the documents that would later be recognized as the Christian New Testament were written.

According to Calling and Clarity, Scripture provides texts that present "visions" of what general calling looks like, and Scripture provides texts that present "content" of the life toward which general calls direct us.

True There are lots of verses in Scripture that give examples of visions and content of the life to which we are all generally called; Koskela gives some examples. In the first category, Koskela uses the examples of Matthew 22:34-40, which says we are called to love God and neighbor, but does not say how; we would have to look elsewhere in Scripture, to others' examples, and to Christian practices that develop love in us for us to understand the content of that love. He uses 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, which says that we are to live a life in which Jesus is glorified such that others might catch a glimpse of the glorious future that will be revealed to all; but it does not say her what that glory looks like. And he uses Romans 12:1-2, which says that, once we offer our bodies (not just minds) to God, we will no longer be conformed to the world, but will be transformed so that we might discern the will of God in every pocket of our life. In the second category, Koskela uses the example of Romans 12:9-18, which gives a demanding list that talks about ways to live everyday life, and describes a reality that is indeed counter to this world. He uses I Peter 2:1-5, which says that we are called to rid ourselves of those things that prevent community, and that we are called to continue to grow in our salvation, a growth that is entwined in the growth of others; there is no such thing as "spiritual free agents" in general calling. And he uses 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which points out that we are called to live joyfully, prayerfully, and thankfully in whatever situation we are in; usually, we are not called to make a way to a new situation, but rather to live a certain way in the situation in which we find ourselves.

According to Matthew 26, Jesus had the Passover meal on the same night that he was taken into custody.

True They had the meal, then went out to the Mount of Olives, which is where Judas brought the authorities to arrest him.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Jesus has given any of his followers the authority to receive confession and to declare forgiveness.

True This is not to say that people have the authority to forgive the sin, but according to the New Testament doctrine of the priesthood of all believers, all believers have the authority to remind others of God's forgiveness, and to be an agent of God's movement of grace.

According to class lecture, most Protestant churches have two sacraments, baptism and communion.

True This is not to say that there are not other rituals in Protestant churches, but there are two "sacraments" because Protestants believe that those are the only two Christian rituals instituted by Jesus.

According to Calling and Clarity, the "confirmation principle" is that the greater the consequences of acting on a supposed direct calling, the more extensive the confirmation process should be.

True This is true not merely because mistaking a "call" as God's call might jeopardize your life or the life of others, it also can take you away from good and faithful things that you are doing. Confirming a call is from God is helping one to be obedient to what God demands.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the basis of our life of submission is Jesus' life of submission.

True This was revolutionary - the idea that one should submit to another person simply because that is what Jesus calls us to do and what Jesus modeled, and not merely because of place or office in life.

According to Introducing Christianity, the Lutheran tradition maintained the office of bishop and a worship style similar to Catholic worship.

True Those who followed the teachings of Luther were the first Protestants. However, the word "Protestant" (meaning "protestors") had a negative connotation in Europe, they also called themselves "Evangelical" (from the Greek word for "gospel"). Today, these people are called "Lutherans." The Lutheran movement spread throughout Germany and the Scandinavian countries; Germany and Sweden adopted the Lutheran Church as their state church. Luther spent much of his life as a Catholic monk, and thus Lutherans kept Catholic practices that they felt did not contradict scripture; for instance, they kept the office of bishop, and their worship style was a simplified form of Catholic liturgy. Lutherans accepted only two of the seven Catholic sacraments (baptism and communion) because only two were commanded by Jesus in the Gospels. Lutherans rejected the authority of the pope and asserted the "priesthood of all believers." (It is for this reason that most Protestant ministers are called "pastors" and not "priests.")

According to Calling and Clarity, you should include both people who have known you for a long time and people who are involved in your life in the present.

True Though it is ultimately your responsibility to discern your vocation, Koskela notes that it is wise to include the input of others into your personal self-reflection as you discern your missional vocation; they may have some perspective about you that is difficult for you to see. Having a variety of these inputs is valuable as they may remind you of gifts and loves you might have forgotten, or they might help you to see gifts and loves more recently discovered. Additionally, it can be helpful to seek this input in both one-on-one conversations and in group discussion; though it may feel intimidating to ask for others' input, you will likely find that they will feel honored that you value their perspective. As you listen to a variety of perspectives, wait to tell them what you think your missional calling might be; the conversations may confirm, challenge, or help refine your sense of your vocation.

According to Matthew 20, James and John (and their mother) misunderstand what it means to be great and powerful in the way of Jesus.

True Through their mom, James and John want to be second and third in command in Jesus' operation. Jesus tells them that they do not fully realize what they are asking, and that to be a leader in his movement means that they must drink of the cup of which he drinks - meaning that it will cost them their lives. Further, Jesus says that to be great in his way of leadership is to be the servant of all, not to be in positions of power.

According to Celebration of Discipline, to prepare for Sunday worship one ought to develop a sense of "holy expectancy."

True To do this, Foster says, one should "practice the presence of God" during the week to cultivate a sense of openness to God.

According to Celebration of Discipline, the spiritual discipline of service leads to freedom from the world's system of authority and promotion.

True To embrace service is to abolish the world's system of leadership and authority. Jesus redefines the former and rearranges the latter. He says that leadership is derived from service. Authority is derived from function, not status.

According to Introducing Christianity, all major Christian denominations agree on the New Testament canon.

True Unlike the Old Testament canon, Catholic and Orthodox and Protestant Christians all agree on the New Testament canon. From the beginning, the early Christian church considered the writings that we now acknowledge as part of the New Testament to be of great importance. As Christianity spread, these writings were copied and read throughout the world. Various early compilations, such as the Muratorian Canon (around 200 C.E.), show that the early church fully embraced most of the books now considered to be in the New Testament canon, and excluded other Christian writings that were popular at the time. For instance, the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles were accepted, but the Letter to the Laodiceans was not. Other texts, such as the Shepherd of Hermas (written sometime between 90 and 140 C.E.), were affirmed as edifying, but not for use in worship because they were written too long after Jesus. Slowly, the early church developed a consensus concerning which books were authoritative; books chosen for use in Christian worship and church were based on (1) authenticity, (2) wide acceptance in churches, and (3) if they were written close to the time of Jesus. The first official listing of the New Testament canon was given at the Council of Laodicea (363 C.E.), though it did not include the Book of Revelation. A famous letter written by Athanasius, the great bishop of Alexandria, on Easter of 367 C.E. lists the New Testament canon as it now exists. This same canon is listed at the Synod of Carthage (397 C.E.) Therefore, a general consensus on the New Testament canon has existed since the 300s.

According to Celebration of Discipline, true celebration is rooted in a deep trust for God's care for us. If we are full of worry and concern, we cannot have a true spirit of celebration.

True Verses like "Do not be anxious about your life..." (Matt 6:25) and " Have no anxiety about anything" (Phil 4:6) and the very idea of the Year of Jubilee require great trust in God to provide what we need. Foster writes: "No one would dare celebrate the Jubilee unless they had a deep trust in God's ability to provide for their needs."

According to Celebration of Discipline, Christians often resist confession because they believe everyone else is a "saint" rather than a "sinner."

True We hide from others because we think that others are further than us on the road to heaven. But when we realize that we are among other sinners, we are free to confess openly because our fear and pride belong to others as well.

According to Matthew 20, the parable of the laborers in the vineyard illustrates that in the Kingdom of Heaven, God will do things and save people we do not expect and don't necessarily like.

True When the laborers who worked all day in the sun find out that the laborers who worked only a brief time get paid the same amount, they get mad. The response is that the "owner" who hired them can do whatever he wants, and that he is not treating the all-day workers unjustly. Similarly, Jesus says, in the Kingdom of God "the last will be first and the first will be last." In other words, there will be surprises.

According to Celebration of Discipline, Foster claims that we must "live under the cross," which means that we must be in touch with our own sin.

True When we are in touch with our own sinfulness, we will not be surprised at another's sin, will not be offended by it, and will not take advantage of it, because we will sympathize for their position.

According to class lecture, most, if not all, of the New Testament was written or compiled during the first hundred years (or so) after Jesus's birth.

True While the New Testament canon was not formed for another few hundred years, all (or most) of the texts in it were first formed during this time.

According to Introducing Christianity, the fifth commandment does not give license to abuse any role in authority; for instance, the Bible calls for parents to respect and care for their children.

True While the first four commandments are mainly about humanity's relationship with God, the final six commandments are about our relationship with others; this models the idea that right relationship with God creates the context out of which flows a life of peace, love, and strength. The fifth commandment is "Honor your father and mother"; in our relationship with others, we first have to do with the family, or the "household." The first family was established when God created Adam and Eve and called them to be one; God's commandment to "be fruitful and multiply" then extends this family through parentage as, participating in God's creative activity, mothers and fathers, out of love, bring forth new life created in the image of God. This is also seen as the first "marriage" in which two individuals make a covenant, modeled after God's covenant with humanity, with each other before God, who orders their relationship with each other, including their sexuality and its offspring. While the fifth commandment commands children to respect the role of parents who have been called, in turn, to order their children's lives in the name of God, this does not allow parents to abuse this role by mistreating their children; on the contrary, parents are called to respect and care for their children (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4). This is similar to how, while political authorities should be honored and respected (Romans 13:1), Christians recognize that power can be abused, and that ultimate loyalty must be given to God alone.

"Self-righteous service is impressed with the 'big deal.'"

True service finds it almost impossible to distinguish the small from large service

"Self-righteous service is highly concerned with results."

True service is free of the need to calculate results

"Self-righteous service picks and chooses whom to serve."

True service is indiscriminate in its ministry

"Self-righteous service is affected by moods and whims."

True service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need

"Self-righteous service requires external rewards."

True service rests contended in hiddenness

According to Celebration of Discipline, which of the following is not a "step into worship"?

Wait for authentic motivation to worship Foster says that we should worship even if we do not feel like it. God works in us even when we are not looking for it.

According to Calling and Clarity, which of the following is not a feature of direct callings?

We can know they will align with your gifts. Regarding gifts, the call of Moses at the burning bush shows that God does not call people for various tasks who are especially gifted in that area (in fact, God often does that); however, God does give people what they need to respond to their call (just as in missional callings). Regarding passions, it is clear from Scripture (e.g., the story of Jonah in the Old Testament, or the Rich Young Man in the New) that God may call us to do something we do not want to do; sometimes we have to set aside what gives us joy (though these are not bad things) in order to obey, which must take priority. Regarding confirmation, though they may come in different ways, direct callings are fairly clear; what must be confirmed (as distinct from how Koskela uses the idea of "discernment" related to missional calling) is if the call is from God as opposed to our own wants (1 John 4:1). Regarding duration and scope, that to which we are directly called may not disrupt our lives much and may be as brief as a conversation, but it may also uproot us considerably and last our whole life. And regarding frequency, it is important to remember God's freedom to call who and when and however many times God chooses; the frequency someone experiences a call is not dependent upon their spiritual maturity, though mature spiritual senses may help them discern how to live out their missional or general calling. Thus, in day-to-day life, we can know we are free to live faithfully as best we can, knowing we will know if God directly calls us to something, no matter the sharpness of our spiritual senses.

According to Introducing Christianity, which of the following is not a true statement about the Anabaptist tradition?

While hated by Catholics, they found acceptance with Protestants Though the Lutherans and Reformed Christians were different than traditional Roman Catholicism in their beliefs and practices, there were some reformers who did not feel that the Protestant Reformation was going far enough; the movement these leaders instigated is called the "Radical Reformation," and their ideas were extremist in that time, even if they would not be today. The largest group of these Christians seeking radical reform became known as the "Anabaptists" (meaning "re-baptized") because they believed that, though they had been baptized as infants, they needed to become re-baptized into true, radical Christianity. Anabaptists sought to separate themselves from the secular world to live lives that adhere strictly to scripture; they insisted baptism was only for adults because there were no infant baptisms in scripture, that church membership is only for those who profess faith, and that church and state ought to be completely separated from each other (a radical idea for that time). The Anabaptists were deemed heretics and revolutionaries, often prohibited throughout Europe; they were persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants, and many were killed. The most famous Anabaptist leader was Menno Simons (1496-1561) who, during a time when some Anabaptists were fighting against their oppressors, taught that a literal reading of the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7) advocated pacifism, or non-violence, as the true way of Christ. The Anabaptist tradition survives today in denominations such as the Brethren, the Amish, and the Mennonites; it also influenced early Baptist movements in England.

According to Celebration of Discipline, "self-righteous service" is contrasted with "true service." Match each model of "self-righteous service" with its corresponding correction of "true service."

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