Solution
Shivangi answered on
Apr 19 2020
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Date:
Course section:
Theological Journal #1Revelation& God
I. Ranking Christian Doctrines Activity and Reflection
Without doing any prior research, use the chart below to organize the following 20 doctrines by placing them under the category you think they best fit.
Election Sinful nature Baptism Rapture Church government
Justification Hell Trinity Atonement Jesus’ Virgin Birth
Young earth Predestination Inspiration Lord’s Supper Deity of Jesus
Demonology Millennium Sanctification Origin of evil Gifts of the Spirit
Ranking Christian Doctrines Chart
First Orde
Second Orde
Third Orde
1. Trinity
2. Deity of Jesus
3. Jesus’ Virgin Birth
4. Justification
5. Sinful nature
6. Millennium
7. Hell
8. Atonement
9. Predestination
10. Authority of Scripture
11. Humanity of Jesus Christ
1. Baptism
2. Young earth
3. Demonology
4. Gifts of the Spirit
5. Atonement
6. Sanctification
7. Millennium
8. Inspiration
1. Origin of evil
2. Church government
3. Young earth
4. Lord’s Suppe
5. Sinful nature
6. Jesus’ Virgin Birth
7. Election
8. Rapture
After you have finished placing the 20 doctrines in the chart, do some research and reconsider where you placed each doctrine. If you decide to change a doctrine from where you originally placed it, cross it out using the strikethough function and retype it in red in the category where it was moved.Also, feel free to add other doctrines that you might encounter. Place these additional doctrines in blue. Finally, what did you learn as you thought through your original ordering? Are there doctrines you are still unsure where to place? If so, why? [100-150 words]
Doctrines in simple language mean preaching. Doctrine with lack of practice is stale and dry. For having a proper unity, we much acknowledge the different levels a doctrine has and on which level it falls. Conflicts arise when people start grading the truth according to their superiority in importance. The truths are ranked in various orders as per their belief. The first order truth indicates a universal Christian faith. Second order indicates a more local Christian faith and the third level indicated Christian conflicts. The given 20 doctrines are categorized in the specified categories accordingly. The thing I learned is that there is a very slight difference in these categories. You have to have the deep knowledge of each doctrine in order to categories them.
II. Key Issues Regarding the Inspiration and Authority of Scripture
Skim through pages 160-184 of Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith. Outline some key issues regarding the inspiration and authority of Scripture. Why are these doctrines so important? What is at stake if these doctrines are not given priority? [150-200 words]
III. Five Strategies for Using Scripture in the Theological Task
Often Christians believe to be simply interpreting Scripture when they read the Bible. However, at times our intellectual presuppositions and prior denominational convictions prevent us from truly placing Scripture in the place of authority it deserves. Reflecting on this, think of five strategies you will use to help you discern if you are a
iving at your theological conclusions through Scripture and to guard against the danger of reading into Scripture what you already believe. [100-150 words]
1) Comprehension- One should have the true knowledge of one’s believes or disbelieves before starting to read. They should strive to know the fullness of the truth of god not only for themselves but for others too.
2) Construction- A language of faith must be constructed as a tool firstly to make the contribution. People seeking God primarily seek and then encounter God by language of faith which cultivates and forms faith.
3) Communication- After acquiring a language of faith, we ought to communicate with others in order to make faith heard and comprehended by others. The communication is found in two forms which are expression and dialogue. In spite of different meanings the same purpose is served.
4) Criticism- Criticizing social injustice & unrighteousness by the word of God and God’s people will help in realizing the in-depth meaning.
5) Practice- Nothing exists alone. The relation with others is perceived as one’s existence. Not even a believer can practice faith alone. So it is suggested it practice faith in relation to God, other people & creatures and to self.
IV. The concept of Trinity in the Bible and early church tradition
Choose and list three biblical passages that help define the concept of Trinity. Then, find a quotable quote from a theologian of the early church era who says something significant about the Trinitarian passage and
iefly state the main insight it establishes. Make sure you provide a footnote reference in Turabian format to document the source. [150-250 words]
1) Corinthians 8:6[footnoteRef:3] [3: Florovskii, G. Bible, Church, Tradition: An Eastern Orthodox View. Nordland, 1972.]
According to Corinthians, “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”
Summary of main insight:
Trinitarians suppose that the final phrase of the verse,i.e. that all things came through Jesus Christ, helped in supporting their position. But the meaning the verse conveys is that all things came through Jesus from God. As per this verse, Jesus and the Father are not “co-Equal”. This testimony contradicts Trinitarian doctrine as it places Jesus in a subordinate role to God.
2) John 1:141
According to John, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Summary of main insight:
Jesus being a physically, fully, truly human is a critical part of this gospel. The verse uses the name “The Word”, making everything clear that Jesus became flesh residing among humans who are living, real and
eathing persons.. This concluded Jesus was neither a ghost disguised as a person nor a hologram. He too would have experienced everything the mortal people do.
3) Luke 1:351
According to Luke, “The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Summary of main insight:
In this verse Ga
iel answers the wonder-filled faith question of Mary. She will be overshadowed by the person of the Holy Spirit. The holy one who is to be born will be different from the rest and will be entitled as the Son of the God.
V. Outline of Three Trinitarian heresies
Choose three Trinitarian Heresies from the early church era. Use the chart below to outline the main understanding of each heresy along with the arguments Christian thinkers used to refute them. Make sure you include Scripture references. [250-350 words]
Trinitarian Heresies Chart
Name of Heretical Movement and main proponent(s)
Brief description of main heretical beliefs
Main arguments and biblical references
given to refute heresy
1
Modalism
The main proponent is Tertullian
The god is three consubstantial persons- the father, the son and the Holy spirit as “one God in three divine people”. Despite being three distinct people they are one substance, essence or nature.
Modalism ve
ally admits a trinity, but denies the real distinction between the persons. It affirms that different names are given to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are modes, aspects, or energies of one and the same divine Person. He exercises different functions outside the Trinity: creation (Father), redemption (Son), sanctification (Holy Spirit). God, one from eternity, became three in time. According to Tertullian, the identification of Father and Son was so complete in Praxeas's teaching that "the Father Himself came down into the Virgin, was Himself born of her, Himself suffered, indeed was Himself Jesus Christ"
Bibliography: "Modalism." New Catholic Encyclopedia. . Encyclopedia.com. (April 18, 2018). http:
www.encyclopedia.com
eligion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/modalism
2
Tritheism
The main proponent is LDS church
The god is one in essence or being, while its existence is co-eternal and co-equal persons- The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit.
In Tritheism, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three different Gods.
Tritheism does not believe in one God rather they believe in three Gods. For the God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit are self-existing and independent. Tritheism ignores the unity and accepts the trinity of god.
Bibliography: Feser, Edward C. "Swinburne's Tritheism." International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 42, no. 3 (1997): 175-184.
3
Arianism
The main proponent is Arius of Alexanda
The Father is the one who generates the Son, who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds. They all are stated to be one in all, co-eternal, co-equal and consubstantial. Each one is wholly and entirely considered to be God.
As per Arius, The Father was the only God, who was too pure and eternal to appear on earth. Therefore, Christ the Son was produced as the greatest creation that then created the entire universe. Christ was adopted as the Son by God. Being superior in authority and creation, Christ should be worshipped and even be looked upon as God. Few Arians also believe the Holy Spirit was the creation of the Son.
Bibliography: Wiles, Maurice. Archetypal heresy: Arianism through the centuries. Oxford University Press, 2001.