are strongly in-line with Natural Law. Many Christians adopt deontological positions and think we should act according to God's design or purpose for our lives. They may be less influenced by Aquinas in this, and Protestants tend to be less sure about moral absolutes. However, there is still a strong sense of following rules within most Christian denominations. Aquinas said: “Consequently, law must needs concern itself mainly with the order that is in beatitude.” From this we can see that the Bible played a big part in the development of Natural Law; this proves that Christians make moral decisions through a multiple of different ways.
Genesis 1-2 can show us that God is all-powerful and all-loving. As far as Genesis 1-2 goes, it is more important to understand the scripture, rather than prove it to be factual. “Although popular images of controversy continue to exemplify the supposed hostility of Christianity to new scientific theories, studies have shown that Christianity has often nurtured and encouraged scientific endeavor, while at other times the two have co-existed without either tension or attempts at harmonization” (Ferngren, 2). Genesis 1-2 is the cause of much unnecessary tension between the religious and scientific communities. The writers of Genesis 1-2 wrote it in a way that presents the Earth’s creation as a factual account of God creating the heavens and the Earth.
Many examples in the book made me consider perspectives that I had never thought of before. In my opinion, this book definitely stirred up a reassurance of my place in society and what can be done to liberate the oppressed. I believe the voices represented in this book can cause negative reactions from some churches because it goes against what is and has been normal. Churches would not really like to change the view of “white” Christ to be a diverse Christ of another race because it would change certain aspects and power. The church is called to be one diverse body of God, but as churches can remain dominant to one race, it becomes difficult to incorporate diversity into what already is established.
While few Methodists pastors believe in inerrancy, conservatives view scripture as the unique revelation of God. The Bible contains all we need to know to be saved and to live the Christian life. Conservatives believe that the four gospels are the heart of scripture and accurately portray the life of Christ. Christian Ethics- Because of their skepticism of human nature and reason, conservatives believe we must be guided by the principles found in the Old and New Covenants. Christian love must be guided by the moral teachings of scripture and the church.
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active…” The Bible is authoritative due to divine inspiration, but what good would this authority be if what was written in the Bible was unreliable? We not only have Gods authority behind the Bible we also have Gods verity in the Bible. This is what is called inerrancy. Inerrancy is being unquestionably true and accurate and free from errors and mistakes. The Bible speaks of itself in such a way in Psalms 12:6 “And the words of the Lord are
Jessie Moore Essay Outline: Placher CSBS 1311.06 Outline I. Placher begins his argument stating that the Bible is true and he will prove his statement correct by finding an another way of explaining how the Bible is true compared to how other believers try to explain. A. Placher’s first minor claim is if we say the Bible is true, then what the Bible means is true as well. He argues that we must comprehend the Bible’s genres, recognize the attitudes toward the narrating of details in history, and think about the social perspective that the Bible was written in to understand the truth about the Bible. 1. Placher states that the genre is important for understanding the meaning of the Bible because different genres make different truth claims.
An ineffable experience is one that cannot easily be articulated. It is too big a thing for words and therefore not necessarily understood by those who have not experienced it. Noetic means intellect. It is an experience that is not purely based on emotion, but one that provides an insight into religious truths which have universal or eternal significance. For example, on Damascus Road, Saint Paul’s religious experience transformed his moral outlook.
It gives great emphasis to the chronological order of the words of God and takes the written words as a whole, using each and every word literally to support your walk with God. Wesleyan theology, on the other hand, focuses on a more abstract interpretation of the bible. Wesleyans see the bible as an enhancement to the Christian faith. They are more into having great confidence in their faith and using the bible as a reference in order to follow God in a more abstract way. They focus on their relationship with God as a whole and don’t see the bible as a step-by-step manual as Fundamentalists do.
Summary In the book, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, Entwistle examines two disciplines that share an interest in how human beings function. He goes in depth about the worldviews, models of integration, and philosophical foundations that shape the relationship between psychology and theology. Both disciplines are very helpful in understanding human beings and can be integrated as long as the methodologies and fundamental teachings do not contradict each other. Whether we find the truth through psychology or the Bible “all truth is God’s truth, so that where and however truth is discovered, its author is God” (Entwistle, 2010 p.13). Many people would not agree that Christianity and theology cannot be integrated, but in actuality it can.
Explain the main ethical principles of religion you have studied (25 marks) Christianity is a religion of many different branches and because of this there is no universal set of ethics. This lack of absolute ethics amongst Christians is due to the diversity of Christianity as there are many denominations for example Roman Catholic Christianity and Protestantism. Roman Catholic Christianity bases its ethics on the Holy Bible and the magisterium which consists of the Pope and the cardinals; in contrast to Protestantism that sees the Holy Bible as the only source of authority. Though both denominations follow the bible they interpret and accept the different parts of the bible. In general, there are similar ethical beliefs amongst Christians due to Judaism being the only root of Christian ethics.