Question #1: What does biblical inspiration mean? Does God speak to us directly through the bible, or is the word of God always open to interpretation? How does one best defend his or her interpretation?
Biblical Inspiration is that extraordinary or supernatural divine influence vouchsafed to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering their writings infallible.(Web Bible Encyclopedia) Likewise, biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that credits the authors and editors of the Bible as ordained or influenced by God thus rendering their writings the word of God. When we speak of the Bible as inspired, we are simply acknowledging God divine influence on the human authors of the Scriptures. As members of the faith community,
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How does the interpretation of scripture inform the creedal affirmation of God as Trinity? How does faith in God influence speech about the attributes of God?
Devastating as it is to hear and say, it appears that numerous factors challenge the understanding of God in Modern Theology. The most prevalent ones are: science in religion, religious practices and social issues. Additionally, profound questions are raised about the presence of God in almost every tragic historical event, unfavorable medical diagnosis, oppressed institutional setting, acts of terror, and natural disasters that appears evil, or out of character for the loving, creator and keeper of this vast universe. Moreover, modern challenges are plagued with myths and fallacies about the triune God or the Trinity. Worshipping three divine entities as one is a creedal responsibility for believers, that is met with faith and shielded in Grace. Subsequently, nonbelievers as Freud sees a belief in God as an infantile illusion believing our needs are met by an omnipotent parent. (Migliore 67). The author explicitly informs us that the doctrine of the trinity is the church’s effort to give coherent expression to this mystery God’s “free grace” as proclaimed in the gospel and experienced in Christian faith. (Migliore
He received a B.A. degree from Philander Smith College in Arkansas in 1958, a B.D. degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in 1961, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern University in 1963 and 1965, respectively. He taught theology and religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan, and beginning in 1970 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded the distinguished Charles A. Briggs Chair in systematic theology in 1977. He taught theology and religion at Philander Smith College, Adrian College in Michigan, and beginning in 1970 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he was awarded the distinguished Charles A. Briggs Chair in systematic theology in 1977. The thesis of this book is that one's social and historical context decides not only the questions 2 we address to God but also the mode or form of the
In chapter two, Sorenson gives an explanation about a foundational doctrine of Bible. He mentions that Bible is a God-inspired book. It means that God is the real author that gave the inspirations to the writers that he chose. In chapter three, Sorenson gives an explanation about the theories of preservation.
In Mark Jarman’s “Unholy Sonnet 1” the Trinity is represented though vivid images and language to illustrate that comprehending the Trinity is something out of a person understanding. Jarman, to provide the reader with the knowledge that he is talking about the Trinity refers to God in three ways in a single line, “Dear God, Heavenly Father, Gracious Lord” (1). This line shows the use of language to describe the Trinity which is made up of The Father, Son, and The Holy Spirit. Then the author goes on throughout the first half of the poem capitalizing words that relate to God to show each word as a pronoun, “Mother Love and Maker, Light Divine… Oasis That All Sands Are Running Toward” (1,8)
His contributors support also the same philosophy where God and the Gospel must be the center of every style of worship (16). Also, the contributors’ arguments are quite strong because their thesis is consistent with the biblical teaching. However, each author supports specific worship practices as introduced early in this book. Indeed, the authors’ concern about the current Christians’ worship practices can be described as one of the strengths of this
In the Christian religion, like many others, the belief in a single, ultimate, powerful being is upheld and practiced. However, unlike other monotheistic religions, the Christian belief in God is expressed in three parts: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This aspect of Christianity is unique and is part of what defines it. Although some people may think so, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three separate beings. They are united as one in the Trinity, the same all-powerful God.
The sacred trinity is defined as “an abiding conviction that the minimum essentials of international peace and order require the United States to maintain a global military presence, to configure its forces
These biblical theologians and philosophers include St. Augustine, a convert and a father to Christianity. St. Augustine adhered to the concept of Trinity later in his life and in his teachings. The concept of Trinity is based on the idea of
In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul refers to Scripture as “breathed out by God.” This is a verse we should memorize and cling to. But for many Christians, this might be the only proof that would come to mind. The issue of the authority and inspiration of Scripture is not just a topic to be debated by scholars, nor is it simply an apologetic issue to be defended against skeptics. This is a truth that shapes how we approach God and how we listen when He speaks.
“Across the Spectrum” is full of vehement discussion on a variety of Christian doctrines. It questions diverse positions that may be held and is a useful tool for confronting strenuous theological problems. Gregory A. Boyd and Paul R. Eddy wrote this book to introduce “students to the range of positions evangelicals take on various disputed topics.” Gregory Boyd received a PhD from “Princeton Theological Seminary” and is formerly a “professor of Theology at Bethel University.” Currently he is the senior pastor of “Woodland Hills Church” in Minnesota.
Religion and its Fallibility under the Scrupulous Light of Rational Inquiry: the Satirical Critiques of Voltaire and George Bernard Shaw For those perplexed by the overabundance of evil in the world, religion has always provided an avenue for hope, and people throughout history have sought God for understanding, and reconciliation. If God, by definition, is omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, how do we account for the immense suffering, evil, and injustice that exists in the world? Moreover, a world with an astronomical amount of pain and unnecessary suffering? Could such evil exist and the existence of the aforementioned God still be plausible? To address the problem of evil, philosophers and theologians have put forth theodicies,
This being the case, Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy is a book on the doctrine of inerrancy where five Christian scholars, R. Albert Mohler Jr., Peter Enns, Michael F. Bird, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and John R. Franke discuss their various perspectives on biblical inerrancy, narrowing the focus on four significant issues – (1) God and his relationship to his creatures, (2) the doctrine of inspiration, (3) the nature of scripture, and (4) the nature of truth (Merrick & Garrett, 2013, p. 22). SUMMARY For the interest of this paper, I chose the first chapter titled “When the Bible speaks, God speaks: The Classic Doctrine of Biblical Inerrancy” (Mohler, 2013, p. 29) by R. Albert Mohler Jr. who asserts that the evangelical faith would become indistinct without the doctrine of inerrancy and thus crucial. Mohler is basically quite straightforward and outspoken about his position that “there is little basis for any hope that evangelicals will remain
Athanasius defended the Trinity, which is one of the biggest beliefs and a core element in Christian faith. The Trinity is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three united as one. During the fourth century, Arius went around teaching that Jesus the Son was different in divinity to God the Father. He points out many Scriptures proving that Jesus is saying that the Father and Son are clearly different, showing that they
(Muncaster – Religion Lecture, 2016). Meanwhile, Christianity states there is only one god oppose to other religions that state the opposite. Due to the various amounts of moral disagreements between religions, it makes it quite difficult to believe in universal truths as everyday we encounter contradictions that exist within religions in explaining the meaning of good and
Ehrenreich, B. (2016). Class Matters. Anglican Theological Review, 98(1), 15-21. This article, written by a highly-respected author, effectively discusses topics that I will be utilizing for the problem and solution sections of my final paper.
SOME OTHER REFLECTIONS The doctrine of Trinity is the foundation of Christianity. One cannot comprehend God’s creation, salvation, the call to community, prayer, and many other expressions of the Christian faith without it. There are several considerations that Trinitarian Theology alone can make sense of. First, the nature of God is impossible to explain apart from Trinitarian Theology.