An Exploration of Christian Theology - Assignment Example

CHAPTER THREE

• Define

‘True authority."

It is the freedom consented by an individual and beneficial to the people who are ruled. Early churches were concerned about authority because some leaders could misuse their power. In the bible, Paul was concerned about the issue and spoke much about true authority. In 2 Corinthians 10:8, Paul says, “For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame.” As such, God has the true authority of his people.

Nicene Creed

Nicene Creed is a Christian formulated statement of faith extended from the first Nicene Council creed that recognizes and outlines early Christian's beliefs in honoring God, Jesus, and the holy spirit. It is widely accepted by Anglican, protestant church, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic.

Deposit of faith

It refers to the revealed biblical truth that supports the faithful believers in the Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church proposed the revealed truth.

Magisterium

Magisterium refers to the Catholic church doctrinal authority that provides teachings and authentic interpretation of God's written and spoken word. According to the 1992 Catholic Catechism, the power of biblical interpretation is vested in bishops and Pope.

Apostolic succession

It is a Christian teaching that bishops and popes represent an uninterrupted transmission of spiritual authority from Jesus Apostles. In the contemporary religious world, bishops and clergymen take the leadership mantle and serve people as teachers of God’s words in different denominations.

2. What is the nature of authority? What role does authority play in people’s lives?

What types of authority influence you?

Authority is the relationship that exists between the leaders and the followers in a particular setting. The nature of authority involves powers that are held by the superior to govern or lead the subjects. The powers serve as the guiding force that fuels change and punishment to the people who defy the authority. Some of the standard features of authority are dominance, accountability, transparency, rationality, and legitimacy.

Authority plays a significant role in coordinating and guiding people towards achieving their objectives at an individual level. It also safeguards and protects people's affairs from violations by errant people within society. I am influenced by a charisma authority that acts confidently and motivates me to perform better in my life.

3. Which view of religious authority presented in this chapter do you consider most

persuasive? What are its benefits, as well as liabilities?

In this chapter, I consider sociological as the most persuasive religious authority view. The sociological view's benefit is guiding and encouraging people to follow the social order, which is easily achieved because of beliefs. The sociological perspective also creates an understanding of the authority and extent to which people may defy the rules. However, the social view liability is limited information that can promote adherence to rules and protocols within the social setting.

4. What is the nature of religious authority? Who or what serves as religious authorities?

For you? Which authorities do you consider most relevant and reliable? Why?

The religious authority involves increased humility and transparency when leading people to the Christianity journey. Religious leaders need to consider their subjects and treat them with the utmost fairness and honesty. Although they need to exercise the authority to the Christians, they should put religious ethics at the core of their leadership. Pope, Bishop, pastors, and reverends form a group of religious authority in the church. I consider rational authority to be the most relevant and reliable in religious leadership. The rationale of my selection is that the authority relies on people's choices. It depends on people's opinions and contributions when making church protocols.

5. To what degree do you find postmodernism a helpful way of describing the world

today? To what degree do Christians need to address the concerns of postmodernism

I find postmodernism useful to a greater extent in describing the world today. Postmodernism involves a late 20th-century style to create understanding and knowledge of the contemporary world. It is suitable because it involves modern research methods and analysis of information that develop an understanding of the contemporary world. Alternatively, a Christian needs to address postmodernism concerns profoundly. Christians need to consider postmodernism to avoid lagging in interpreting some important current factors. Postmodernism underscores the way people will worship or build modern church designs.

CHAPTER 4

• What Greek word is the bible derived from?

The bible was derived from the Greek word "τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía," which means “the book," which was later translated to English as a “bible.”

• Define the word scripture

Scripture is a sacred form of writings composed in a bible and used to teach and strengthen Christian faith.

• Why do we read the bible?

Bible is a holy book that plays a significant role in the journey of becoming a firm Christian believer. First, we read the bible to find guidance, especially when people face temptation. It is an excellent guider because Christians emulate Jesus Christ, who used his wisdom to overcome the devil's temptations. Also, people emulate mighty biblical people such as Job, who overcame temptations. Second, we read the bible to imitate God, who is holy and righteous. It is a Christian belief that people need to make the bible reading a habit to understand God’s teachings. Third, bible reading strengthens Christian faith for eternal life. It shares strong words spoken by God’s prophets to encourage people and renew their faith. Finally, we read the bible to gather the courage to soldier on and believe in God.

• Explain the historical-critical method of interpreting scripture

Textual

Although other interpretation methods were used by early biblical people, textual was commonly used to deduce the meaning of a particular piece of literature. The textual method does not judge the facticity or truthfulness of the bible. It does not judge the task, but the diligence and accuracy of the people who wrote the bible. The technique tries to interpret the level of precision used when writing different biblical texts.

Form

‘Form’ is the most popular type of historical-critical method when interpreting scripture in modern biblical societies. The technique began in the New Testament studies when understanding was much needed to prepare for written materials from the oral tradition. The method considers interpreting the oral tradition, which may not be known to many. The main aim is to reveal the materials collected from the early sources and evaluate the original traditions.

Grammatical

This method perceives the scripture as basic literature with high consideration of history, figures of speech, and different genres. It is not profound in determining what the biblical message means to modern Christianity.

Sociological

In the sociological, historical-critical method, bible interpretation is conducted by examining the author's social nature. The language used to determine the author's origin is different events in a particular region.

Source

The ‘source’ method is concerned with interpreting the written sources that were hardly retrieved during the New Testament writing. The technique was used by people to analyze the source employed by men and give the bible the present form. The source method began during the writing of the old testament.

Tradition and form

In the analogy of the traditional and form, it is essential to note that the technique opposes the modern methods of bible interpretation. It considers the early oral form that requires in-depth understanding before various biblical books were composed. However, it has undermined the integrity of the biblical account because of its multiple anomalies. Therefore, Christians in the postmodernism era object this bible interpretation method.

Reference

Thorsen, D. (2020). An Exploration of Christian Theology. Baker Publishing Group.