Christian Theology by Alison McGrath - Book Report/Review Example

Introduction This paper critiques the fundamental elements of the Christian Faith. To this end, the paper examines the core concepts and belief systems that forms the basis of Christianity. The paper then goes on to state the writers personal beliefs and his own perception and conception of Christianity. The paper is written in two parts. The first part evaluates fundamental elements and aspects of the Christian Faith as elucidated by Alister McGrath in his book, Christian Theology: An Introduction. This book presents the fundamental aspects and elements of Christianity and how it can be perceived by the world. The second section of the book puts together the personal beliefs of the writer and how how views Christianity. The section will focus on what the writer believes to be the fundamental elements of faith that he deems fit to adopt and preach to others. SECTION 1: BOOK REPORT Alison McGraths book, Christian Theology provides a birds eye view of Christianity and how it originated and has evolved into what it is today. McGrath is an internationally acclaimed Christian theological writer, but the book, Christian Theology is a critical and skillful compilation of the happenings in Christianity. It details the most significant and important issues that have affected Christianity in its development and evolution. In order to critique the book, I will categorize the main headings into three: 1. Early Christianity 2. Medieval Christianity & 3. Modern History of Christianity McGrath analyzes each of these sections in relation to the achievements that were made by the leaders of the church in each era and how they interacted with the dominant sociocultural trends that existed in the time. This report will discuss the core elements of the relevant facts and how they affected Christianity in that era and how they continue to affect Christianity today. Early Christianity Early Christianity was limited to the Mediterranean coastline around modern-day southern Greece to Turkey down to Israel through to north Africa, around Egypt. From the book, it appears that early Christianity occurred as a branch of Judaism that evolved in reaction to issues and matters that related to the destruction of the Temple and the dispersal of the Israelites around the then known world1. The period is described by McGrath as the Patristic period and this was around the year 100 and the patriarchs involved in the campaign of early Christianity sought to use various elements to remodel the religion practiced in Ancient Israel on the basis of the character of Jesus Christ. This came with an inevitable need for the patriarchs to come to a consensus of the formulating the main structures and foundations of Christianity. The patristic period involved important characters, mainly labeled as apostles, who spread the basic elements and aspects of fundamental Christianity to different nations and different communities in the Mediterranean region. One of the biggest and most significant parties in the period was Apostle Paul who played a supervisory role over all the many churches and budding fellowships of early Christians in his time. Paul, being a Jew of rabbinical origins had also assimilated into the Roman culture and social structures. This made him an appropriate candidate to present a form of Judaism to the masses and the people in a way and manner that would resonate with them. This therefore played a significant role in shaping the very foundations of Christianity and preparing the grounds for the eventual adoption of Christianity in the region. Another aspect of this section of McGraths book is that it describes some degrees of persecution that were meted out to the early Christians by the Roman and other ruling authorities who saw Christianity as a threat to their rule and traditions. Based on the persecution, the Christians needed to formulate systems and structures of practicing their Faith in secret and spreading it within themselves. They therefore had to formulate strong consensuses on how to reformulate elements and aspects of Judaism in order to build a cultural system that was appropriate for the period of persecution. Therefore, in the quest to ensure the survival of early Christianity, the various groupings of early believes came up with the kanon, which is a Greek word for “rule” and this include the core beliefs that defined early Christianity2. These fundamental laws gradually evolved and became the definitive beliefs of the faith. This also came up with the formulation of various customs and traditions that marked the way the early Christians worshiped and carried out various rituals and activities. The fundamental elements and aspects of the Theology of the early Christians included the concept of Trinity, which sought to integrate the fundamental belief of Jesus as the son of God into the central features and central aspects of Christianity. Also, the concept of Grace and love from God as a means of connecting humanity through Jesus was instituted to form the main foundation of Christianity. Through this, fundamental traditions and principles were adopted and institutionalized throughout the Christian societies Medieval Christianity Alister McGrath goes on to identify that the scope and population of Christians increased significantly when the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as the state religion. This led to the recognition of the Church as a fundamental arm of the Roman Empire and the creeds of the Church was seen as an important element and aspect of governance and state affairs. This led to the institutionalization of the Church as a part of the contemporary European society circa 300 when the Nicene Creed was adopted. The Church was therefore a major arm of government and leadership throughout Europe and the Near East until the Great Schism of 1054. This led to the division of the Church into the Western front and the Eastern Front. However, the rise of Islam and the increase of the Islamic conquests sought to cause an intrusion into the Near East when the Ottoman Empire rose to power in the 1300s. This threatened to weaken the hold of the Eastern Church. However, the Western Church, headquartered in the Vatican remained resolute to ward of any Muslim advancement into European soil, which they considered to be Christian lands. The requirements to keep out the Arabs from “intrusion” into Christian lands led to the Crusades which commenced in 1097 and sought to mobilize troops from Europe to deal with Islamic military advancement. This defined the central aspects and elements of the Middle Ages. However, in the period, various ideas and interpretations of Christianity and its ethics led to the creation of numerous branches of Christianity. This included various splits within the Catholic church like Dominicans, Franciscans and Augustinians3. These groups had different interpretations of the common Christian doctrines and ideologies. Another significant aspect of the Middle Ages in Christianity was the proliferation of universities and institutions of higher learning that were connected to the Churches4. These institutions were meant to provide some degree of independent learning and promote scientific thinking. The Reformation and Modern Christianity The Reformation has its roots in the institutions of higher learning and people who sought to promote independent thinking and changes. This include people like Wycliffe Jean who questioned the doctrines and processes of the Catholic Church. However, the Reformation seem to have its roots in the loose political systems and the differences that existed between the states of Southern Europe and those in Northern Europe. This led to the various forms of issues like the definition of pietism, use of vernacular in services and lay use of the Scriptures. This gave rise to Lutheranism in Germany and Anglicanism in Britain. The Catholics reacted with the counter reformation that was meant to make changes within the Church in order to streamline things to be at the same level with contemporary matters and issues. There was a second reformation that led to the formulation of various subdivisions in the various Protestant groupings. Another aspect of the post-1800 period was the increased European penetration into the Americas, Africa and Asia which led to massive missionary works. Most of these missionary works were connected with states imperialist desires and expectations of expansion. Thus, Alister McGrath points out that the people of Victorian Britain sought to use Christianity as a tool to colonize the masses. And as Marxism grew, people increasingly viewed religion as a means of responding to social and economic conditions. This led to the growth of atheism and agnosticism amongst the European population. However, missionary work and organized theology continues to this day. Alister McGrath defined theology as “the systematic study of the ideas of a religion”5. He identifies that theology is currently studied and evaluated through the scientific method and logic. This is meant to provide the basis for the analysis of important concepts and ideas like the doctrine of God which is connected to the Trinity in Christianity. The core teachings of Christianity today is steeped in the person of Christ. SECTION 2: PERSONAL BELIEF ABOUT JESUS CHRIST This section of the report will involve a critique of the personal beliefs of the writer about Jesus Christ. Personal Beliefs The writer believes that God is the beginning and the end and Jesus Christ is his Son and redeemer of the world6. Thus, he views God as the omnipotent and the Supreme but Jesus Christ is a central figure in Gods connection with humanity. The centrality of Jesus in the definition of God is established and stated in 1 Peter 1:3, “All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead.” This shows the importance of Jesus in the definition of the position of God in humanity. Personal Beliefs about Jesus The writer believes that Jesus is the second person of the Godhead and the savior of the world. Jesus is the redeemer for mankind7 It is through Jesus Christ, and Him alone, that we are reconciled with GOD, from our sinful nature. The writer believes that whilst Jesus, was fully GOD he also come to this world as a full man in order to reconcile the sinfulness of man with God8. 1 Corinthians 15:45 says “And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” Jesus is the fulfillment of GOD’s promises. He is the only one who can save us, redeem us and intercede to the Father on our behalf. The writer knows Jesus Christ died for humanity. He rose for humanity. He saved humanity, and one day He is coming back! The writer believes that through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is transmitted to people who belief in Him and from there, people can achieve the main aim and objectives of the fundamental aspects of Gods vision for humanity. The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead and the part of GOD that lives in us and gives us our being. In all what humanity does, the writer believes that the Holy Spirit guides humanity. Zechariah 4:6 says “So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, Says the LORD of hosts.” Until we recognize we have to give the Holy Spirit its rightful place in our lives, we have no real power. In Acts 1:8 "Jesus promised his disciples in Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”. This shows that Jesus Christ provided the Holy Spirit as a replacement for His presence on earth and from there, humanity is able to attain results and achieve the work of Jesus Christ in this world. His Incarnation The writer believes that Jesus Christ became a central figure to the salvation of mankind because Jesus was sent to the entire humanity to help and reconcile man with God. The Old Testament shows that humanity was distant and sinful and God needed to send someone to come into the world to save human beings from their sins and reconcile all peoples to God. Thus, God sent Jesus Christ to come into the world in human form through the virgin. This enabled Jesus to come into the world as a pure form without issues and blemish. Thus, his incarnation enabled him to assume the form of all other people to teach humanity and also reconcile the world with God through his human form. In the human form, Jesus was able to teach humanity what was necessary for them and redefine scriptures and change things to move in the right direction that could make humanity change and move in the right direction. However, the most important reason for Jesus incarnation is the fact that he provides the opportunity for people to be reconciled to God through his crucifixion, death and resurrection. The Crucifixion The biggest spiritual significance of Jesus incarnation is his crucifixion. The crucifixion enabled Jesus Christ to go into the land of the death and capture the key to death and return to his disciples. This enabled Jesus to attain all power and all might. In Matthew 28:18, after his resurrection, Jesus declared that all power and all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him. This is the central part and the central essence of Christianity and the power of Jesus Christ. The resurrection gave Jesus the power and the authority to become a name above all names and at the mention of his name, every knee must bow. Thus, Acts 4:12 states that it is only through the name of Jesus that anyone can be saved. Based on this, Jesus achieved a centralized authority in spiritual matters and completed his mission of becoming the link between humanity and God. Ascension After teaching and showing his disciples the way for 3 years, Jesus crucifixion allowed him to spend 3 days in the land of the dead and from there, he captured death and gained more power and authority over all powers. When Jesus revealed himself to some of his disciples, he was able to ascend to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God and is actively preparing a place for his disciples and followers. Jesus therefore occupies an elevated power and status in spiritual matters in the heavens to day. The Return of Christ The writer believes in the statement of Jesus in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” The writer therefore believes that Jesus will come again and judge humanity. And in this process, the ones who accepted Jesus Christ as their service will experience eternal life in heaven. Summary of the Writers Personal Belief I believe JESUS to be the Son of GOD who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. JESUS was GOD’s solution to restore sinners back to GOD. Thus, JESUS is our redeemer, the Messiah, the anointed one. JESUS is fully human and fully divine; as well as our High Priest which means HE empathizes with our suffering and intercedes on our behalf to GOD the Father. As found in Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 4:15, being fully human enables JESUS to feel what w feel and endure what we endure. HIS fully divine nature makes HIM perfect, sinless, and holy. JESUS walked the earth as a demonstration of how we ought to live our lives as servants of GOD. Likewise, Matthew 25:34-45 denotes that Jesus’ earthly life taught us how to treat the sick, the poor, the hungry and thirsty, and those imprisoned. The example that JESUS modeled for us is one of self-sacrifice. JESUS is my LORD and SAVIOR who suffered, bled, and died for the sins of the world. He was buried and resurrected three days later. Because of the resurrection, I am able to live a resurrected life as I strive to experience heaven right here on earth. I believe that all who embrace the GOSPEL of JESUS Christ are saved from their sins. JESUS lives indeed and while currently seated at the right hand of the throne of GOD, JESUS will return for HIS people I believe that the church is the body of Christ and is comprised of people who have confessed JESUS as LORD and believe GOD raised JESUS from the dead (Romans 10:9); otherwise known as disciples or people who have been taught to deliberately follow biblical principles. Christ is the head of the church. It is the role of the HOLY SPIRIT to regenerate, sanctify, justify, and empower each believer of Christ. Regeneration means to be born again, to be revived, to perpetually work within us to build up the new man or woman (Titus 3:5). Sanctification is the process by which believers of JESUS Christ are set apart for a lifestyle of holiness. References McGrath Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. 2011. Read More