Principles of Christian Theology - Assignment Example

Homework

Section 1

• How does Kathryn Tanner describe God in the opening pages?

Tanner describes God as the source of all gifts and goodness present in His creatures. She adds that God has divine transcendence, which means that He cannot be defined using simple identities or His qualities contrasted to those present in His creatures. Devine transcendence also means that God has a non-competitive relationship with His creatures. The glorification of God does not come at the expense of His creations, and the fullness of the creations does not diminish the greatness of God.

2. What are her two principals of Christian theology? Describe them in detail.

Tanner's two principles of Christian theology are the existence of a God with divine transcendence and a non-competitive relationship between God and His creatures. Divine transcendence means that God does not conform to earthly characteristics, and He avoids simple identities or contrasts with the qualities of human beings or other creatures (Tanner). A non-competitive relationship means that the glorification of God does not come at the expense of the creatures, and the creature's connection to God does not diminish its dignity.

3. Explain how a radical theory of divine transcendence enables a non-competitive relationship between God and creatures.

Divine transcendence means that God does not live on the same plane of being as other creatures and, therefore, there is no potential for competition. Divine transcendence also enables a non-competitive relationship because God is the sole provider for all the creatures, He has to be on a higher level of being where these creatures who depend on Him cannot reach.

4. Does she want to emphasize the divinity or the humanity of Jesus? Or both? Explain how she does this with her two basic principles.

Tanner wants to emphasize both Jesus' humanity and divinity, and believes that both are inseparable in understanding His true form. Similar to the principle of non-competitive relationship, Jesus's humanity and divinity are not in opposition to one another. Jesus leads a fully human existence, but only because His divinity assumed his humanity and hence His divinity shone through His humanity. Therefore, they neither supplement nor replace one another.

5. Jesus is the incarnation of God. How should we understand the divinity in Jesus’ humanity? It is obvious? What part of his life should we look at? Be sure to use the text and be as specific as possible.

The divinity in Jesus is not obvious to humans because it is part of His divine transcendence. However, it is identifiable from its effects and can be inferred from the character of Jesus and the impact of His actions, which were out of the ordinary and exceeded any creature's capacities (Tanner). For instance, His humanity is highlighted by the fear He had before the crucifixion. However, he is able to overcome these human weaknesses, and His divinity shines as He fulfills the promise to save humans.

6. The incarnation of God in becoming human is also the deification of the human Jesus becoming God. What does she say about Jesus’ perfected humanity? How is his life made perfect? How does he save? Is his death the cause of our salvation? Is his death a blood sacrifice?

Jesus’ perfected humanity results from His divinity, which means that He is fully human but His humanity is God’s own. He is also fully human so He can be closer to His creatures and fully divine so that His sacrifice on the cross can fulfill its purpose. Tanner adds that Jesus' death is different from any other because He dies as a human who is divine and is, therefore, able to save humans. Thus, His death is not a blood sacrifice but rather God showing His divine saving nature in human form.

Section 2

• Tanner begins with an analysis of God’s being in itself, that is, the inner relation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Note, she does not begin with God’s action towards the world. She reasons that to understand God’s action toward the world, we must first understand God’s action within the godhead. So, with that said, who is the triune God? In the first few pages of this chapter, what does she say about the being of God? Note her use of Thomas Aquinas in this context too.

The triune God is a God who is in perfect harmony with the three Persons of the Trinity. The Trinity has unity, which, according to Tanner, means that the three Persons of the Trinity are the same thing in three forms of representation. They do not need an agreement or cooperation as their will is one. The triune God also creates a variety of connections with His creatures to perfect the unity of the Trinity.

2. What does God’s real glory consist of? And, if human glory is based on God’s glory, then what, by analogy, can we say about human glory?

God’s glory consists of His gift-giving to His creation, which also includes sharing trinitarian life with the world. Human glory, therefore, involves using Jesus as a mediator to share God's gifts and participate in the Trinity.

3. What does Tanner mean by the Trinity’s co-inherence of substance and persons; indivisibility of action, and unity of essence?

Co-inherence of substance and persons means that the three Persons of the Trinity are in one another, and they are one another. Indivisibility of actions refers to the Trinity’s single will, where the Father's will is also the Son’s and the Holy Spirit’s, and what each Person says is communicated entirely to the other two (Pauw). Unity of essence refers to the characteristic of the three Persons of the Trinity, in which they are one thing with three forms of representation.

4. On pages 42 and following, she describes God’s giving of Godself to creation. Why can creation not receive all that God wants to give? Why

God's creation cannot receive all the Godself because unlike the three Persons of the Trinity, these non-divine beings are not on the same divine transcendence level as God and, therefore, cannot understand the communication within the Trinity. Instead, God gives His creation goodness in small amounts that allow them to be created and become whole.

5. Tanner speaks of a correspondence of action between God and creatures. This is an extremely important point. How does she understand God bringing about these happenings in creation that are good for the world and for the good? What is it about God that allows God to act in the world of ordinary events for the good, while creature are also able to act on their own. Or, what basic principle of Christian theology allows for this non-competitive relationship between God and creatures?

God brings goodness to his creation because it allows them to be closer to the Trinity. One of the key components of the Trinity is its connection to the world, and in providing His goodness, God prepares His creation for their relationship with the Trinity. God’s goodness is also infinite and He provides it because His creatures depend on it

6. If there is a correspondence of action between God and creatures, and if God’s action in known in the whole life of Christ, then, what kind of creaturely action correspond to God’s actions? Or, what is the shape of our humanity when it repeats and reflects the dynamic life of the Trinity?

The correspondence between God and His creation is often external and inferred, which means that the creatures cannot communicate directly with God. This separation also means that God does not directly control the creature's actions and they are instead their own. Human actions can correspond to God's actions by doing good in the world through him.

7. Which acts reflect and repeat the self-giving of God in the Trinity and in the life of Christ in us? Praise or worship? Or service of others? If God is for us, at the depth of God’s being, then, how should we act in the world when assumed by Christ? What kinds of actions should we engage in? Be specific.

Both acts of praise and worship and service to others reflect and repeat the self-giving of God in the Trinity. Praise and worship is when Christ assumes us and serving others is how this assumption manifests itself to other people. Therefore, when assumed by Christ, human beings should strive to serve others because dedication to other people also ends up becoming a form of praise and worship

8. How would Kathryn Tanner respond to Thomas Jay Oord’s model of “essential kenosis”? How does Oord describe God’s omnipotence? How might Tanner respond? Oord begins with the problem of evil? What about Tanner? Do you think she would regard his model as a “competitive” relation between God and human beings or as “non-competitive”?

Tanner would agree with Oord’s model of essential kenosis because both authors believe that

God is self-giving, and his gifts are always of goodness. Oord describes God’s omnipotence to be involuntary where he cannot help but do good, and he also cannot stop evil (Oord). Tanner might disagree with this position because according to her, God reincarnated himself as a human to bring His creation closer to the Trinity and save them from evil. She would view this model as competitive because God does not have full divine transcendence over his creation.

.

The triune God is a God who is in perfect harmony with the three Persons of the Trinity. The Trinity has unity, which, according to Tanner, means that the three Persons of the Trinity are the same thing in three forms of representation. They do not need an agreement or cooperation as their will is one. The triune God also creates a variety of connections with His creatures to perfect the unity of the Trinity.

2. What does God’s real glory consist of? And, if human glory is based on God’s glory, then what, by analogy, can we say about human glory?

God’s glory consists of His gift-giving to His creation, which also includes sharing trinitarian life with the world. Human glory, therefore, involves using Jesus as a mediator to share God's gifts and participate in the Trinity.

3. What does Tanner mean by the Trinity’s co-inherence of substance and persons; indivisibility of action, and unity of essence?

Co-inherence of substance and persons means that the three Persons of the Trinity are in one another, and they are one another. Indivisibility of actions refers to the Trinity’s single will, where the Father's will is also the Son’s and the Holy Spirit’s, and what each Person says is communicated entirely to the other two (Pauw). Unity of essence refers to the characteristic of the three Persons of the Trinity, in which they are one thing with three forms of representation.

4. On pages 42 and following, she describes God’s giving of Godself to creation. Why can creation not receive all that God wants to give? Why

God's creation cannot receive all the Godself because unlike the three Persons of the Trinity, these non-divine beings are not on the same divine transcendence level as God and, therefore, cannot understand the communication within the Trinity. Instead, God gives His creation goodness in small amounts that allow them to be created and become whole.

5. Tanner speaks of a correspondence of action between God and creatures. This is an extremely important point. How does she understand God bringing about these happenings in creation that are good for the world and for the good? What is it about God that allows God to act in the world of ordinary events for the good, while creature are also able to act on their own. Or, what basic principle of Christian theology allows for this non-competitive relationship between God and creatures?

God brings goodness to his creation because it allows them to be closer to the Trinity. One of the key components of the Trinity is its connection to the world, and in providing His goodness, God prepares His creation for their relationship with the Trinity. God’s goodness is also infinite and He provides it because His creatures depend on it

6. If there is a correspondence of action between God and creatures, and if God’s action in known in the whole life of Christ, then, what kind of creaturely action correspond to God’s actions? Or, what is the shape of our humanity when it repeats and reflects the dynamic life of the Trinity?

The correspondence between God and His creation is often external and inferred, which means that the creatures cannot communicate directly with God. This separation also means that God does not directly control the creature's actions and they are instead their own. Human actions can correspond to God's actions by doing good in the world through him.

7. Which acts reflect and repeat the self-giving of God in the Trinity and in the life of Christ in us? Praise or worship? Or service of others? If God is for us, at the depth of God’s being, then, how should we act in the world when assumed by Christ? Read More