2A: The nature of God Flashcards
1
Q
How do Christianity traditionally refer to God?
A
- Father
- Lord
- King
- He/His/Him
2
Q
How is God likened to a human father?
A
- provides for his children, disciplines them and loves them.
- however does not mean he is a male, any more than referring to earth is a female.
- the Bible is absolutely clear that God is neither male or female, however some theologians have expressed
concern about its inconsistent use of male language about God.
3
Q
How was Jesus referred to?
A
- Son of Man
- Son of God
4
Q
Who was Sallie McFague?
A
- 1933-present
- an American ecofeminist Christian theologian.
- she is Distinguished Theologian in Residence at the Vancouver School of Theology in British Colombia, Canada
5
Q
What is the issue of male language about God?
A
- in her book Metaphorical Theology - Models of God in Religious Language, McFague describes the names of God as metaphors. However we have forgotten that they are metaphors and have made them the only way to understand God.
- religious people who view scripture as the word of God, inerrant and divinely inspired fear any challenge to the authority of scripture or attempts to revitalise it. This turns the words into idols worshipped in God’s place.
6
Q
What are the pastoral benefits of the model of father?
A
- metaphors to speak about God are helpful - they relate to life personally and remind is that God is present
- God’s power and authority are demonstrated
7
Q
What are the pastoral challenges of the model of father?
A
- it has become the only model used to speak about God. This limits our understanding of God’s nature
- it is a monarchical model, God is an all-powerful, judging parent or monarch
- it leads to militarism: kings invade and conquer, it lacks compassion or inclusion
- God is distant, occasionally intervening and vanishing
- it leads to abuse of the natural world and domination of women by men.
8
Q
Sallie McFague and God as mother:
A
- McFague proposes the metaphor of God as a mother, highlighting female characteristics over male ones.
- the world is not ruled over by God, it is a part of God’s body (panentheism).
- As mother, God nurtures and comforts her creation, highlighting our complete reliance upon her, rather than setting it rules and punishing its failure.
9
Q
What is McFague’s new image of the Trinity?
A
- Mother: agape, compassion. Doctrine of creation
- Lover: eros, desire for the world. Doctrine of salvation
- Friend: philia, companionship. Doctrine of eschatology
10
Q
McFague - sentimentalising maternal imagery:
A
- warns against it
- we cannot suppose that all mothers are ‘naturally loving, comforting or self-sacrificing.
- these characteristics are social constructions: society wants women to think that they are biologically programmed to by these things
11
Q
Theological opinions on McFague’s view:
A
- while some theologians welcome McFague’s concept, others have rejected it as unbiblical.
- Jesus asserted that God was ‘Father’.
- if he was wrong on this fundamental point, how can we trust him on anything?
- terms aren’t interchangeable because clearly Jesus’ mother was Mary.
12
Q
What is the meaning of impassibility?
A
- first meaning: ‘unable to suffer’
- extended meaning: ‘incapable of emotion of any kind’
- it asserts God is unable to experience emotion or suffering or pain, and therefore has no feelings that are analogous to human feelings. This attribute is closely related to God’s ‘immutability’
13
Q
Traditional Christian view of God - OT:
A
- reveals a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent.
- nothing can cause a change in his inner emotional state.
- he consistently acts with mercy and compassion
14
Q
Traditional Christian view of God - NT:
A
- reveals a God who has became incarnate in Jesus.
- Jesus is able to feel emotion and pain, particularly in his passion and ross.
- however this does not affect the impassibility of his divine nature; it has always been God’s plan to overcome the suffering with resurrection.
15
Q
Why is the traditional view of God being challenged?
A
- several prominent theologians have challenged the view as they cannot have faith in a God who is immune to suffering. Especially after two World Wars, the Jewish Holocaust and continuing conflicts and genocides.
- e.g. Pilkinghorn - cannot believe in a God who interacts with his creation - bias. Why does he help some but not others.
