christian moral action

Question 1

the confessing church

Answer 1

-founded by bonhoeffer in opposition to hitlers german evangelical church

Question 2

barmen declaration

Answer 2

confessing church made declaration written mostly by Karl Barth
-rejected govermental interference in church and affirmed bible as source of revelation

Question 3

finkenwalde

Answer 3

where bonhoeffer held an illegal secret seminary
-form of civil disobedience
-introduced seminarians to his method of daily meditating on bible

Question 4

solidarity for bonhoeffer

Answer 4

-purpose of christian life being about relationship to god by living with and for other people
-thought he would have no right restoring christianity in germany after war unless he shared trials with people

Question 5

bonhoeffer on the fall

Answer 5

corrupted our ability to have knowledge of good and evil
-living in fallen world means not know ourselves through ethics or bible
-traditional ethics methods failed

Question 6

what should our goal be

Answer 6

a responsible person - someone who acts to stand their ground against evil, ready to put human ethics aside- with faith they are doing gods will

Question 7

bold venture of faith and hitlers asassination

Answer 7

even though killing is wrong he had faith it was gods will
-meditate on bible and pray and get sense of gods will
-bold venture of faith

Question 8

taking part in violence goes against pacifism and will of god criticism

Answer 8

killing hitler not part of pacifism
-raises question of whether if conflicts with jesus teachings of pacifism
-bonhoeffer didnt turn cheek to hitler
-jesus died on cross- suffer from evil

Question 9

quotations to support bibles pacifism

Answer 9

-Matthew 5- eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth- bit i tell you dont resist evil person- if anyone slaps you turn to them the other cheek
-Romans 13 Paul- necessary for christians to obey rulers since rulers gods servant for your good

Question 10

Barth and bonhoeffer neo orthodox view of the bible defense of criticism

Answer 10

-doesnt think bible perfect word of god
-approach view with humility and believe bible effect on us word of god
-legalism wrong approach
-will of god not rules but alive in church
-finkenwalde for such community

Question 11

purpose of bible for bonhoeffer

Answer 11

-will of god not rules we ahve established but new and different in each situation
-knowledge of jesus alive and brings question to everyday
-bible contains no ethical precept which we may adopt literally
-bible inspire people to follow jesus
-principles from previous times rusty swords

Question 12

subjectivity issue to neo orthodox

Answer 12

-neo orthodox idea a person can hear gods voice through bible or be RE to subjective for deciding what to take from the bible
-closer to RE and faces same issues

Question 13

bonhoeffer and luther

Answer 13

-agrees with luther that christians should obey the states law because order useful for sinful creatures
-human law fallible
-church should keep government in check
-christians responsibility to disobey leaders if they act against interests of state and gods will

Question 14

moral system which justifies evil acts as gods will is dangerous

Answer 14

people have done bad things because they thought god was on their side
-justifying religious terrorism
-Paul hill murdered abortion doctor and was inspired by bonhoeffer

Question 15

bonhoeffers response to justifying evil

Answer 15

acting to gods will not just put aside human ethics but own desires to act selflessly
-conditions made bad things less common
-own will must be surrendered if god will is to be realised

Question 16

further criticism to bonoeffer justifying terror

Answer 16

-impossible to truly out own mind aside
-personal desires shape perspective on world
-Harvey Cox said bonhoeffer theology like rorschach test
-reveals that theological presuppositions of reader
-inspiration drawn not good

Question 17

secularist against bonhoeffer

Answer 17

argue for complete separation between church and state
-reject idea that church should have power to act as check on state
-church more corruptible because state has democracy
-long peace after world war 2 due to rise of secular liberal democracy

Question 18

Stanlet hauerwas defends bonhoeffer

Answer 18

-argues church protects against authoritarian dictatorship
-argued western democracies only practice tolerance of religion for pragmatic reasons without concerns for truth of religion
-pragmatism without truth leads to indifference and cynicism
-liberal secular western societies undermined theological truth which is filled by totalitarian powers

Question 19

bonhoeffer and cheap grace

Answer 19

church preaches cheap grace as they suggest believers dont have to do anything to receive grace
-cheap grace is grace without discipleship- without jesus

Question 20

bonhoeffer and costly grace

Answer 20

-true grace and requires us to suffer and sacrifice like jesus did
-parable of good samaritan-
-cheap grace of legalistic approach of bible caused to act to gods will which was costly grace

Question 21

quote to support costly grace

Answer 21

Mark 8- whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me

Question 22

non violent resistance

Answer 22

-ghandis liberation of india from english colonial rule
-king and ghandis method is morally superior and more true to christian ethics compared to bonhoeffers which allows more violence

Question 23

defense of bonhoeffers violent methods

Answer 23

-non violent ways would not have worked against hitler
-non violent resistance worked if tyrant has problem with killing peaceful protestors

Question 24

how is bonoeffers theology relevant today

Answer 24

-saying to figure out how to resist the evil in your time and have faith its gods will to act on that
-god will forgive you if you were mistaken and become sinner in process because in fallen world this is best moral approach

Question 25

aquinas against bonhoeffers theology

Answer 25

aquinas thinks gods will is for us to follow primary precepts of natural law
-thinks natural law ethics is best approach for dealing with issue of civil disobedience and duty to state

Question 26

pope john paul 2

Answer 26

faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth

Question 27

aquinas on civil disobedience and duty to the state vs god

Answer 27

-if law goes against the human good then civil disobedience might be justified
-if law is opposed divine good then christians must not follow those laws
-Acts 5:29- we ought to obey god rather than man

Question 28

defence of bonhoeffer

Answer 28

human reason corrupted by original sin so PP interpretation wrong
-Barth- the finite has no capacity for the infinite
-only faith in gods revelation in bible works

Question 29

aquinas defends natural theology from original sin

Answer 29

only rational beings sin
-OS claims post lapsarian humans are sinners
-reason inclines us through synderesis towards goodness