Christianity Flashcards
Outline Paul’s contribution to liturgy and worship
Designed style in use today
Merged two Jewish forms
Use of spiritual gifts, singing psalms, collecting money for needs of the church
Deutero Pauline - women’s role inactive
Elements taken from Jewish synagogue - reading from scripture, homily, praying for the needs of others
1 Corinthians 11 - need for order in worship
1 Timothy - pray for the leaders of community
Outline Paul’s contribution to early Christian communities
Small Group in Palestine under Paul’s influence spread to most of the known world
Separate from Judaism
Development of theology that made sense to the great graeco-Roman world
Contribution to canon and well as governance of relationships between non Jews
Inclusive approach “gentile or Jew servant or free” (Galatians 3:28)
Jews did not believe in Jesus’ divinity (blasphemy) so Paul preached to Gentiles
Appointed leaders of church
Outline Paul’s theology
Council of Jerusalem - 49 CE Gentiles did not have to follow Jewish law
SALVATION: for everyone, Jesus brought salvation, saved through faith not Torah
GRACE: salvation through death and resurrection, obtained through faith in Jesus, given by gods unconditional love, also called charis
FAITH: sufficient to be saved
JUSTIFICATION: explains salvation, person is saved because they are justified in the eyes of God, needed because of original sin
FREEDOM: freedom from sin provided by death and resurrection, ability to learn wright and wrong
Outline Paul’s ethical responses
Drawn from responses to particular ethical issues
Urges people to protect the freedom they have as children
Romans 6- “do not let sin reign in your mortal body… Rather offer yourself to God”
Christians have freedom in the spirit
To behave unethically would sacrifice this freedom and lead to destructive patterns of behaviour
1 Corinthians 11:24 - guidance on ethics
Ephesians 2 -> live a worth life for we are “gods work of art”
Outline Eco-justice
Defending creation ensure the preservation of resources for future generations
Pope benedict “if you want to create peace, protect justice”
Gods first self revelation came from Genesis - relationship between humanity and the rest of creation
Sin - destroys creation
Eco-justice practiced by - recognition, demonstrating a simplistic lifestyle, thoughtful use of resources
Greed and exploitation manifests in environmental degradation
Pope Francis - threat to peace and security
Hosea and Jeremiah - reign of God
Sean McDonough - relationship between justice and ecology
Creation is a continuing thing
Outline humans as co creators
Responsibility for shared gifts
Subduing the earth and having dominions over it
Co-creators work to improve the human condition
Cosmic unity - pope Francis “brother sun sister moon”
Colossians 1:20 - reconciled to all earth
Loss of biodiversity -responsibility to ensure the survival of the species on the earth
Outline the sanctity of creation
INTRINSIC GOODNESS OF NATURE
Intrinsic goodness: ethical concept of something that is good in and of itself simply because God has created it
Nature is good because it expresses gods love and creativity
All nature is equal in its origin
Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made and it was very good”
SACRAMENTALITY
Conveys meaning beyond itself
Principle that everything in creation can reveal God
Division between sacred and secular is erased
God is seen and touched
Connections:
Sustainability -> if the environment is viewed as resource leads to utilitarian idea and it becomes exploited
Sally McFagur (Protestant theologian)
Outline stewardship
Responsibility to use gods gifts
Only testament teaches that humans should avoid needless destruction (Leviticus 25)
“The lord god to man and put him in the garden of Eden to work and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15)
Relationship
Improper use leads to environmental degradation and loss of ability to provide
Guards against selfishness and exploitation so
Outline the belief of forgiveness
Two types: forgive others, forgiveness provided by God
Most denominations contain forgiveness
Catholics “forgive us our sins”
Eucharist “this is my body which shall be given up for you”
Reconciliation
Lamb of god
Outline the belief of salvation
Deliverance from harm
Jesus dying on the cross absolving the sins
New Testament
Emphasis on word of God - Pentecostal
Story of the last supper (focus on Eucharist in Catholic and orthodox)
Nicene creed
Outline the belief of trinity
Belief in three beings as one transcendent being
Catholic and orthodox - sign of the cross, blessed is the kingdom of the father
Protestant - prayer and reading scripture
Apostles and nicene creed
Outline the belief in the bible
Inspired word of God guides on how to live right life
All denominations base service on reading of scripture
Central to worship
Lord have mercy
Hymns - references to bible
Gospel carried in at Eucharist
Outline the benefits to the individual
Develops union with Christ - deepen faith, Christ is centre of faith, deeper meaning through death and resurrection, sharing rite of communion word of God is experienced through word of God
Builds communion with others - means for believers to connect and build ties, rituals demonstrate the closeness
Deepens knowledge of the Christian message - grow in knowledge and understanding of what it means to be Christian, focus on collective wisdom, listening to scripture and explaining meaning
Responds to individuals needs - able to be ministered to, response through worship service, respond to outside community
Outline the benefits to the community
Builds community among believers - common bond, sense of unity and shared mission, act of gathering strengthens, procession of faith
Shared response to concerns - potential for response, respond to needs, prayers of intercession do, take communion to the ill
Public witness of faith - visible and public expressed to wider world, large numbers creates strength in creativity, gathering made visible
Outlines Paul’s context (name, date, cultural context)
Saul of tarsus 10 CE Diaspora Jew Paul was a Pharisee Distinction between gentile and Jew Traditional is of great value
