God

Question 1

Where does the belief in monotheism come from

Answer 1

• in the early centuries Jews believed that other Gods existed but shuld not be worshipped – sinai covenant
• development of monotheism can be seen in the Old testament writings of the prophets
• classic statement of monotheism is found in the Jewish statement of faith known as the Shema

Question 2

quotations about monotheism

Answer 2

• ‘I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God’ – Isaiah 44:6
• ‘Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession’ – Exodus 19:5

Question 3

what is ethical monotheism

Answer 3

• belief in one God includes also following the moral codes linked to that belief
  
  • 10 commandments

Question 4

what are the three approaches to the belief in God as a creator?

Answer 4

• a minority of christians think in terms of the universe coming out of Gods being. Most reject this because it limits God
• most christians accept that it was created ex nihilo
• process theology

Question 5

what are the four beliefs about god as an omnipotent controller of all things

Answer 5

• the biblical references to god as king express the belief that everything is subject to gods control
• most christians believe that god not only created the universe, he also sustains it
• the ethical teachings found in the bible show how god sustains human life in the spiritual as well as the physical sense
• most christians believe that god is omniscient which creates issues for the the problem of evil and human free will

Question 6

what are the three approaches to the concept of omniscience

Answer 6

• god knows past, present and future absolutely and in a causative sense. this means that he controls everything that goes on in the universe, including human actions. this is theological determinism
• because god exists beyond space and time, spatio temporal language is not appropriate but we have to use it because its all we have
• according to Swinburne, god exists within time and knows all that is logically possible for god to know. this means he cannot be the cause of human future choice, because he cannot know them, though he might be able to predict them

Question 7

why do many christians believe in the trinity

Answer 7

• for some christians, trinitarian belief is implied in the old testament
• the hebrew word for often used in the old testament for god (elohim) is plural
• in genesis 1, god as the ‘father’ of the universe created through his word and his spirit broods over the watery chaos

Question 8

why is the doctrine of the trinity important

Answer 8

• it connects with christian beliefs about sin and atonement
• those who believe in original sin believe that god sacrificed his son to atone for humanities sin
• the trinity explains the paradoxical claim that god is both transcendent and immanent
• moltmann described the relationship of the trinity as that of mutual self giving and receiving love. this is to be reflected in human relationships

Question 9

what does john 10:30 say

Answer 9

• the father and i are one

Question 10

what are the two possible ways of understanding the word ‘one’ in john 10:30

Answer 10

• ‘one’ as referring to common essence; ‘of one being with the father’ is the phrase used in the nicene creed
• ‘one’ as referring to a unity of purpose; gods purpose for humanity and Jesus’ mission were in harmony

Question 11

arguments to support the idea that john 10:30 referred to a unity of essence

Answer 11

• the idea of preexistence is present in:
  
  • John 1:1-2 which states that the world was in
    the beginning with god
  • 8:58 where jesus states ‘before abraham
    was, i am
• the jews who had asked the question regarded his answer as blasphemous and wanted to stone him to death

Question 12

what are some arguments supporting ‘one’ meaning unity of purpose in john 10:30

Answer 12

• john 18: where jesus prays that he and his disciples might be one
• in part of this discussion with the jews, jesus said that he was simply doing god’s work

Question 13

other arguments to consider when deciding whether ‘one’ means unity of essence or purpose – john 10:30

Answer 13

• jesus spoke aramaic, so what he said might have been distorted in the translation into greek
• johns gospel was written over 60 years after the crucifixion, which gives another possible reason for distortion
• many scholars believe johns gospel was an interpretation of the life and teaching of jesus as recorded in earlier traditions and gospels
• one of the reasons for johns gospel was the need to combat heresy, so this may have slanted the text

Question 14

what is 1 corinthians 8:6

Answer 14

• yet for us there is but one god, the father, from whom all things came and from whom we live; and there is but one lord, jesus christ through whom all things came and through whom we live

Question 15

what is the purpose of 1 corinthians 8:6

Answer 15

• part of st pauls reply to a question raised by christians in corinth as to whether it was permissable to eat meat from animals that had been sacrificed in pagan temples

Question 16

what are the interpretations of 1 corinthians 8:6

Answer 16

• some christians believe that paul had the shema in mind and that he was equating jesus with god
• other christians argue that the use of preposition ‘through’ suggests that jesus was god’s agent in creation but not in the sense of being divine
• there is no way of giving an absolutely definite answer on what is meant by this and other new testament texts about the status of jesus

Question 17

what is the belief that god is personal

Answer 17

• this refers to the belief that humans can relate to god
• god is immanent, involved with the world and accessible
• god hears and answers prayers
• this is seen in the indwelling of the holy spirit in the spirit of a believer

Question 18

what are the roles attributed to god the father in the old testament

Answer 18

• creating the universe
• rescuing israel when in trouble
• setting standards of behaviour e.g ten commandments
• exercising justice, rewarding obedience and punishing misdemeanours

Question 19

what roles are attributed to god the father in the new testament

Answer 19

• jesus often referred to god as father
• in the parable of the forgiving father, gods unconditional and ceaseless love is depicted
• jesus tells his disciples that their heavenly father will give good things to those who ask him and teaches them a prayer that addresses god as our father
• Jesus’ relationship with god is seen in his prayer in gethsemane, where he usedls Abba, the intimate aramaic term for father

Question 20

what does jesus say in mark 14:36

Answer 20

• ‘abba, father’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. take this cup from me. yet not what i will, but what you will.’

Question 21

what does paul argue about praying ‘abba, father’

Answer 21

• you become an adopted child of god

Question 22

how does the apostles creed refer to god

Answer 22

• refers to god as father in two senses
  
  • creator of the universe
  • as the father of jesus
• ‘i believe in god, the father almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in jesus christ his only son, our lord…’

Question 23

why do christians believe god is love

Answer 23

• the old testament uses the Hebrew term hesed, often translated as ‘steadfast love’, to depict god’s dependable commitment to the covenant with israel
• the new testament equivalent of hesed is the greek word agape, which denotes gods selfless, self giving, generous and unconditional love for humanity
• agape is part of the nature of the trinity

Question 24

why is god described as king

Answer 24

• monarchy was a familiar concept for most of the biblical period
• the rulers authority was absolute
• the prophet isaiah saw god seated on a throne and he feared he would die
  ‘ for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
  hosts’

Question 25

what does it mean that jesus was associated with the inauguration of the kingdom of god

Answer 25

• this is not a place but refers to gods rule as king of the universe
• it is often understood as both a present and a future reality
• understood as part of the future reality; jesus, the anointed king, will return to fully establish the kingdom of god. in the kingdom of god there will be no pain or hunger, and there will be peace

Question 26

what are the problems with using anthropomorphic language to describe god

Answer 26

• it limits god as he is meant to be transcendent
• the portrayal of god suggests someone like us who is changeable and therefore not reliable; he is therefore not worthy of worship
• many of the metaphors used for god are associated with domination and above all, are male

Question 27

what are some problems with using gender-specific language when describing god

Answer 27

• women feel excluded by the use of gender specific language that is found throughout the bible, which is culturally conditioned and reinforces patriarchal stereotypes of male superiority
• god is portrayed as a male figure with all the typically male attributes of power
  
  • such language encourages a distorted and
    unacceptable understanding of god
  • the standard gender neutral translations of
    the bible do not apply gender neutral terms
    to god

Question 28

what are some of the responses from the church to address the debate about gender specific language

Answer 28

• some gender neutral translations of the bible have been produced. many hymns and some forms of worship have been revised
• many united states divinity faculties are encouraging lecturers to avoid the use of male pronouns when speaking of god and to replace them with words like god, godself

Question 29

what does it mean when process theology argues that god is not the creator

Answer 29

• griffin adopts the alternative translation of genesis 1
• the universe has always existed; it is uncreated and eternal
• it was therefore not created by god
• god, like the universe, is uncreated and eternal
• the relationship between god and the universe is panentheistic
• gods role is to persuade the universe into order and complexity

Question 30

what does it mean to exist panentheistically in process theology

Answer 30

• god and the universe exist together just as the human mind and body exist together
• the universe is in god and god is in the universe

Question 31

strengths of process theology

Answer 31

• it has support from quantum mechanics
• it fits with theories of the big bang and evolution
• it solves the problem of evil

Question 32

weaknesses of process theology

Answer 32

• its claim that god is not omnipotent goes against what many people imagine a divine being to be
• a god who is not omnipotent would be not truly god and not a god worthy of worship in the eyes of many christians