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Title: Comparitive Theology and World View of Christianity and World Religions


1
Comparitive Theology and World View of
Christianity and World Religions
2
Key Theological Questions
  • What is the nature of God?
  • What is the nature of creation/the physical
    universe?
  • What is the nature of the relationship between
    man and God?
  • Where does Jesus fit into all this (Christology)

3
One Point of View Wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction, and many
enter through it. But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it. -Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew
713-14) I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus of Nazareth (John 146)
4
Another Point of View Different Paths to the
Same Goal?
God
Islam
Bahai
Mysticism
Buddhism
5
Jesus Christ I came to testify to the
truth. Pontius Pilate What is truth?
6
Outline
  • Theology ideas about God
  • World View What is mans place in the world?

7
Definitions
  • Animism Anima spirit. A religious system
    which includes the belief that spirits inhabit
    inanimate objects and phenomena.
  • Polytheism Poly many. A belief that the
    universe is governed by many gods.
  • Pantheism (monism) Pan all. A belief that a
    spirit fills the universe. God is the universe,
    and we are part of God.
  • Panentheism God is in everything (stoicism)
  • Dualism A belief that the universe is governed
    by nearly equally matched forces of good and
    evil. (Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Taoism)

8
Definitions (cont.)
  • Deism A belief in a distant, uninvolved God who
    is creator, but does not interact with his
    creation. (Epicureanism)
  • Monotheism A belief that the universe is
    created/governed by a single omnipotent/omniscient
    /omnipresent spiritual being.
  • Asceticism A belief that enlightenment or a
    close relationship with deity is obtained by an
    extreme denial of worldly pleasures and
    possessions. Associated with monasteries,
    monks, nuns, etc..
  • Mysticism A belief which sees enlightenment and
    spiritual power coming through meditation/direct
    personal experience of God. Mystical experience
    may be gained through use of drugs, drumming,
    dance, etc. A highly individualized form of
    religion.

9
Are all religions simply different paths to the
same goal?
  • There is some similarity between most or all
    religions.
  • All man-made religions contain truth.
  • But. On the most basic level of theology, all
    other religions (except Judaism?) are
    incommensurate with Christianity
  • If Hinduism is right, then Jesus Christ is a
    deceiver and an enemy of truth.

10
The Bible and Other World Views
  • If Genesis 11 is true, then animism, polytheism,
    pantheism, dualism, naturalism, deism,
    postmodernism and every other ism is false.
  • Conflicting world views cannot be accommodated
    with one another. Biblical theism is
    incompatible with all these other world views.

11
B. Christianity The Christian World View
  • One's world view is the perspective one uses to
    process and interpret information received about
    the world. 
  • James W. Sire put it this way, "A world view is a
    set of presuppositions (ie. assumptions) which we
    hold about the basic makeup of our world." 
  • James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door
    (InterVarsity Press, 1997)

A Jain World View
12
A Good World View Defined
  • A. It is true.
  • It is consistent with reality.
  • It is consistent with what we know to be true
    from experience. It works.
  • B. It answers satisfactorily the questions people
    really want answered.
  • What is prime reality/the ultimate cause/the
    nature of God?)
  • What is the nature of external reality-the world
    around us?
  • What is a human being?
  • What happens to a person at death?
  • Why is it possible for us to know anything at
    all?
  • How do we know what is right and wrong?
  • What is the meaning of human history?
  • What is my purpose?
  • What is the nature of my relationship, with the
    "prime reality?"
  • C. It causes those who hold to it to be better
    people than they would otherwise have been if
    they held to competing alternative world views.

13
The Christian World View
  • 1. The physical world is a. real b.
    created out of nothing (ex nihilo) and c.
    essentially good.
  • 2. There exists an unseen spiritual reality which
    is not limited to or defined by the physical
    reality. Human beings have a spiritual aspect to
    their nature.
  • 3. The creator of both the physical and spiritual
    realm is the God who reveals himself in the
    Bible.
  • 4. Human beings have both a physical and a
    spiritual nature, The spiritual nature is more
    essential as it is eternal.
  • 5. God is not easily defined but he can be
    characterized by certain qualities. God is a
    person. God is love, God is just, God is holy,
    God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent.

14
The Christian World View (cont.)
  • 6. Although all Gods creation, including the
    physical world is good, evil does exist. Such
    evil is the result of freedom of will given to
    created beings and their subsequent decision to
    use that freedom to rebel--to sin
  • 7. Because of Gods justice and his holiness,
    those who choose to rebel against him will
    ultimately be judged and separated from God for
    eternity.
  • 8. The solution to evil, to sin and its eternal
    consequences is provided by God through the
    atoning substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus
    Christ.

15
Biblical Theology
  • In the beginning God created the heavens and the
    earth.

  • Genesis 11
  • By faith we understand that the universe was
    formed at Gods command, so that what is seen was
    not made out of what was visible.
    Hebrews 113

  • For God so loved the world that he gave his one
    and only son.

16
Hindu World View
  • Maya. The physical world is an illusion.
  • Brahman. Universal soul.
  • The goal Nirvana oneness with the universal
    soul which is within yourself.
  • The Hindu world view has man looking inward, not
    outward.

17
The Four Noble Truths of Siddhartha
  • Suffering is not getting what one wants.
  • The cause of suffering is desire which leads to
    rebirth.
  • The way to end suffering is to end desire.
  • The way to the end of desire and of suffering is
    the eight-fold path.
  • Buddhism encourages dispassion, not compassion.

18
The eight-fold path to bodhi/dharma/nirvana/lack
of suffering
  • Right viewpoint (the four noble truths).
  • Right values.
  • Right speech.
  • Right actions.
  • Right livelihood
  • Right effort
  • Right mindfulness
  • Right meditation

19
So, What is New Age, Really?
  • You are God, I am God, the trees are God, we all
    are God!
  • New Age is Western pantheism
  • New Age is a syncretistic blend of Gnosticism,
    Hinduism, Spiritualism, Mysticism, Buddhism and
    Paganism.
  • New Age is Monism! God is everything I am
    God!!!
  • Once we begin to see that we are all God, then
    I think the whole purpose of life is to re-own
    the God-likeness within us.

20
Islamic Worldview God is very distant from
mankind In Islam, Allah determines everything,
even who will choose to follow him. 2142, 639
6125 Inshallah God willing. It is Gods will
that people suffer. .
21
  • Islamic Theology
  • Surely good deeds take away evil deeds
    (11114).
  • Salvation by own effort
  • (409, 3961, 743)
  • Charity atones for sins
  • (2271,277)
  • Earn grace.
  • Earn favor of Allah.
  • Earn salvation.
  • Earn paradise.

22
  • Salvation by own effort
  • (409, 3961, 743)
  • Charity atones for sins
  • (2271,277)
  • Earn grace.
  • Earn favor of Allah.
  • Earn salvation.
  • Earn paradise.

23
Islam Salvation is earned through the efforts
of those who were pre-selected by Allah to
inhabit a very sensual paradise. Christianity
Salvation is granted by the grace of a loving God
to those who, through faith and repentance and
baptism accept that love.
24
A Question Who reaches out to whom?
25
Initiative
  • Human approach Truth
  • God God
  • Mankind Mankind

26
Works Salvation Man reaches out to
God. Islam Hinduism Jaina Sikkhism Gnosticism New
Age Buddhism?
Salvation by Grace God reaches out to
man. Judaism Christianity
27
The Biblical World View
  • The physical world is real and it is good.
    Genesis 131
  • Only Islam agrees with this conclusion.
  • This world is not our home.
  • But, compassion James 127 Micah 68
  • Christian groups are responsible for virtually
    all the worlds efforts to deal with poverty and
    human suffering in general and to work for social
    justice.

28
Christianity The Inspiration of the Bible is
Confirmed By
  • Historical Accuracy
  • Fulfilled Prophecy
  • Scientific Accuracy
  • Internal Consistency. Many authors, one
    theology.
  • Types, prefigures and foreshadows in the Old
    Testament which are fulfilled in Jesus Christ
  • The public miracles of Jesus which confirm his
    claims
  • The resurrection of Jesus from the dead

29
According to the Old Testament, the Messiah must
  • Be born in Bethlehem
  • Be raised in Galilee near Nazareth
  • Be despised and rejected by men
  • Be meek and silent before his accusers
  • Be pierced
  • Be crucified
  • Have his garments divided and gambled over
  • Be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver
  • Come to Jerusalem to make atonement for sin in
    about AD 33
  • And many more.
  • Was all this an accident, or did God plan all
    along for the Passion of the Christ for
    forgiveness of sins? What do you think?

30
Summary
  • The theologies of world religions are
    fundamentally and diametrically opposed to one
    another. Many paths to the same God is a
    ludicrous philosophy.
  • The world view of Christianity is radically
    different from any other religion. They cannot
    both be right!
  • The truth of the Bible is confirmed by
  • Clear evidence of inspiration (fulfilled
    prophecy, types and foreshadows, historical
    accuracy, scientific evidence, etc)
  • Public miracles worked by Moses, Elijah and
    others, and especially by Jesus Christ (Hebrews
    23,4).

31
How, then, should we interact with members of
other religions?
  • Find common ground.
  • Give respect where respect is due.
  • Acknowledge the good and do not make personal
    attacksespecially toward revered people.
  • Highlight distinctions in world view/theology and
    introduce them to Jesus Christ.
  • This is EXACTLY what Paul did in Acts 1722-34

32
The Bible and Other World Views (cont.)
  • Acts 1716-34 Paul shares the gospel by arguing
    for the Christian World View.
  • v. 22-23 Paul finds common ground.
  • v. 24-28 Paul argues for the superiority and the
    truth of the Christian world view as opposed to
    Epicureanism/pantheism and Stoicism/deism
  • v. 28 Paul quotes from Aretas a Stoic
    philosopher. For we are his offspring.
  • v. 29-31 Having laid the groundwork, Paul points
    them to Jesus.
  • v. 32-34 Some, but not all were converted.

33
Acts 1716-34 Paul confronts Greek World Views
  • God is Creator. He exists outside creation.
  • Disproves pantheism/Stoicism.
  • God is close to us.
  • Disproves deism/Epicureanism.
  • God is personal and has given us an individual
    purpose.
  • God will bring all of us to judgment. Evil will
    be defeated
  • Disproves dualism/Gnosticism.

34
Greek Background to Christian Theology
  • Pythagoreanism/Platonism
  • Gnosticism
  • Stoicism
  • Epicureanism

Epicurus
35
Intro to the History of Christian Theology
  • Trinity and the nature of God
  • Christology
  • Nature of sin, grace and redemption

36
Early Motivations to Christian Theologians
  • Apologetics Response to Greek philosophical
    criticism
  • logos
  • Heresy Orthodox response to heterodox theology

Origen of Alexandria AD 185-254
37
Heresies
  • Adoptionism
  • Ebionites, Theodotus, Artemon
  • Modalism (Jesus and Holy Spirit modes of God)
  • Gnosticism
  • Cerinthus, Valentinus
  • Docetism
  • Arianism

38
The Orthodox Response
  • Use of Greek terms, modes of argument
  • Polemical Writings
  • Against Heresies Irenaeus
  • Appeal to apostolic (later church) authority
  • Creeds
  • Councils

39
Doctrine of the Trinity
  • Tertullian AD 160-220
  • The Father and the Son are different not in
    condition, but in degree not in substance, but
    in form not in power, but in aspect

40
Creeds
  • A second century Roman creed (said at baptism)
  • I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
    and in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our
    Lord, and in the Holy Ghost, the holy church and
    the resurrection of the flesh.

41
Church Councils
  • Nicaea AD 325
  • Arianism Jesus homoousios With the Father
  • Constantinople AD 381
  • Nicene Creed Holy Spirit also homoousious
  • Ephesus AD 431
  • Nestorianism condemned, Pelagius anathematized.
  • Calchedon AD 451
  • Define the two natures of Jesus
  • Constantinople II AD 553
  • Monophysitism
  • Constantinople III AD 680
  • Monothelitism
  • Nicaea II AD 787

42
Nicene Creed We believe in one God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible. And in one Lord
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of the Father before all worlds God of
God, Light of Light, very God of very God
begotten, not made, being of one substance
(homoousios, of the same substance,
consubstantial as opposed to homoiousios) with
the Father, by whom all things were made. Who,
for us men and for our salvation, came down from
heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of
the virgin Mary, and was made man and was
crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate He
suffered and was buried and the third day He
rose again, according to the Scriptures and
ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand
of the Father and He shall come again, with
glory, to judge the quick and the dead whose
kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life who
proceeds from the Father and the Son who with
the Father and the Son together is worshipped and
glorified who spoke by the prophets. And I
believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I
acknowledge one baptism for the remission of
sins and I look for the resurrection of the
dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen. Is this what we believe?
43
Chalcedon AD 451
  • In agreement with the holy fathers we all
    unanimously teach that we should confess that our
    Lord Jesus Christ is one and the same Son the
    same perfect in Godhead and the same perfect in
    manhood, truly God and truly man, the same of a
    rational soul and body consubstantial with the
    Father in Godhead and the same consubstantial
    with us in manhood like us in all things except
    sin begotten of the Father before all ages as
    regards his Godhead and in the last days the
    same, for us and for our salvation, begotten of
    the Virgin Mary, the theotokos (as opposed to the
    Christotokos of the Nestorians) (the God-bearer,
    the mother of God) as regards his manhood one
    and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only-begotten,
    made known in two natures without confusion,
    without change, without division, without
    separation

44
Chalcedon (cont.) Without confusion and without
change to oppose monophysitism/Coptic
Christianity Monophysite one nature Without
division, without separation to oppose
Nestorianism Q Are we splitting hairs here?
45
  • Constantinople AD 553
  • Anathematized Origin
  • Constantinople III AD 680
  • Opposed monothelitism one will
  • Nicaea II AD 787
  • Iconoclasm. It is heretical to say that one
    cannot be aided in worship by using an icon.

46
Sin, Redemption, Salvation
  • Augustine!!!!!
  • The City of God
  • Total depravity
  • Monoergism
  • Predestination
  • Original Sin
  • Infant baptism required for salvation
  • Sacramentalism
  • Transubstantiation
  • City and State
  • Opposed Donatists

Augustine of Hippo (from 6th century)
47
Pelagius AD c. 354-430
Works Salvation?
48
Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 Aristotle Revelation by
reason Scholasticism Arguments for existence of
God Natural Theology Summa Theologica
49
Thomas Aquinas God, therefore, is the first
cause, who moves causes both natural and
voluntary. And just as by moving natural causes
He does not prevent their actions from being
natural, so by moving voluntary causes He does
not deprive their actions of being voluntary but
rather is He the cause of this very thing in
them, for He operates ineach thing according to
his own nature. In other words, Aquinas
believed in free will and not a strict monergism.
50
Question Do you believe in Predestination?
51
History of the Doctrine of Predestination
  • Augustine of Hippo AD 354-430 The City of God
  • Martin Luther (1483-1546) an Augustinian monk.
  • Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) Reformed Theology.
  • John Calvin (1509-1564) Institutes of the
    Christian Religion
  • The key A profound belief in the sovereignty of
    God
  • Double Predestination and TULIP

52
Martin Luther 1483-1541 Augustinian Monk Faith
Alone Grace Alone Scripture Alone Predestination
53
Martin Luther Away with James His authority is
not great enough to cause me to abandon the
doctrine of faith alone and to deviate from the
authority of the other apostles and the entire
Scripture. St. James epistle is really an
epistle of straw, compared to these others
(Romans, Galatians, John) for it has nothing of
the nature of the gospel about it.
54
Ulrich Zwingli 1484-1531 Opposed baptismal
regeneration Double Predestination Reformed
Theology Those individuals who end up damned
forever in hell are also eternally determined by
God for that fate.
55
The Radical Reformation
  • Separation of Church and State
  • Opposed strict predestination
  • Opposed infant baptism
  • Believed in baptismal regeneration

Menno Simmons
56
John Calvin 1509-1564 Institutes of Christian
Religion His emphasis the sovereignty of
God TULIP
57
TULIP
  • Total depravity
  • Unconditional election
  • Limited atonement
  • Irresistable grace
  • Perseverence of the saint (once saved, always
    saved)

58
Jacob Arminius (1560-1609) Opposed Reformed
idea of predestination. Are we Arminians?
59
  • Q Scriptures which appear to support the
    doctrine of predestination?
  • Q Scriptures which prove free will and refute
    predestination?

60
Jonathan Edwards A Sinner in the Hands of an
Angry God. How do we know we are of the elect?
61
1800s America Predestination LightOnce Saved,
Always Saved
  • Preservation of the Saints
  • Believers Prayer.
  • Once God saves you, in is impossible to lose your
    salvation, no matter what.

62
Hebrews and Falling Away
  • They shall never enter my rest 311, 45
  • We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly
    to the end the confidence we had at first. 314
  • They were not able to enter because of their
    unbelief 319
  • Be careful not to be found to have fallen short
    of it. 41
  • Some did not go in because of their obedience
    46
  • Let us make every effort to enter that rest so
    that no one will fall by following their example
    of disobedience 411
  • Do you get the point?

63
Hebrews 64-6 Who is he talking to?
  • a. been enlightened (NT church enlightened
    baptized)
  • b. tasted the heavenly gift (salvation?)
  • c. shared in the Holy Spirit
  • d. tasted the goodness of the word
  • e. tasted the coming age (saved)
  • Yes, you can fall away! Conclusion You had
    better move on toward maturity in Christ.

64
Hebrews 64-8
  • It is impossible if they fall away, to be
    brought back to repentance.
  • They are crucifying the Son of God all over
    again.
  • Land that produces thorns will be burned.

65
Falling Away Hebrews 1026-31
  • Crucifying the Son of God all over again.
  • Subjecting Jesus to public disgrace
  • Trampling the Son of God under foot. (Heb 1029)
  • Insulted the Holy Spirit (Heb 1029)
  • Blasphemed (spoken against) the Holy Spirit (Matt
    1232)
  • Committed the unforgivable sin (1 John 516 )
  • What is the unforgivable sin? To willfully,
    deliberately continue in sin. (Hebrews 1026)
  • Also Hebrews 1214-17, 1225 you will not
    escape if you turn away

66
Gods Assurance Hebrews 69-20
Two unchangeable things Gods Word Gods Oath
(Genesis 2216-18) Jesus, your anchor, is behind
the veil with the Father
67
Gods Assurance Hebrews 1019-23
We have confidence to enter the Most Holy
Place Let us draw near to God in full assurance
of faith. For he who promised is
faithful. Hebrews 1035-36 Do not throw away
your confidence it will be richly rewarded. You
will receive what he has promised.
68
Summary
  • Correct theology (God, Jesus, salvation) is
    harder to find than you think.
  • Do not fall into the trap of relying on human
    reason too heavily.
  • Always protect the mystery.
  • Trinity
  • Jesus
  • Faith, Works and Grace
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