...Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views By James K. Beilby and Paul R. Eddy Eds. Student Name: Kevin M. Polito Student Number: 1516105 Essential Christian Doctrine 1 Spring 2013 – Lewis Word Count: 3,054 Introduction: A necessary and timely book “Throughout the history of the church, Christians have discussed the nature and content of God’s divine foreknowledge” So, rather innocuously, begins the introduction to the text under review. Recently, these “discussions” have become more frequent and heated due, in part, to a robust Calvinist resurgence seen throughout Christendom, especially within the United States. The places and individuals who are engaged in such debates are as varied as the ivory tower and the theologians who inhabit them all the way to the local, faithful Sunday school teacher presenting material to her students who attend her small, rural church. The debate is robust within evangelicalism because of the implications that one’s adopted view has on important questions such as: 1. The Nature of and mode of God’s foreknowledge 2. The Nature of Divine Sovereignty 3. The Nature of Human Freedom Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views is a necessary and timely book. Although, church history bears witness to a diversity of opinions regarding the nature and content of God’s divine foreknowledge, the need for careful and scholarly examination remains as relevant and important as any point in church history. An encroaching, imperious secularism...
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...LIBERTY THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY THEODICY/ THE PROBLEM OF EVIL: A RESULT OF GOD’S DIVINE PLAN OR AN ACT OF MAN’S FREE WILL A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. TODD S. BUCK IN PARTIAL FULFILLLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CLASS SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY I THEO 525 BY JOHN S. POPE JR LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA May 11, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction Definition of Theodicy……………………………………………………………………….2 Divine Providence..............…………………………………………………………………..3 God’s Sovereignty/Man’s Free Will………………………………………………………...5 Conclusion…...………………......……………………………………………………….....10 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………...12 The human race is afflicted by kidnappings, poverty, murder and oppression. The question men have struggled with is how can a good God allow such evil to continue? On a moral level, an even better question would be is the evil man experiences at the hands of other men, a result of God’s divine plan or the effect of man’s free will? Answering these questions is important because uncovering the reason for ongoing evil has challenged some to the point, they have denied their faith and joined a corps of atheists who promote the idea that the presence of suffering, pain and evil are the best testament to a non-existent God. When arguing against the existence of God, one might be presented with attempts to use His divine attributes of omnipotence (all powerful), omniscience (all knowing) and omnibenevolence (all good) against Him....
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...Louise Cowan, in her introduction to The Terrain of Comedy, speaks about the four parts of the poetic universe as defined by Aristotle: lyric, tragedy, comedy and epic. Louise argues that the whole of redemption fits into these fours elements of poetry. Lyric is the realm of love, the “place of origins and sources…symbolized by the garden.” Lyric represents both the pre-Fall condition of man and the redemptive state. Tragedy is the loss of the garden; comedy is man enduring in the fallen world. Epic, however, restores man to his pre-Fall state. The epic “struggles to build or cleanse,” attempting to complete the journey to the new Eden, one which is “redeemed and made new.” Dante projects his redemptive journey in the Divine Comedy upon the conversation between Statius and Virgil. In Statius and Virgil’s conversation, Dante reveals the necessity of epic, its shortcomings, and lyrics role in redemption. The epic is the journey to redemption and Love lyric is the end. Dante, throughout the divine comedy, reveals the epic struggle. Virgil, the epic poet, does what the saint cannot,...
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...ARRIAN EXERCISE ------------------------------------------------- Key: ------------------------------------------------- [E] = quote from Epictetus ------------------------------------------------- [S]= quote from Seneca ------------------------------------------------- [MA] =quote from Marcus Aurelius 1. Introduction –God, Oneself and the Three Topoi Know this, prokoptôn: God is the Soul, Creator and Sustainer of the Cosmos. Indeed one‘s mind (logos) is a fragment of God’s mind (the Divine Logos). One must go whither God wishes, whether or not one wants to. This is the Divine law of nature. However, to willingly go where God wills one is virtuous. A virtuous life is a life that accords with the nature of God and with one’s own nature. A truly happy life is a virtuous life. To live well, in all its myriad forms, and to secure eudaimonia ('happiness' or 'a flourishing life') is to be virtuous. Only through mastering one’s opinions, judgements, intentions and desires, can one be fully virtuous. The Three Topoi are three areas of study that help one in training to become good and noble, befitting all human beings, namely: “That concerning desires and aversions, so that he may never fail to get what he desires nor fall into what he would avoid (this corresponds with Stoic physics).” [E] “That concerning the impulse to act and not to act, and, in general, appropriate behaviour; so that he may act in an orderly manner and after due consideration, and not carelessly...
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...Rivanny Adikoesoemo | 01120100003 | | Book Review | | | | | BAPTISAN dan KEPENUHAN By: JOHN STOTT Chapter 1 Christian life is to live in the Spirit. All persons who have the Spirit of God are children of God, and all those who are children of God have the Spirit of God. It is impossible to have the Spirit of God without being a child or a child of God without having the Spirit (Rom. 8:9). Paul said that life in the Spirit and who belong to Christ are synonymous expressions. In other words Paul is saying no one can belong to Christ without the Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 states when we purchased and the price has been paid in full, then our bodies are not our own but belongs to Him who buy / redeem us. Therefore redemption, our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit because God himself who gives us the Holy Spirit. So, having the Holy Spirit is not the result of human effort but a gift from God. The Holy Spirit declared Christ to us so that we repent, and The Holy Spirit forming Christ in us. Does it have the same Holy Spirit baptism of Holy Spirit? There are two opinions of the 'same' and 'not equal'. Those who argue are not the same holy spirit teach that baptism is the experience of the two that follow, which should be experienced by all Christians after water baptism. On the other hand, argues that the baptism of the Holy Spirit belongs to all believers who have truly repented. Outpouring or baptism of the Holy Spirit is one of special blessing...
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...approach to describing the image of God resulted in various interpretations of the image and likeness of God as it pertained to humanity. Irenaeus proposed that God’s image and likeness were separate things and that the likeness of God gave mankind the ability to relate to God in righteousness. That righteousness was broken in sin, but restored in Christ as believers could come to God through Him. Calvin later argued that human nature was completely damaged by sin and Aquinas followed Irenaeus with some modification. The historical interpretations held by these men are viewed as substantive. The substantive view has long been the leading view on this matter, but the views regarding the relation and function of being made in the image of God have grown and many theologians have _______________________________ 1. Chad Brand, “The Work of God: Creation and Providence” in A Theology for the Church, ed. Daniel Akin (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2014), 208....
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...The Bible among the Myths Book Summary Introduction The author, John N. Oswalt, attended Asbury Theological Seminary for his undergraduate studies. He attended Brandeis University in the Mediterranean Studies Department for his graduate degree. Mr. Oswalt has taught at Asbury Theological Seminary, Trinity Evangelical Divinity, and Wesley Biblical Seminary. According to Oswalt, serious questions about the evolutionary paradigm inherent in the philosophy of Idealism were the result of the economic depression in the late 40’s. Since there was little separation from Idealism and the standard higher critical views of Old Testament that had prevailed for the past fifty years, there was cause for some rethinking about the Old Testament and the associated religion. This rethinking was led by William F. Albright, G. Ernest Wright, and others of the Harvard Divinity School. Sixty years later, it is widely accepted that Israelite religion is just one more West Semitic religion and that its characteristic features can be fully explained on through evolutionary change. Oswalt writes that no new discoveries led to this dramatic change in thinking. Because of the work of Karl Barth in 1950, the scholarly world was ready the idea of revelation in ways not found in the last couple of generations. Revelation assumes that this world is not self-explanatory and that some communication from beyond the world is necessary to explain it. Oswalt states that this idea is distasteful...
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... Introduction “Religious Liberty” is a good and perfect gift from above. Contrary to populace belief “the separation of church and state,” did not originate with the ACLU but for the most part, it originated with the first British Baptists that arrived in Colonial America they were defenders of true “religious liberty.” Moreover, the distinction between religious liberty and tolerance of religion is significant. “Religious liberty” is a right of every men, however, tolerance is a concession coupled with an understand that “that the state still controls religion.” This paper will examine the contribution of British Baptists in their pursuit for religious liberty. It will first give a brief view of the origin and history of the American Baptists followed by their endurance in the struggle for the settlement of “religious liberty.” It will present the...
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...C.S. Lewis, what are the three alternatives for Christ’s claim to be God? p45 (madman, lunatic, the Devil of Hell) Hide 2 What empirical evidence sets Christianity apart from other belief systems? -The Bible's demonstrated ability to predict the future. -Chrisitianity is the only religion that gives fulfulled prophecy as one of its bases for crediblity -The Bible has a transforming power to change the lives of individuals 3 Name two sources that establish an early date of scripture. -Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls p49 4 What is the unified theme of the Bible? Redemption of God? 5 What are the four qualities of inspiration? -Inspired guidance by the Holy Spirit -Inspried personality of the authors -Inspired words -Inspired text p60 6 T/F: Inspiration incorporates the personality of the writer into the final product? TRUE p60 7 According to conceptual inspiration, what was inspired? Ø God inspired theideas of Scripture, yet failed to direct the authors to record specific times Ø It is not thethoughts of the Bible that were inspired but the men who wrote the Bible whowere inspired. p62 8 What does Partial Inspiration state? -God inspired parts of Scripture -failed to identify which parts of Scripture were inspired p62 ...
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...Second Temple Period Paper Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary David Campbell NBST 510: New Testament Introduction June 28, 2015 It is imperative if one is to be a student of the bible they must know the history and chain of events surrounding the major areas of the bible and prominent figures. Do you not know that the history of the Old Testament is found primarily in the first 17 books Genesis-Esther, of our English Bibles? Genesis 1-11 more or less serves as the introduction to the whole Bible. Themes developed throughout the rest of scripture begin here. The Old Testament serves as a schoolmaster into the New and therefore requires extensive hours of study and comprehension to grasp what was happening under the law during Old Testament time. It cannot be studied without considering the influence of worldly events. Combined, the Old Testament and secular history merge to form a tapestry revealing God’s plan for humanity. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief history of the Second Temple Period beginning with the Persian Period and Israel’s return from exile and end with the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70. This paper will also address how various events, individuals, and groups impacted the Jews and the land of Israel leading up to and during the time of Christ. In the Second part of the research we will look at Alexander the Great highlight the event...
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...The United States has become a melting pot of cultures, races and religions. Immigrants flock to this great nation in hopes of a better life free of religious, racial, and political persecution and to make a better life for their families with the abundant job opportunities that America has to offer them. The United States is a great land, full of freedom and opportunity. Our Bill of Rights separated church and state, but before that time, religion was often used to dominate and control settlers. When Anne Hutchison left England in 1634, headed for America, she dreamed of a land where she was going to be free to practice her religion freely, but instead she found that being a woman and speaking of religion would only bring heartache and persecution. Anne Hutchison was born in Alford, Lincolnshire, England. Her actual birthdate is unknown, but she was baptized Anne Marbury on July 20, 1591. She was the daughter of Francis Marbury, a minister, and Bridgette Dryden-Marbury. She moved to London as a teenager, but returned to Alford when she married William Hutchinson at the age of twenty-one in 1612. Anne and William had fifteen children by 1630, losing three as infants. Women, during this time, usually didn’t have access to a formal education, but Anne was homeschooled because her parents believed their daughter should have an education. She was a natural thinker and loved to read. During her time, intellectualism was mainly theology and religion. Anne and her husband...
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...Religion | Origin of All Things | Nature of God | View of Human Nature | View of Good and Evil | View of “Salvation” | View of After Life | Practices and Rituals | Celebrations and Festivals | Week 2Hinduism and Jainism | The history of Hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it has no founder or date of origin. According to historians, the origin of Hinduism dates back to 5,000 or more years. Jainism dates to the 6th century B.C.E. in India. | The nature of God according to Jainism is state of perfect being. Jainism believes in God not as a creator but as a perfect being. They believe that when the jiva or the soul becomes liberated it lives in a blissful state. God is considered to be Omnipotent and Omnipresent by Hindus. There are more than 200,000 gods and goddesses in the Hindu religion. Some are major deities with major duties such as Shiva, others are of lesser import and are more directly connected with specific duties such as the house or ancestors | In Hinduism, the soul, or atman, is an eternally existing spiritual substance or being and the abiding self that moves from one body to the next at rebirth. In Jainism, the soul is uncreated, eternal and has infinite power and knowledge. It therefore has the inherent potential of divinity (that is, perfectly omnipotent, omniscient and free; not a god). By ridding oneself of the karma that obstructs the soul, one can achieve this liberation (moksa). | Karma is the basic principle within an overarching psycho-cosmology...
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...3.2 God in the Critique of Pure Reason's Transcendental Dialectic 3.2.1 The Ens Realissimum The Transcendental Dialectic's “Ideal of Reason” contains the best known and most frequently anthologized components of Kant's philosophy of religion. In addition to its portrayal of the ens realissimum, one finds within it Kant's objections to the Ontological, Cosmological and Physico-theological (Design) arguments for God's existence. It is thus the text most central to the negative elements of Kant's philosophy of religion and is integral to the widely held view that Kant is deeply hostile to faith. The general aim of the Transcendental Dialectic is to expose reason's excesses, its drive to move beyond the limits of possible experience, and to bring all concepts into a systematic unity under an “unconditioned condition.” The Transcendental Dialectic begins with a critique of reason's illusions and errors within the sphere of Rational Psychology. It then moves on to a critique of cosmological metaphysics, and then to the “Ideal of Reason” where Kant turns to Rational Theology and its pursuit of religious knowledge. As Kant explains, underlying all the traditional proofs for God's existence is the concept of the ens realissimum, the most real being. Reason comes to the idea of this being through the principle that every individuated object is subject to the “principle of complete determination.” While the generality of concepts allow them to be less than fully determined (e.g...
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...STUDENT: PLATON OANA MADALINA SA I TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………… p.3 2. THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA……….. p.4 3. THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION ……………………………………..p.7 "From a genuine abolition point of view, Mr. Lincoln seemed tardy, cold, dull and indifferent, but measuring him by the sentiment of his country - a sentiment he was bound as a statesman to discuss - he was swift, zealous, radical, and determined." Frederick Douglass, 1876 source? 1. INTRODUCTION He survived the tragedy and depression to become America's Greatest President. He had the courage to destroy slavery, but he took a Civil War and the loss of 600,000 lives; his beliefs cost him his life, but without him the United States of America would not exist today. Abraham Lincoln, America's model hero, was a man whose courage saved the nation from destruction. His early life was poor and brutal; he was born on the 12th of February 1809 in a one room cabin in rural Kentucky, a frontier state of America. His family were farmers, he was the first of his family to read; Abraham Lincoln was different to from his friends. The young Lincoln was a child of induce curiosity, he loved to hear people, gave well crafted, well delivered speeches. He would often go to places where such speeches were being made; he memorized parts of them and he would...
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...Paper Topic 3 There is a Time For Everything: An Exegetical Analysis of Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 Timing is everything. This is a statement that holds a great deal of truth. The difference between a good joke and a bad one is a person’s sense of timing. An appropriate pause makes a joke, an inappropriate pause can kill the same joke. Timing is essential when dealing with people. One must pick the right time to approach a coworker or friend about a problem. Timing is important in cooking. The moist cake in the oven is still runny batter if baked for too little time and a clump of charcoal if it is baked too long. Timing is important in medicine. If you catch a problem early you will be able to treat it more effectively. Timing is important in taking medication. If you take your medicine as directed it will be helpful. If you skip doses it loses its effectiveness. If you take extra doses it can be deadly. Timing is important in finance. When you invest in a particular stock and when you sell the particular stock will make the difference between whether you make money or lose it. We, as a society have time indicators hanging on the walls, built into our cell phones, computers, and cars. Timing is everything in today’s world, and society as a whole is very time-oriented. Timing is important in spiritual life as well. It is critical to live life with an acute awareness of God’s predetermined timing for life. The importance of timing is portrayed throughout Ecclesiastes 3:1-15. The book...
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