Hey all, here are the questions for tonight! Hope to see you all
there. Kevin.
P.S. Meet at 7:30 at espresso roma on 13th and Alder.
1) Who is Jesus?
2) What are the most important beliefs within Christianity?
3) Does Christianity lend itself to mixing with other religions?
4) Has Christianity changed since the time of the apostles?
- The ultimate and only earthly manifestation of the Hebrew God YHVH. Through his actions on earth we may know how to properly live a life in right relation as a human. His death on the cross manifests, again ultimately, the "godforsakeness" (I don’t remember the german off hand) humanity naturally feels because of the wrong relationship they have been born into and foster in their daily living. In his resurrection from the dead we have a clear sign that the alienation, decay, and hell that has trapped humanity is at an end. Through his teaching and transcendance YHVH has broken back into human morality and history for good; through his overcoming of death hope of life beyond life is assured; through his healing and his spiritual acts, and the mysterious returning of a balance long ago lost, hell itself no longer is a threat.
- That the Christ event was God’s decisive act in human history.
- There are many truth claims within Christianity that do not lend themselves to syncretism. That said, the I-Thou relationship fostered by Jesus’ command to "love your neighbor" necessitates a healthy trust in the importance of other’s subjective experiences. This can in turn allow for Christians to be tolerant, open, and respectful of the beliefs and morals of people of other faiths. So to simplify my answer Christianity does not mix well with other "religions" but does mix well with other people.
- Yes. The early Jesus movement was founded in a Jewish context and was built upon the assumption that the Messiah had returned and the end is near; Christianity was also considered an esoteric eastern religion by the mainly pagan west. Most Christianity today has become gentile in nature and has become a Western phenomena (baring the new South/East Christianity that is emerging on the tail of the submergence of Western Christianity into a much more secular culture in Europe and is often seen as subservient to the State in North America).
- This is a very individual/denominational question in some ways. For some people their gender either alienates them from many of the metaphors within the Christian Church or compels them to it(eg. "Father" is not a word that would necessarily make a lot of sense to a woman raped by her father, likewise the image of a "mother-hen" would not make sense to a man who works at a Chicken rendering plant). Further many churches have either official or unofficial roles designated for people of a certain gender. For example, more youth pastors/ child care folk are women; more young adult pastors/workers are gotteed-out late 20- early 30 something men. Some churches do not allow women to be ordained. There are also some "offending" verses found in the pastorals and in some bits of Paul’s writing that create certain gender specific spheres within the everyday life of Christians. Perhaps though I am dealing more with "sex" than "gender" as one being innate the other being an inclination.
Peace,
Chris
1 comment:
I didn't see question 5 there.
Interesting answers. Especially on #4; I think we don't realize how fully we have departed from how the apostles lived and what they taught.
An interesting observation made by the Jewish Encyclopedia: despite Jesus being quite the Law-observant fellow, it was not too long after Christ's death that we started departing from that. Quoting Matthew 5:17, the Jewish Encyclopedia says this:
"The rejection of the Law by Christianity was, therefore, a departure from its Christ."
What do you think of that, Chris? Is modern Christianity's rejection of the Law a departure from Christ? What do you think?
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