What Christians Believe

Christianity Report Understanding the Christian Belief Your Name Subject and Section Professor’s Name October 16, 2024 PART A 1 Belief in and Knowledge of God (Week 3) 1 Description and Analysis Knowledge of God in Christianity means knowledge that forms the basis for all other doctrines, which is a Christian theological assertion. One of the basic assumptions is that of the existence of God as one supreme person yet as more significant than a man in power and knowledge, who is also in a position to reveal Himself. It can be stated that images that shape Catholic understanding of God are anthropomorphic and point to the fact that God is both within and above Catholics. The Catholic Church describes God as one, eternal, and perfect, with divine attributes like simplicity and perfection, as highlighted in theological discussions such as Ford's Theology: A Very Short Introduction. Aquinas also supports this view, arguing that God is not physically made, nor is it in the image of man but in the spirit. Both the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed speak of belief in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, which emphasizes God as the author and Sustainer of life.[Chapter 3: "Thinking of God"Links to an external site. pages 33-38 in David F. Ford] [Cranfield, C. E. (2004). The Apostles' creed: a faith to live by. A&C Black. pg.55] Thus, the Catholic conception of God manifests also a rationalist and existential aspect of God within the catholic faith, so Catholics are enabled to know God in both the light of reason and faith.[The Thomistic Institute. (2019, December 11). The Divine Attributes (Aquinas 101) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53wHJiGoBpI] 2 Contemporary Relevance Catholic ontology of God, particularly as the God who is both transcendent and immanent, has profound implications for preservice teachers in Catholic schools. It also allows for beliefs about a close God who remains transcendent so that more reverence for the world and others can be cultivated. In modern terms, it also relates to the call to develop an anthropocosmic attitude, which means renewing the understanding of humanity's relation to God, the cosmos, and morality, which teachers should promote in their students' formation of the perception of the divine.[Thomistic Institute, id] 2 Salvation (Week 8) 3 Description and Analysis In the Christian tradition, salvation is God's action of delivering humanity from sin and all that leads to death through Christ. This is often based on the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus, central to Catholic teaching as the only satisfactory way of reconciling man with God. The concept of salvation is wonderfully summed up in the words of the Nicene Creed, 'For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven.' However, it isn't alien to the Catholic notion of Christ's incarnation as being both a cure for sin and the ultimate perfection of the world that God created.[Bennett, D. (2016). The Nicene Creed: Symbol of the Catholic Faith. Ancient and Future Catholics Blog.] Catholic theology has accepted several salvation schemes, such as penal substitution, the theory of participation, and the theory of divinization. The different atonement theories are enumerated by Markham in his reading, each of which tries to explain how it was that Christ's death brought salvation. However, whether treated as a loss of blood, a price paid, or conquering sin death, salvation results in an invitation to a renewed fellowship with God.[Ian Markham, Chapter 8: "Dying to Sin, living to redemption”, Understanding Christian Doctrine, Second Edition, Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, 2017, 135-148.] [Elizabeth Johnson, Creation and the Cross: the mercy of God for a planet in peril, Maryknoll: Orbis, 2018.] 4 Contemporary Relevance When teaching in an academic environment, the conception of salvation from a teacher education perspective for preservice teachers can promote increased discussion of the participants' understanding of grace and redemption in their everyday lives. The idea of redemption also ties significantly to the modern day as people look for explanations for pain and injustice and must find ways to fix themselves. This idea is helpful in evoked hope and empathy in learners, reclaiming that redemption is a daily, collective process of change as well.[Bennett, David. "The Nicene Creed: Symbol of the Catholic Faith." Ancient and Future Catholics Blog (2016).] 3 Eschatology (Week 11) 5 Description and Analysis: Eschatology covers the field known as the study of the "last thing...