Apologetics and Worldview Exam 1

Apologetics comes from the Greek word

Apologia

Was the Greek word Apologia used as a religious word in the ancient world

Not primarily though it is associated mostly with religious questions today-however, it is used in nonreligious fashions as well for legal, formal, and informal situations

What is apologetics?

Apologetics is the study and presentation of arguments for the truth of the Christian faith

What is the relation of apologetics to polemics?

Polemics is the study and presentation of arguments against other religious viewpoints

Who needs apologetics?

Believers and unbelievers

What is the biblical basis for apologetics?

The command to evangelize

Defending the belief of believers

Opposing false teaching and false ideas

What is a worldview

A worldview is a set of beliefs through which we view and judge reality

What are the worldviews?

Theism

Atheism

Pantheism

Modernism

Postmodernism

What is pantheism?

God and creation are one in nature and purpose

What is modernism?

Truth, meaning and purpose are found in objective reality

What is postmodernism?

Objective reality cannot be known and so no metanarratives can give any objective interpretation to reality. Only subjective realities can be accepted.

Are worldviews identical to religious systems?

No, but they do overlap because they deal with the same ultimate questions

What are essential elements of a worldview?

An account of truth: A worldview explains what is real

An account of knowledge: Worldview explains how we know what is real

An account of origin: A worldview explains why there is something rather than nothing

-An account of tension: worldview explains if, why, and how what is real has become damaged or broken

-An account of resolution: A worldview seeks to explain what things like purpose, goodness, justice, and wholeness look like in the reality they propose

Why do worldviews matter?

-Worldviews connect our beliefs into coherent wholes

-Worldviews form our presuppositions

-worldviews inform and shape our interpretations

How do we evaluate a worldview?

We ask:

-is the worldview internally consistent?

-Is the worldview externally verified?

-is the worldview existentially livable?

What is the need for revelation?

God is not part of creation

God cannot be known like created things

Man is a dependent creature

The language of God is:

-not univocal (exactly the same)

-not equivocal (entirely different)

-but analogical (similar but different in source, quality, and quantity)

What is general revelation?

God reveals himself generally to all creation

what are characteristics of general revelation?

General revelation reveals God's existence and nature

General revelation provides God's moral standard

General revelation applies to all people

General revelation justifies God's wrath

General revelation enables natural theology

What is special revelation?

God not only reveals himself to all people through general revelation, but in specific ways through special revelation, recorded in Scripture

What are characteristics of special revelation?

-Special revelation applies to specific people, situations, and times

-Special revelation communicates specific information

-Special revelation interprets general revelation with divine authority

-Special revelation brings greater condemnation for rejection

What are transcendent attributes?

These attributes are true only of God-no one else has them

What are God's transcendent attributes?

God is simple: without body or parts: all in God is God

God is spirit: no body, pure spirit without material substance

God is A se: "from the self," self existent

God is perfect: pure act/actuality

God is unchanging/immutable: He does not change

God is eternal/timeless: Not affected by passage of time

God is infinite: in knowledge, power and presence

God is impassable: not moved by passions

God is triune: three persons

What are God's personal attributes: true of God and man?

-God is truth: standard of all truth, does not err

-God is love

-God is good: gives out of goodness rather than need

-God is just

-God is holy

-God is faithful

What are the works of God?

God creates

God sustains

God decrees

God directs

God answers prayer

God provides

God saves

God judges

God disciplines

what is ontology?

the study of being

what makes humans unique?

-we are rational

-we are relational

-we are morally responsible

God made us in His image for three reasons:

1. We are to relate to God

2. We are to relate to others

3. We are to care for and subdue creation

Why does the image of God matter for apologetics?

-The image of God enables us to reason

-The image of God enables us to know God

-The image of God gives us a point of contact

Does the fall eliminate or change general revelation?

No

Did the fall destroy man's ability to reason?

No

Does the fall affect man's ability to reason?

Yes, it is not what it was before the fall

Does the fall destroy man's willingness to receive general revelation?

Yes

How does God enable salvation from the effects of sin?

Through the objective work of Christ

Who applies the objective work and enables us to believe?

Holy Spirit

What about election?

God must come to save man. It is not a minor detail in scripture

What is illumination?

illuminates the eyes and mind to see the truth of God

Who convicts us?

The Holy Spirit

Does the effectual calling/regeneration come before or after salvation

effectual calling comes before salvation and the regeneration comes after salvation

What is justification?

Justification is the heart of the gospel, declares the sinner to be just because the righteousness of Christ as the perfect substitute is credited to our account and our liabilities of sin are imputed to Him so that God forgives our sin and sees us righteous in Christ

Who indwells believers?

Holy Spirit

What is sanctification?

Where the Holy Spirit sanctifies, or sets us apart, to Christ. We are positionally declared righteous.

The reception of salvation is called?

Faith

What is faith?

Faith is acting on what you have reason to believe is true

Faith vs. Repentance or both?

my turning from sin does not save me, but I am saved to turn from sin. Christ is the basis of my forgiveness.

What are the Holy Spirit's means to accomplish His purposes?

-Prayer

-Preaching

-Suffering

-Godly testimonies

-Apologetics

What are the purposes of apologetics?

-To glorify God through his vindication

-To encourage and strengthen believers

-To remove obstacles to belief for unbelievers

What is biblical theology?

Biblical theology is the study of scripture in its grammatical, historical and narratival context

What is systematic theology?

Systematic theology is the study of the totality and coherence of the truths of scripture

What is philosophy?

Philosophy is the study of being and reality, including metaphysics (the study of what makes reality real), and ethics (the study of what makes reality good)

what is practical theology?

practical theology is the study of how the truths of scripture apply to the reasons, affections, and behavior of people

what is extra-biblical data?

Extra-biblical data is information that comes from non-theological disciplines

What are examples of extra-biblical data?

History

science

philosophy

psychology

What is magisterial use?

Magisterial use dictates what the use of the bible has to be

What is ministerial use?

ministerial use takes the information from outside of the Bible to aid theology by informing, confirming, and even correcting our understanding of the Bible but does not change the meaning of the Bible

How to handle discrepancies?

-Have I understood the data clearly?

-Is all the data in?

-Have I understood the text clearly?