Studied by 16 people
Parable of the Sheep and the Goats
Matthew 25:31-46
‘Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you will have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good peoples to do evil things, that takes religion"‘
Richard Dawkins
‘And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good.’
Genesis 1:3-4
‘For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - has been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.’
Romans 1:20
‘There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.’
Ecclesiastes 3:1
‘He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the Earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.’
Psalm 147:8
‘For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth’; and to the shower and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning.
They turn round and round by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them.’
Job 37
‘Let us make mankind in our own image, in our likeness…’
Genesis 1:26
‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth.’
Exodus 34:6
‘He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.’
Psalm 9:8
Euthyphro Dilemma
Plato. Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it’s good?
If not, good must exist independently of God. Why need him as middle man?
Noah’s Ark Quote
‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the Earth is filled with violence because of them.’
‘For the word of god is alive and active.’
‘It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.’
Hebrews 4:12. Old Tes
‘3 days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’
Joshua 1:11
Richard Dawkins about God in the Old.Tes
‘The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction.’
‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.’
John 1:14
‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this; While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’
Romans 5:8
William James
Passive - comes from force outside of yourself
Noetic - believe you have had spiritual truths revealed to you
Ineffable - Impossible to describe in everyday language
Transient - Experience temporary effects, longlasting
‘and be not drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, but be filled with the spirit.’
Ephesians 5:18
Thessalonians 5:16-18
Prayer:
Positive
Thanksgiving
Celebrate
Luke 6:12
Prayer:
Meditate
Inner Peace
Dedicate time with God
Intimate Connection
James 5:15-16
Prayer:
Intercession
Confession
Open with God
Selfless
Matthew 6:5-8
Prayer:
Don’t pray for reward
Pray Individually
Genuine - don’t say meaningless
‘God is not a magician’
Pope Francis
‘Go and make disciples of all Nations, baptising them in the name of the father and of the son and of the HS.’
The Great Commission
Matthew 28:19
‘Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened, and the HS descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my beloved son; in You I am well pleased.’
Luke 3:21-22
The Lord’s Prayer
Matthew 6:9-15
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil….”
Shows presence of all Trinity
Nicene Creed
“You shall have no other God’s before me”
“For I the Lord your God am a jealous God.”
“But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me”
Exodus 20
Parable of the Prodigal Son
‘His father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
Luke 15:11-32
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
Matthew 25
The Judgement of the Nations
‘He will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.’
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Stephen Fry
Bone cancer in children, etc
Cruel, Capricious
Atheism - not just believing God doesn’t exist, but if he exists, why would he make such decisions."
Brian J Ford
WW2 lead to many developments
(Counter: Good outweigh bad??)
Augustinian Theodicy
Made the world perfect
Free will
Evil entered through the Fall
Provides opportunity for salvation
Irenaean Theodicy
Created world will good and evil
Free choice to choose good
Suffering - grow
Doesn’t intervene - violates free will
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-16)
Means blessings
Describes attitudes God wants his followers to have
Jesus and the Law (Matthew 5:17-48)
10 Commandments
Thoughts as bad as actions, eg lust, adultery
Love enemies not just neighbours
True Discipleship (Matthew 6:1-8)
Dismisses outwards acts of religion for show
Keep fasting and charity private
Prayers straight and to the point, eg Lords Prayer
True Righteousness (Matthew 7:3-5)
Spiritual treasures can’t be stolen
Either God or worldly wealth (money)
No one perfect, no one position to judge
If person judges, God uses that standard to judge them
Focus on how to be closer to him instead
The Narrow Gateway (Matthew 7:13-23)
Broad Pathway: Easier, no attention to God’s laws, not lead to blessing in Heaven
Narrow Pathway: Challenging, difficult, persecution, rewards in heaven - eternal
Building on solid foundations
Those who listen will always have God’s love and support
Death of Jesus, Luke 23:44
‘Darkness came over the whole land until 3 in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.”
“And the curtain of the temple was torn in two”
“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father in your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he said this, he breathed his last.”
“For it is by grace you are saved - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no-one can boast.”
Protestant view
Ephesians 2:8-9
Jesus Last Words - Gospel of St John
“It is finished” - mission on earth???
Catholic view of salvation
Baptism, belonging to church. Deeds
Parable of sheep and goats, charity, narrow gateway
Fundamentalist/ Protestant / Evangelical View of salvation
Faith in Jesus alone is enough
“For about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
about the end. judgement day
living in last days of world - eschaton
Matthew 24:36
“Hell, where the fire never goes out".”
Mark 9:43
“… Shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
Revelation 20:10
“He will sit as a refiner and purifier… and he will purify.”
Malachi 3:2-4
Bryan Wilson + Steve Bruce
Religious organisations no longer heavily respected
People rely on material comfort for happiness
Religion more private matter
People increasingly less committed to values
Become a leisure pursuit rather than deep committment
Stephen Fry - Humanism
Life is an adventure, nobody knows answers
also eg. Michael Rosen
‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’
Galatians 3:28
‘Ask for the ancient paths and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls.”
Jeremiah 6:16
‘Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission’
St Paul in the New Testament
Corinthians 11
Equal Pay for Genders, with the excpetion of priests, monks, nuns, ministers of religion
Equality Act 2010
Thinks abortion is a basic human right
Peter Singer
Doctors duty to preserve not end life
Hippocratic Oath
‘If we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.’
Romans 14:8
‘In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind'.’
Job 12:10
‘Do unto others as you would them do unto you’
Matthew 7:12
Evangelical but Pluralist
John Hick
Catholic Inclusivist
Karl Rahner
Exclusivist Example
John Calvin
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."‘
(Exclusivism)
John 14:6
‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit."‘
Matthew 28:19-20
‘For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of god.’
Ephesians 2:8-9
‘The righteous will go into eternal life… For when I was hungry you gave me food and when I was thirsty you gave me drink.’
(Inclusivism)
Matthew 25:31
‘My fathers house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?’
(Pluralism)
John 14:2
‘We are all children of God. Everyone. Everyone.’
Pope Francis
‘There will be no peace among the nations without peace between the religions.’
Hans Kung
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