Evan Final Exam

Ecclesia

Greek word used in both OT and NT

Ecclesia

o   Usually translated *church* or *the assembly*

o   __C__hurch means the *Universal Church*

o   __c__hurch refers to the *local congregation*

Defining Church

* the people of God
* where the Word of God is preached
* a pure community of faith - Donatists
* A mixture of sinners and saints - Augustine
* and the sacraments are rightly administered - Calvin
* One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic
* **The People of God called together to follow Christ and by the power of the Spirit to serve the Father and others in the world**

Ecclesiology

Doctrines of the Church

What is the purpose of the Church?

Acts 2:41-46

* Worship
* Evangelism
* Discipleship
* Fellowship

Discipleship

devotion, apostles’ teaching, meeting together

Worship

communion, wonders and signs performed, praising God

Fellowship

believers were together, give, broke bread in their homes, ate together

Evangelism

“enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Ephesians 1:22,23

the church is the body of Christ

Ephesians 5:31-33

The church is the bride of Christ

1 Peter 2:9

The church is a holy nation

I Pet. 5:2

The church is a flock (be shepherds of God’s flock)

I Pet. 3:15

The witness of the church

I Pet. 2:9b

The worshipping church (declare the praises)

Hebrews 10:24, 25

The fellowship of the church

The fellowship of the church

* Christian consensus- Unity
* Nicene Creed: the church is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic”
* Paul in Ephesians 2: built on one foundation with Christ as the cornerstone
* Eph. 4: one Lord, one faith, one baptism

“There are **no lone ranger Christians** in the NT; no suggestion that a person can be vitally united with Christ and growing spiritually **apart from the church**. The assumption throughout is that the church is the **indispensable** vehicle of Christian spiritual life, the **locus** of **Christ’s special presence and the Spirit’s power**.”

Olsen- Fellowship of the church

Alternatives to fellowship

* Sectarianism: rejection of unity
* Rejection of essential beliefs
* Scripture and revelation, Monotheism, Trinity, Christ's humanity and divinity, Humanity, Salvation's necessity, Church, Last things
* Rejection of sacraments

2 Timothy 2:2

The teaching church (qualified to teach others)

Eph. 4:11-15

Gifts are given to build up the body of Christ

I Tim. 3:1-7

High qualifications for leaders of the church

Church structure

* State Church: The Church of England
* Episcopal: Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and Episcopal
* Congregational: Baptist and many Non-denominational churches
* Presbyterian and Reformed: Elder run Presbyterian and Reformed

Matt. 28:19

The validity of baptism

Issues surrounding baptism

* Does it save?
* Can you go to heaven without it?
* Who should be baptized?
* Infants, children, or adults
* How should we baptize?
* Immersion, sprinkling, or pouring

1 Cor. 11: 26-29

The importance of communion

Sacraments

* a memorial or a means of grace
* a visible sign of an invisible grace - Augustine

7 sacraments of the Cath. Church

Baptism, Eucharist, Penance, Confirmation, Holy Orders, Marriage, Last Rites

2 sacraments of the Prot. Church

Communion (also known as the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper) and Baptism

How many sacraments are in the evangelical churches?

None (in many)

Functions and benefits of Sacraments

* convey grace
* strengthen faith
* enhance unity
* reassures us of God’s promises

Main Periods

* Patristic Period
* The Middle Ages
* The Reformation
* The Post-reformation
* The Modern Period

Modern Period: 1750-Present

* World missions
* Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism
* Rise of Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement

Rise of Pentecostal/Charismatic Movement

* 2nd Vatican Council
* Worship in the vernacular language
* Focus on devotional life
* Emergence of women into greater public role in the Church
* Bible translations
* Christianity over Communism
* A worldview shaped by the Enlightenment Big Idea: the ability of the human mind to penetrate

Enlightenment Critiques of Christianity

Miracles, revelation, original sin, the problem of evil, status of Scripture, person of Christ

Miracle Critique

* Miracles are part of a premodern mindset
* They cannot be:
* Repeated
* Verified
* Studied
* Did Jesus feed 5,000?

Revelation Critique

* Revelation of God's truth to humankind
* Old Testament
* New Testament
* Prayer, etc.
* Revelation is not the Word of God but merely the product of human creativity

Original Sin Critique

A mythical cause of psycho/societal ills

The Problem of Evil

* An outmoded description of unfortunate events
* Caused by poverty and a lack of education

Status of Scripture as a

Divine

Authoritative

Source of Truth

Met with skepticism and disbelief

Person of Christ

The mythological divine/human Son of God based on a 1st Century Galilean Rabi

Liberal Protestantism

* Rudolph Bultmann
* Demythologize Christianity and interpret it according to Existentialist Philosophy
* Wrote *Jesus and Word* in 1936

Neo Orthodoxy (from Liberalism toward Orthodoxy)

Barth, Brunner, and Bonhoeffer

Liberation Theology

* Gustavo Guiterrez
* A Theology of Liberation 1973
* Rethinking The Exodus
* And verses like Gal. 5:1 for freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm
* Rene Padilla
* Reuniting evangelical theology and social ministry
* Samuel Escobar
* The New Global Mission

Feminist Theology

* Rosemary Radford-Ruther
* Pamela Cochran

Black Theology

* James H. Cone
* Skye Jethani

Evangelical Movement

* Billy Graham and Francis Schaeffer
* Council of Christian Colleges and Universities

Charismatic Movement

* Pentecostal
* Charismatic
* John Wimber (3rd Wave)

Pluralism

* all roads lead to God
* all religions are equally valid

Eschatology

study of end times; doctrine of last things

reasons to study eschatology

1. Provides closure to God’s plan which provides hope in the present age


1. 1 Thes 4:13-18, 5:11
2. Christ returns, He wins, new Heaven and Earth, we live with God eternally
2. Prevents __extreme views__ of


1. Over-specification


1. Claims to know the time, place, and historical details (Mark 13:32)
2. Non-consideration


1. Not true, not important, or not future
3. Produces a life of Holiness in those who pay attention (1 Thes 5:4-8)
4. Blessing (Rev. 1:3)

Reasons for differing Interpretations

* Limited Biblical Revelation
* Limited Human Understanding
* The Apocalyptic genre is difficult
* Different approaches to interpretations

Keys to Interpretation

* Futurism
* Preterism
* Historicism
* Idealist
* Already/Not Yet (Progressive Dispensationalist)

Futurism

all events in the future also called Classic Dispensationalism

Preterism

all events in the past for us

Historicism

symbols and images are codes for figures and events contemporary to the writer (I.e., the antichrist referred to the Roman Emperor)

Idealist

Images and symbols point to a spiritual reality rather than a socio/political reality

Already/Not Yet also called Progressive Dispensationalist

The Kingdom of God has __already__ come in some ways, but has __not yet__ come in its fulness

Key Words for Eschatology

* Apocalyptic Language
* Second Coming
* Millennium
* Tribulation
* Rapture
* Judgement

Millennium

* Not a date, but a period of time
* Time- Lit. 1000 years or a long long time
* Views
* Premillennial
* Postmillennial
* Amillennial

Tribulation

* Time of trouble
* Specific time prior to 2nd coming
* General description of life in a fallen world
* Both

Rapture

* 1 Thes. 4:17
* Pretrib.
* Before tribulation
* Midtrib.
* During tribulation
* Postrib.
* After tribulation

Judgement

* to life
* to death

I Thes. 4:13-18

Knowing about Christ’s return provides hope for today

Mark 13:32-37

Knowing about Christ’s return prevents extreme views

I Thes. 5:1-11

Knowing about Christ’s return should promote holy living

I Thes. 4:13-17

The Rapture

Rev. 20:1-6

The Millennium as earthly reign

Dan. 12:1, 2

Amillennial view of the “end”

John 14:1-3

Heaven is to be with Christ

Heaven

* Heaven is eternal life in Christ’s presence
* Immediate presence, soul sleep, purgatory, paradise, new heaven and earth

Rev. 20:11-15

Hell is separation from Christ

Hell

* Hell is eternal separation from God
* Literal (Dante)
* Symbolic: not a physical place
* Annihilation: the second death
* Universalism: an empty hell
* Gehenna was the burning garbage dumb outside of Jerusalem

Annihilationism

the second death, wicked will cease to exist after this life, Jehovah’s Witnesses

Purgatory

holding place before heaven, place of suffering for sinners before heaven

Bodily resurrection

alternative to heaven and hell, “no bodily resurrection”

Premillennial

Christ will return before the millennium; Irenaeus, Tertullian, Falwell, LaHaye

Postmillennial

Christ will return after the millennium; Jonathan Edwards, Lib. Prot. Theologians

Amillennial

There is no millennial reign; Augustine, 1500 years of theology

Tribulation

Time of trouble

Rapture

1 Thes. 4:17; Pretrib., Midtrib., Postrib.

Eschatology

the doctrine of last things

Millennium

Not a date, but a period of time

Transubstantiation

Catholicism; real physical transformation; the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ; the “accidents” (appearance, smell, etc.) are unchanged

Consubstantiation

Luther; real physical presence “in and among” elements

Anabaptist

baptism is valid only when candidates freely confess their faith in Christ and request to be baptized (opposed to infant baptism but for believer’s baptism)

People of God in OT

Ethnic: Hebrew people; National: Israel; Geographical: Palestine

NT Church

“Every tribe and tongue” Rev. 5:9; Christ followers; Acts 1:8 - “to the ends of the earth”

Episcopal

Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, and Episcopal (Church Structure)

Presbyterian

Elder run (Church Structure)

Congregational

Baptist and many Non-denominational churches (Church Structure)

Local church

specific church bodies usually meeting together in a specific place

Universal church

all believers, in all places and all times

Infant baptism

Catholicism

Believer baptism

Protestants, Anabaptists

Universalism

an empty hell, equal truth and salvation for all (fate of the un-evangelized); equal access to God, God will save everyone, God wins

Inclusivism

some truth and limited salvation; fate of the un-evangelized; any truth allows possibility to salvation, responding in faith (also possibility that you may not have salvation), breadcrumbs of salvation

Exclusivism

no truth and no salvation; fate of the un-evangelized; must have a personal relationship with Jesus, if you die you cannot go to heaven.

Restrictivism

some truth and no salvation; fate of the un-evangelized; see the truth in nature, but they do not know Jesus

Objective immortality

alternative to heaven and hell