THEO 1001 MIDTERM - VOCAB & CONCEPTS

Turpin!

Religious (Il)literacy

helps us understand life in all its dimensions (cultural, political, athletic)

Devotional vs Academic Study of Religion

Devotional study emphasizes personal faith and practice, while academic study analyzes religion from a scholarly perspective.

Subjective Truth

Expresses personal feelings, opinions, or beliefs; cannot be verified outside individual; experience

Objective Truth

expresses fact that can be verified, it is universal; bible, tradition, reason

Theology

study of God/talk about God

Discernment

to separate, divide, and distinguish; possible because of free will; necessary because humans are finite; builds off ultimate concern

Pyramid of Values

upside down triangle, ultimate concern is tip of triangle; make decisions that align with ultimate concern through discernment

Free Will

what makes discernment possible; God gifted “________” to us

Conversion

change in one’s ultimate values; not necessarily changing one’s religion

Theology as Analogical

Drawing the crab with lips; describing it will not exactly describe God; God is infinite but our words and minds are finite; use analogies to describe God. Father, shepherd, light, rock, ultimate concern(Tillich)

Ultimate Concern

tip of pyramid

Ultimate Concern - Inductive Method

start with an observation and keep asking why - chocolate bar or celery to narrow down

Ultimate Concern - Deductive Method

have a hypothesis then work backwards and determine if all values align with it

God/god

God is infinite; ultimate concern is one’s ‘god’

Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)

theism - christianity - catholicism - Jesuits; initial missions: missionary organization, education, stop protestantism; 

Spiritual Exercises

book with prayers and mediations used in retreatments; reflective, aid in discernment; what pulls toward God (consolation), what pulls away (desolation)

First Principle and Foundation

succinct summation of the Christian worldview at the start of Ignatius’s spiritual exercises, laying out the vision for the type of person christians are called to become; purpose in life is to serve God and praise and reverence; don’t praise material things

Bible

Collection of books. Old Testament and New Testament; not all Christians have the same bible; bible translations vary from word to word, thought for thought, or paraphrasing

Old Testament

varies from Christian to christian; focuses on world before Jesus - God’s relationship with people

New Testament

all christians have same New Testament; focuses on the life of Jesus

Ignatian Scriptural Meditation 

place yourself within a biblical story; develop personal relationship with God

Anthropocentrism

ecological model that prioritizes humanity above the rest of creation; view other creation as resources for humans

ex nihilo 

out of nothing; how God created everything

Laudato Si’

“praised be”; pope franicis text about care for common home; humans have responsibility for caring for world too

Universal Communion

Throw Away Culture

stems from individualism; relates to ecology and human culture;

Image of God

imago dei; all people are created in the image of God

Human Dignity

inherent value that all people have; cannot be stripped away 

Theological Anthropology

2 tenets: god has created us as individuals (talents, backgrounds, image of God, appearance); god created us as relational beings (human and divine relationships shape us)

Telos

greek word; end-goal or purpose; st Ignatius said relation with god; st aquinas said humans and god; pope Francis said relation with god, humans, and rest of creation

Ten Commandments (Decalogue)

Personalism

all humans are individuals in their own way; pursuit of individual desires; each person has unique qualities

Communitarianism

emphasizes relational sense of humanity

eulogy virtues

should prioritize, what people will say about you when you’re dead;

resume virtues

driven, responds to emails quickly; not about character

Ignatian Indifference

hold things lightly and detached from attachments; to better discern and respond to God’s will and purpose

Moral Relativism

morality is not absolute but relative to individuals or cultures

Vocation

everyone has different because god gave everyone different gifts; God’s calling

Purpose in Life (St. Aquinas)

1. everyone has a telos; 2. discern from right/wrong based on following telos; 3. live in relation to god and others; humans should fulfill telos by relating with god and others more fully 

Purpose in Life (St. Ignatius)

god created humans to praise, reverence, and serve god to save our souls, but not everyone has same vocation

Sin

Evil Suffered (Natural Evil)

evil things happen because of natural finite or bringing direct good; lion eating a deer

Evil Done (Moral Evil)

no direct good; no one achieves telos; sin; lion being vegetarian

Qualities of Evil (Kreeft)

evil is not a thing, but an entity, a being; origin of evil is not the creator but the creatures freely choosing sin and selfishness; need to solve problem in practice, not just thought or theory; all powerful and all loving god, but evil exists . . . controversial

Prophet

a person who speaks for a divine being; 

Covenant

a promise or agreement or contract; lots of convents i.e. abrahamic

Exodus

mass departure of isralietes from slavery in Egypt; under command of Moses; giving 10 commandments and building tabernacle

Christianity and its Major Branches

theism (islam, buddhism, christianity); Christianity splits into Eastern Orthodox, protestantism, and catholicism (jesuits)

Ignatian B.U.T

Be aware, Understand, Take action(accept/reject); step backwards before you step forward; crucial for decision making 

Facts, Opinions, and Beliefs

Fact: can be verified or proved based on hard evidence and correspond to reality; Opinions are statements of preference or taste (subjective); 

Martin’s Six Paths

1. belief: cradle christians, gives life meaning, but stagnations

2. independence: separate from organized religion, fresh perspective, but perfectionist (might not find perfect fit)

3. disbelief: no belief, critical minds, but closed view

4. return: fall away from faith; NO EXPLICIT BENEFIT/PITFALL

5. exploration: trying out different religions, might find it, but lack of commitment

6. confusion: hot and cold, growth, but laziness

Looking At vs Looking Beyond

sees beam of light; steps into it to see beyond it; step into beam of light to see beyond it; to truly understand something need objective and subjective thinking - need to look at beam to understand it, need to look into beam to see where it comes from and see beyond it

Seven Tips for Jesuit Education

cultivate wonder, try it, make friends with the words ‘I don’t know’, read books, exercise, open your door, practice rigorous gratitude, fail

Failing (7 tips for jesuit education)

anything that is truly worth doing is worth failing at;

Asking Questions (7 tips for jesuit education)

I don’t know . . . and I need to find out

Initial Purpose of the Jesuits

initial purpose of jesuits was missionary organization, education, stop protestants

Sources of Theology

objective sources: bible, tradition, and reason

subjective sources: experiences

Criteria for New Testament Books

authorship, orthodoxy(common ground), antiquity(older, the better), use in worship, adaptability

Factors for Scriptural Interpretation

genre(history, wisdom . . .); historical and literary context

Scriptural Reference System

versification: biblical book, chapter, verse; provide clarity and context and deeper understanding by linking related messages

Biblical Creations Accounts (differences and similarities) (genesis 1 and 2)

genesis 1: ordered creation of world, humankind created all at once, doesn’t mention eden; describes God as powerful, source of everything and everything is intentional

genesis 2: different order of creating things; men were created before women; god is father figure, gave free will, more relational

Theological Methods for Scripture Reading - Canonical

interpret biblical text in context of entire bible rather than in isolation; prioritizes final form, not history of text; look for patterns throughout bible

Theological Methods for Scripture Reading - Christological

interpret bible with Jesus as central lens, fulfilling his life, death or resurrection; foreshadowing Jesus life in old testament

Theological Methods for Scripture Reading - Literary

analyze text form and style to understand meaning; rhetorical analysis

Effects of Sin (Ethics & Ecology) 

sin is the disruption of a relationship;

Freedom and Finitude (Niebhr) 

evil is result of limitation (don’t have everything so have to steal); but free will also makes us evil; must place faith in power greater than ourselves

Teleological Ethics 

judges morality of an action based on outcomes or consequences rather than intentions behind it

God’s Unconditional Covenant to David 

eternal promise from god to David to establish kingdom from his lineage; Jesus Christ sits on throne eternally;

Augustines Confessions - Key Points