Developments in Christian thought…

Developments in Christian thought… Foundations: Knowledge of God’s existence. Jesus Christ. Insight: Augustine on Human Nature. Death and the Afterlife Living: Christian Moral Principles. Christian Moral Action This year.

Knowledge of God’s existence.

? Key terminology Faith Empiricism Natural Theology Protestantism Revelation Immediate revelation Mediate revelation Grace of God Wisdom literature

Faith – voluntary commitment to a belief without a need for complete evidence to support it. Empiricism – a way of knowing that depends on the five senses. Natural Theology – drawing conclusions about the nature and activity of God by using reason and observing the world. Protestantism – a form of Christianity which rejects the authority of the Catholic Church and places greater emphasis on the Bible and on personal faith. Revelation – ‘uncovering’. In theological terms, this is when God chooses to let himself be known. Immediate revelation – when someone is given direct knowledge of God. Mediate revelation – when someone gains knowledge of God in a secondary, non- direct way. Grace of God – God’s unconditional and undeserved gifts. Wisdom literature – a genre of writing from the ancient world, teaching about wisdom and virtue. In the Bible, books such as Proverbs and Job are classified as wisdom literature.

Make a list of 4 things that you know for certain Make a list of 4 things that you know for certain. How did you gain that knowledge? Are some ways of gaining knowledge more reliable than others?

What does this statement mean? Why is it different to the previous 3? Knowledge? I know that 2+2= 4 I know that London is the capital of England I know that A comes before B in the alphabet. D. I know God. What does this statement mean? Why is it different to the previous 3? For many to say “I know God” means that God’s existence is logically true or that God’s existence is a widely held fact.

Read pages 333-334 (blue book) Are some ways of gaining knowledge more reliable than others? Is all knowledge genuine?

How can we gain knowledge of God? Assuming that God exists… How can we gain knowledge of God? Mind map and then pass on. Add notes to each others.

According to Christianity, how can God be known? In many world religions, including Christianity, it is believed that God cannot be known through the five senses, as God is not physical/ is beyond human understanding. So for those who believe that true knowledge is only gained through empirical evidence, God cannot be known at all.

According to Christianity, how can God be known? Equally, if someone believes that true knowledge is gained through reason and logic… This could also lead them to believe that God cannot be known at all, as God is beyond the realms of the rational and beyond the capabilities of the human mind…. Christians do not accept however that empirical evidence and logical reasoning are the only methods of gaining knowledge…

Natural and Revealed theology… Predict: What do you think they are?

Natural and Revealed theology… Natural Theology: Gaining knowledge of God through the powers of human reason and observation… Revealed Theology: Gaining knowledge of God when God chooses to reveal himself to humans directly (e.g. through scripture/ religious experience)…

According to Christianity, how can God be known? Pages 334-345 (blue book) Explain/ summarise Bonaventura’s analogy of the eye. What is the metaphor of “God’s two books”? Is it possible to know God? Why might someone disagree with you?

How can we gain knowledge of God? Assuming that God exists… How can we gain knowledge of God? Mind map and then pass on. Add notes to each others.

Homework What is faith? Why is faith important to Christians? Read the quotes (http://peped.org/philosophicalinvestigations/activity-discuss- quotes-faith/) Answer the questions: What is faith? Why is faith important to Christians? Why is faith necessary?