Author Archives: bmoss

Moss, Team 6, 5/25/16

Posted on by under global christianity

 

 

Jacobsen discusses the four different regions of Christianity in Asia and labels them as Islamic West Asia, Hindu South Asia, Religiously Mixed Southeast Asia, and Buddhist/Secular East Asia. In West Asia Muslims are the dominant population, and Christians make up about 4% of the population today. Most of the Christian population of West Asia are located around the oil-producing Gulf nations. Most of these Christians are immigrants from the Philippines who work as indentured servants and generally treated poorly.   Hindus are the majority in South Asia, and Christians comprise of about 4% of the population. Christians living in Kerala are respected and generally have high social status whereas Christians living in the rest of India are typically Dalits who have no caste and are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Christianity in Southeast Asia makes up about 10% of the population. In Southeast Asia Christianity is overrepresented in the minorities and underrepresented in the majorities. This means converting to Christianity is another way of contributing to minority group identity. In East Asia Christianity is growing rapidly and is approaching 10% of the population. The environment for Christians varies in each country and can hit opposite extremes mainly in North and South Korea. In South Korea Christianity is well accepted, and six of eleven South Korean presidents have been Christian, but communist North Korea is Atheistic and persecutes Christians.

Asian Christian theology is a ‘triple dialogue’ that involves the balancing of Christian convictions with civic loyalty, respect for members of other religions, and concern for the poor. Balancing Christian convictions with civic loyalty leads Christians to realize what is good in their culture and that their culture can work with Christianity. This part is especially important because politics can change drastically, and Christians have a history of persecution. Realizing that one’s own culture can work with Christianity relieves the threat of being assimilated by a different culture. Respect for members of other religions emphasizes respect for other beliefs no matter how different or similar. This is a necessity because of the overlap and variety of religions and sects in Asia.   Concern for the poor is always important in Christian religion being that Christianity is a religion for the underrepresented. If one helps the poor out of a tight spot, they will have new converts.

Asia has a very different way of thinking than the west and it is shown in their interpretation of Christianity. Though Asians practice Christianity differently, the western societies could learn something from it. Asians view the world through the lens of relationships instead of objects. This could be very useful if incorporated in the west. This would help westerners to remember that not everything is so objective. Asian Christians are extremely patriotic and willing to stand along beside those who are different but also willing to stand for their country. Though the west is patriotic, it is hardly tolerant when it comes to patriotism and standing beside someone from a different religion. Finally the west could learn that there is no specific or correct way to practice Christianity. The great part about the religion is that it can be incorporated into almost any culture.

Team 6, Question 2, 5/3

Posted on by under modernism

Due to the increase of transportation of people and ideas during the late 19th century many of the traditional Christian ideas were challenged by new ways of thinking. New scientific studies raised questions about the authenticity of Bible stories, and anything that seemed to be a miracle was to be rejected due to a new methodology. Those who rejected the Christian miracles, but still lived by the morals of Christian thought were referred to as liberals. Liberals attempted to use the new explanations of the world hand in hand with Christian thinking. Their counterpart would be the fundamentalists, who were against the new way of thinking such as evolution. Fundamentalists continued tradition and placed barriers on who was a Christian by the use of five fundamentals: inerrancy of Scripture, divinity of Jesus, the Virgin birth, Jesus’s sacrifice for sins, and his resurrection.

In his speech Fosdick characterizes the modernists as those who accept the new knowledge provided and attempt to use it to help explain their Christian faith. They attempt to find a way to incorporate the new knowledge in their belief. The fundamentalists on the other hand try to ignore the new knowledge and instead began a system with five fundamentals that must be observed.

Fosdick then discusses how the Bible is observed in the two beliefs. The fundamentalists view the Bible as the actual work of God being told to man to produce the Bible. In this view all historical and scientific context remains static and as it is told by the Bible. Fosdick is essentially saying that fundamentalists take a more literal translation of the Bible, and those who follow this view see the finality of the world, which is told in the Bible. On the other side the liberals view the Bible as God unfolding his will on the world from the beginning until the end of Christ. This dynamic view of the Bible allows for the incorporation of new ideas and concepts, and reverting back to a static stake would be devastating.

In his liberal view Fosdick foresees the integration of new ideas into the Bible. This of course would cause problems for the Bible as well as the fundamentalists. The Bible is filled with good teachings but also miracles of wonder that would fall quickly when compared with new science. The reasoning in faith for Christians would be at a loss if the miracles performed in the Bible were proved to be superstition. Then the Bible would have no relevance besides its good moral teachings.

Moss

Team 6, Question 3 (4/14)

Posted on by under catholic reformation

The Spiritual Exercises proposed by Ignatius of Loyola were seen as ways to condition and prepare a person’s spirit for the transition into the Kingdom of Heaven. The ability to prepare one’s soul for the transition is possible because Ignatius differentiates between the material and spiritual worlds. His philosophy is somewhat similar to Luther’s in the way that all worldly possessions, motivations, and corporeal beings are moving through this life to the next and are in need of spiritual cleansing before passing to the Kingdom of Heaven. In order to cleanse a person they need to condition their spirituality with spiritual exercises.

 

In his “Rules for Thinking with the Church” Ignatius is refuting protestant arguments by siding with a more tradition over scripture approach. This is seen in his praise of the Holy Sacraments, confession, and other well-known church traditions such as Lent. While praising tradition, Ignatius also proposes that followers of the church should follow the leaders blindly without question or refutation for it would be more likely to cause a stir than be beneficial. This is shown in rules ten and eleven. His teachings show a Catholic perspective on religious devotion in many ways. One is the praising of church art and what the art represents, which would be considered idolatry to the Protestants. In general his teachings embody how the people should place their faith in the officials of the church in order to have faith in God. Truly this devotion to the church itself allows Ignatius to feel true devotion to god, which is essentially the problem the Protestants had with the church in the first place.

 

Ignatius’s popular teachings influenced the church and led many to follow, and in turn became more connected with the church. During this time the protestant reformation was in full swing with many different and liberal protestant sects forming. These sects could have had many common folk confused on how to worship and who to follow. Ignatius’s monastic upbringing and similar philosophy to Luther probably allowed for a less demanding way of life compared to that of the church. Following Ignatius’s teachings may have been seen as a middle ground. People would of course like to go back to the church that they already know, but a bunch of protestant sects possibly gave better lifestyle choices that seemed foreign or extreme. Ignatius’s teaching probably allowed for people to return to the church with a different viewpoint and way to worship that was less extreme.

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