I have chosen for, this paper, to operate under the methodology laid out for me in my Theology course. Founding all of my understanding on the Holy Scriptures, knowing it is not only enough, but is in fact beyond sufficient for all pursuits of knowledge. Yet it is apparent upon the study of Scripture to discover that it is in fact not as clear as we would like it to be. I describe the tools for understanding this way. The Canon is the foundation, solid and unshakable, fully sufficient. Upon that is the work of those great saints that have gone before us. It is said that “if we are able to see further than those that have predated us it is simply because of the work they built for us to stand on [Bounds].” Thus we see this great Tradition laid for us of the Consensual theology of the Church, that which is understood everywhere, always, and by all. We look to the past on the basis of the law of “proximal authority,” that is those authors living closest to the days of the Apostles must hold the chief weight of our understanding. Next is the communal convictions of my denominational conviction, or my “small t” tradition. This tradition is found in the teachings of the Wesleyan church, and greatly influences the things I do. These traditions in a sense frame a cognitive house upon the foundation of scripture. I then rely on the logical reasoning of my mental facility, which adds walls and windows to this house. Lastly there is this personal experience, different for every person, which gives the personal nature to every home. All of the other elements can almost be arrived at apart from a person, but it is the experience that really finishes off this analogy. You cannot have understanding without each of these pieces, but I believe that the order is what is essential. It is not any individual point, but the whole process, which I believe if deviated from can have devastating consequences. For instance, if experience is what was foundational, you may arrive at the heresy that all roads lead to God because a family member is not following Christianity, a conclusion that is sorely mistaken. Or if you were to focus on tradition you would be the type of person Jesus preaches against in every message against the lives of the Pharisees. There is an order and a rhythm to understanding that we must learn. This rhythm is known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, and is the hierarchical ordering of these four pieces of methodology. The Apostles' Creed is the principal Tradition text that I will be working with.
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended to the dead.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen
The Creed creates the framework for Tradition, and grants a call to create a comprehensive coherent account of the Christian faith [Bounds]. As traditionally explained the Apostles' Creed is split into twelve articles. Each one has been systematized and will be addressed accordingly. There is a very specific order to the Creed. For instance, God is referred to as the “Father Almighty.” The word Father is the principal modifier to His being almighty, that is, He is first father, and then omnipotent. God's character informs His will. God cannot act against the character of God. We call this “Divine Command Theory,” His character limits His will. The understanding that His power is qualified by His identification as Father, is essential to many of the understandings that will be dealt with, thus we see that the exact wording is important. The history of theology can in many ways be traced back to the widespread memorization, recitation, and examination of the Apostles' Creed. It allows even the most uneducated of people to succinctly communicate orthodox Christian beliefs. While the Creed does not concretely establish the deity of Christ, the full understanding of the Trinity comes to us eventually, and the Apostles' Creed is still the foundational theological text. There are a number of disciplines of Systematic Theology that will be defined as well, although great detail will only be paid to that of Theodicy as it pertains to the understanding of the work of God, bearing in mind that every discipline mentioned is deserving of an entire paper, perhaps later in my life. All of this however, is of naught if not for the call of theology to change the Christian's life, to apply Christian Faith to contemporary life [Bounds]. On that note, it must be understood that the Truth is meant to be interpreted in the context of of community, implying a Christian's right relationship to the Church as essential to their growth.
Theism: monotheistic belief that “conceives of God as personal and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe. The use of the word theism as indicating a particular doctrine of monotheism arose in the wake of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century to contrast with the then emerging deism which contended that God — though transcendent and supreme — did not intervene in the natural world and could be known rationally but not via revelation [Orr, English Deism: Its Roots and Its Fruits, p. 234].”
The Apostle's Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended to the dead.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen
The Creed creates the framework for Tradition, and grants a call to create a comprehensive coherent account of the Christian faith [Bounds]. As traditionally explained the Apostles' Creed is split into twelve articles. Each one has been systematized and will be addressed accordingly. There is a very specific order to the Creed. For instance, God is referred to as the “Father Almighty.” The word Father is the principal modifier to His being almighty, that is, He is first father, and then omnipotent. God's character informs His will. God cannot act against the character of God. We call this “Divine Command Theory,” His character limits His will. The understanding that His power is qualified by His identification as Father, is essential to many of the understandings that will be dealt with, thus we see that the exact wording is important. The history of theology can in many ways be traced back to the widespread memorization, recitation, and examination of the Apostles' Creed. It allows even the most uneducated of people to succinctly communicate orthodox Christian beliefs. While the Creed does not concretely establish the deity of Christ, the full understanding of the Trinity comes to us eventually, and the Apostles' Creed is still the foundational theological text. There are a number of disciplines of Systematic Theology that will be defined as well, although great detail will only be paid to that of Theodicy as it pertains to the understanding of the work of God, bearing in mind that every discipline mentioned is deserving of an entire paper, perhaps later in my life. All of this however, is of naught if not for the call of theology to change the Christian's life, to apply Christian Faith to contemporary life [Bounds]. On that note, it must be understood that the Truth is meant to be interpreted in the context of of community, implying a Christian's right relationship to the Church as essential to their growth.
Theism: monotheistic belief that “conceives of God as personal and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe. The use of the word theism as indicating a particular doctrine of monotheism arose in the wake of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century to contrast with the then emerging deism which contended that God — though transcendent and supreme — did not intervene in the natural world and could be known rationally but not via revelation [Orr, English Deism: Its Roots and Its Fruits, p. 234].”
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