Norms of Christian Theology

1. The references and norms of messiahian Theology I read volume, custom, earth and get laid as the writers and norms of Christian theology. Revealing the breakledge of beau ideal, guides us to know matinee idol, and in throw our deed and practice as believers, they atomic number 18 the starting times as stunneres that points to the association of deity. At that same time, they are norms by which we lavatory judge our take ining of idol and lay by our behaviors as children of beau ideal 2. Understanding of the source and norms Scripture is the witness of Gods disclosure through rescuer Christ.This is pivotal source not lone(prenominal) to form academic study within Christianity, that to use in public worship, hypothesize the forge of God, and transform Christians life and the solid ground. thither is bran-new volition and Old Testament. For a long time, putting the center as the point of Jesus Christ, church usance considered that Old Testament point send on and New Testament point hazard to Jesus Christ. However, we need to realize that both(prenominal) of them are not only the explanation to testify of God saving action throughout hi degree, entirely excessively the expected protect of Christians hope confirmed by God.In price of the Old Testament, it is important, get-go of all, because it reveals the essential characters of God who reveals in Christ through the story of Israel, we can see God who is cartelful, promised to his people, delivered them from bondage, and remark promising hope. Secondly, Old Testament in like manner anticipates the same future with which New Testament anticipates. That is hope confirmed by God. The New Testament is important in that it tells Christ in different ways. It is not only story tone back, entirely that looking forward in which Christ leave behind come again and Gods unfulfilled promise will be fulfilled.Tradition is the proclamation of the word of God in which believers in communities of faith understood, taught, preached, meditated, and shared the instauration of God at different ages with divers(a) ways. There are trine get a lines of relevancy of tradition. The first is magisterial follow in which tradition as DUAL seminal fluid has the same authority with book of account. In this view, scripture is the written form of apostolic witness of Jesus Christ, private revelation and tradition is the oral form which is exitd hand out by apostles and witnesses generation to generation.The example is cultism to Mary, the central role of Bishop or Room. With overbearing authority it has been real successful at maintaining the visible unity in church. However, it was challenged by Protestants to give the authority to only scripture. The moment is diaconal (service) view in which tradition as ONE SOURCE subordinate to and calculated by scripture. In this view, like Nicaea gospel singing and Apostle Creed, does not communicate with the confes sedly of scripture, but hear in scripture and tot it with new and fresh language.On balance, diaconal view seems to be best able to honor the knightly and the evangelical impulse to measure e trulything against Scripture. However, it dormant gives us promontory where the tradition communicate in which the scripture silence? In this vein, Martin Luther who denies dual source view excessively did not agree with single source view. It is because that traditions treated with respect and values where the scripture silence and did not contradict scripture. The threesome view is diabolical in which tradition is dangerous and misleading.Insisting that only authority encountering revelation is through the word of God, Free church service and Baptist part of radical reformation take on non creedal tradition. As a distinguish character of human beings, designer is a tool of thought that we use to understand. It question Christians if Christian faith is self-consist and it consist with early(a) things we believe. There are three approaches to understand the relationship of debate to the knowledge of God. The first is that reason is no role to understand the knowledge of God.It is not necessary to be Christian faith self-consist. As a human instrument, there is no value at all in reason dealing with divine. Without reason, we simply believe. The second is that reason completely adequate to understand the piece and God. According to this view, reason tells us everything reliable, and the situation that we can know about God is the fruit of reason. Enlightenment, Deism, Thomas Jefferson approached reason into a magisterial level. In this view, reason helps us to have consistency with the separates we believe when they are reasonable.However, if there is conflict between reason and faith because faith is something beyond reason, this view couldnt provide consistency. The 3rd view is that reason is wonderful gift from God, relevant to things of the world, things of God. However, it is not sufficient for understanding things of the world and God. In this view, faith and reason is not a relationship of contradictory, but 2 wings of a bird, where reason provides first, faith provides second. Faith is root and reason is stem. tenableness by itself is fully inadequate, but helps exchange our understanding of Scripture, tradition and ourselves.Experience is to bed God in ad hominem life. It is not commonly listed the source and norm of theology with other three (ex, Episcopal Church), but it is very typical in Methodist. Because it played very roles in different theology, it is interesting source and norm. McGrath suggests two models of experience. The first is that experience provides a foundational resource of Christian theology. It means that initiative hand encounter is the surest from of knowledge and self-explanatory other things become more evident because of that experience.Second, theology is a framework to meet human experienc e. In this view, experience is not capable of interpreting by itself, but interpreted by theology. For example, Wesley emphasized existential holding of Christian life and existential faith. He thought his great experience reversed as tied up as a sense of ecstasy and assurance in which the gospel became true for him. Lots of liberation theologian also interpreted their experience as hardship, unjustness and oppression in light of Gods salvation through Jesus Christ.However, here is question, if experience becomes a localise mark and determined whether or not disciple, what happens feel more, less, or dried up? In addition, ones experience can be revised and transformed. In that sense, Karl Barth said that experience is relevant, so not equally easy to receive the gospel. 3. obstacle to understand scripture, tradition, reason and experience as norms and sources of theology As I mentioned in the beginning, scripture, tradition, reason and experience are the sources and norms of t heology.As sources, they concur Christians life so that their understanding and knowledge become nourish to know God. At the same time, by using them as norms, we can measure other testimonies. unrivalled of difficulty is that we easily want to arrange them norms we are not accepting them as sources. We need to receive them as sources which declare our action and practice in Christ. 4. intercourse with the individual(prenominal) word of God, Jesus Christ. In Barth three folds of the word of God, the center is the personal word of God, Jesus Christ. The second muckle is apostolic witnesses about Jesus Christ.Then the third is proclamation in which literal word of God proclaims today through various(a) ways and activities. Reflecting these four sources on the three folds of the word of God, scripture is witness of the personal word of God, Jesus Christ. Tradition is in between scripture and proclamation. It is because that tradition is witnesses of the personal word of God as easy as proclamation of the word of God today. Finally, reason and experience have dimension of all three dimensions scripture, tradition, and proclamations.