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Chapter 7: “Ethical Proposals and Conclusion” – Part II

 

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Should we work to prevent mass extinctions from happening, or at least lessen its rapid acceleration, or should we let it be and let Nature take its course?

 

We come to the end of the book as we finish off Chapter 7 of Christopher Southgate’s The Groaning of Creation.

 

Please answer one of the following questions:

 

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UPDATE: Chapter 4: “An Adventure in the Theology of Creation” – Part I

 

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Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905 – 1988), Swiss Roman Catholic theologian

 

We had another intense conversation this past Sunday as we began our first dip into Chapter 4 of Southgate’s book.

We discussed topics on God’s passability and suffering, whether or not God could attain new levels of self-actualization, the relationship of the persons within the Trinity, whether or not consciousness exists in inorganic matter, if God created an ambiguous world, and Jurgen Moltmann’s and Hans Urs von Balthasar’s views on kenosis and the Trinity.

Yes, we covered a lot of topics to say the least.

Here are our essays.

 

 

“The Groaning of Creation” – Chapter 4: “An Adventure in the Theology of Creation” – Part I

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Did God the Father grieve when Jesus suffered and died?  If so, then did God change?  Does God change if he suffers?  Can God experience new things?  Grünewald, Matthias “The Crucifixion”, 1515; Detail from the Isenheim altarpiece

 

 

We will cover the first three sections of Chapter 4 of Southgate’s The Groaning of Creation.

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Chapter 3: “Strategies in Evolutionary Theology”

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Are these dolphins engaging in the act of gang rape?  If so, are they culpable for their actions?  Are they sinning?

 

Had a very interesting session this past Sunday.  One of the topics revolved around “when” sin “entered” the picture.

Was it always present in creation or did it emerge around the time anatomically similar homo sapiens did around 200 – 150 thousand years ago?  Or was it around 50 – 40 thousand years ago when when cognitively modern humans came about that sin entered the picture and we became morally aware or conscious of our actions?

If sin was around since the beginning, then are animals culpable of sin?  Are the dolphins above sinning and are to be held accountable for their actions?

Among our group, there still seems to be a prevailing belief that humans are somewhat set apart and distinct from the rest of the animal kingdom.  We are still uncomfortable with being called animals or part of the animal kingdom.

Does being created in “the image of God” make us unique, separate, and above all other creatures?

Here are our essays.

 

 

Chapter 3: “Strategies in Evolutionary Theology”

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Job suffers and mourns alongside Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.  Does God suffer alongside us as well?

 

We will go over Chapter 3: “Strategies in Evolutionary Theology” in Christopher Southgate’s book The Groaning of Creation.

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Groaning of Creation: Chapter 2 – Part II

 

Woodcut, God, Adam and Eve, snake, devil, Fall of Mankind, Genesis 3, 3, creation of the world, Old Testament, Catholic Picture-Bible

“God, Adam and Eve”, Woodcut, Catholic Picture-Bible

 

This week, we will finish up Chapter 2: “Roads Not Taken” of The Groaning of Creation.

We will examine the doctrine of the Fall and see whether or not it comports with evolutionary theory and the theology of Andrew Elphinstone.

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What Does it Mean to be “Saved?”

 

 

When you ask your average Christian or evangelical what salvation means, more likely than not, he or she will respond with, “Jesus Christ died for your sins so that you will enter heaven after death, escape from the fires of hell, and instead spend eternity with Him.”  And normally, they would equate that statement to be the basic meaning of the gospel.

 

However, that seems to be a very parochial understanding of the term ‘salvation’.

 

What did the Bible writers, especially the author of the Gospel of Luke, mean by the term ‘salvation’ or what it means to be ‘saved’?

 

Here’s an essay about the term ‘salvation’ here.

 

 

Views on Propitiation and Universal vs. Limited Atonement

 

sacrificial lamb propitiation

 

Some views on the Reformed theology of propitiation and questions about whether or not there are biblical justifications for universalism (i.e. that all will be saved).

 

Submitted by Michael.

 

 

Does God Change in Response to Suffering? Motlmann, von Speyr, the Cross, and the Suffering of God, the Trinity

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Matthias Grünewald, Isenheim Altarpiece, chapel of the Hospital of Saint Anthony, Isenheim, Germany,       c. 1510-15, oil on wood

 

Undoubtedly, suffering and death changes us in some degree or another.  It’s a given in life.  A death of a close friend, parent, or loved one can profoundly affect the outlook of one’s life.

I can only imagine the unimaginable pain a parent has to go through if their child dies.  It would undoubtedly change the parent’s life.

Is it the same for God then?  Did God change when he experienced Jesus’ death?  Does God himself change in response to suffering, pain, and death?

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