Key scholars DCT
Augustine
Augustine- post lapsarian, The Fall, Concordia (pure friendship), Imago Dei, cupiditas (love of self,
changeable things), caritas (love of others), Akrasia (someone acts against better judgement due to
weakness), concupiscence (lust for worldly things).
Pelagius- salvation by merit, free will.
Freud- sex is natural aspect, Augustine omits his neurosis insecurities = damaging for humanity.
St. Paul- divided/paradoxical will, salvation by grace, human nature is corrupt, constant battle with
sin.
B.E.Daley- God empowers us to do what we couldn’t be on our own.
Dawkins- can’t biologically descend from two people, science and scholars, evidence from races.
Death in the afterlife
Luke 23- immediate life after death, ‘today you will be in paradise with me’.
Matthew 24- delayed, ‘no one knows when that day and hour will come’.
Matthew 25- embodied, ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’.
Luke 23- disembodied, ‘into your hands I commit your spirit’.
St.Paul- psychosomatic principle of unity, body, soul, mind are inter-related, our earthly bodies are
spiritually, morally, physically imperfect, heavenly bodies raised in glory = embodied afterlife. ‘Sown
in weakness, raised in power’.
The book of Daniel- ‘earthly life is God’s apparent injustice’.
Heaven
Williams- the boredom of eternity in heaven.
Rahner- limited earthy life’s gives them meaning.
Ribeiro- loose personal identity, incapable of pain/emotions.
Schleiermacher- can’t be eternally happy with knowledge of those doomed in hell.
Election
John Calvin- only 144 000 Christian’s are predestined – limited
St. Cypriot- outside the church = no salvation – limited
Barth- Jesus brought salvation for whole world, people are only saved if God chooses, as he chose to
send Jesus, salvation still depends on people choosing Jesus- open to all, not all reach it – unlimited.
Hick- pluralist, God is a God of ultimate love, all will be saved – universalism.
Knowledge of God
Revealed Theology
John Calvin- Jesus is the mirror and mediator of the divine.
Karl Barth- Jesus is the point of contact. Bridge to epistemic distance.
Natural Theology
Bruner- we have the potential to live in Gods image (despite Fall), cannot know all from NT, but
complements our knowledge.
John Calvin- nature is a clear point of contact. The natural world is a mirror of God and theatre for
the display of divine attributes. Principle of Accommodation (nature is an understandable medium to
us)
St. Paul- The Unknown God.
Cicero- Universal consent argument (all people of different religions and cultures belief in God)
Barth- human nature too sinful to find God on our own, idolatry (people think they can see God).
Jesus
Robert Van Voorst- Denial of Jesus is virtually impossible.
Augustine
Augustine- post lapsarian, The Fall, Concordia (pure friendship), Imago Dei, cupiditas (love of self,
changeable things), caritas (love of others), Akrasia (someone acts against better judgement due to
weakness), concupiscence (lust for worldly things).
Pelagius- salvation by merit, free will.
Freud- sex is natural aspect, Augustine omits his neurosis insecurities = damaging for humanity.
St. Paul- divided/paradoxical will, salvation by grace, human nature is corrupt, constant battle with
sin.
B.E.Daley- God empowers us to do what we couldn’t be on our own.
Dawkins- can’t biologically descend from two people, science and scholars, evidence from races.
Death in the afterlife
Luke 23- immediate life after death, ‘today you will be in paradise with me’.
Matthew 24- delayed, ‘no one knows when that day and hour will come’.
Matthew 25- embodied, ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’.
Luke 23- disembodied, ‘into your hands I commit your spirit’.
St.Paul- psychosomatic principle of unity, body, soul, mind are inter-related, our earthly bodies are
spiritually, morally, physically imperfect, heavenly bodies raised in glory = embodied afterlife. ‘Sown
in weakness, raised in power’.
The book of Daniel- ‘earthly life is God’s apparent injustice’.
Heaven
Williams- the boredom of eternity in heaven.
Rahner- limited earthy life’s gives them meaning.
Ribeiro- loose personal identity, incapable of pain/emotions.
Schleiermacher- can’t be eternally happy with knowledge of those doomed in hell.
Election
John Calvin- only 144 000 Christian’s are predestined – limited
St. Cypriot- outside the church = no salvation – limited
Barth- Jesus brought salvation for whole world, people are only saved if God chooses, as he chose to
send Jesus, salvation still depends on people choosing Jesus- open to all, not all reach it – unlimited.
Hick- pluralist, God is a God of ultimate love, all will be saved – universalism.
Knowledge of God
Revealed Theology
John Calvin- Jesus is the mirror and mediator of the divine.
Karl Barth- Jesus is the point of contact. Bridge to epistemic distance.
Natural Theology
Bruner- we have the potential to live in Gods image (despite Fall), cannot know all from NT, but
complements our knowledge.
John Calvin- nature is a clear point of contact. The natural world is a mirror of God and theatre for
the display of divine attributes. Principle of Accommodation (nature is an understandable medium to
us)
St. Paul- The Unknown God.
Cicero- Universal consent argument (all people of different religions and cultures belief in God)
Barth- human nature too sinful to find God on our own, idolatry (people think they can see God).
Jesus
Robert Van Voorst- Denial of Jesus is virtually impossible.
