Liberation theology

common (Mott, 2017). However, arguments and debated over the existence of God have been controversial for long time. William Paley, a leading philosopher, presented the design argument for the existence of God in his most important work, “Natural Theology” (Rea, 2014). The design argument is the view that the universe must have an intelligent designer as a watch needs a watch designer. David Hume, another famous skeptic philosopher, presented the classic critique of the design argument in his…

This essay will outline Cullison’s sacrifice argument against the problems of divine hiddenness. It will then show that this argument does not work, as a world in which true human sacrifice is possible is not a better world than one where God is not hidden. I will refer to the former as a ‘Godless World’ and the latter as a ‘Godly World’. There are three themes which this essay will address: true human sacrifice, two potential worlds and human freedom. I will conclude that a ‘Godly World’ – even…

Can Satan be said to have self-knowledge, as he seems to in Book IV? Is it possible for one to know oneself when one has rejected God and one's own creatureliness? If we are to accept that Satan "has self knowledge," we must define this self- knowledge: what does is mean to know one's self? By knowing one's self, does one better understand one's essence, or does one better understand one's emotions and the causes of one's state? In short, is Satan's self-knowledge of his emotions and responses,…

Kevin Vanhoozer shares some affinity with Barth and Placher as well. His separation of theology and ethics I find most interesting because his premise, that scripture and its subsequent doctrine can best be understood as a script for dramatic performance. And yet somehow Vanhoozer separates the script and its performance, suggesting at various points throughout his book The Drama of Doctrine that both stand on their own. In Vanhoozer’s narrative approach, God the director is also the…

Relative to theology, Xavier’s Mission statement runs parallel to the mission of theology; a mission to “create a more just and humane society”. As theology serves as a medium between society and the church, Xavier also mediates between the institution and society. In order to understand the function of Xavier’s mission, we must first gain insight into the function of theology. By first grasping a clear understanding of theological function, we may compare the utility of critical reflection in…

and therefore there must be a being who designed it: God. Aquinas describes everything to achieve their end “not fortuitously, but designedly”. This argument for design qua regularity was also spoken about by William Paley in his book ‘Natural Theology’. In particular, he considered the motion of the planets in the solar system, and concluded that they must have had a designer. The relationship between and the effect of gravity on the planets could not have come about without a designer; even…

The argument from evil, supposes that because there is evil in the world, God therefore cannot be omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. These characteristics are used to describe the essence of the God of Christianity, so according to the argument from evil, God does not exist. Because if He did exist as an all-powerful, loving being, He would not allow such evil to prevail. So, does the fact of evil make it irrational to believe in God? No, the fact of evil does not make it irrational to…

In Is God a Moral Monster?, Paul Copan describes how wonderful and loving God is while fighting off the accusations of God being a monster by the New Atheists using the Old Testament. One major point made by Copan is the question of how truly loving or terrible God is. Throughout the Old Testament God shows many different sides. He can be a caring God, or He can be a scary God. There are times when God shows mercy and then there are times that seem like he is letting terrible things happen to…

The Fall “Human Beings are not designed to be alone. None of God’s creatures are,” Chely Wright. This quote means that you are never alone. This is a lesson I learned on a cool summer night in 2013. It was the summer before 4th grade. I was sleeping over at my friend Maddie’s house just a third of a mile down the street from mine. After dinner, we decided to go for a ride on scooters around the neighborhood. It was a beautiful night, cool and quiet. We had stopped at a small spot where we hung…

Theist’s claim that God created the world and continues to support and uphold. Theists also believe that God is perfectly good, all – knowing and all- powerful. But how could there be a God if there is evil and suffering in a world that was created by God? God is said to be perfectly good, all-knowing, and all-powerful. So if God exists then how is there both moral and natural evils in the world? This problem of evil is a very important issue and needs to be solved. The Problem of Evil can be…