Unit 3 What is Christianity II: What do Christians Believe?
Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book II, Chapters 1-5; Book IV, Chapters 1-5
Overview
Welcome to Unit 3 of Culture & Christianity, LDRS 375. Suppose a colleague or friend named Ben discovered you were taking a course called Culture & Christianity and challenged you with the following questions.
Ben: “How can you study something like Christianity?”
You: “What’s the problem with studying Christianity?”
Ben: “There are just so many different kinds.”
You: “I’m not sure I follow you. What kinds?”
Ben: “Let’s see now, there’s the Lutherans, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Anglicans, the Mennonites, the Catholics, the Amish, and the Quakers, and I’m just getting started.”
You: “Oh, you mean different Christian traditions. Yes, there are quite a few aren’t there.”
Ben: “Yes, and from what I’ve heard they each have their own teachings which don’t always agree with those of other branches. Every Christian I’ve met is not just a plain Christian. They’re in one of these groups and they believe their group is right and others, well not so much.”
You: “Yes I guess that’s true.”
Ben: “How can you study something that is just called Christianity? Is there even any such thing?”
You: “I hope so since I’m taking a course in it.”
Ben: “I was hoping for a better answer.”
Ben’s question is a fair one, and perhaps one you’ve wondered about too. He would be correct to point out that most, if not all, Christians find themselves in some tradition such as the ones mentioned above. And yes, these traditions have developed their own distinctive emphases of certain points of Christian teaching which are different from those of other Christian traditions. In that case, does it make sense to talk about what Christians, as a worldwide group, believe?
The author of our course text, C. S. Lewis, faced this very question when he was asked to write the book we are reading for this topic, Mere Christianity, and his response to it is worth considering. While acknowledging the different Christian traditions and their individual emphases, Lewis also noted that there is a set of beliefs, teachings which have been held by virtually all Christians at all times as long as Christianity has existed. The term, “Mere Christianity” is one he borrowed from the seventeenth-century English theologian, Richard Baxter, to indicate precisely the beliefs that have been held by nearly all Christians wherever and whenever they have lived.
Two of the most foundational ones are that there is one God and that this God has revealed himself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians of all stripes have embraced both of these beliefs throughout history, and there are a number of others as well. As Lewis put it, mere Christianity “is what it is and was what it was long before I was born and whether I like it or not.” (Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity, New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1952, p. 7).
Lewis emphasized that what he is calling mere Christianity should not be thought of as an alternative to the various teachings or creeds of the different traditions. It is not simply one more creed or tradition. Rather, he compared it to a hallway from which doors open into a number of different rooms. Once you have understood and accepted the foundational teachings of mere Christianity (the hallway), you will then need to open one of the doors and enter one of the rooms (the various Christian traditions).
In this course, our focus is precisely on mere Christianity, and our readings will place a spotlight on a number of teachings which nearly all Christians have embraced. Once we have a better grasp of what Christianity is, which is to say what it teaches and promotes, we will be able to consider our own response to it. We’ll also be in a better position to apply Christian teachings, themes, and principles to the cultural issues around us which is a key focus of this course.
As we move through the course text reading for this topic, we encourage you to ask the following questions:
- Is there really such a thing as merely Christian teaching? If so, what are the four or five most important concepts included in it?
- Is the author correct when he asserts that a Christian does not need to believe that all other religions and faiths are wrong all the way through? Why is this worth mentioning?
- Is it true, as the author asserts, that Christianity, like the rest of reality, is sometimes different, and also more complicated, than we might expect? If so, what does this mean for our understanding of it?
- What does the author mean when he says sometimes things can be in accordance with God’s will in one way but not in another?
As we think through these questions, and process Christian teaching on the issues raised by Lewis, we will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to apply these teachings to the cultural issues we will consider later in the course.
Let’s plunge in. What do Christians believe?
Topics
This unit is divided into 2 topics:
- The Power Behind the Universe Revealed
- The Nature of this Power
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:
- Explain key concepts of Christian teaching such as the Christian concept of God, dualism, free will, and the Trinity.
- Differentiate between begetting and creating.
- Articulate the four steps Lewis describes in which God made Himself known to the world.
- Discuss knowledgeably Lewis’ reasons for believing the theory of dualism does not adequately explain the presence of evil in the world.
- Describe the free will defense Lewis puts forward as one-way Christians explain the presence of evil in the world.
Activity Checklist
Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.
Learning Activities
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Read Book II, Chapter 1-5, of our course text, Mere Christianity, by
C. S. Lewis and reflect on the questions provided.
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Read and analyze the “Wallet Case Study”
- Read Book IV, Chapters 1-5, of our course text, Mere Christianity
Assessment
-
Unit 3 Student forum presentations (20%) and forum interaction
(20%).
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Reflective Learning Journal (20%) – due at the end of the
course.
- Final Project (40%): This project will be handed in to the professor on the final day of class.You should be working with your group through the steps of the project as set out in the course syllabus.
3.1 The Power Behind the Universe Revealed
Have you ever wondered how humankind could know God even if one existed? If you’ve asked this question, you’re not alone. It has been raised by some philosophers and theologians and their reasoning is worth considering. If God exists, they say, then by definition, God is a transcendent and infinite being who is behind, or beyond, our universe. Since we are finite human beings and not transcendent, how could we bridge the gap between us and God? In other words, how could we come to know God even if one were there?
Notice, this reasoning is not atheistic. It does not deny the existence of God but only our ability to know God even if one were there. It’s actually a classic piece of reasoning for agnosticism, the view that whether a God exists or not, we do not, or could not ever know it. An unbridgeable gulf exists between an infinite transcendent being and finite nontranscendent beings like us.
You may be surprised to hear that Christianity actually agrees with this reasoning, at least to a point. The God it portrays is indeed transcendent and infinite, and one which finite humans could not come to know. . .unless, that is, He chose to make Himself known to us. The message of Christianity is that this is precisely what God has done, i.e., revealed Himself to humankind in several ways, the most important of which was in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the very Son of God. For this reason, Christianity has always been known as a revealed religion or faith.
It’s a rather intriguing fact that, for all the alleged difficulty in humankind coming to know an infinite transcendent God, the vast majority of people around the world do embrace the idea of some kind of God or higher power behind the universe. Atheism has always been the minority view.
As you read the course text for this topic, watch for the four steps Lewis says God has taken to make Himself known to humankind. They involve human conscience, stories about a dying and rising god scattered throughout the world over time, a specific nation selected by God to make Himself known to the world, and eventually a particular man who walked around speaking as if he were God. Also take special note of the various ideas people have developed about what this higher power is like, in anticipation of the next topic which will address this question.
There have always been obstacles to belief in God as well and foremost among them is the presence of evil and suffering in our world. Regardless of one’s religion or overall philosophy of life, we all face evil, and one of the first tests of any overarching worldview is its ability to explain, or account for, this harsh reality. How do evil and suffering fit with everything else our religion, or philosophy of life, says about humankind, life’s origins, the nature and foundation of morality, the meaning of life, and the higher power behind the universe?
In our text for this topic, you will see two very different ways people have tried to explain the presence of good and evil, along with Lewis’ assessment of both. One is called Dualism, which involves the existence of two equal and independent powers behind everything, one good and one evil. The other is the presence of human free will. Lewis appears to respect both explanations as serious attempts to explain a difficult reality but, in the end, opts for the free will explanation.
Activity: Read and Reflect
In the first activity, you are asked to read Book II, Chapters 1-5, in our course text, Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. As you read, be sure to take notes in your Learning Journal, defining key terms and explaining key concepts. This will help you as you complete the assessments in this course.
Questions to Consider
After completing your reading, ask yourself these two questions:
-
How does dualism explain the presence of both good and evil in our
world and why does Lewis, in the end, believe it is inadequate as an
explanation
- If the God of Christianity cares deeply about good and evil as Lewis asserts in this reading, then why would he create creatures with free will knowing in advance that they would use it to cause evil and suffering in our world?
Activity: Wallet Case Study
Read the following case study and answer the questions in your learning journal.
You are out for a stroll in a secluded park when suddenly, to your horror, two young men streak across the grass and attack an older gentleman. You freeze, and before you can even respond, they have pushed the man over, taken his wallet, and disappeared into the bushes. You run up to the man who is lying on the ground and, thankfully, while he is shaken, he is not seriously physically hurt.
Later that evening, you take some time to process this frightful event. You realize immediately that the young men were only able to carry out this attack and robbery because they were free agents. They had free will which they used to harm and rob a defenseless older man. Perhaps, you wonder, the world would be a better place if people did not have free will. At least this attack would not have happened. But then you quickly realize that we would also lose other things if free will did not exist, some of which you are not so sure you want to lose.
Questions to Consider
-
How would an advocate of the free will defense answer the following
question in the light of this incident and many others like it: Is the
world better or worse for having humans will free will in it?
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How would someone who disagreed with this free will defense
answer?
- Which of these answers seems like the better one to you and why?
Be sure to take notes on this case, as you may be asked to discuss your thoughts in our synchronous class time.
3.2 The Nature of this Being
If there is a higher power behind our universe who has revealed himself to humankind, as Christians believe, then what is this being like? We saw in the previous topic that the God of Christianity is a personal God who is deeply concerned with good and evil, but can we say more? In the reading for this topic, Lewis will set out some of the most important characteristics of God as portrayed in Christianity.
One of the most well-known is that God is one being who exists eternally as three persons. Christians refer to this as the triune God. This teaching is unique to Christianity and has been the cause of great puzzlement. In fact, plenty of people point to it as the reason for not accepting Christianity. The notion of the trinity seems not merely difficult to grasp but downright incoherent and self-contradictory.
Christians note that the task of describing an infinite God with human language is bound to be difficult and we should not be surprised if the being we describe turns out to be different than we were expecting. They insist, however, that the concept of the trinity is neither incoherent nor contradictory if it is understood carefully. Watch for Lewis’ description of this historic concept in the reading for this topic, and especially his well-known illustration of a cube, to see if it helps you grasp this idea.
You will also come across the terms begetting and creating. This language is used to describe the precise relationship Jesus, the second person of the trinity, has with God the Father. One of the earliest Christian confessional statements, the Nicene Creed, states that Jesus was begotten, not made. What could this mean and why is it important? Watch again as Lewis sets out his own explanation of these two important terms and indicates why they are important.
Welcome to a fascinating read. It’s our opportunity to learn about some of the most important features about the God which all Christians have embraced wherever and whenever they have lived.
Activity: Read, View and Reflect
In this activity, you are asked to read Book IV, chapters 1-5 in our course text, Mere Christianity. In your reflective journal, write the important details from the chapter, key terms, and concepts. You could also create a short outline, or concepts map of what you read, or what you need to remember. This will help you as you complete the Reflective Journal Assessment for this course.
Next, watch the video, “Social Morality”, where C.S. Lewis addresses all the subjects you shouldn’t discuss in polite conversation, if you want to remain friends - Christianity, politics & money!
Assessment
Unit 3 Student Presentations & Forum Interaction
See the Assessment section for instructions on the discussion forum for this unit.
Reflective Journal
Continue to take notes on your learning as read you the course texts. See the Assessment section for instructions, including tips on reading and engagement strategies.
Checking your Learning
Before you move on to the next unit, you may want to check to make sure that you are able to:
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Define key terms, such as the Law of human nature, instinct, and
social convention.
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Explain the concept of a transcendent moral law and why many
Christians believe there is one.
- Articulate three objections to this concept related to differing cultural moralities, human instinct, and social convention, along with thoughtful responses to these objections.