​IB Exam Material

(Sacred Texts) Authority and Importance for Christians

By Catherine Sanchez

            In Roman Catholicism, the Bible is held as the sacred text. Catholics believe that Scripture and apostolic tradition are authoratative in their lives. This rule of faith is further supported by the Second Vatican Council’s document on Dei Verbum, “…merge into a unity and tend toward the same end”. This quote describes the understanding that scripture and apostolic tradition go hand-in-hand when discussing the authority as seen in the Roman Catholic Church. The importance of the Bible is collectivized in these four phrases: God’s inspired Word, the Bible Is True, demonstrates ways in which to have a personal relationship with God, and challenges followers to share and spread the Good News. The nature of the Holy Scripture is said to be in a friendly tone to invite mankind to learn about His revelation. The Vatican Council, an exemplar of apostolic tradition, states in the Dogmatic Constitution on Dei Verbum that, “All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproving…”. The Bible is also true, therefore playing an important role in aiding Catholics practice in the name of God. The Vatican Council reiterates that “books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching firmly, faithfully, and without error... for the sake of our salvation”. In addition, the Bible demonstrates ways in which a personal relationship with God is created; reading the Bible frequently allows followers to get to know Jesus. This relationship is important because it demonstrates man's desire to  know Jesus better, in hopes of understanding the world better. In the the book of John, Chapter 17, Verse 3, “And this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”, the importance of creating/maintaining a personal relationship with God is signified. Lastly, the Bible is of importance to Catholics because it stresses followers to challenge themselves to share and spread the Good News, “Go into the World and preach the Gospel… He who believes will be saved…” (Mark 16:15- 16).

            Evangelical Lutherans hold the Bible as their central sacred text, and rely on it solely for authority, sola scriptura. ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Lutherans view the Bible dialogically, meaning that the Bible should be something conversational. It is a held belief that the Bible was never meant to be read monarchically because of the numerous versions of the Bible, as well as the numerous depictions of Christ. The contradictions within the Bible actually reveal a truth about God, which is that His truth and Being is more complicated than imagined. This idea and interpretation of the Bible allows for ELCA Lutherans to interpret the Bible personally and apply its meaning to everyday occurrences. The “Word of God” interpretation of the Bible, according to ELCA Lutherans, is honest about the limitations of the Bible as well as God’s involvement in the creation of the Bible. Their view is that the authorship was inspired by God but interpreted through human culture, the subject matter contains theological truths, and the interpretation is historical- metaphorical. Overall, ELCA Lutherans believe in Sola Scriptura, instead of humans, tradition, scholarship, and experiences.

Works Cited

"The Lutheran Confessions and the Bible." The Bible and the Book of Concord. KNF & Associates, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Myers, Jeremy, Dr. "Lutheran Theology: How Lutheran’s Read the Bible." Lutheran Theology: How Lutheran’s Read the Bible (n.d.): n. pag. Elsa Youth Ministry Network. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

"Tracts." Scripture and Tradition. 1996-2016 Catholic Answers, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

"Why You Need to Read the Bible." A Roman Catholic View. SOON Ministries, 22 Oct. 2010. Web. 13 Apr. 2016. 

London Woodruff- Ecumenism

          Ecumenism is significant in guiding the laws of Christianity surrounding ethics and moral conduct. For Christians, "Ecumenism is the effort to achieve unity among all Christian churches both through and beyond creed, cult, ethnic diversity, cultural tradition, and church polity" (Flinn).  Because of this definition, Ecumenism falls under the religious characteristic of ethics and moral conduct. Ethics are values or beliefs within a religion. For Christianity, these ethics are outlined in the Bible and for the purpose of Ecumenism, this sacred text has been interpreted to provide an outline of moral instruction given in the text. The councils that had these meetings on how to interpret the scripture worked "to preserve the 'one, holy, catholic church" (Flinn). This statement of the church being in unity is called the Nicene Creed. Although there are different denominations, Protestants have made many efforts toward ecumenism because "a unity in Christ and the fellowship of the spirit is deeper than our divisions" (Flinn). The importance of ecumenism comes from the definition of the church, which is "the community of all Christians" ("Christianity"). Most of these meetings being spoken about were called Ecumenical Councils. The Protest Reformation was a western European movement whose goal was to change Catholic church practices so that the Church can be easily accessed to all and not just certain or specific types of people (McKim). The reformations are listed below.

•    The primary source of knowing God is Scripture.

•    Salvation due to the grace of God.

•    This is if the person has faith in Jesus Christ as Holy and the Savior.

•    Simply the gathered community of God's people is the Church.

•    The belief that the Gospel of Christ should be taught and spread.

•    "Believing that God is all loving and inclusive, and calls on the church and its members to do the same"

(McKim)

            Coming together in unity of the church under Christ is one of many answers to the question of how do we get to where we are going. Described briefly in order to understand and answer how we get there, where we are going is the afterlife of either heaven or hell. Heaven being a form of paradise in union with God and Hell being the opposite in separation from God. The source of instruction on how to get there is the bible, which is the word of God. In how to behave, Christians have the Sermon on the Mount in which "love is depicted as being the fulfillment of the Law" (Hattstein). This idea that love fulfills the Law of the Lord validates the importance and purpose of ecumenism. If love can get one to where they are going spiritually, living in unity with all other Christians is essential. Protestants live according to faith in the Holy Scriptures as a source in order to get to heaven, but Catholics believe that spreading the word of God is the key to fulfilling the law. The early Church Believed that "The 'apostolic faith' and belief in baptism ensured unity" (Hattstein). This is because Baptism is the welcoming of people into the Christian Church.

Word Count: 514

Works Cited

"Christianity." World Religions Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, et al. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2007. 119-149. Student Resources in Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

Flinn, Frank K. "ecumenism." World Religions Online. Infobase Learning. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

Hattstein, Markus, and Chris Charlesworth. "Christianity." The Story of World Religions. Köln, Germany: Köneman, 2005. 72-93. Print.

McKim, Donald K. "Christianity: United Church of Christ." Worldmark Encyclopedia of                                     Religious Practices. Ed. Thomas Riggs. 2nd ed. Vol. 1: Religions and Denominations. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2015. 355-363. Student Resources in Context. Web. 14 Apr.2016.

Serena Saunders--Authority of the Church

What is the nature and significance of the authority of the Church?

            The Church is a central part of Christianity, relating back to two religious characteristics, doctrine (as in, a denomination’s important beliefs about authority) and religious experience (some Christian denominations believe that the Church is essential to experiencing God).  All denominations of Christianity agree that Jesus established “one, holy, catholic and apostolic” Church, per the Nicene Creed, yet differences arise among the denominations in what its authority is and where that authority originates from.

            Catholics’ concept of the authority of the Church is rooted in the papacy, the office of the Pope or the Bishop of Rome. The papacy, Catholics believe, was first founded by Jesus, when he appointed Peter the first head of Jesus’ church: “Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church and I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:18). Thus, the office was “handed down” in what is called apostolic succession, meaning that not only the Pope, but also bishops, have transmitted spiritual authority. This, plus Luke 10:16 (“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”), means that the Pope specifically has infallibility when speaking on spiritual matters. The Pope, and the bishops in turn, therefore have the second-most supreme (after God, of course) authority in the Catholic Church.

            “Protestant churches generally emphasize the Bible and the Holy Spirit above ecumenical councils and church fathers. They are skeptical of assigning spiritual authority to a pope” (red packet). Because of this, Baptist churches do not have a single central authority: there is no essential national or international community of Baptists, so churches function almost independently. Of course, some Baptist churches delegate some of their authority to a higher community, such as the Southern Baptist Convention, but not all do. Baptist churches recognize the lay members as the highest authority figure, meaning that “each individual, local congregation of believers is free to act for and govern itself” (Gage). Therefore, the second-most supreme authority for Baptists is the lay people of individual churches.

Works Cited

"Apostolic Succession." Tracts. Catholic Answers, 10 Aug. 2004. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Gage, Matthew B. "What Does a Baptist Believe?" BaptistBasics.org. N.p., 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

"The Pope." BBC - Religions. BBC, 19 July 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.

Catholic Social Teaching

By Marisol Garcia 

In Catholicism, Catholic social teaching can be defined as a doctrine created by the Catholic Church that involves perspectives on social justice, economics, poverty, and the role in which the church must play in state government. It is often divided into several categories in which Catholics choose to study and follow as a part of the religion. One of the main objectives of Catholic social teaching is to define and protect the dignity of the human person, most commonly by advocating against controversial issues that may endanger those beliefs. For example, abortion, a commonly discussed "hot topic" among many religious groups, women's rights campaigns, and government officials, is considered a conflict to the human's dignity of life and is often spoken out against both in and outside the church. In addition, controversies such as embryonic stem cell research and the use of the death penalty often circulate the mainstream media with opinions coming from the Catholic Church. It is believed that as a Catholic, one must protect the right to live and even defend the potential of life.

Another branch of Catholic social teaching is the belief in one's call to family and the Catholic community. The church advocates for the individual's responsibility to grow a family, as well as join and contribute to a productive community in hopes of strengthening the foundation of what was taught earlier on. This goes hand-in-hand with the expectation of becoming a productive and passionate member of society who is motivated by their belief in God and the Catholic Church. Those who work must be valued and treated with respect, for it is God's work that they are taking the time to do. They are seen as strengthening members of economic society, and are considered valuable assets to the larger community.

Serving the poor and unfortunate is a major part of Catholic social teaching. Many Catholics believe that caring for all of God's creations, whether it be the environment, the animals, or His people, is an important part of the compassionate mindset of the religion. Those who are less fortunate deserve to be treated with care, compassion ,and respect, which is why service is widely known as such a large part of Catholicism. They are entitled to the dignity that God gave them, and should be cared for accordingly. In social teaching, it is often taught that one should practice a mindset of solidarity, the belief that "we are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever." (Seven Themes).

Word Count: 461

Works Cited

"Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching." Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching. USCCB Communications, 2005. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.