Religion 2023 Essay 6
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Religion
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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6
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Mossimo Tampol
Theology 2200 The Mystery of God
Paul Molnar
20 November 2023
Assignment 6
As discussed in the previous chapters, the understanding of Christian theology as
well as the inner workings of God and the persons of the Holy Trinity, has been heavily
debated among many scholars and theologians. These debates mostly revolve around the
role that human experience plays in knowing God and His works. As a result, it has been
stated that there is a sort of continuity between the Holy Spirit and the human spirit which
is all made possible through God’s own spirit. Furthermore, Rúben Rosario Rodríguez
goes on to describe how the Holy Spirit is found within liberation work beyond the
church, as well as the idea that the Christian Doctrine is based upon such acts of humility
and liberation. “...as noted above, for him one can speak of the continuity between the
human spirit and Holy Spirit by considering ‘Christlike praxis’ with the assumption that
one can recognize ‘the presence of the Holy Spirit in liberating work.’ Because of this,
Rosario Rodríguez thinks that when liberative praxis is joined to a humility that affirms
the hiddenness of God in his revelation, then we would have a theology ‘in which no
tradition speaks with absolute certainty or universal application.’” (Molnar, 236).
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However, in actuality, there really is no form of continuity between the human and
Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit is one and the same with God the Father and Son, Jesus
Christ, and only He can act as our liberator and savior. Human beings are sinners by
nature, but despite this God acts for us rather than against us, and it is through God alone
that we are able to understand the truth of the Holy Spirit. “In other words, we really
know the truth only as we live from our reconciliation in Christ in whom our enmity
against the truth is already overcome.” (Molnar, 237). Additionally, Karl Barth goes on to
describe how Jesus Christ acts as the beginning and end of the Christian Faith, allowing
humanity freedom for both our neighbors and God. The Holy Spirit is what calls us as
God’s creations to use the freedom we’ve been given to continue and contribute to His
good works.
With this in mind, Rodríguez’s arguments, that theological truths should be put to
the test, diminishes Jesus’ significance as the way, the light, and the truth of God. Jesus
was born human acting as the Word of God, then died for our salvation, and rose again
from the dead. “The point to be stressed here is that since Jesus, the crucified and risen
Lord, is himself the very Word of God, the eternal Son of the Father, both Jesus himself
and what he teaches us simply cannot be compared with anyone or anything else if we
hope to attain any correct theological analysis… Karl Barth has claimed that in Jesus
Christ ‘the statement that God is knowable to man can and must be made with the
strictest possible certainty, with an apodictic certainty, with a certainty freed from any
dialect and ambiguity.’” (Molnar, 238). Barth argues that Jesus is the Word of God
incarnate, meaning that the truth of God can never be found anywhere beyond Jesus.
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A more extreme viewpoint of the concept of Liberation Theology comes from
Paul F. Knitter, who argues that in order to be a Christian and spread the work of freedom
and redemption, it is often necessary to recognize and validate other saviors beyond Jesus
Christ, which goes against every Christian ideal and doctrine that reinforces that Jesus is
the one and only begotten Son of God the Father. “...liberation Christology allows, even
requires, that Christians recognize the possibility of other liberators, or saviors, or
incarnations. If liberating praxis is the foundation and norm for authentic divine
revelation and truth then Christians must be open to the possibility that in their dialogue
with other believers they may encounter religious figures whose vision offers a liberating
praxis and promise of the kingdom equal to that of Jesus.” (Molnar, 240). These views
are incredibly flawed as they completely disregard Jesus Christ as our sole savior who
brought about humanity’s salvation through his sacrifice and resurrection. The concept of
revelation in the Christian faith is intrinsically tied to Jesus, the word of God made man.
Additionally, the liberating praxis Knitter speaks of is also flawed, as this concept equates
our just actions with those of God in Word and Spirit which in turn gives more
significance and power to the creation rather than the creator. Additionally, Knitter’s view
ignores the aspect of human sin, equating our Faith to Jesus’ divine and liberating nature
rather than acting as followers of it.
Rodríguez adds to his theories on liberation theology by describing how humanity
can contribute to salvation and liberation through earthly, political, and historical works.
He also describes how the Sacred Scriptures of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are all
alike in that they hold the same ethical concepts in high regard. “By exploring scriptural
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