Tuesday Sept 18 lecture

Here are the study questions from Tuesday's lecture. They cover the video we didn't watch and the essay we didn't read. If you know these and the study questions for the Intro test (some are duplicates) you should be ready for Thursday's test.
Happy studying!

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST
1. What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?
An ambassador is a representative between two parties. Christians are God’s diplomats to the world. Our actions and attitudes reflect our Savior. When we are argumentative, lazy, ignorant, selfish, or just outright sinful, these actions and attitudes reflect badly on God. We are communicating to the world the perceived character of God in us. Every Christian is an ambassador for Christ right now. The question we need to ask ourselves is what kind of an ambassador are we?
2. What does it mean to reconcile and be reconciled? What can we learn from 2 Corinthians 5:20? What are three key elements for being an effective ambassador for Christ?
As Christians, we have been reconciled to God through Christ. This means our separation from God by sin has been restored. We are now a new creature with new attitudes and actions, loyal subjects to our God and Savior. Now that we have been reconciled, we are to go out and tell others of reconciliation with God. As his ambassadors, we should exhibit his qualities and demonstrate his ability to transform human beings. Second Corinthians 5:20 states that “we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were speaking through us; we beg of you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” Within the larger context of verses 18–20 the world “reconcile” is used five times: • God reconciled us to himself through Christ • We have been given the ministry of reconciliation • God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself • God has committed to us the word of reconciliation • We are ambassadors for Christ begging others to be reconciled to Christ. Three key elements for being an effective ambassador: 1) knowledge, 2) wisdom, and 3) character.
3. What does it mean to have knowledge while being an ambassador for Christ? Is the purpose offensive or defensive? How do we get knowledge of the answers?
Having knowledge means having an accurately informed mind. If we are to be ambassadors for Christ and to reconcile the world to him, we must know something about both God and the world. Without knowledge, we have no means to communicate to the world and no means with which to distinguish the ideas of the world from those of God. Therefore, Paul informs Christians that they are to use knowledge both defensively and offensively. Defensively, we are not to be “taken captive” by the ideas of men. Offensively, we are to inform others of the truth (Colossians 2:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:5 respectively). This is a battle for hearts and minds, and our spiritual weapon is truth. The knowledge of the answers is found within the Bible. The best way to learn these answers is to study the Bible. However, Christians today make at least two mistakes in the way they study the Scriptures. The first mistake is treating the Bible like a Ouija board. Christians take passages written at a specific time, to specific persons, for a specific message and re-apply the words (devoid of their original meaning) to themselves, claiming God gave them this passage. This practice is relativism, an idea prevalent in our society. This is just the type of false philosophy that Paul warned the Corinthians against. The second mistake, which is much more easily committed, is merely taking a verse out of context and misapplying its message. The best way to avoid this mistake is to read a verse within its larger context. It is sad, but while Christians know many Bible verses, they have no idea what the Bible actually says. The knowledge of the questions comes from the world. Just as the Bible was written within a context, today people have questions and explanations about reality that come from their own context—issues relating to Postmodernism, Islam, Christianity, evolution, homosexuality, abortion, etc. To discover these questions, Christians must engage others within their culture in an understandable way.
4. What does it mean to have wisdom while being an ambassador for Christ?
Wisdom is having the ability to present truth in an artful manner. This is done in at least two ways. First, find a creative way to communicate. For example, rather than telling someone they are a sinner, you can ask him or her questions to reveal this truth. By asking questions, we avoid seeming judgmental. By asking questions, you force the other person to think through the issues and come up with the truth on their own. A second component to wisdom is being able to present a clear message. In our culture, this means not speaking in Christianese, but rather presenting truth in words that the average unbeliever is capable of understanding.
5. What does it mean to have character while being an ambassador for Christ? Character is the balance between two extremes. Some Christians are so nice that they offend no one. Others are so aggressive and uncaring that they offend everyone. As Christians, we should not shy away from the truth (which can be offensive), but we do want to be as kind and considerate as possible. In fact, the Bible instructs us to be gentle and reverent (1 Peter 3:15) and to be patient and not quarrelsome (2 Timothy 2:24–25). It is also a good idea to abandon trite and culturally ambiguous Christian language. Within Christianity we have developed our own lingo that many unbelievers cannot comprehend. Moreover, some Christians come across as being “overly-Christian” or “annoyingly-Christian.” These Christians don’t seem normal to the world at large, and unbelievers can’t take their Christianity seriously. Another good character trait to learn is humility, specifically being able to admit that you may be wrong. If you are trying to convince someone else that they are wrong, then you must be equally willing to admit that you might be wrong. Obviously, Christians believe Christianity is true, but pure dogmatism will get us nowhere with others. Likewise, we should be willing to admit that those we disagree with at times have good points and valid concerns. Being able to connect and identify honestly with others makes a better Christian ambassador than hardheaded stubbornness.

TOTAL TRUTH
1. What is meant by the assertion that “politics tend to reflect culture, not the other way around?”
It is a common misconception that the most effective place to promote change is from the seat of a public office. While laws usually reflect the general consensus of the people, they rarely change that consensus. In fact, many Christians today are unaware that they can change culture through the business of everyday life. Nancy Pearcey cites the example of a Christian lawyer who was told by a Washington–area ministry leader, “You can either stay where you are and keep practicing law, or you can come to Washington and change the culture.” What this person and others fail to realize is that we do not cease being Christians in the world at large. This is not to say that Christian influence is not needed in government—but that it is needed in every arena of life. All of us can make an impact for Christ in our everyday lives, occupations, and relationships.
2. How has the concept of truth been divided in modern society?
The concept of truth has been divided into two arenas—facts and values (i.e. private truth and public truth). Facts are believed to come from science, while values are derived from religion. Facts describe the world as it really is, while values simply express individual or cultural preferences.
3. According to our modern society, what are some examples of public and private truths?
Public truth: • The Earth revolves around the sun. • Mount Everest is the highest point on our planet. • The capital of Switzerland is Bern. • Herbert Hoover was the president of the United States of America from 1929–33. • Water is made up of a combination of hydrogen and oxygen.
Private truth: • An intelligent being created the whole universe. • Being involved in a homosexual act is wrong. • The Christian Bible is inspired by God. • Jesus Christ died for the sins of his people. • Jehovah’s Witnesses present a skewed view of Jesus.
4. Why is using the word “values” to describe religious claims a useful strategy for those who endorse the fact/value split?
If proponents of the fact/value split were to openly attack religion, they would not gain much of a hearing because of the current politically correct atmosphere. Arguing for a fact/value split allows secularists to feign tolerance for religious beliefs. Claiming that religion provides a different kind of knowledge (namely values) allows religion to maintain a voice in the private sphere, while effectively banishing it from the public sphere. 5. How might the fact/value split affect the way modern culture understands the nature of marriage and the abortion debate?
If one assumes the fact/value split, then any views regarding how marriage should be defined or restricted must be judged at the level of personal or societal values, rather than fact. For example, to say that marriage should only take place between a man and a woman becomes a subjective opinion. No view on the definition or restriction of marriage can be held up as more correct than any other. If you don’t like gay marriage, then marry another heterosexual but don’t act as if everyone should hold your opinion. If this were a dispute of fact (a scientific matter), then experiments could be performed to settle the question, but it is not. Similarly, when a fact/value dichotomy is applied to the abortion debate, the issue of humanness (that is, being physiologically human) may be placed within the realm of facts. Science tells us that a fetus is human, but the issue of personhood (whether or not a human fetus is a person) is often consigned to the area of values, allowing each person to determine when a fetus is human based on his or her individual beliefs. Those holding to a fact/value split believe this disagreement is about values and not facts. In their minds, this argument is merely over personal opinion, thus Christian “belief” is not taken seriously.