Foundations of Christianity

1. Foundations of Christianity Jesus and the experience of Christianity:

2. Three Foundational Concepts of Christianity • Narrative - (The story of Christianity) • Incarnation - (The Central Claim of Christianity/Central Mystery of Christianity) • Sacrament – The fundamental concepts of a sacramental theology is necessary for an authentic understanding of Christianity.

3. What about the Bible? • The Bible is a book full of stories that teach us a world view: • It teaches us about God • It teaches us about humanity • It teaches us about ourselves • It tells of God’s creation, God’s character • It shares how God forgives, redeems, etc. • It is a story of Ultimate Truths– The Bible answers fundamental questions such as : • Who are we? (Who am I?) • Why are we here? • Where are we going when this life is over?

4. The Stories culminate in….. • The Incarnation: • God takes on a human existence Scripture culminates in the life and death of Jesus Christ. • To be more specific the life, death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit. • The Incarnation is the person and work of Jesus Christ-God takes on a human existence. According to Christianity, truth embodies a person, Jesus Christ.

5. Incarnation continued • The human existence of Jesus Christ, the bible tells us, brought salvation to the whole world. • his life, death, resurrection, ascension and sending of his Spirit-the Holy Spirit to dwell among us, even to dwell within us. • Every event of Jesus life-from his birth to his ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit is salvific-accomplishes salvation to the whole world. • The Incarnation-God takes on a human existence and accomplishes salvation for the whole world. That is the story of the Bible, after the Incarnation, Scripture takes on commentary, explanation of the Incarnation.

6. The Bible is… • The Bible is the foundation for Christian belief • It is the primary source for what Christian’s believe. • It is the center of Christianity because (Why ?): • it testifies to the Incarnation-the life, death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit. • Now the Bible, as I have said is a book of stories, and we will study this book, analyze and so forth. But the Bible is also a means of grace. It is sacramental in nature.

7. The Bible is (continued) • God uses it to speak to us, to help us grow in our faith. It becomes a means for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. It is an Informal Sacrament. It is a means of grace. • Pope Benedict XVI says, “If you want a living relationship with Jesus Christ, read the bible.” Why? • Because the Bible is sacramental in nature. It becomes a means for us today to experience Jesus Christ and the salvation he brings through the Holy Spirit. In that sense it is a living book, left for every generation to hear the testimony of Jesus Christ. • [Note about Exclusivity: This dynamic is also at work in other religions]

8. St. Augustine of Hippo • Church Father, who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries. His writings carry the greatest of authority in the western church (after the scriptures). • He wrote: “We have heard the fact, let us seek the Mystery” • Mystery in our day is often seen as something that we must solve, like a Sherlock Holmes novel. • But in the history of the Church, especially the early church, Mystery was something to be in awe of, something to contemplate and ultimately to adore (worship). But it also has this connotation of participating in something greater than ourselves. • That is the great mystery of Christianity that we participate in the divine mysterious of our salvation. • The mystery of our humanity

9. Christianity is Existential • My hope for this class is that we not only learn facts, but understand that Christianity is an existential religion. It is meant to be experienced in the here and now. • Remember the general sacramental principle: What Jesus did in his ministry on earth (we read these stories in scripture), He does for us today through his Holy Spirit. • Christianity is meant to be experienced and lived out in the here and now.

10. Class Overview • We will spend a few weeks in the bible, and then we will leave “bible times” and venture into post-biblical times. It will take on a historical survey of Christianity so that we understand how the orthodox understanding of who Jesus is developed in the church, that will lead us into the middle ages, where we will learn how the Catholic Church become an Empire, and took on too much temporal power leading to corruption, we will then learn about the Reformation and the counter Reformation and finally, learn some contemporary forms of Christianity.

11. Class Overview Continued • But all the while we will be discussing Sacraments in a much broader understanding than I think you man have heard before. Understanding Sacrament in this way, help us to understand how Christianity is an existential religion, it is meant to be experienced. For example, as I have said the Bible leads us to Jesus-who is the primordial sacrament • The term is used for Jesus in humanity to show that for Christians Jesus is the foremost personal sign of God’s love, and that to encounter Jesus Christ is to encounter God. • As we delve into scripture these next few weeks, look for these encounters in the stories of Jesus’ life, what happens to people when they encounter Jesus?