Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy:

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Domenic Weaver
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2 Peter Kreeft, Professor of Philosophy: common charge against Christianity that it is exclusivistic, intolerant, narrow-minded, elitist, snobbish, self-assured, self-righteous, bigoted.

Madalyn O Hair (trailblazing America Atheist in 1960-85) Christianity is intolerant, antidemocratic, anti-sexual, and anti-life. It is anti-woman, and I cannot stand that.

3 Madalyn O Hair (trailblazing America Atheist in ) Christianity is intolerant, antidemocratic, anti-sexual, and anti-life. It is anti-woman, and I cannot stand that. It is anti-everything that is good and human and decent and kind and lovefilled and understanding. I used to have an intellectual hatred for Christianity. I think that is broadening now. I am enjoying hating the whole thing.

4 Understanding Tolerance Today it basically means that we accept all beliefs, views and behaviours as true/equal. Historically and more sensibly, tolerance means putting up with what you find disagreeable of false. This is true tolerance: the admirable ability to treat with friendship and respect those with whom you disagree. John Dickson

5 Summary of Message on The Intolerant God Charges of intolerance against Christianity is based upon a false view of tolerance Truth claims are not necessarily oppressive or claims to power. Truth is unavoidable All communities, churches included, have values, beliefs and norms required of members True Christianity does not impose cultural norms Freedom is nuanced, not simple Love is ultimate freedom, but it constrains us

6 Truth is Unavoidable Frederick Nietzsche: There are no facts, only interpretations. And, Truths are illusions Postmodernist philosopher John Caputo: The truth is that there is no truth. But truth claims are unavoidable. Nietzsche, and other postmodernists and deconstructionists after him are all making truth claims.

7 Truth is Unavoidable Christianity s exclusive claims are not for Christianity but for Christ. Christians, by definition, believe Christ to be God-mademan, God-in-the-flesh. Peter Kreeeft

8 No Community is Completely Inclusive Every Community is by nature excludes some by the need to create boundaries and certain beliefs. A totally inclusive community is an illusion. We can not consider a group exclusive simply because it has standards for its members. Timothy Keller

9 Example: NSW Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby To join you must sign that I support the objectives of the GLRL and agree to abide by the GLRL constitution. These include: GLRL members should refrain from any form of conduct intended to cause any person offence or embarrassment or which may potentially bring the GLRL into disrepute. GLRL members may indicate objection or dissent but should not willfully disregard or willfully disobey any decision or policy directive given by a person authorized to do so.

10 Example 2: VIC Liberal Party To join you must agree: we apply for Membership of the Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division) and agree to be subject to the Party's Constitution and rules of the Party. These include: The Liberal Party welcomes any Australian who shares its values, and would like to participate in the ongoing debate about the best way to achieve these values in the policies of governments Both the NSW GLRL and VIC LP are not being intolerant to require certain beliefs and values, and standards of behaviours on members. It s the same for churches and Christians- they are no intolerant to value and believe certain things.

11 Christianity is not Culturally Rigid African scholar Lammin Sanneh : Christianity answered this historical challenge by a reorientation of the worldview People sensed in their hearts that Jesus did not mock their respect for the sacred nor their clamour for an invincible saviour, and so they beat their sacred drums for him until the stars skipped and danced in the skies Christianity helped Africans to become renewed Africans, not re-made Europeans.

12 Christianity is not Culturally Rigid Historian Andrew Walls: Cultural diversity was built into the Christian faith There is no Christian culture the way there is an Islamic culture which you can recognise from Pakistan to Tunisia to Morocco. It is observably true that Christianity differs, often greatly, from one culture to another. The following slides are not meant to disrespect other faiths, but highlight how Christianity does not have to be culturally rigid.

13 China Muslim men India Africa Iran

14 Saudi Arabia Muslim women Indonesia India China Iran

15 India Buddhists Cambodia USA Tibet

16 India Christians Africa Bethlehem Indonesia China

17 Isn't Mission just Colonialism? No one who has studied mission disagrees that there were some abuses and mistakes made by Western mission practices. However, it is not accurate to say that it was completely negative. Associate Professor, Robert Woodberry: [Protestant missionaries] helped foster conditions that facilitated democracy by spurring religious liberty; by dispersing mass education, printing, and organizational civil society; and by restricting the extralegal use of violence, forced labor, and land confiscation in colonial territories. These reforms undermined elites attempts to monopolize resources and increased their incentives to allow democracy.

18 Secular Views of Freedom No overarching purpose. True freedom is freedom to create your own meaning and purpose Supreme Court USA: the heart of liberty is to define one s own concept of existence, of the meaning of the universe. Atheist scientist, Stephen J Gould: We cannot read the meaning of life passively in the facts on nature. We must construct these answers for ourselves.

19 Secular Views of Freedom Immanuel Kant: an enlightened human being does not look to authority or tradition but trusts in their own power to think for themselves. Today we value the belief that everyone must decide their own moral values.

20 Love is Constrained Freedom Paradoxically, love constrains us and sets us free at the same time. To experience the joy and freedom of love, you must give up your personal autonomy. Freedom is not the absence of limitations and constraints, but it is finding the right ones, those that fit our nature and liberate us. Timothy Keller

21 Summary Charges of intolerance against Christianity is based upon a false view of tolerance Truth claims are not necessarily oppressive or claims to power. Truth is unavoidable All communities, churches included, have values, beliefs and norms required of members True Christianity does not impose cultural norms Freedom is nuanced, not simple Love is ultimate freedom, but it constrains us

22 The God Christians Believe in Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death and the worst kind of death at that a crucifixion. Php 2:5 8.

Series: The Reason for God Title: Christianity is a Straitjacket

1: Series: The Reason for God Title: Christianity is a Straitjacket I. INTRO Quid Est Veritas (What is Truth?) II. Christianity is a Straitjacket a. Christianity looks like the enemy of social cohesion,