MOD 2: REVELATION ESSAY
Johnnie Hamilton
HTH-359 Systematic Theology
October 13, 2013
INTRODUCTION
In this assignment, we are called up on to research these two viewpoints in detail from a non-traditionalists perspective as well as that of McGrath. Finally we will review the effect of general revelation on world religion and how they may be influenced by this viewpoint. In the conclusion we will wrap up what has been learned and the authors viewpoint on all that has been presented.
General and Special Revelation and Non-Tradition Teachings
There are two classifications of revelation and they are “general revelation” and the other, “special revelation.” Mark VandenBerg differentiates the two in this way: General revelation is essentially the creation and history of mankind, the historicity of our beginning, our creation and is seen all around us. One need not be a believer to understand and accept its authenticity. Special revelation goes a lot deeper, it calls upon the believers’ faith for acceptance of what is being revealed because it is God’s reveal, supernaturally as recorded in the Bible (VandenBerg, 2010).
Vandenberg in her article looks on the topic, from a reformation perspective, asserts “the Bible has as its basic premise the idea that God has given human persons two sources of knowledge: nature and the Bible” (VandenBerg, 2010). The non-traditionalist would probably subscribe to this because nature has been substantiated by scientists and anthropologists via scientific discovery. However, with respect to the bible, non-Christians tend to have a problem with the bible because it calls for an investment on the part of the reader to understand that it is God’s revelation through inspiration both direct and divine. Further, the non-Christians would be expected to believe that God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, how then could they ever accept the divine authority of the scripture as being “communication from God to man”...