Chronology

31/ An Age of Drastic Change

· What changes in worldview did the two World Wars bring?

32/ Eastern Christianity

Byzantine Christianity—The Russian Church—Other Eastern Churches

· What are the main differences between the Eastern Orthodox Church and other Christians? Are they real brothers and sisters in Christ?

33/ Roman Catholic Christianity

Benedict XV to Pius XII—John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council—Theological Developments

· Pius XII condemned the Nazis for persecuting Polish Catholics but he was silent about mass execution of Jews by the Nazis. What was his reason? Was he correct in his position?

· What were the main changes in the Catholic church as the result of the Council of Vatican II?

· What were the main teachings of the Catholic theologians: [a] Teilhard, [b] Lubac, [c] Congar, [d] Rahner? Were they Biblical?

34/ Protestantism in Europe

World War I and Its Aftermath—Renewed Conflicts—After the War

· What were the main teachings of Karl Barth, widely recognized as the most important theologian of the 20th-c? Were they Biblical?

· In face of rapid secularization in the western society, what were the answers given by: [a] Bonhoeffer, [b] Moltmann, and [c] Bultmann? Were they Biblical?

35/ Protestantism in the United States

From World War I to the Great Depression—Through Depression and World War—The Postwar Decades

· Is there any Biblical support toward the government’s policies of organizing a system of social security?

· Is there any Biblical support for the emphasis by Norman Vincent Peale on positive thinking as leading to mental health and happiness? How about the modern-day health and wealth gospel?

· Can we support: [a] black theology, and [b] feminine theology?

· Liberals tend to concentrate on the questions of social and international justice, suffering, hunger, oppression, and human rights. Conservatives tend to concentrate on the questions of orthodox faith, moral values, personal salvation, inerrancy of the Bible. Which side is more Biblical? Do we need to emphasize one set of questions to the exclusion of the other set?

36/ From the Ends of the Earth

The Quest for Unity—Mission from the Ends of the Earth

· Should we support and participate in the modern ecumenical movement, such as the World Council of Churches? Is the emphasis of the WCC on political questions Biblical?

· Should we support movements to unite different denominations, such as the United Church of Canada?

· What are the meanings of North-South and East-West confrontations?