Introduction Luther class Core Texts.pptx

Intro lecture

1. CT 102: Class 1 Martin Luther

2. Things I like: Discussion Having class notes so you know what is one the test Giving evidence to back your beliefs. Readings that are relevant to today (answering the so-what question) Doing the readings Short Lectures Videos Questions of theology and the “big questions” of life. Understanding ideas more than memorizing facts Wrestling with ideas (the goal of the class is for you to think for yourself) A main bias towards “complexity” Things that aren’t fun but necessary: Reading questions Essays

3. Big Questions Human Nature- Are we good? Selfish? Free? Natural World- What is nature made of? Religion- Is there a God? What is God like? How can we know about God? Politics- What is the best form of government? What does equality look like?

4. For every class: Complete reading quiz questions the night before (midnight) Watch video and complete the video quiz until you have a 100 (midnight) For today: Watch video on Luther and complete response question.

5. Church and state should always be separated…we should never use state power to enforce church doctrine or morality). On matters of apparent conflict between science and Scripture, one should always go with the literal meaning of the Bible. True faith means believing something despite having no convincing evidence. For almost any economic problem, the best solution is to let the free market alone sort out the problems. The sciences show that the natural world, at a fundamental level, is nothing more than a big machine (with atoms blindly obeying law of nature). We live in the best possible world that God could produce (the most ideal mix of freedom and love).