Study Questions for Tillichs, Dynamics of Faith

Chapter 1 1. What is ultimate concern? Can you choose your ultimate concern? Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned: the dynamics of faith are the dynamics of mans ultimate concern. 2. What role does ecstasy play in faith? Faith is ecstatic, transcending both conscious & subconscious minds, without destroying them. In the ecstasy of faith there is an awareness of truth and ethical value. 3. What is the source of faith? Subjective and objective polarity are involved in the source of faith. The subject is concerned about an object. 4. What is an idolatrous faith? Idolatrous faith is still faith. But its false ultimacy is thus resulting in existential disappointment. 5. What is the holy? Where there is faith, there is an awareness of holiness. This awareness of the holy is the awareness of the presence of the divine, which is the content of the ultimate concern. 6. What is the demonic? Is the demonic holy? Demonic is a resembling, or characteristic of demons or evil spirits. The holy is not just that which is morally right or pure... that is the distorted meaning, the limited meaning of holy... but the holy in its original meaning includes the possibility of both the demonic and the divine. 7. What is the relationship of doubt to faith? To certainty? Tillich argues that doubt is included in every act of faith.3 The dynamic concept of faith helps to explain the interaction between faith and doubt. Every act of faith recognizes that there may be a possibility for doubt. 8. What is the relationship of faith to community? Ultimate concern requiring a language, a tradition, to be expressed in symbolic form of some kind. But this means so little without a community. A community must exist in which the language of symbols is meaningful. Chapter 2 1. What is the intellectualistic distortion of the meaning of faith? The intellectualistic distortion is to view faith as "an act of knowledge that has a low degree of evidence."

2. What is the certainty of faith? In faith, certainty is existential. Meaning that the whole existence of man is involved, its an existential problem of to be or not to be. risk and courage to stake ones life on an ultimate concern which may end up being demonic or destructive. 3. What is the voluntaristic distortion of the meaning of faith? The voluntaristic distortion is "faith is understood as an act of knowledge with a limited evidence and that the lack of evidence is made up by an act of will." 4. What is the emotionalist distortion of faith? The emotionalist distortion of faith is mere feeling. Implying that faith is merely a matter of subjective emotions, without a content to be known and a demand to be obeyed. 5. Do you think that these really are distortions, or not? Have you ever encountered one or more of these distortions yourself? Yes because, the Biblical writers considered faith as matter of intellect and Thomas Aquinas, as a matter of will. These two ideas led Schleiermacher to interpret faith as emotion. The word feeling has introduced many people to believe that faith is a matter of merely subjective emotions. Chapter 3 1. What is a symbol? Symbols can be well explained with six characteristics: (i) It points beyond itself, (ii) It participates in that to which it points, (iii) It opens up levels of reality, (iv) It unlocks dimensions and elements of reality, (v) It is not produced intentionally and (vi) It is not invented. 2. Why does faith have no other language than symbols? Mans ultimate concern must be expressed symbolically, because symbolic language alone is able to express the ultimate. 3. What does Tillich mean by saying God is symbol for God? The fundamental symbol of our ultimate concern is God. God is the basic symbol of faith. All the qualities we attribute to him are taken from finite experiences and applied symbolically to God. 4. What is a myth? A broken myth? Myths are symbols of faith combined in stories about divine-human encounters. Myths are always present in every act of faith, because the language of faith is the symbol. Broken myth ... myth understood as myth but not rejected. 5. What is the difference between natural (or nave) literalism and reactive (one could say second) literalism? What is wrong with literalism? Natural literalism

Original, innocent, believing the state of mind. 1. Replace the unbroken myth with the broken myth. 2. Repress questions (half consciously, half unconsciously) and revert to literalism, with the support of authority: e.g., the Church or Bible. Reactive literalism Clings to fundamental, literal acceptance of myth and symbols as concrete realities. Unjustifiable if a mature mind is broken in its personal center by political or psychological methods, split in his unity, and hurt in his integrity. p.53 This is repression and aggression against autonomous thought. 6. Can we live without myths and symbols? No we cant because, symbol & myth are forms of human consciousness, which are always present. Without the literalness of the myth, ones security and certainty seem threatened. One can replace one myth by another, but one cannot remove the myth from mans spiritual life. For the myth is the combination of symbols of our ultimate concern. Chapter 4 1. Tillich describes two aspects of the Holy. Explain how these yield the two basic types of faith (Ontological and Moral). Faith can be divided into two types: ontological type of faith and moral types of faith. Ontological type of faith is nothing but faith here and now. It encounters us in a thing, in a person, in an event. They traditionally are called as sacramental. Moral type of faith is characterized by the idea of the law. God has given the law as a gift and as a command. He can be approached only by those who obey the law. 2. How does our need to reach the ultimate result in tensions between types of faith? 3. What does Tillich recommend as the solution and why is Protestantism potentially dangerous? (Note Protestant Principle) Protestant Principle honoring how Protestantism during the Reformation was able to criticize the Roman church. Which warns against absolutizing the relative. Stated theologically, it warns against idolatry. Tillich sees Christianity as essentially and ideally a solution to this very disease: A Christian is to make perfect love to all her ideal, thus pacifying lesser (from a Christian standpoint) ideals. 4. What does Tillich mean by sacramental and how is this related to Ontological faith? In the sacramental (ontological) type of faith the ritual law is omnipresent, demanding purification, preparation, subjection to the liturgical rules, and ethical fitness. 5. On what does Tillich build the concept of doubt? Doubt can be suppressed by conventional, or nondynamic, faith. But nondynamic faith can become dynamic faith. Doubt as a necessary element in faith as a dynamic state.

Subjectively there is certainty, but the object of faith is uncertain.... for all expressions of ultimacy are necessarily limited by language and human inability to comprehend and express the infinite. 6. What is ecstasy, mysticism, and the point of contact? How are these related? 7. Describe the moral type of faith. Which groups belong in this category according to Tillich? Moral type of faith is characterized by the idea of the law. God has given the law as a gift and as a command. He can be approached only by those who obey the law. 8. What is the Protestant criticism of the Catholic tradition? What have Protestants lost? Chapter 5 1. What, according to Tillich, is the relationship of faith and reason? Paul Tillich opines that if faith is the opposite of reason, it would tend to dehumanize man. A faith which destroys reason destroys itself and the humanity of man. Reason is the presupposition of faith and faith is the fulfillment of reason. There is no conflict between faith and reason, they are within each other. 2. When can faith and reason come into conflict with one another? A) Can faith conflict with science? When and how can science and religion come into conflict? Examples? Yes faith and science can come into conflict, like which came first the egg or the chicken. B) What is the relationship between faith and history? Can faith establish or guarantee facts of history? The relationship between faith and history is that history can sometimes clarify faith or vise versa. 3. What are the subjective and objective criteria of faith? That is, how can we distinguish true faith from idolatrous faith? Subjective certainty (about being ultimately concerned) Objective uncertainty (We cannot know if the concrete object is truly ultimate) Chapter 6 Select any significant observation Tillich makes in this chapter, describe it, and evaluate it: is it right or wrong or what? Do you agree or disagree or what?