Questioning Traditional beliefs about Life, Death, and the Afterlife.

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In the Gospel of Mark chapter 15, the author narrates an interaction between Jesus (a Jewish rabbi) and a group of Pharisees (the religious teachers of the day). In the interaction, Jesus warns these religious leaders against the dangers of human traditions. Mark’s Gospel also reports that Jesus was questioned for eating with sinners (Mark 2:16), not fasting (Mark 2:18), breaking the Sabbath laws (Mark 2:24), and not observing ceremonial washing procedures (Mark 7:3). In addition to these controversies, Jesus also subverted the Pharisees beliefs about life after death (Mark 3:1-6) and the Sadducees denial of the resurrection (Mark 12:18-27).

This site (Radical Reformation) aims to question the dominant Christian beliefs about Life, Death, and the Afterlife.

-Are humans body-soul composites as so many believe?

-Is death the separation of a material body from an immaterial soul?

-Is life after death disembodied or a reunion of body and soul?

-What are the theological ramifications for the Christian faith if these cherished beliefs are found to be false?

-How does a reframe of these beliefs affect Christology?

ANCIENT ISRAELITES

The Ancient Israelites passed on a collection of writings that tell the story of the people of God. These stories were written amid captivity by various other nations (Egyptians, Assyrians, Greco-Romans) that had their own views on Life, Death, and the Afterlife.

What do the Hebrew Scriptures reveal about the Ancient Israelite’s beliefs concerning Life, Death, and the Afterlife?

GRECO-ROMAN PHILOSOPHY

Greco-Roman philosophy contains a spectrum of beliefs about Life, Death, and the Afterlife. Some like Plato believed in body-soul dualism while others like Epicurus believed that humans are purely physical beings.

How has Greco-Roman Philosophy influenced Christian beliefs about Life, Death, and the Afterlife??

INTERTESTAMENTAL LITERATURE

During Second Temple Judaism, numerous writings proclaim a spectrum of beliefs about Life, Death, and the Afterlife. Some like 2 Maccabees describe humans as physical beings whose only hope for life after death is physical resurrection. In contrast, 4 Maccabees speaks of a disembodied astral afterlife.

What did the religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees believe and teach about Life, Death, and the Afterlife??

JESUS

As a Jewish Rabbi, Jesus was immersed in Greco-Roman culture and encountered various Jewish religious leaders. The four Gospels report that Jesus taught on the topics of Life, Death, and the Afterlife. They also report that during his ministry he raised the dead and prophesied about his future death and resurrection.

What did Jesus teach about Life, Death, and the Afterlife?

EARLY CHURCH

After Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension, the early church wrestled with various theological questions related to life (anthropology), death (thanatology), and hope for life after death (eschatology).

What did the early church fathers teach about Life, Death, and the Afterlife?

CHRISTENDOM

Christendom ushered in an era where the persecuted minority church quickly became a persecuting majority. Orthodoxy quickly became a concern of the empire and those who did not agree with the empirical theology were threatened with excommunication or death.

What did Christendom teach about Life, Death, and the Afterlife?

THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION

During the 16th century, the Bible became more accessible through the work of translators and the medium of the printing press. As a result, many Christian doctrines came under scrutiny and the Christian church began to fracture.

How did the Protestant Reformation challenge Christian beliefs about Life, Death, and the Afterlife?