Question

asked about the relationship between consumerism and Christianity, how might Pope Francis respond?
"Consumerism is a worldly issue, not a spiritual issue, so Christians need to concern themselves with it."
"All. Christians should sell their wealth and live among the poor."
"Consumerism can lead to selfishness, dissatisfaction, and jealousy, distracting believers from what really matters."
"Christians are blessed by God with material wealth and should enjoy their blessings to the fullest extent."
Multiple Choice 3 points
Which religious group first introduced an anti-slave trade petition to Parliament in 1783?
Quakers
Presbyterians
Methodists
Baptists
Multiple Choice 3 points
Some doctrines, like that of the Trinity, are not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. How would John Henry Newman disagree with a mainstream Catholic in his day if the mainstream Catholic suggested that the Church had always taught such doctrines?
• Newman would agree that the early Church believed in the Trinity in some way, but would suggest that its understanding of this doctrine was not fully developed until later.
Newman would disagree, saying that the early Christians believed in no doctrine at all.
Newman would not disagree at all; he believed that the Catholic Church had always taught the same doctrines that were being taught in his day.
Newman would claim that modern Christians could not understand what the Catholic Church had believed in the past.

Answer 1

Pope Francis: the third statement.
He repeatedly teaches (e.g., Evangelii Gaudium, Laudato Si’) that consumerism fosters selfishness, dissatisfaction, envy and a “throwaway” mentality that distracts Christians from gospel priorities and care for the poor — it is both a social and a spiritual problem.

Which group first introduced an anti–slave-trade petition to Parliament in 1783?
Quakers.

How would John Henry Newman disagree with the mainstream Catholic claim that the Church had always taught doctrines like the Trinity exactly as later formulated?
He would accept that the early Church contained the seeds of such beliefs but argue their understanding and explicit formulation developed over time (Newman’s doctrine of the development of Christian doctrine).