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200 Theology Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Theology? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Theology (Religion). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 The Athanasian Creed is also known by what name, which is Latin for its opening words, "whosoever wishes"?
Answer: Quicunque Vult

Sometimes the creed is known as Quicunque (or Quicumque) Vult, and sometimes it is also called the Pseudo-Athanasian Creed. This Christian statement of belief, along with the Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed, is one of the three major ecumenical creeds of Christianity, having wide acceptance among many Christian denominations.
    Your options: [ Qui Bono ] [ Qua Patet Orbis ] [ Quicunque Vult ] [ Quaere ]
  From Quiz: The Athanasian Creed
2 The doctrine of original sin results from the fall of which biblical man?
Answer: Adam

According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were the first two people created by God. Chapter 3 of Genesis tells how the serpent tempted Eve to eat forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After she and Adam ate the fruit, they were expelled from the Garden of Eden.
    Your options: [ Adam ] [ Abraham ] [ Cain ] [ Moses ]
  From Quiz: Original Sin and the Knowledge of Good and Evil
3 Which Christian denomination is known for its Saturday worship services as well as its emphasis on the imminence of Christ's return?
Answer: Seventh-day Adventist Church

Adventism was initially rooted in the teachings of William Miller, who unsuccessfully predicted the end of the world in the mid-19th century.
    Your options: [ United Methodist Church ] [ Seventh-day Adventist Church ] [ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ] [ Religious Society of Friends ]
  From Quiz: Sorry, I'm Busy with the Rapture
4 Why is the Nicene Creed so titled?
Answer: It was adopted by the first ecumenical council, which met in the city of Nicaea

The creed was crafted at the First Council of Nicaea, an ecumenical council that met in 325 AD. It was later revised at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD and officially adopted by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD. It remains the normative statement of faith for the majority of Christians, encapsulating as it does the core doctrines of orthodox Christianity. It is frequently recited in liturgical churches to this day. Countless nonliturgical churches that do not recite the creed nonetheless assert its central doctrines in their teachings.
  From Quiz: The Nicene Creed
5 What Church of England cleric, credited with the founding of Methodism, called the doctrine of predestination a "horrible decree" that "represent[s] God as worse than the devil"?
Answer: John Wesley

In his Sermon 128 on "Free Grace," John Wesley outlined his objections to the doctrine of predestination as maintained by the Calvinists. Wesley's views were Arminian, that is, he maintained that God did not predestine in an absolute sense, but rather knew who would freely choose him and so chose them.
Predestination is, Wesley claimed in that sermon, "a doctrine full of blasphemy" because it presents God as "worse than the devil; more false, more cruel, more unjust." Whatever the scriptures generally interpreted to support predestination mean, he says, they cannot mean predestination is true: "But this I know, better it were to say [these scriptures] had no sense, than to say it had such a sense as this. It cannot mean, whatever it mean besides, that the God of truth is a liar. Let it mean what it will, it cannot mean that the Judge of all the world is unjust. No scripture can mean that God is not love, or that his mercy is not over all his works; that is, whatever it prove beside, no scripture can prove predestination."

In his Sermon 58 on predestination, Wesley suggests that God's election is based on his foreknowledge of our response to his grace, that is, we are free to choose to believe or not to believe, but God already knows what we are going to choose. In that sermon, he takes a softer line in response to the doctrine of predestination, saying that "[w]hatever we propose, may be proposed with modesty, and with deference to those wise and good men who are of a contrary opinion." He does not show nearly as much "deference" to those of "contrary opinion" in Sermon 128.
  From Quiz: Predestination
6 The Christian tradition of communion is based on the last supper, when Jesus fed (unleavened) bread and wine to his disciples, asking that they eat and drink in remembrance of him. This occurred during the celebration of which Jewish holiday?
Answer: Passover

Passover in the Jewish tradition commemorates the time when the tenth plague was inflicted upon the Egyptians, this being the killing of the firstborn. The Hebrews were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb, and seeing this the spirit of the Lord would spare them, or "pass over" them.

Although Christian tradition does not stress that the bread was unleavened, it would have been - Jewish custom forbids the consumption of leavened bread at Passover.
    Your options: [ Passover ] [ Purim ] [ Yom Kippur ] [ Shabbat ]
  From Quiz: Christian Communion Through the Ages
7 Soteriology is the study of what?
Answer: Salvation

Calvinist, Arminian, and Reformed are three types.
  From Quiz: Christian Ologies
8 "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28, NIV). Which teaching would this verse most likely be used to refute?
Answer: Hell is a place of eternal, conscious, physical punishment.

If both the soul and the body are destroyed in hell, some Christians argue, then people cannot spend eternity in hell suffering conscious, physical punishment. Hell, they suggest, exists as a state of permanent destruction, and thus eternal separation from God. They also use verses like 2 Thessalonians 1:9 to support this view. Those who argue that hell is a place of eternal, conscious, physical punishment refer to such passages as Matthew 25:46 and Luke 16:20-25.
    Your options: [ Hell is a place of eternal, conscious, physical punishment. ] [ Hell exists. ] [ Hell is a state of permanent destruction. ] [ Hell is not pleasant. ]
  From Quiz: New Testament Doctrine: Divergent Views
9 John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I...he shall baptize you _______________"
Answer: With the Holy Ghost and fire

This is mentioned three times, in Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, and Luke 3:16.
    Your options: [ By immersion ] [ By sprinkling ] [ With the Holy Ghost and fire ] [ With repentance and new life ]
  From Quiz: Baptism
10 What does the phrase "Bible doctrines" mean?
Answer: Bible teachings

The Protestant Bible has 66 books; 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New. Approximately 40 authors wrote these books over a period of about 1500 years. It is important to know Bible doctrines because God is the main author, speaking through the human ones.
  From Quiz: Which Theology Ology?
11 How long has the Athanasian Creed been in use by Christian churches?
Answer: Since the 6th century

Athanasius of Alexandria, who was a bishop of Alexandria in the 4th century, is traditionally credited with authoring the Creed, and he was purported to have composed it during his exile in Rome before presenting it to Pope Julius I. This traditional attribution has since been called into question. Although it is unknown precisely when the creed was authored, it was used in a sermon by Caesarius of Arles, so we can assume it has been in use since at least the 6th century, but no earlier than the 4th century.
  From Quiz: The Athanasian Creed
12 When do we find the earliest known mention of the Apostle's Creed?
Answer: 4th century AD

In AD 390, in a letter, Ambrose mentioned "the creed of the Apostles which the Church of Rome keeps and guards in its entirety." There is an earlier, simpler written form of what became the Apostle's Creed found in a AD 341 letter from Marcellus of Ancyra. Tyrannius Rufinus wrote a commentary on this older Roman creed and suggested that the apostles wrote it together after Pentecost.
  From Quiz: The Apostle's Creed
13 Which evangelical radio personality predicted that the world would end on May 21, 2011, and publicized his prediction on billboards throughout the U.S.?
Answer: Harold Camping

When his prediction proved false, Camping revised his doomsday forecast to October 21, 2011, saying that he had misunderstood the order of end times events.
    Your options: [ Pat Robertson ] [ Harold Camping ] [ Jerry Falwell ] [ Gary Bauer ]
  From Quiz: Sorry, I'm Busy with the Rapture
14 Where did Jesus ask his disciples to go for the last supper meal?
Answer: The Upper Room

This is described in Mark 14:15. The Upper Room is also the name of a popular daily devotional guide that has been published since 1935.
  From Quiz: Christian Communion Through the Ages
15 Ecclesiology is the study of what?
Answer: The Church

Ecclesi- is the root for all things church related.
  From Quiz: Christian Ologies
16 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32, NIV). Which teaching would this verse most likely be used to support?
Answer: Christ is not equal to God.

Arians have argued that Christ is the highest created being, but not equal with God. This verse, they would argue, shows that Christ, unlike God, is not omniscient, since there is something He does not know. Trinitarians would argue that Christ chose willingly to limit His own omniscience, and they would refer to a number of verses to defend His equality with God: John 10:30, John 8:58, and 1 John 5:7, among others.
    Your options: [ Christ is not equal to God. ] [ Christ will return at the millennium. ] [ Christ is omniscient. ] [ Christ will return after World War III. ]
  From Quiz: New Testament Doctrine: Divergent Views
17 In Matthew, Christ told His disciples to teach all nations, baptizing them in whose name?
Answer: The name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost

" . . . baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20).
  From Quiz: Baptism
18 There are nine categories of Bible doctrines. This first one is pretty easy. What is Bibliology?
Answer: Study of the Bible

As mentioned before, Christians believe that God inspired the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." He used holy men to write His Word.
  From Quiz: Which Theology Ology?
19 The Apostle's Creed is said by the Roman Catholic Church to contain twelve articles of faith, just as there were twelve apostles. The first is "I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth." What is the second?
Answer: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

This division into twelve articles can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as in the Anabaptist catechesis.

"I believe in the Holy Spirit" is the eighth article, while belief in the holy Catholic Church and the communion of saints together form the ninth article.
  From Quiz: The Apostle's Creed
20 The formal doctrine of original sin was developed in the second-century to combat the emerging beliefs of what ancient religion?
Answer: Gnosticism

Gnostics believe that salvation can only be achieved by embracing the spiritual world and shunning the material world. Gnostics also believe that knowledge would help lead to God. Because Gnostics also believe in other divine beings called Aeons, Christian leaders attempted to reinforce their belief in a single God.
  From Quiz: Original Sin and the Knowledge of Good and Evil
21 Which book in the New International Version of the Bible urges Jesus' followers to "be patient and stand firm because the coming of the Lord is near"? Martin Luther argued that this book should not be included in the New Testament.
Answer: James

James 5:8 reads, "You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near" (NIV). Several books in the New Testament indicate that the authors thought the Second Coming of Christ was imminent.
    Your options: [ 1 Peter ] [ James ] [ Revelation ] [ Acts ]
  From Quiz: Sorry, I'm Busy with the Rapture
22 The Nicene Creed begins, "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty." This assertion of faith stands in bold contrast to the teachings of what group?
Answer: The Marcionites

This assertion places Christianity squarely in the monotheistic tradition of Judaism. The followers of Marcion, however, believed that the god of the Old Testament (whom Christians here identify as "Father Almighty" and regard as the one God of both the Old and New Testaments) was a lesser god, a demiurge. In Marcion's belief system, this lesser god created the world, which (like all matter) is evil, while the supreme god, the god of the New Testament, sent Jesus Christ to release people from the earthly trap created by the Old Testament demiurge. This belief system originated in the mid 2nd century and was written against as heresy by church fathers such as Tertullian. In the very first line of the creed, orthodox Christians reject Marcion's view of the Old Testament god as a demiurge and assert instead that he is the one God and maker of all things.
  From Quiz: The Nicene Creed
23 Adoptionists, who were declared heretics by the orthodox Christians in the 2nd century, believed that Jesus was born fully human. When do they believe he was "adopted" as God's Son?
Answer: At his baptism

The Adoptionists believe that Jesus was chosen to be adopted as God's son because he lived a sinless life and was devoted to God's will. Adoptionists view Christ's baptism and resurrection as crucial points in the adoption process. Most Adoptionists interpret this scene as one of adoption: "The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased'" (Luke 3:22), or, as the Epistle to the Hebrews put it, ""You are my son. Today I have begotten you" (Hebrews 1:5).
  From Quiz: Nontrinitarianism
24 Predestination is addressed in the 17th article of the 39 articles adopted by what church?
Answer: Anglican

This article has traditionally been interpreted to reject the doctrine of "double predestination"; that is, it suggests that God has predestined only unto life, not unto death. Objectors point out that if there are only two choices - life and death - and God predestines unto one for some, then he must necessarily predestine unto the other for the rest. Nevertheless, most branches of Christianity reject the idea of double predestination and insist that God predestines only to salvation, not to hell.

The 17th article also warns against developing further theories from this doctrine beyond what is stated in Scripture; that is, for example, forming philosophies of determinism based on the doctrine.
  From Quiz: Predestination
25 The Last Supper has been memorably depicted in Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting of the same name. In this painting, which disciple is shown as having his elbows on the table?
Answer: Judas

All twelve disciples are shown in this great painting; they are depicted in four groups of three each. It is unclear to what extent da Vinci's depiction has influenced modern etiquette rules, which tell us not to put our elbows on the table at meals.
    Your options: [ Judas ] [ Andrew ] [ Peter ] [ Thomas ]
  From Quiz: Christian Communion Through the Ages
26 Pneumatology is the study of what?
Answer: The Holy Spirit

The Greek Word for Holy Sprit is pneuma, which also means wind, and is the root for the word pneumonia.
  From Quiz: Christian Ologies
27 Theology, by definition, is the study of what?
Answer: God

According to Christian teaching, God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and he's everywhere. He created the whole world. Genesis 1:1 "And in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." He also loves every person very much, but he hates the bad things we do.
  From Quiz: Which Theology Ology?
28 In the version of the Apostle's Creed to be found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, what other word is used instead of "creator" in the line "creator of heaven and earth"?
Answer: maker

Another form of the Creed accepted by Anglicans can be found in the 2000 Book of Common Worship, and it does use the term "creator" instead of "maker." The 1970 English official translation of the Roman Missal of the Catholic Church uses the term "creator" as well.
  From Quiz: The Apostle's Creed
29 Which ancient philosopher was the first to teach that unbaptized infants would be sent to hell as a result of original sin?
Answer: Augustine

Augustine wrote that all humans are sinners because Adam sinned. Through procreation, all humans are depraved by their nature and are incapable of living a moral life. He concluded that baptism forgave original sin, meaning that even infants who were unbaptized would go to hell.
    Your options: [ Augustine ] [ Socrates ] [ Sophocles ] [ Plato ]
  From Quiz: Original Sin and the Knowledge of Good and Evil
30 The original Nicene Creed (325 AD) describes the Father Almighty as Maker of what?
Answer: All things visible and invisible

The original creed included only the phrase "Maker of all things visible and invisible." In 381, at the First Council of Constantinople, this line was expanded to read, "Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible."
  From Quiz: The Nicene Creed
31 What sect taught that Jesus was not God, but that he was the Jewish Messiah?
Answer: The Ebionites

The Ebionites is a collective term used to refer to the Jewish Christian sects in the first century who believed Jesus was the Moshiach (Messiah). They believed it was necessary to keep the Jewish law and rejected Paul as an apostle, though they revered James. The Pharisees and Sadducees were Jewish sects at the time of Christ. While individual Pharisees (such as Paul) or Sadducees may have believed Christ was the Moshiach, these sects did not accept him as the Messiah. Jews for Jesus is a modern denomination that considers Jesus to be divine.
  From Quiz: Nontrinitarianism
32 What Christian theologian was known for writing against the non-predestinarian views of Pelagius?
Answer: Augustine of Hippo

Most denominations of the Western church, both Protestant and Catholic, have adopted some form of Augustinian predestination into their theology. Pelagius, who lived in the late 4th century AD, denied that divine aid was necessary for performing good works and rejected the doctrine of Original Sin developed by Augustine. He was declared a heretic at the Council of Hippo.
  From Quiz: Predestination
33 The Catholic church has traditionally believed that when believers partake of the bread and wine during communion, they are actually eating the body of Christ and drinking his blood. What is the name for this belief?
Answer: transubstantiation

The term "transubstantiation" began to be widely used during the twelfth century. At the Fourth Council of the Lateran, convened by Pope Innocent III in 1215, the church formally endorsed this term by stating that "His body and blood are truly contained in the sacrament of the altar under the forms of bread and wine, the bread and wine having been transubstantiated, by God's power, into his body and blood."
  From Quiz: Christian Communion Through the Ages
34 The God above justice solution, the happy ending solution, and the unanswerable question solution are all philosophical replies to the problem presented in what book of the Bible?
Answer: Job

The story of Job in the Bible presents a logical problem - Job is a good man, God allows Job to suffer, and according to conventional wisdom, God should reward the good and punish the bad. There are seven popular solutions to this problem, none of which are completely satisfactory.
  From Quiz: Religious Philosophy Through The Years
35 What is Theology Proper the study of?
Answer: God

Theology has come to mean everything related to Christianity, but Theology Proper is the study of God.
  From Quiz: Christian Ologies
36 What does the Eastern Orthodox word for sacrament translate to?
Answer: Mystery

The Greeks referred to things such as baptism and the Eucharist as "musterion." The word was replaced by the Latin "sacramentum," but the Eastern Orthodox Church still uses the word mystery instead ("Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia" Volume 23).
  From Quiz: Sacraments
37 What is the study of Christ?
Answer: Christology

Christians believe that Christ is God's Son. Christians believe he is the Saviour who died on the cross to save everyone form their sins if only they will believe. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." Christians believe Christ is the Messiah the Jews are looking for.
  From Quiz: Which Theology Ology?
38 The Athanasian Creed is part of the confessions in which church's "Book of Concord"?
Answer: Lutheran

Published in 1580 in German, the "Book of Concord" contains the historic doctrines of the Lutheran Church. A portion of the Athanasian Creed may also be found in "Common Worship", a liturgical book authorized by the General Synod of the Church of England and published in 2000.
    Your options: [ Anglican ] [ Baptist ] [ Lutheran ] [ Roman Catholic ]
  From Quiz: The Athanasian Creed
39 In the version of the Apostle's Creed to be found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, what other word is used instead of "Spirit" in the line "Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit"?
Answer: ghost

The 2000 Book of Common Worship now uses the more familiar term "spirit." The 1970 International Consultation on English Texts (ICET) translation also uses the term "spirit." The Apostle's creed is trinitarian in nature, depicting God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Ghost).
  From Quiz: The Apostle's Creed
40 Which prominent thinker of the Protestant Reformation believed that humans inherited sin from Adam?
Answer: Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a friar, Catholic priest, theologian, and professor, who is perhaps best known for authoring "The Ninety-Five Theses" during the Protestant Reformation. Luther believed that human beings are in a state of sin beginning at the moment of conception. However, he did believe in the Immaculate Conception of Mary without original sin.
    Your options: [ Martin Luther ] [ Thomas Aquinas ] [ John Calvin ] [ Ignatius Loyola ]
  From Quiz: Original Sin and the Knowledge of Good and Evil
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