What is theology?

·        The study of God (Greek: theos)

·        A particular school or system of religious thought

·        A learned profession acquired by specialized religious studies

·        A systematic study of the nature of God and religious truth

 

Part 1: Theology as a particular school or system of religious thought

 

Main Traditions within Christianity

·        Roman Catholic (1 billion)

·        Orthodox (225 million)

·        Protestant (450 million)

·        Other (250 million)

 

Main Traditions within Protestantism

·        Lutheran

·        Anabaptist

·        Presbyterian & Reformed

·        Episcopalian & Anglican

·        Congregational & Baptist

·        Adventist

 

Message for Part 1: Churches are like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike

 

Part 2: Theology as a learned profession acquired by specialized religious studies

 

Professional levels in Medicine

·        Surgeon

·        Medical Doctor/Intern

·        Nurse Practitioner/RN/LPN

·        Emergency Medical Technician

·        Red Cross Certification

 

Professional levels in Theology

·        President/Professor (D.Min/Th.D)

·        Senior Pastor (M.Div)

·        Christian Counselor (MACC)

·        Teacher/Principal (MRE)

·        Associate/Youth Pastor (B.Min)

·        Parachurch Ministry (Certificate)

Academic levels in Theology

·        Doctorate (D.Min/Th.D/Ph.D)

·        Master of Divinity (M.Div)

·        MA in Christian Counseling (MACC)

·        Masters of Religious Education (MRE)

·        Bachelors in Ministry (B.Min)

·        Certificate Program

 

Message for Part 2: Training is beneficial for ministry

So, get wisdom! Get understanding! (Proverbs 4:5)

 

Part 3: Theology as a systematic study of the nature of God and religious truth

 

Academic Disciplines in Theology

·        Biblical Languages

·        History & Archaeology

·        Biblical Criticism

·        OT & NT Studies

·        Hermeneutics

·        Biblical Theology

·        Systematic Theology

·        Historical Theology

·        Practical Theology

·        Apologetics

Theology Flowchart

 

Biblical Languages

·        Ancient Hebrew & Aramaic

·        Koine Greek

Related Languages

·        Canaanite & Arabic

·        Ancient Egyptian

·        Latin

 

History & Archaeology

·        Origins & History

·        Religion & Culture

·        Art & Literature

·        Economy & Technology

·        Geography & Climate

 

Biblical Criticism

1.      Literary Criticism

• AKA Higher Criticism
• Author, style, genre
• Negative, liberal bias
• Documentary Hypothesis

2.      Textual Criticism

• AKA Lower Criticism
• Recover original text
• Ancient manuscripts
• KJV-Only Controversy

 

OT & NT Studies

·        Original author, audience

·        Date, location, situation

·        Literary theme, structure

·        Historical, textual background

 

Hermeneutics

·        Art, science of interpretation

·        Grammatical & semantic analysis

·        Historical & cultural analysis

·        Literary & genre analysis

·        Theological analysis

 

Biblical Theology

·        Looks at the theology of an individual author or period of time

·        Looks at how an author or period developed over time

·        Looks for important themes, characteristics, perspectives

Systematic Theology

·        Examines individual topics

·        Prolegomena: foundational issues

·        Bibliology: study of the Bible

·        Theology Proper: nature of God

·        Christology: study of Jesus Christ

·        Pneumatology: study of Holy Spirit

·        Angelology: study of angels

·        Anthropology: study of humanity

·        Hamartology: study of sin

·        Soteriology: study of salvation

·        Ecclesiology: study of the church

·        Eschatology: study of last things

 

Bibliology

·        Inspiration

·        Canonization

·        Transmission

·        Translation

 

Historical Theology

1.      Church History

• Important people, places, events in the history of Christianity
• Provides solutions to problems
• Helps to avoid errors, mistakes
• Understand other groups, views

2.      Doctrinal History

• The development of theological teaching through time
• Understand the factors that influence doctrinal development
• Understand the direction of theological thought

 

Practical Theology

·        Ethics

·        Homiletics

·        Counseling

·        Spiritual Formation

·        Christian Education

·        Missiology, Evangelism

·        Music, Liturgy

·        Pastoral Leadership

·        Church Administration

Practical Theology

1.      Spiritual Formation

• AKA discipleship
• Theory and practice of spiritual disciplines, personal growth
• Prayer, study, mediation, fasting, service, character development

2.      Homiletics

• Sermon preparation and delivery
• Exegetical study of the text
• Identify spiritual principles
• Proper application in modern setting

3.      Christian Education

• Process of teaching, instruction
• Understanding students, needs
• Curriculum development
• Instruction techniques
• Lesson planning

 

Apologetics

·        Greek apologia: to offer a defense

·        Deals with defending or proving the truthfulness of Christianity

·        Answers objections/criticisms

·        Clarifies misconceptions

·        Supports evangelism

 

Message for Part 3: There is always more to learn…

No one has ALL the answers

The following is a list of suggested and (R) recommended theological resources.

 

	Biblical Languages: Word Studies
	Expository Dictionary of Bible Words	Stephen D. Renn
	Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary	William D. Mounce
	Theological Wordbook of the OT, One-Volume	R. Laird Harris, et al.
	Theological Dictionary of the NT, Abridged (1 Vol)	Gerhard Kittel
	Biblical Languages: Grammar
	Hebrew Tutor CD-ROM	Ted Hildebrandt
	Mastering New Testament Greek CD-ROM	Ted Hildebrandt
	Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar	Gary D. Pratico
	Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar	William D. Mounce
	Greek for the Rest of