Lecture 1 – Introduction to
Systematic Theology
I. Definition
What
is theology?
"Theology
in a Christian context is a discipline of study that seeks to understand the
God revealed in the Bible and to provide a Christian understanding of
reality." (Erickson, CT, 17).
"A
good preliminary or basic definition of theology is 'the study or science of
God.' The
What
is doctrine?
"The
basic body of Christian teaching or understanding." (Butler, HBD, 374)
It
came from the Greek word didaskaleia, which means teaching. (Richards, EBW, 235)
What
is biblical theology?
"Biblical
theology is a branch of theological science which deals systematically with the
historically conditioned progress of the self-revelation of God as deposited in
the Bible" (Quoted from Biblical Theology of the New Testament, pp
12-14, Ens, TMHT, 20)
o History
shapes up a theology.
· "Biblical
theology pays attention to important historical circumstances in which
the biblical doctrines were given." (Ens, TMHT, 20)
·
Examples:
· Trinity,
hypostatic union, already and not yet, original sin and other doctrines.
o Progressive
Revelation shapes up a theology.
· "God
did not reveal all truth about Himself at one time but revealed Himself
'piecemeal' portion by portion to different people throughout history." (Ens, TMHT, 20)
·
Example: The
prophesy about the coming of Christ has progression from OT to NT.
· The
Jews prior to Christ believed that there is one coming (Matt 11:3), but in NT,
there is another coming.
o Systematization
of theology leads to formation of a doctrine.
· Systematization
of theology is a process of gathering, observing, studying, and correlating all
passages that deal with a particular subject, and the conclusion will become a
doctrine.
· For
example:
Biblical
theology is a movement
· A
reaction against liberalism seeking to return to an exegetical study of the
Scriptures (Enns,TMHT, 19).
· Theological
content that can only be found in the two testaments (Erickson, CT, 26).
· Faithful
teachings from the Bible.
What
is systematic theology?
"Systematic
theology is any study that answers the question, 'What does the whole Bible
teach us today?' about any given topic" -
John Frame (Grudem, ST, 21)
Differences
between Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology
a. Biblical
theology draws theology from the Bible, Systematic theology draws theology from
the works of different theologians throughout the history (Erickson, CT, 26,27).
b. Biblical
theology is the raw material of systematic theology (Erickson, CT, 26).
The
Task of Theology and the Church
Christian
Identity is molded by the Scripture. "Truth establishes who we are."
(Grenz, TCG, 6)
Three
Dangers in the Theological Enterprise (Grenz, TCG, 12-13)
a. Substitution
"We
dare not replace commitment to the triune God and the living Christ with our
doctrines about God and Christ."
b. Dogmatism
"Because
all systems are models of reality, we must maintain a stance of openness to
other models, aware of the tentativeness and incompleteness of all
systems."
c. Intellectualism
"In
actuality, devising a "system," however important this may be, is not
the ultimate purpose toward which theologian strives. Rather, we engage in
reflection on faith in order that the life of the believer and of the faith
community in the world might be served."
Theological
Method
Within
Christianity, there are various denominations. Why?
Why
do they differ in theology?
Four
Sources of Truth
a. Scripture
b. Reason
c. Tradition
d. Experience
Do we
believe that only the Scripture is the source of truth?
Though
we believe that the Scripture alone is the source of truth, the last three
sources affect the way we handle the Scripture
The
Sources for Theology (Grenz, TCG, 14-17)
a. The
Reformation Debate
i. Roman
Catholic: Bible and Tradition (Apostolic Tradition)
ii. Protestant
Reformation: Sola Scriptura
b. Contextualization
and Experience
i. Bible
as the source of the good news of God's action in Christ
ii. Contemporary
culture as the source of at least some of the categories through which the
theologian express the biblical message.
c. The
Threefold Norm Theology
i. Biblical
Message
ii. Theological
heritage of the church
iii. Thought-forms
of the historical-cultural context
The
Integrative Motif of Theology
The
Central Organizational Feature of Systematic theology, wherein the theme around
which it is structures (Grenz, TCG, 20-24)
a. Representative
Alternatives
i. Thomas
Aquinas - concept of the vision of God as the purpose of human.
ii. Martin
Luther - justification by faith
iii. John
Calvin - glory of God
iv. John
Wesley - responsible grace
v. Friedrich
Scheiermacher - reflection on human religious experience
vi. Karl
Barth - nature of revelation, the self-disclosure of the triune God to the
human person
vii. Alfred
North Whitehead - liberation theology
b. Kingdom
of God
i. Addressing
theological questions from the vantage point of the consummation of God's
activity in establishing his will and program for the world
c. Community
of God
i. Taking
the whole Bible asserts that God's program is directed to the bringing into
being of community of reconciled people, living within a renewed creation, and
enjoying the presence of their Redeemer
d. Eschatological
Community
i. Viewing
a certain belief in eschatological perspective.
Suggested
Process of Doing a Theology
BIBLICAL
SYSTEMATIC
HISTORICAL
PRACTICAL THEOLOGY
THEOLOGY
THEOLOGY
THEOLOGY
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