Core Christian Theology and Historical Perspectives

Foundations of Faith

• Bible: Foundational scripture.
• Tradition: Practices and reasons.
• Reason: Understanding claims.
• Experience: Personal faith experiences.
• Sola Scriptura: Only scripture is valid (excludes tradition).
• Magisterium: Church teachings (pope, bishops).
• Orthodoxy: Accepted beliefs.
• Heresy: Deviates from tradition (often false).
• Sensus Fidelium: Faith through the church.
• Revelation: God discloses truth.
• Certainty vs. Strategy: Assurance vs. account for human action.

Christian Positions on Science and Faith

• Fundamentalist: Strict interpretation as God’s reflection.
• Dialogue: Scientific understanding with faith.
• Integration: Merge science and faith.
• Evolutionary Theory: Explains life; debated in Christianity.
• Hermeneutics: Interpretation of the Bible.
• Science as Process: Knowledge, not just material.
• 5 Steps: Hypothesis, description, testing, evaluation.
• Sample Size: Number of subjects affects results.

Historical and Cultural Context

• Messiah: Jewish title for God’s promised savior.
• Judaism and Jesus Movement: Early Jesus movement for Jews; Gentiles later attracted.
• Paul: Did not know Jesus in life; disputes with apostles.
• 100-700 CE: Spread of Christianity across the Roman Empire.
• Colonialism: Catholic Church often supported imperialism, leading to oppression.
• 2nd Vatican Council: Addressed modernity, democracy, and religious freedom.

Doctrine and Language

• Doctrine: Teach religion and beliefs.
• Analogical Language: Uses analogies to describe God.
• Metaphoric: Positive affirmations of God (e.g., God is good).
• Apophatic: Negatives (e.g., God is not evil).

The Trinity and Nature of God

• Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Incarnation: Jesus as human.
• Holy Spirit: Comforter and guide.
• Economic Trinity: Trinity’s actions in the world.
• Immanent Trinity: Relationship within the Trinity.

Church Structure and Theology

• Ecclesiology: Study of Church structure.
• Sacraments (7 in Catholicism): Personal (individual acts of worship) and Social (society’s worship).
• Original Sin: Fallen state inherited from Adam and Eve.
• Soteriology: Salvation by God.
• Violent Soteriology: Sacrifice via violence.
• Non-Violent Soteriology: Love and reconciliation.
• Theological Anthropology: Study of human nature and God.
• Grace: God’s unearned favor.
• Eschatology: Study of end times.
• Liturgy: Priests marry in Orthodox tradition.
• Christian Anointing: With oil (Coptic tradition).
• Theosis: Becoming one with God’s divine nature.
• Episcopacy: Church structure with bishops.
• Roman Catholicism: Pope as head, apostolic succession.