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Part of the series on
theology
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Foundations
Christianity
Bible · History of Christianity
Jesus Christ · Holy Trinity
Ecumenical Councils · Creeds
Great Schism · Reformation

Major Traditions


Eastern Christianity
Eastern Orthodoxy · Oriental Orthodoxy
Syriac Christianity


Western Christianity
Roman Catholicism · Protestantism
Thomism · Anabaptism · Lutheranism
Anglicanism · Calvinism · Arminianism
Baptist · Evangelicalism · Restorationism
Liberalism · Fundamentalism
Pentecostalism · Ecumenicalism


Important Figures
Twelve Apostles · Apostle Paul
Church Fathers · Athanasius · Augustine
Palamas · Aquinas
Luther · Calvin · Wesley

Key Points
Fall of Man · Divine Grace · Salvation
Justification · Sanctification · Theosis
The Church · The Future


Theology is the organized study of religion. Given the overwhelming influence exercised by Christianity, especially in pre-modern Europe, Christian theology permeates much of Western culture and often reflects that culture.

Sub-disciplines[]

Sub-disciplines of Christian theology include:

History[]

See also History of theology

The history of Christian theology interwines with Church history and covers important developments in philosophy and in the history of ideas. Specific issues such as heresy, Arianism, and the Protestant Reformation are of particular importance.

Methodology[]

There are several methods to the study of theology. They are, in no particular order:

  • Biblical Theology - studying theology as it is presented and develops through the Bible by focusing on progressive revelation.
  • Systematic theology - studying theology by topic.
  • Constructive Theology - a Postmodernist approach to Systematic theology, applying (among other things) Feminist theory, Queer theory,
  • Deconstructionism, and Hermeneutics to theological topics.
  • Historical theology - studying theology as it has developed (and is developing) in history.
  • Dogmatic theology - studying theology (or dogma) as it developed in different church denominations.
  • Pragmatic or practical theology - studying theology as it relates to serving as a religious minister.
  • Apologetics - studying Christian theology as it compares to other worldviews in order to give a defense of faith and to challenge others' beliefs.
  • Narrative theology - studying a narrative presentation of the faith rather than dogmatic development.
  • Biblical hermeneutics - studying the Bible according to different sets of prescribed rules or principles of interpretations (also closely related to exegesis).

Schools of Christian theology[]

Amongst the schools mentioned here some concern only one of the subdisciplines mentioned above and others concern several of the subdisciplines mentioned above.

References[]

See also[]

  • Christian anarchism
  • Christian ecumenism
  • Christian worship
  • List of Christian theologians
  • List of Methodist theologians
  • Theology
  • Wesleyan Quadrilateral
  • Christian theological controversy

This article was forked from Wikipedia on March 26, 2006.

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