Lesson one What is Systematic Theology and its makeup So welcome to this lesson Congratulations on getting started in the

course We will have fun as we move through out these lessons Remember each lesson it's a short

video lecture Each section has multiple lectures with a small quiz and worksheet to use for note taking you

can find these in the course introduction So in this session we will delve into the essence of systematic theology

will break this down into comprehensible smaller components that are easy to digest and understand

So understanding the basic purpose learning what the core doctrines are By the end of

this lesson you will grasp a clear definition of systematic theology comprehend its purpose the structure of its components

the fundamental doctrines of its makeup So systematic theology it may sound intimidating but fundamentally it serves

as a tool to help us unravel comprehend our faith and beliefs Think of it like assembling pieces of

a puzzle allowing us to discern the broader picture of what we believe and the reasons behind

those beliefs grasping how these elements connect this can really enhance our understanding and it does enhance our understanding

of our faith Now let's talk about breaking down the term into a couple of simpler smaller components So one

systematic we can start in Proverbs 26 for the Lord gives wisdom from his mouth come knowledge

and understanding So when we see systematic this term emphasizes organization and logic in studying systematic theology

we systematically organize our beliefs about God and religion like arranging books on a bookshelf Learning how

to organize our beliefs is very important as we grow and develop in our understanding We want

to be able to put our beliefs organize them and discuss them which we'll talk

about later Number two is theology Start with second Timothy 3 16 to 17 All scripture is

breathed out by God profitable for teaching for reproof for correction and for training and righteousness that the

man of God may be complete equipped for every good work So theology here this pertains to the study of

God and religious beliefs in systematic theology When we put these terms together we explore

our beliefs concerning God Jesus the Bible and other pivotal aspects of our faith Now let's

talk about the purpose Why do we engage in systematic theology It serves a couple crucial purposes Number

one is clarity A I DS and comprehending and articulating our beliefs This offers us a

clear path to understanding our faith just like a road map is guiding us to our destination We see

this in First Corinthians 1433 for God is not a god of confusion but of peace We can

use this to have a clear understanding paint a clear picture of our beliefs for ourselves and use this

when we talk to others Number two is coherence The Bible contains many sections that might appear to country predict

themselves at times Systematic theology bridges these gaps connecting those parts to form a more comprehensive and intelligible

picture again much like solving a puzzle In Proverbs 35 to 6 it says trust in the

Lord with all your heart do not lean on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he

will make straight your paths So we want to take this first and we want to

take the confusing parts and make them much easier to understand and put together Now what

are some of the core doctrines the core doctrines of theology serve as the foundation elements

of your faith These are principles that are essential to understanding our faith We will be learning about

these doctrines all throughout the course right now we just want to list them out

So you have a good understanding of them as we go So the nature of God

how God reveals himself to us the nature of humanity salvation the role of Jesus Christ

the Holy Spirit the church the last things What will happen in the end understanding these core doctrines

provide important insight into what we believe and the rationale the why behind our beliefs

So in conclusion lesson one we covered the essence and the purpose of systematic theology a tool to understand and

organize our beliefs the breakdown of systematic and theology What do they both mean What

do they mean Put together an organized study of God the significance of clarity and coherence and understanding our

faith We want to be able to put this together to organize this to give someone a picture to give

ourselves a picture that we may speak on So the eight core doctrine shaping our theological foundation we will discuss

more of these in the following lessons Systematic theology acts as a guide This should aid

us in exploring those more significant questions we have about life about God about our purpose about our existence

Overall whether you're a novice seasoned student of theology Systematic Theology serves as a valuable tool to

really help deepen your comprehension of faith the role and purpose of systematic theology OK Systematic theology

stands as the bedrock of religious comprehension and faith It offers us as believers a very structured approach to

dealing with the bigger questions that come up It should ultimately help strengthen our spiritual foundation strengthen

your spiritual foundation In this lesson we will go into the significant role and purpose that systematic theology

plays in shaping our understanding of our faith By the end of this lesson you will know how

to clearly define systematic theology The role systematic theology plays in four parts and the four part purpose

of systematic theology So let's give a scripture here for reflection As we go Proverbs

mind as we go throughout this lesson Now let's start by defining again systematic theology

It is a methodical approach to comprehend and organize religious beliefs The term systematic implies a

deliberate purposeful effort to construct a coherent framework for understanding religious doctrines So a simple way

I like to think of this is a structured approach to the study of God and the

study of religion We will be repeating this definition throughout the course So it stays

fresh in your mind Now what is the role of systematic theology This can be broken into three parts

We will start with a scripture and then we will explain each part So part number

one is clarity and understanding We see this in Psalm 1 19 105 your word is a lamp to my

feet and a light to my path So in systematic theology this is our road map right This guides

us through the intricacies of different religious ideas making them accessible and making them much more comprehensible easy to be

understood So think of it as the scripture says a lamp to light the path Now

integration is number two we see this in James 15 If any of you lacks

wisdom he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to Him

This integrates various teachings and doctrines found within religious texts bringing together the different elements This helps

us create a more unified view of the religion So we want to have a unified view as

this is where false prophets misguided teachings can arise and they do you see them everywhere If there is

one unified view it is the view of God So not our opinions but fact we should seek that wisdom

from God And Bible always go back to scripture Always keep it in context by checking those facts back to

the context of the Bible The Bible is the wisdom God given to us Number three is defending the

faith First Peter 315 is a great example here But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as Holy

Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for

the hope that is in you yet do it with gentleness and respect So systematic theology really

provides a foundation for explaining and justifying those beliefs giving us a defense against skepticism or criticism and

doing it in a humble way not in a way to attack someone but to help get that point across

there will always be skeptics that's inevitable But we can use this to get better at

defending those arguments The more you know the easier it is to give those correct responses in the right

manner It's not just about being right It is about conveying the message in a way that will really

help someone and help someone accept it without being on the defensive Now what is the purpose

of systematic theology We're going to also break this into four simple parts OK Relationship with God morality

spiritual growth and understanding So let's first talk about a deeper relationship with God Jeremiah 2913 For I

know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare not for evil

to give you a future and a hope Then you will call upon me and come and pray to

me and I will hear you you will seek me and find me when you seek me

with all your heart So this aims to deepen our relationship with God giving us an understanding

of God who God is and who is our role in the world in God's plan

This is all about learning that we all have a unified purpose to serve God

as well as individual callings individual purposes and talents specific to each of us to you

And I we all have different talents we were given to find those talents as Jeremiah says we

are to seek and find God with all our hearts and the rest will come Number two is guiding

morality and ethics We see this in Proverbs 35 to 6 Again trust in the Lord

with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him and

he will make your paths straight This is a great verse It assists us in the

moral and ethical decision making part providing a framework something for us to follow aligned with religious convictions

to guide our choices We are to trust in the Lord by doing so he will make our path straight

He will guide us where he needs us to go When we try to do it ourselves is when

the problems usually tend to happen Number three is fostering that spiritual growth Philippians three verse 10 systematic theology This

is a tool for spiritual growth encouraging us to engage deeply with our faith to ask questions

and to seek answers And number four facilitating dialogue and understanding So in a diverse world systematic theology

what it does what it hopes to do is foster that interfaith dialogue how by

providing a structured framework for comparing and contrasting these different faith traditions So in this lesson we

learned what systematic theology is It is a methodical approach to comprehend and organize religious beliefs

So we took that definition a little bit further than the previous lesson Now the role of systematic

theology we also covered clarity understanding integration and defending the faith Now the purpose of

systematic theology is a relationship with God morality spiritual growth and understanding So great job

in completing this lesson Please refer to the worksheets complete for this section as needed

and take the quiz and the next lesson we will discuss the historical development of systematic

theology So you can start to understand where it came from and why it is

so important Let's start by defining systematic theology again a structured approach to understanding religious beliefs understanding

God So this has a rich history that goes back centuries The evolution has been influenced by

many key thinkers by historical events and changes in Christian thought So in this lesson we

will explore the development of Christian beliefs through systematic theology throughout history So you can see where the influences came

from By the end of this lesson you will have a clear understanding of where it

started and how it has evolved throughout the years to our present day So let's

start with early Christian beginnings So the first to third century the roots of systematic theology can

be traced back to the early Christian church So during this period Christians were focused on understanding and

defining their beliefs especially in the face of persecution The Apostolic fathers contributed to the

early theological foundations here the patristic period fourth to seventh century So the theological development

continued here as the church grew and faced various challenges Influential figures here like Augustine

of Hippo and origin played significant roles in shaping Christian doctrine Augustine for example developed certain ideas about original

sin developed ideas about predestination these ideas later became central in systematic theology as a whole we'll discuss more on

this later in the course scholasticism we see in the 11th to 17th century So during

the middle ages scholastic theologians like Thomas Aquinas sought to reconcile Christian theology with the philosophy of

Aristotle This period marked an era of great intellectual exploration a lot of knowledge a lot of understanding leading

to the organization of theology into more structured systems into more of the systematic approach A queen is for instance

laid the groundwork for a systematic understanding of God and his attributes Now the reformation was in the 16th century

the protestant reformation this was led by figures like Martin Luther John Calvin This had a big impact on systematic

theology The reformers here emphasize the authority of scripture of faith and salvation by grace alone

by God's grace not works Their teachings led to the development of systematic explanations of these doctrines

In contrast to what was going on with the Roman Catholic theology of the time This was a

big step in the developmental process Now the enlightenment and modern theology era this was in the 18th century to

present day The enlightenment brought new challenges to religious thought Theology became more diverse it became more critical

the rise of liberal theology This was really exemplified by Albright Rel introduced new ideas

about the relationship between faith and reason and the interpretation of the Bible So in the 19th and 20th

centuries theologians like Carl Barth and Rudolf Bultmann they really redefined systematic theology in response

to the challenges of modernity Barth for an example he emphasized the importance of God's revelation and

the limitations of our own human understanding Now contemporary systematic theology today present day modern day systematic

theology It continues to evolve Scholars engage with issues of pluralism of secularism and post

modernity all of which we will discuss later in the course they explore the relevance of

traditional doctrines in a world that is constantly changing as they are seeking to construct these frameworks to

continue to build these frameworks that can resonate with the 21st century The development of systematic theology is fascinating

when we look through the spiritual evolution of Christianity So this shows us that the mission to understand

and explain the core beliefs of the Christian faith is really remains a dynamic field adapting

to the challenges and questions that arise with each new era while making it a priority to preserve

the essential foundation of the Christian doctrine This brings us back to the purpose which

is to have a unified belief in the Christian doctrine as it is laid out by

God in the Bible by God in scripture So over time things can and often do change They evolved The

important thing to remember is that we keep the same framework God laid out at

the beginning into this present day and more importantly into the future that does not change that stays consistent what

we covered in this lesson OK The history of systematic theology the early Christian beginnings the patristic period

scholasticism the reformation the protestant reformation which was led by figures like Martin Luther John Calvin had a big

impact on systematic theology enlightenment in modern theology The enlightenment era brought challenges leading to more diverse and

critical theology like we discussed with figures like Carl Barth redefining the field and then

contemporary systematic theology in the 21st century So you see how this continues to evolve

addressing challenges like pluralism and post modernity Welcome to lesson four the theological method How we study God in this

lesson we will cover how we study God foundational principles historical perspectives and contemporary approaches Wrapping

up with practical application OK Each of these parts works together with the theological method By the

end of this lesson you will gain a comprehensive understanding of God the foundational principles

you will understand the theological method how to explain it and God's divine attributes We

will divide this lesson into four parts So let's start by defining the theological method and explaining what

it is So what is the theological method How a person approaches the interpretation of the Bible and

how they arrive at the doctrinal implications of that interpretation So how are you interpreting what you are reading

what you are taking in your understanding of it How are you interpreting that And how are you coming

to those conclusions Is an even more important part So part one of this is foundations theological study

So let's dive a little bit deeper into the foundational aspects of theological inquiry which is guided by Proverbs

two verse six This passage reminds us that true wisdom comes from the Lord And that knowledge

and understanding stem from his teachings So when studying theology it is very important to understand that

God has many facets The field of theology explores God's nature his divine qualities and

his connection with humanity So one of the most important parts of studying theology is looking at these sacred texts

It's looking at the Bible taking these writings and interpreting the messages from God It's all there

for us We just need to read it pray about it to understand it The Bible it acts as a

guide and it helps us learn more about God as we go So part two is

historical perspectives So in addition to the Bible this often involves exploring history and traditions

of various religious communities understanding the historical context in which different religious beliefs and practices developed This can really

help shed light on their significance and their relevance in our world today So theological inquiry this

involves exploring philosophical and ethical aspects It includes thinking about God about evil free will morality and most of

all the purpose of life Why are we here What is our purpose We can use philosophy and ethics to

better comprehend God and its impact on human existence So another important part of theological

inquiry is discussing and exchanging ideas with people who have different religious beliefs or perspectives This is the interfaith

dialogue we were speaking of in the last lesson this promotes respect greater understanding and the chance to really

learn from each other's thoughts and experiences This reminds us and should remind us that we are all

connected as humans This emphasizes the value of trying to find common ground despite our

differences and we will have our differences It's important to try to find common ground to move forward

with So part three what are some modern approaches that we can use today today There

are many different ways of thinking about theology all influenced by different philosophies different ideologies these influences

they show how our world is very complex with different cultural social intellectual perspectives shaping how we understand

theology So one important thing to consider is the Bible and how we interpret the Bible

in Romans 12 2 it reminds us not to just go along with what everyone

else is doing but to change the way we think change the way we go about what we are doing

to question things this means actively engaging with existing theological ideas seeking the truth to nurture them and nurture

our relationship with God So in light of the contemporary approaches we want to try to

connect also with the ancient theological traditions with the changes happening in our modern society So we want to

take the teachings of the Bible not change them and keep using them and keep utilizing them as God has

written them So these approaches may draw from various sources like philosophy anthropology psychology sociology just to name a few

The goal here is to better understand and respond to the important questions and challenges we

as believers face today So one contemporary approach is the focus on contextual theology This means considering the

cultural historical and social context in which theology is practiced This makes theology more relevant

and more accessible to people from different backgrounds We will discuss more approaches as we move throughout the course Now

part number four some practical application of the theological method Now that we've learned what the

method is what it does how can we apply it So the practical side of the

theological method this involves seeking answers to important questions questions to ask yourself when looking for answers right

What are some of the big questions What is God's nature How does God relate

to humanity How do we comprehend complex theological concepts How does theology address modern issues that I'm

going through that we're going through now So through the use of scripture and reason we explore the attributes

and character of God So theological reflection this helps us understand God's interaction with creation including aspects of

things like revelation salvation and divine providence All of these we will discuss as we continue through the

course and in the next lessons So what we covered in this lesson we got

an understanding of how we study God We know the theological method historical perspectives modern approaches the

practical side the practical application of theological inquiry the four base questions to ask yourself the four big questions

we have learned that studying theology It helps us gain wisdom and knowledge from the Lord

It helps us deepen our understanding of God's nature and his connection with humanity So

congratulations for completing section one of the course Please take some time again go back through finish filling out the

worksheets if you have not already done So look forward to seeing you in section two

where we begin discussing humanity send some other very interesting topics