Program / Course 8: God, Trinity, and Creation / Lesson 1.1
What you will learn
- Define systematic theology and distinguish it from biblical, historical and practical theology.
- Explain the sources and norms theologians use, and how the traditions weigh them differently.
- Describe what kind of claims systematic theology makes and what kind it does not make.
- Identify a few habits that keep theological reasoning honest.
The big idea
Systematic theology is the effort to state what Christians believe about God and everything related to God in an ordered, connected and reasoned way. It does not replace Scripture, worship or prayer. It tries to show how the parts of the faith fit together and to guard them against distortion. Its claims are of a particular kind: some are the settled teaching of the churches, some are conclusions that most traditions share, and some are proposals that remain open to debate. Learning to tell these apart is the first skill of the discipline.
Key terms
- Systematic theology
- The ordered study of Christian teaching as a whole, arranged by topics such as God, creation, Christ and salvation.
- Doctrine
- A teaching that a church or tradition holds to be true and important, such as the doctrine of the Trinity.
- Dogma
- A doctrine that a church has formally defined and requires its members to hold. The term is used mainly in Catholic and Orthodox settings.
- Tradition
- The teaching and practice handed down in the church from one generation to the next. Traditions differ on how much authority it carries.
- Sola scriptura
- A Latin phrase meaning Scripture alone. The Reformation principle that Scripture is the final authority for doctrine, with the creeds and councils serving under it.
- Magisterium
- In Catholic teaching, the church’s living teaching office, exercised by the pope and the bishops in union with him.
- Creed
- A short, official statement of belief used in worship and teaching, such as the Nicene Creed.
- Heresy
- A teaching that a church judges to contradict its central faith. The word comes from a Greek word meaning choice.
Background
The word theology comes from two Greek words, theos (God) and logos (word or account). In its simplest sense it means speech about God. Christians have always done this, in sermons, hymns, letters and creeds. Systematic theology is a later and more organized form. It asks how the many things Scripture says about God, humanity, sin and salvation hang together, and it arranges them under headings so that they can be taught and examined.
Several kinds of theology work side by side. Biblical theology studies what individual biblical writers or sections teach. Historical theology traces how doctrines developed and why. Practical theology asks how belief shapes worship, ministry and daily life. Systematic theology draws on all three and puts the results in order. A good systematic theologian has to know what the texts say and what the church has done with them, or the system will float free of both.
Early writers did not use the term in its modern sense, but they did the work. Origen’s First Principles, written in the third century, is often called the first attempt at a connected account of Christian doctrine. John of Damascus gathered the Eastern fathers into one summary in the eighth century. Thomas Aquinas wrote his Summa Theologiae in the thirteenth. Calvin’s Institutes appeared in the sixteenth. Each is an effort to set out the faith in order, and each reflects the author’s tradition.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: The sources
Every tradition begins with Scripture. The traditions differ on what stands beside it. Catholic teaching holds that Scripture and sacred tradition together form one deposit of faith, and that the magisterium interprets both. Orthodox Christians speak of the Holy Tradition, which includes Scripture, the creeds, the councils, the fathers and worship, all as one living stream. Protestants in the Reformation line hold that Scripture is the final norm, and that tradition is valuable but can be corrected by it.
Almost everyone also uses reason and experience. Reason clarifies terms, tests for contradiction and draws out consequences. Experience, including the worship and prayer of the church, shapes which questions seem urgent. Few theologians claim to use only one source. The disagreement is mostly over which source has the last word when they appear to conflict.
Step 2: What kind of claims are made
Not all theological claims carry the same weight. It helps to sort them into levels. At the first level are claims that nearly all Christians have held from the beginning, such as that God made the world and that Jesus is Lord. At the second level are claims defined by the early councils and accepted by Catholic, Orthodox and most Protestant churches, such as the Nicene doctrine of the Trinity. At the third level are claims that belong to one tradition, such as papal infallibility or double predestination. At the fourth level are proposals by individual thinkers that no church has adopted.
A careful student keeps these levels apart. Saying that the church teaches something is a different statement from saying a particular theologian argued for it, and both differ from saying that it is true. This course tries to mark the level of each claim as it goes.
Step 3: What it cannot claim
Theology speaks about a God who is beyond full human understanding. Paul asks, “who hath known the mind of the Lord?” (Romans 11:34). Because of this, serious theologians, East and West, have said that their statements are true but never exhaustive. A doctrine marks a boundary around a mystery. It says what must not be denied. It does not claim to have explained how God is God.
Systematic theology also cannot prove the faith to someone who rejects its starting points, and it does not claim to. Its first task is to state the faith clearly for those who hold it or are weighing it. Some theologians also offer arguments addressed to outsiders. That work is called apologetics, and it is a related but separate task.
Step 4: Habits of an honest student
Read the primary texts and not only summaries. Define each key term before using it. State a view in terms its own supporters would accept before you criticize it. Notice when a word changes meaning between writers; the Greek and Latin words behind Trinitarian terms are a famous case. And hold your conclusions with confidence that fits the evidence: firm where the church has been firm, modest where the church has left a question open.
- Which sources do I naturally trust most, and where did that habit come from?
- Can I state, in my own words, one doctrine and the text or council behind it?
- Am I treating a claim from one tradition as if all Christians held it?
- What would count as evidence against a view I currently hold?
- Do I know the strongest argument for a position I reject?
- Where am I tempted to claim more certainty than the evidence allows?
Examples
A claim at the first level
That God created the heavens and the earth is affirmed in Genesis 1:1, in every ancient creed, and by Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches alike. A student can present it as common Christian teaching without further qualification.
A claim at the third level
The teaching that the pope can define doctrine without error under certain conditions was defined by the First Vatican Council in 1870. Catholics hold it as dogma. Orthodox and Protestant Christians reject it. A fair description names it as Catholic teaching and does not present it as the view of all Christians.
A claim at the fourth level
A modern author may propose a new model of how three persons can be one God. Even if it is clever, it is a proposal. It cannot be described as what the church teaches until a church adopts it. (This is a general illustration, not a reference to one particular author.)
Different perspectives
Catholic
Theology is the work of faith seeking understanding, a phrase often connected with Anselm of Canterbury. It is done within the church and under the guidance of the magisterium. Aquinas holds that theology is a real science because it proceeds from principles revealed by God and accepted in faith.
Orthodox
Orthodox writers stress that theology is not mainly a branch of academic study but a fruit of prayer and holiness. A saying attributed to the fourth-century monk Evagrius, often repeated in the East, holds that a theologian is one who prays truly. The Orthodox also tend to be wary of building large systems and prefer to keep close to the councils, the fathers and worship.
Protestant
Protestants usually place Scripture first and test all teaching by it. Reformed, Lutheran and other confessions have produced detailed systematic works, such as Calvin’s Institutes. Many Protestants also stress that the Bible must be read in its own setting, and that the system must not override what a given text actually says.
Scholarly and secular views
Some scholars of religion study doctrines as historical products, shaped by language, politics and culture, without taking a position on their truth. Others argue that the Bible is too varied to yield a single system. Defenders reply that the variety of voices does not prevent a coherent account, and that the early church read it that way.
Why it matters
Every Christian already holds some theology, whether or not it is spoken aloud. A person who prays to the Father through the Son has a view about who God is. Studying systematic theology makes those assumptions visible, tests them and connects them. It also protects against two opposite mistakes: treating every opinion as equally important, and treating every opinion as untouchable. The rest of this course depends on being able to tell a settled teaching from a proposal.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: Systematic theology replaces the Bible with a human system.
Correction: At its best it serves Scripture by showing how its parts fit together. Calvin, Aquinas and John of Damascus all intended to explain the biblical faith, not to improve on it. Whether a given system succeeds is a fair question, but the aim is not replacement.
Misunderstanding: Doctrine is only for specialists and has no bearing on prayer or life.
Correction: Doctrine shapes how a person prays and what they hope for. The early councils argued about the nature of Christ because they thought salvation depended on it. Whether a person agrees with their conclusions, the link between belief and life was intended.
Misunderstanding: All churches treat tradition the same way.
Correction: They do not. Catholics give the magisterium a binding role, Orthodox Christians speak of a living Tradition, and many Protestants hold sola scriptura. Even Protestants who hold the principle disagree about how it works in practice.
Misunderstanding: If a doctrine is called a mystery, it means nothing can be said about it.
Correction: The traditions use the word to mean that the truth exceeds full comprehension, not that it is empty. Doctrines set boundaries and make positive statements, while admitting that the reality is larger than the statements.
Knowledge check
What is the difference between systematic theology and biblical theology?
Biblical theology studies what particular biblical writers or sections teach, in their own setting. Systematic theology takes teaching from the whole Bible and the church’s history and arranges it by topic, such as God, creation and salvation, so that the parts can be seen as one connected account.
Name three sources theologians use and one way the traditions differ about them.
Scripture, tradition, reason and experience are the main ones. Catholics treat Scripture and tradition together as the deposit of faith, interpreted by the magisterium. Orthodox Christians speak of a single Holy Tradition. Many Protestants hold that Scripture alone is the final norm. Any one of these differences is a correct answer.
Why is it useful to sort theological claims into levels?
Claims carry different weight. Some are held by nearly all Christians, some were defined by the early councils, some belong to one tradition and some are only one thinker’s proposal. Sorting them prevents a student from presenting a denominational teaching as universal or a private proposal as church teaching.
What does it mean to say a doctrine marks a boundary around a mystery?
It means the doctrine says what must not be denied without claiming to explain everything. The Trinity, for example, rules out certain errors while admitting that God exceeds human understanding. The statement is true, but it is not a full description of God.
Think it through
- Which of the four levels of claims does most of your own belief fall into? Is that where you want it?
- What source do you find hardest to give weight to, Scripture, tradition, reason or experience, and why?
- Can you think of a time when a clear definition changed your mind or cleared up an argument?
Independent assignment
Sorting your claims
In your own notebook, write about 400 words. List six statements about God that you would accept without hesitation. For each one, say which level it belongs to (held by nearly all Christians, defined by the councils, belonging to one tradition, or a private proposal) and name the source that best supports it. Finish with a paragraph on which statement you found hardest to classify. Do not send this to anyone.
Further study
- Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction Read the opening chapters on the nature of theology and its sources.
- Origen, On First Principles (De Principiis) Read the preface to see an early attempt to state the church’s rule of faith in order.
- Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae Read Part I, Question 1, on what sacred teaching is.
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion Read the opening chapters on the knowledge of God and of the self.
- Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine (5 volumes) Read the introduction on how doctrine develops over time.
- Deuteronomy 6:4 The Shema: the Lord is one. The starting point for any Christian account of God.
- Romans 11:34 Who has known the mind of the Lord? A reminder of the limits of theological claims.