Theology Course Descriptions

THEO 3301 Systematic Theology I: Prolegomena, Bibliology, and Theology Proper
3 Credit Hours
The field of theology is introduced to the beginning student, and the major divisions of theology are explained in order to prepare students for the theological enterprise. Attention then turns to the doctrines of the Bible and the attributes of God.

THEO 3302 Systematic Theology II: Christology, Pneumatology, and Angelology
3 Credit Hours
PREREQUISITE: THEO 3301 Systematic Theology I or its equivalent. The study of theology is continued through a detailed examination of the doctrines of Christ (Christology), the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology), and angels (Angelology). Each is examined in terms of its existence, nature, attributes, and special problems.

THEO 3303 C.S. Lewis and the Compelling Case for Christianity
3 Credit Hours
Through an encounter with key essays and excerpts from C.S. Lewis’ writings, along with contributions from prominent C.S. Lewis scholars, students will survey a wealth of support for the Christian Faith. The course will highlight the life and thinking of Lewis, and review the rapid expansion and development of apologetics since his passing.

THEO 3304 Readings in Christian Thought/Theology
3 Credit Hours
This seminar course, based on shared inquiry method, focuses on the timeless writings of Christian thought from the Church Fathers to the present. Selections will be read from Augustine’s “City of God,” Calvin’s “Institutes of the Christian Religion,” and C.S. Lewis’s “God in the Dock.” Students will read from an array of other authors, including John Owen and John Piper.

THEO 3313 Christian Theology
3 Credit Hours
This course serves as an introduction to the study of Christian Theology. Participants will explore key doctrines such as divine
revelation, God, creation, humanity, sin, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, salvation and Christian spirituality, the church, and eschatology.

THEO 3321 Theology of the Gospel and Its Development in Great Britain
3 Credit Hours
This course, taught in Great Britain, explores the biblical foundations and the historical development of the understanding of the Gospel
in its British context. Special attention is given to the work of Thomas Cranmer, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and John Stott in clarifying and defending the Gospel message.

THEO 3322 Contemporary Issues in Theology and Ethics
3 Credit Hours
This course is designed to examine a host of issues related to contemporary issues in theology and ethics, specifically those issues that have surfaced in contemporary American culture evaluated in light of traditional Judeo Christian values and ethics. Some of the key topics that will be covered include: basic approaches to Christian ethics; current cultural trends and controversies not limited to but
including: the prosperity gospel, abortion, gay marriage, bioethics, rap music, war, marriage and divorce, sexual promiscuity, pop culture, misuse of Scripture, religious pluralism, etc.

THEO 3331 New Testament Theology
3 Credit Hours
The purpose of this course is to survey the key themes of each of the books of the New Testament, including the Synoptic Gospels and Acts, the Pauline literature, Hebrews, the General Letters, and the Johannine literature.

THEO 3332 Theology of Sanctification
3 Credit Hours
In order to make sense of the Christian doctrine of sanctification, diverse biblical models and theological systems have been developed and taught through the ages. Many of these are mutually harmonious and very complementary to each other. The purpose of this course is to survey these models, evaluate their Biblical theological foundations, and understand how to implement their insights into daily living.

THEO 3412 Readings in Christian Thought and Theology II – Modern Period
3 Credit Hours
This course, based on the shared inquiry method, focuses on the classic writings of Christian thought from the time of the Protestant Reformation to the present day. Potential selections will be from such authors as Calvin, Luther, Kierkegaard, Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, Brother Lawrence, Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis, John Piper, and G.K. Chesterton.

THEO 3421 Knowing Christ in a Skeptical Age
3 Credit Hours
This course reviews the biblical teaching on the person of Christ as Messiah, who is one person with two natures: full deity and full humanity. Also, it traces the development of this understanding in three phases, beginning with the Early Church’s development of the orthodox Christology. The Medieval and Renaissance Era saw further refinement and clarification of orthodoxy, then in the Enlightenment and Modern Era, an array of skeptical attacks on the deity of Christ led to a robust defense and new clarity of Christ’s nature. Special attention is given to the doctrine of the “Logos,” and the role of C.S. Lewis and other 20th Century defenders of
classic Christology.

THEO 4301 Contemporary Ethical Issues
3 Credit Hours
PREREQUISITE: THEO 3301 Systematic Theology I or its equivalent. This is a seminar course on current ethical debates, including abortion, euthanasia, racism, homosexuality, war and peace, genetics and cloning, and environmentalism. The course will investigate the theological and philosophical worldviews and assumptions that undergird the various positions in these debates.

THEO 4302 Issues in Science and Theology
3 Credit Hours
This course is an advanced seminar course on the contemporary debates and dialogues between theology, on the one hand, and the natural sciences, on the other hand. Topics to be emphasized are Darwinism vs. Intelligent Design, the “Anthropic Principle” and the
“fine-tuned universe,” the mind/brain puzzle, the environment and Biblical stewardship, and multi-dimensionality issues.

THEO 4311 Apologetics
3 Credit Hours
This course studies the science of Christian Evidences, examining the reasonableness of our faith and the corroboration of findings
from science, history, and philosophy. It contrasts the biblical concept with various alternative positions and considers major
problem areas, such as authority, miracles, evil, and evolution. It sets a basis for a Christian apologetic which is theologically and
historically sound.

THEO 4312 Advanced Apologetics
3 Credit Hours
A survey of current issues and trends in apologetics, including the work of Phillip Johnson, William Lane Craig, Alvin Plantinga, J. P.
Moreland, Ravi Zacharias, James Sire, William Dembski, and Peter Kreeft. Topics to be covered include the extent and nature of
“common ground” with unbelievers; the legacy of St. Augustine and Pascal, the role of scientific apologetics and a critique of naturalism,
and currents in historical, cultural, and philosophical apologetics.

THEO 4321 Systematic Theology III: Anthropology, Hamartiology, and Soteriology
3 Credit Hours
PREREQUISITE: THEO 3301 Systematic Theology I or its equivalent.
The study of theology is continued with an examination of God’s created order as seen in human beings (Anthropology). The nature
and consequences of sin are also examined (Hamartiology). The focus then shifts to God’s redemptive program for humanity in the
doctrine of salvation (Soteriology).

THEO 4331 Systematic Theology IV: Ecclesiology, Eschatology, and Contemporary Theology
3 Credit Hours
PREREQUISITE: THEO 3301 Systematic Theology I or its equivalent.
The study of God’s redemptive plan for humanity is continued through an examination of the doctrines of the church (Ecclesiology) and
last things (Eschatology). In addition, various recently developing approaches to theological questions are also examined.

THEO 4342 Foundations of the Broader Christian Theological Tradition (Patristics)
3 Credit Hours
This course examines Christian theology in the period immediately after the writing of the New Testament through the fifth century,
and the development of theological consensus by God’s people concerning foundational Christian beliefs.