Module 2: How to Do Theology
Hi everyone, and welcome back to the second module for the Theological Foundations course. The focus of this module is on how to do theology for yourself. You will learn practical skills and approaches to use in your own study. Some of the topics to be covered in this module are the basis and authority for all theology, the various branches of theology that connect God’s revelation to practical application, some strategies for faithful Bible study, strategies for theological thinking and application, and then specific processes and skills to do theological work. There may seem to be a lot of material to be learned. But it is most important to see that it is all connected together because God is the foundation of it all. Ideally, you will understand all the concepts and begin to practice all the skills. The material for this module is meant to provide tools that will be used (with increasing skill the more they are used) in the modules ahead. And hopefully you will see the benefit and commit to use these skills and approaches for a lifetime of theological investigation.
2
Introduction
Module Objectives and Outcomes
Module Objectives
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will:
- Follow a systematic procedure for investigation and application of theological issues.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the primary functional authority of Scripture in all theological work.
Module Outcomes
Cognitive Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to:
- Describe the different branches of theological investigation
- Articulate the logical relationship and priority of the various theological disciplines
- Apply exegetically responsible procedures for theological investigation
- Describe a flexible process for theological investigation and application
- Follow a detailed and/or an abridged process to investigate a theological topic
Affective Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, each student should have a conviction and desire to:
- Prioritize revelation from God over human reason, tradition and experience in doing theology.
- Appreciate regular Bible and theological study
- Value exegetical responsibility in all theological investigation
- Integrate intellectual investigation with appropriate affections and actions
- Value making theology practicable and actually putting it into practice
Devotional
Read 2 Timothy 2:15
In this verse, Paul was encouraging his young protege Timothy to do theology and to do it well. He told Timothy to be diligent
(or work hard
or do your best
etc. depending on your translation). He was asking Timothy to be willing to do whatever is necessary, even though it might not be easy. And the purpose for this is so that he would present himself to God as one who is proven - a workman with no cause to be ashamed. And then Paul added a phrase that describes the characteristic activity that would ensure Timothy of being approved and avoiding shame. Timothy should rightly, accurately handle the Word of Truth.
In giving this command to Timothy, Paul not only communicated the importance of accurately handling the Word, but also implied that this is not automatic. It was entirely possible for Timothy (and is possible for us) to wrongly, inaccurately work with God's Word, and therefore be unapproved and have good reason to be ashamed. For this reason, it is necessary that we take this task seriously and work skillfully as well as diligently.
The material for this module is intended to help us to fulfill this task well. There are attitudes and tools and skills that will help us to do theology well, and to avoid certain pitfalls. If we learn and practice these things, it will be a benefit, not only for our own life, but for the people around us. And we will be able to present something to God that will please Him, and not something of which we will be ashamed.
Please, then, prayerfully consider how you can be an approved worker. In what ways can you improve your effort? Why will it be worth the effort? In what ways do you perceive that you lack skill and practice? What do you hope that this module's material will provide to help with this lack? What difference do you hope it will make? And what things can you do to grow in these areas?
Instruction Documents
In this section, you'll find links to the instruction documents for this module. There is an instruction document for an individual student studying on their own. And there is an instruction document for students working through this material with a group. Click the links below to access these documents.
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How Do We Know?
Textbook Reading
In this section, you'll find the reading schedule and study guides for the textbook readings and supplemental readings. The textbook readings should be done before watching the lecture videos. However, the supplemental readings should typically be done after the lecture videos.
Lecture Video
In this section, you will find the video lecture for this part of module 2. Before the video, there is a link to a study guide for the lecture and a link to blank, fill-in notes for the lecture. Click the banner to open access to the video. There is also a link with the video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface. In addition, there is a link to download the audio from the presentation for offline review. And there are links that open review slides and a review quiz that covers the material from this particular lecture. Click each link to access those documents.
04: How to do Theology - How do we know?
Lecture 04 Video 
Lecture 04 ReviewClick the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
Quiz for Lecture 04Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this lecture. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct. This quiz will be different each time, so you may close and reopen this quiz for more review and practice.
Lecture 04 Reflection/Discussion
In this section, you will find documents containing instructions and content for either an individual reflection or group discussion based on this lecture. Follow the instructions in order to interact with and help solidify your understanding of the course material and work toward its application. Click either link below to access these documents.
2
From the Bible
Textbook Reading
In this section, you'll find the reading schedule and study guides for the textbook readings and supplemental readings. The textbook readings should be done before watching the lecture videos. However, the supplemental readings should typically be done after the lecture videos.
Lecture Video
In this section, you will find the video lecture for this part of module 2. Before the video, there is a link to a study guide for the lecture and a link to blank, fill-in notes for the lecture. Click the banner to open access to the video. There is also a link with the video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface. In addition, there is a link to download the audio from the presentation for offline review. And there are links that open review slides and a review quiz that covers the material from this particular lecture. Click each link to access those documents.
05: How to do Theology - From the Bible...
Lecture 05 Video Lecture 05 ReviewClick the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
Quiz for Lecture 05Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this lecture. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct. This quiz will be different each time, so you may close and reopen this quiz for more review and practice.
Supplemental Reading
The student will read the assigned secondary reading at the link found below. Think through the content of this article and use the insights gained as part of your course material response and application reflection or discussion.
Lecture 05 Reflection/Discussion
In this section, you will find documents containing instructions and content for either an individual reflection or group discussion based on this lecture. Follow the instructions in order to interact with and help solidify your understanding of the course material and work toward its application. Click either link below to access these documents.
2
To Application
Textbook Reading
In this section, you'll find the reading schedule and study guides for the textbook readings and supplemental readings. The textbook readings should be done before watching the lecture videos. However, the supplemental readings should typically be done after the lecture videos.
Lecture Video
In this section, you will find the video lecture for this part of module 2. Before the video, there is a link to a study guide for the lecture and a link to blank, fill-in notes for the lecture. Click the banner to open access to the video. There is also a link with the video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface. In addition, there is a link to download the audio from the presentation for offline review. And there are links that open review slides and a review quiz that covers the material from this particular lecture. Click each link to access those documents.
6: How to do Theology - ... to Application
Lecture 06 Video Lecture 06 ReviewClick the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
Quiz for Lecture 06Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this lecture. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct. This quiz will be different each time, so you may close and reopen this quiz for more review and practice.
Supplemental Reading
The student will read the assigned secondary reading at the link found below. Think through the content of this article and use the insights gained as part of your course material response and application reflection or discussion.
Lecture 06 Reflection/Discussion
In this section, you will find documents containing instructions and content for either an individual reflection or group discussion based on this lecture. Follow the instructions in order to interact with and help solidify your understanding of the course material and work toward its application. Click either link below to access these documents.
2
Theological Method
Textbook Reading
In this section, you'll find the reading schedule and study guides for the textbook readings and supplemental readings. The textbook readings should be done before watching the lecture videos. However, the supplemental readings should typically be done after the lecture videos.
Lecture Video
In this section, you will find the video lecture for this part of module 2. Before the video, there is a link to a study guide for the lecture and a link to blank, fill-in notes for the lecture. Click the banner to open access to the video. There is also a link with the video if you prefer to watch on the Rumble or YouTube interface. In addition, there is a link to download the audio from the presentation for offline review. And there are links that open review slides and a review quiz that covers the material from this particular lecture. Click each link to access those documents.
7: How to do Theology - Theological Method
Lecture 07 Video Lecture 07 ReviewClick the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
Quiz for Lecture 07Here is a review quiz for the material covered in this lecture. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct. This quiz will be different each time, so you may close and reopen this quiz for more review and practice.
Supplemental Reading
The student will read the assigned secondary reading at the link found below. Think through the content of this article and use the insights gained as part of your course material response and application reflection or discussion.
Lecture 07 Reflection/Discussion
In this section, you will find documents containing instructions and content for either an individual reflection or group discussion based on this lecture. Follow the instructions in order to interact with and help solidify your understanding of the course material and work toward its application. Click either link below to access these documents.
2
Activities
Module Reviews
In this section, you will find the review slides from all the course lectures for module 2. This is a convenient way to view and review the summaries for each lecture. Click the banner to begin the slide show.
Click the prev.
and next
buttons (bottom right of the slide) to move through the slides. You can also click on any thumbnail to go directly to that slide.
Review Quiz
This section contains a review quiz to test your understanding of the objective material for Module 2. By clicking the banner, you will reveal a series of questions, in random order. Answer each question and then push the Check Answers
button to check your answers. Every question must be answered before you can submit the quiz. At the end, you will be shown your score for the entire quiz. The quiz will be different each time, so feel free to take it more than once. Click the banner to begin the quiz.
Here is a review quiz for all the material covered in this module's lectures. Click the button next to the best answer for each question, or drag each term to its best definition. Then press the button at the bottom to see if your answers are correct.
Discussion/Reflection/Essay Questions
This section contains questions for further thought and discussion from Module 2. These questions can also be used as essay questions in a classroom setting exam. It is recommended that you take time to think through these issues in order to thoroughly grasp the significance and explore the application of the material you are learning. Click the Thumbnail to view the questions. These questions may be different every time you open this section, so feel free to close and reopen for more questions.
The following questions are for your thoughtful consideration and discussion:
- Describe the dangers and failures of using Reason, Tradition, or Experience as our ultimate source and authority for knowledge. How can we protect ourselves from these dangers?
- Describe the progression of "Precept - Principle - Person." What does this mean and how does it apply to doing theology?
- What does it mean for God to self-identify with holy Scirpture? What does this tell us about the nature of the Bible? How should we respond in our theological work?
- Describe the characteristics of good application. Why are these necessary? What can you do to ensure that your application meets these standards?
Personal Theological Method Paper
This section contains instructions for the Personal Theological Method Paper. This activity is the culmination and application of the various interactions with each lecture's material. The purpose of this activity is for each student to adapt and apply what they have been learning to their own particular aptitudes, situation, and opportunities. Click the link below to view the detailed instruction document for this activity.
(optional) Theology Project - Part 2
The student may create a project that will span all five modules of this course. The project will examine one theological topic of the student's choosing from a number of different perspectives, following a general theological method learned in this course. This project will be composed of five separate activities, one from each module. Please click the link below for detailed instructions for part 2 of this project.
Module Completed!
Congratulations, you have reached the end of the second module. I hope that you have found it rewarding and have noticed even more personal growth.
I encourage you to continue on to the next module as soon as is convenience. The button below will take you to Module 3.
