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Theology Courses
Theology Courses
- Theology
TH101 Introducing Bible Doctrine I: Theology, Divine Revelation, and the Bible
TH102 Introducing Bible Doctrine II: The Triune God and His Heavenly Host
TH103 Introducing Bible Doctrine III: Humanity, Sin, and Salvation
TH104 Introducing Bible Doctrine IV: The Church and Last Things
TH112 Doctrine of Christ and the Church: A Reformed Perspective
TH113 Doctrine of Salvation and Eschatology: A Reformed Perspective
TH321 Cultural Implications of Theology: Influences of Christian Doctrine on Society
TH331 Perspectives on Creation: Five Views on Its Meaning and Significance
TH341 Perspectives on Eschatology: Five Views on the Millennium
TH351 Perspectives on Justification by Faith: Five Views on Its Meaning and Significance
TH361 Perspectives on the Trinity: Eternal Generation and Subordination in Tension
TH390 Contextual Theology: Examples from Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America
Learn what it means to “do theology” and how scholars and students integrate it into Bible study. This course introduces students to why systematic theology is important and what “doing theology” means. Drs. Ronn Johnson, Carl Sanders, and Mike Heiser challenge students to think about the roles of divine revelation, the Bible, Christian tradition, logic, and philosophy in articulating doctrine. Examine major topics, essential ideas, doctrinal issues and disagreements, and more.
Find answers to questions of Christian doctrine with experts in the field. Why do Christians believe in a Trinity? What is the relationship between God and angels? How does God relate to his creation? Why does evil exist? Drs. Ronn Johnson and Dr. Carl Sanders introduce students to the academic discussion of these questions by examining biblical descriptions of the Trinity and the members of God’s heavenly host. The course also discusses God’s providential relationship to creation, his divine knowledge, the problem of evil, and modern views of spiritual gifts.
In this course, Dr. Carl Sanders and Dr. Ronn Johnson discuss the theological importance of humanity’s creation in the image of God, separation from a relationship with God because of sin, biblical concepts of atonement and justification, and the ultimate destiny of believers. Theological approaches to related issues, such as corporate human relationships, gender, race, and the value of work are also considered.
Why was the church established after the resurrection of Jesus? What is its future, and the future of all humanity? Drs. Carl Sanders and Ronn Johnson introduce you to the theological discussion of the institution of the church and the biblical doctrine of eschatology (“end times”). Attention is focused on the nature of the church, systems of church government, church rites (baptism, Lord’s Supper), the relationship of the church to social issues, and how doctrinal thinking about the church affects one’s theology of end times. Various views on prophetic interpretation, the rapture, and millennialism are presented, as well as an extended discussion on how the two major theological approaches (dispensationalism and covenant theology) function and disagree.
What is the relationship between Holy Scripture and Christian tradition, and how do you use both to live in the world as Christ’s disciple? These are some of the questions Dr. Michael Allen explores in TH111. Using John Calvin’s image of theology as spectacles, Dr. Allen shows how Scripture and theological tradition work together to shape how we see, interact with, and serve the world in our own unique time and place.
After defining and explaining different theological methods, Dr. Allen provides an in-depth look at the character of God—in particular God’s triunity—in order to explain the relationship between God and humanity. Dr. Allen shows how our creaturely origins inform our rightful dependency on God and God’s unique covenant with humanity. He also explains how being created in God’s image affects our understanding of relationships, morality, and missions. This course concludes with a reflection on sin’s impact on God’s covenant with humanity and our vocation as divine image bearers.
In TH112, Dr. Allen focuses on the doctrines of Christ (Christology) and the church (ecclesiology), carefully explaining how Christ—as Prophet, Priest, and King—fulfills the covenant of grace conveyed throughout the whole of Scripture and the implications of this for the life of the church as the site of God’s covenantal promises. This course will introduce and respond to a wide variety of heresies concerning Jesus—many of which still arise today—including those from the Ebionites, Docetists, Apollinarians, Arians, Monophysites, and Nestorians. This course will help you address unorthodox portrayals of Jesus Christ with a thoughtful, biblical, and historical response; explain how the resurrected Christ is working through the church; and show how this understanding offers practical application for real-life ministry issues.
Dr. Allen concludes this bundle with TH113, which covers the doctrine of salvation (Soteriology), or how God saves us, and the last things (Eschatology): the return of Christ, the coming judgment, and the resurrection and eternal life we anticipate.
Before walking you through the doctrine of salvation and last things, Dr. Allen provides a thoroughly biblical understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology): the Holy Spirit’s unique work and how the Third Person of the Trinity relates to the Father and the Son. Dr. Allen then teaches you about the different means of grace available to the church, including a definition of the sacraments, an explanation of the difference between infant and believer baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the sacramental nature of prayer. This course concludes with an in-depth study of the last things, including how the Old Testament relates to the New Testament, the curse of Gen 3, the Kuyperian New-Calvinism position, and the complex relationship between the church and wider culture.
Christology: Prominent Titles for Jesus (TH146) brings together fourteen respected Christian scholars to examine the meaning and significance of Jesus’s titles. These scholars have published extensively on theology and biblical interpretation, and their combined expertise facilitates students gaining clear insight into Jesus’s identity as revealed in Scripture. The course explores the person of Jesus Christ, the meaning and significance of some of His important titles, His united divine and human natures, and Christology in the New Testament.
In this course, Dr. Michael Goheen provides a framework for understanding and analyzing world religions. He discusses the theology of religions and gives an overview of three major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Goheen examines the heart or core behind the beliefs and practices of these religions and discusses how Christians might begin to dialogue with people of these faiths.
In her approachable and relatable teaching style, Dr. Beth Felker Jones explains major doctrines and heresies of the Christian faith. She describes the concepts of divine revelation, the Trinity, the fall, salvation, grace and free will, and the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism. You’ll gain a basic understanding of pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit), ecclesiology (the study of the Church), eschatology (the study of end times), and the many related heresies. Additionally, you’ll learn to harmonize Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason in understanding and forming your own theology.
The clarity of Scripture has been a key part of doctrine of Scripture since the Reformation. In this short course, John Frame considers what the clarity of Scripture means. He describes its origin and discusses it in light of three of God’s attributes: His sovereignty, His authority, and His presence. Dr. Frame also explains how to understand the clarity of Scripture when reading passages in the Bible that do not seem to be clear.
Delve into Trinitarian theology and understand how the Trinity is a biblically rooted doctrine inherent in the gospel. Explore the God who’s revealed in Scripture, the God who’s revealed in the NT, the God who’s revealed in Jesus, is the God of the gospel, who is Father, Son, and Spirit. Understand the distinction between the ontological and the economic Trinity and develop the concept of perichoresis, the mutual indwelling of the Father, Son, and Spirit in the life of God. The Trinitarian theology is the development of that great good news and of our share in it as disciples of Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of divine omnipresence—the idea that God is present everywhere—is an important aspect of Christian theology. In The Doctrine of Divine Omnipresence (TH218) Dr. Sean McGever explores this significant attribute of God from both a scriptural and theological perspective and also discusses its practical ministry applications. After explaining the distinction between God’s general and special presence Dr. McGever traces the story of God’s special presence through the biblical witness. He then examines the theological formulation of God’s general presence by examining the doctrine of divine omnipresence in the works of five key theologians from Augustine to Barth. He concludes the course by exploring the importance of divine omnipresence in ministerial applications predicated on the reality of the believer’s union with Christ through the indwelling Spirit of God.
Doctrine of Man (TH221) provides an introduction to the fascinating and vast topic of the doctrine of man, from a Reformed position. The course introduces several theological methods, striking a balance between biblical and doctrinal considerations. Using a close reading of Gen 1–2, it examines what it means to be an image-bearer in our everyday life and work—created in God’s likeness and oriented toward God’s glory. The course also describes sin’s impact on our image-bearing work. It also provides a broad understanding of the doctrines of creation, revelation, and sin.
In the course Theological Anthropology, Dr. Marc Cortez looks at the question, What does it mean to be human? Dr. Cortez begins by surveying how to go about studying the human person from a theological perspective. He reviews the history of Christian reflection on what it means to be human and then presses into a range of difficult concomitant issues. The course covers classic theological issues as well as relevant contemporary topics, as Dr. Cortez discusses being made in the image of God; the reality of sin; free will; the distinction between mind, body, and soul; gender; the role of women in ministry; sexuality; race; and culture.
Gain a better understanding of Jesus Christ as you explore how God became man, how we can be like Jesus, and what a real difference He makes in our lives. Examine the historical reality that Jesus was fully incarnate through the Virgin Mary, lived a human life, died for our sins, rose for our justification and to bring us new life, and is exalted in the highest heaven above all powers that are opposed to the truth of God.
In Christology: The Person and Work of Christ Dr. Lane Tipton maps out the distinctive features of the person and work of Jesus Christ, to help you see more clearly His significance. Dr. Tipton focuses on Christ from a Reformed perspective, beginning with an overview of the person and work of Christ as well as historical developments in Christology. From there, he takes an in-depth look at three main passages—Col 1:15–20, Heb 1:1–4, Phil 2:5–11—to glean authoritative teaching concerning the person and work of Christ. The course concludes by examining Heb 8–9, with an emphasis on Jesus’ role as heavenly high priest. The course will lead you to a deeper and richer understanding of the gospel as you grow in your understanding of the person and work of Jesus Christ
In Pneumatology: The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit (TH251) Fred Sanders considers the often neglected and/or misunderstood doctrine of the Holy Spirit and provides a foundational pneumatology that focuses on the person and work of the Holy Spirit. He examines the Spirit in God in the context of Scripture, letting Scripture define the person and work of the Spirit while recognizing that this will leave many questions unanswered. Sanders counsels us to be okay with that, trusting that what the Spirit has chosen to disclose is sufficient for faith and godly living. This approach provides the Trinitarian background necessary to discuss the Spirit in God’s plan or mission in the world, which comprises the latter half of the course. Understanding the Spirit’s work in salvation history in this way provides a more concrete understanding of the Spirit’s role in the life of the church.
Dogmatic Framework for the Doctrine of Salvation
Historical Developments in the Doctrine of Salvation
Recent Challenges and Retrieved Wisdom
Have you ever wondered, “Can I lose my salvation?” or “Does God choose who is saved?” or “What does Jesus mean when he talks about rewards?” In TH265 Free Grace Theology, Dr. Bob Wilkin explores these and other questions related to salvation. You’ll see how Free Grace theology compares to Calvinism and Arminianism, and how it relates to the Lordship salvation view. Dr. Wilkin walks through the key issues and discusses relevant biblical passages with a clear and simple teaching style. Whether you are a proponent of Free Grace Theology or not, this course will challenge you to think through what the Scriptures have to say.
The themes of law and grace are prevalent throughout Scripture and are integral to how a believer is to understand life with Christ and living by the Spirit. In Grace and the Law (TH267) Dr. Edmund DeZago explores the relationship between the Mosaic law and grace in the lives of Christians. Dr. DeZago begins by providing an overview of the covenants in the Bible. He then looks at the Mosaic law, its purposes, limitations, and the nature of its fulfillment in Christ. Finally, he examines the Messiah’s law and its impact on the lives of believers. Dr. DeZago concludes the course by answering frequently asked questions about the law and Christian life.
In this course on the doctrine of grace (TH268), Jack W. Cottrell will help you dive deep into the biblical and theological underpinnings of the topic of grace. “Grace” is a word we use often as Christians; however, as a theological concept it is often underdeveloped and misunderstood. Dr. Cottrell will help you develop a robust understanding of grace as he guides you in an exploration of the attributes of grace in relation to the law, key passages of Scripture, and the contributions of historical figures who helped develop the doctrine of grace. Dr. Cottrell demonstrates how a proper understanding of grace applies to and changes your life.
Sacramental theology has to be understood in the context of ecclesiology, in the context of the doctrine of the church. That’s not always the way that sacramental theology has been understood. Many of the debates about the Lord’s Supper, for example, seem to be based on a forgetfulness that the Church is present at the Lord’s Supper. The debates have been about the mode of Jesus’ presence in the bread and the wine. All of those questions are important questions, but they all can be asked without even considering the fact that the Church has gathered at the Lord’s Table to do something. All of those questions assume that our only concern with the Lord’s Supper is the bread and the wine set out on the table. In order to understand sacraments properly, we have to put the sacraments within that ecclesial context, within that liturgical context. If we don’t, we are liable to ask bad questions and come up with bad answers. In laying out that primary point, in this course, we will look at first the question of, what are sacraments? Are sacraments signs, are they symbols, are they something else?
Jack W. Cottrell’s course on the doctrine of baptism explores the connection between baptism and salvation through an in-depth examination of this rite in the New Testament. The course begins with a presentation of principles for Christian baptism and then moves on to a study of key related Scripture passages. Dr. Cottrell covers historical perspectives on baptism and fields questions about and objections to his perspective. The course concludes with an evaluation of the practice of infant baptism.
In this course, Dr. Sanders describes the history and basic defining beliefs of dispensationalism. You’ll be challenged to wrestle with important biblical themes such as prophecy, eschatology, and the nation of Israel. Dr. Sanders also addresses progressive dispensationalism and the competing views of covenantal theology.
In this course, Dr. Sanders dives deeper into the theology of dispensationalism and how dispensationalists interpret the Bible. Learn about the importance of biblical covenants such as the Mosaic, Abrahamic, and Davidic covenants. Examine opposing arguments on the nation of Israel—whether the Church replaces Israel and receives its promises, or whether Israel is distinct from the Church and will experience restoration in the future. Explore different ways of interpreting prophecy and eschatology and how our culture has been greatly impacted as a result.
The issue of Israel is one of the major points of division in evangelical theology today. This is true both among Arminians and Calvinists. An evangelical theologian’s view of Israel will determine whether he is a Covenant Theologian or a Dispensationalist. It will also determine what kind of Covenant Theologian he is: postmillennial, amillennial, or premillennial. The question of Israel is central for a proper systematic theology. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, which contains the first systematic theology in Church history, expounds on Israel in the center of his epistle, devoting three full chapters (9–11) out of sixteen to this topic. Yet, while there are many Systematic Theologies today which have systematized areas of biblical truth, none thus far have developed an Israelology as part of their system.
In Cultural Implications of Theology: Influences of Christian Doctrine on Society, Dr. Richard S. Park seeks to demonstrate how theology makes a real difference in society and how the gospel transforms culture. Dr. Park explores the social implications of the doctrines of creation, fall, redemption, and glorification, as well as the influences that sociology, anthropology, and other sources of “secular wisdom” can have on Christian theology. He puts forth a framework for how Christians are to think biblically about culture and how they are to engage culture winsomely in their God-given, day-to-day callings.
Theological Interpretation of Scripture in the Church provides a new way to think about Christian theology. In this course, Dr. Kevin J. Vanhoozer emphasizes doing theology for the church rather than a university setting. He shows the practical use of doctrine as a tool to grow disciples and explains how reading and studying Scripture is a key discipline in the disciple-making process.
The belief that God created the world is foundational for Christians. However, the exact nature of God’s work in creation is debated. This course will provide you with a better understanding of the different positions Christians hold regarding creation and will equip you to be able to explain the different issues involved in Genesis 1–2.The activities resource for this course includes additional videos by John Mark N. Reynolds and James B. Jordan, helping you reflect further on the significance of creation
Eschatology, the study of end times, is one of the most debated subjects in Christianity. Believers hold different positions on important topics like the rapture of believers, a seven-year tribulation period, and the nature of the millennial reign of Christ. After hearing each side of the eschatology debate, you’ll have a better understanding of the different eschatological doctrines Christians hold about the end times and be able to explain the various issues involved when studying Christian eschatology.
The doctrine of justification is central to the Christian faith. However, believers from different backgrounds have a variety of different understandings of what exactly being “justified by faith” means. You’ll come away from the course with a more distinct understanding of the different positions on justification and a renewed appreciation for God’s work of salvation.
In Perspectives on the Trinity: Eternal Generation and Subordination in Tension (TH361), Drs. Wayne Grudem, Millard Erickson, Fred Sanders, Bruce Ware, and Kevin Giles explore a major question about the Trinity: Is God the Son subordinate to God the Father in eternity, or not? While Jesus certainly seemed to be subordinate to God during His earthly ministry, was this the case before His incarnation? Afterward? Each contributor lays out his perspective on the issue that affects our understanding of who God is, what the Bible teaches, and what the historic church has taught. The activities resource for this course includes additional videos by Drs. Michael Bird and Scott Harrower, helping to frame the background and significance of this topic.
In this course, New Testament scholar and ordained Methodist minister Ben Witherington surveys a Wesleyan theology of the sacraments. He unpacks what John Wesley meant by the “means of grace”: baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and preaching. Dr. Witherington will help you think seriously and coherently about the scriptural background to these topics, the relevant historical background of the church, and the nature of the sacraments as means of grace.
Contextual theology requires you to take human contact seriously and is an indispensable source of theology. Victor Ezigbo discusses how contextual theology can teach theologians who already do theology from a systematic, historical, or biblical perspective. Ezigbo explores the “ancestor Christologists” in Africa, who look at Jesus Christ as an “ancestor”—someone analagous to the African concept of an ancestor of the spiritual world and the physical world. He explores liberation theologians in South America and their work, including their emphasis on engaging in social action and taking on socio-political problems in their communities. Ezigbo considers Dalit theologians as an example of theology in Asia. These individuals take on the questions that the Dalits—who are considered outcasts in the traditional Hindu system — are asking about the gospel. All of these contextual theologians from around the world have learned that theologians have the responsibility of serving the church — they should identify the needs of the church and address those needs in the ways that people can understand. Contextual theology will help all theologians accomplish this great task.
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