Key Theories & Frameworks
The study of the nature of Christ. Chalcedonian Definition: Christ is one person in two natures — fully divine and fully human, without confusion, change, division, or separation. Major Christologies: Alexandrian (emphasizes divinity), Antiochene (emphasizes humanity).
Protestant doctrine: salvation is by grace through faith alone (sola fide), not by works. Contrasts with Catholic teaching of faith and works. Central to the Reformation and Protestant theology.
Christian theology through the lens of the poor. God has a "preferential option for the poor." The Church should work for structural justice. Influenced Latin American base communities, Black theology, feminist theology.
God is not omnipotent in the classical sense but works with creation through persuasion, not coercion. God is affected by the world. Emphasizes relationality, change, and freedom.
Theology is shaped by the Christian community's language, practices, and narratives — not by universal reason or experience. Christianity is a culture, not just a set of beliefs.
Challenges patriarchal structures in Christianity. Reclaims women's experience as theological source. Critiques male-dominated language, imagery, and institutional structures. Develops feminist Christology, ecclesiology, and ethics.
Core Concepts
Protestant principle: Scripture alone is the ultimate authority for faith and practice. Contrasts with Catholic/Orthodox view of Scripture and Tradition. Foundation of Protestant theology and biblical interpretation.
Case Studies & Examples
Luther's 95 Theses challenged indulgences and papal authority. Key principles: sola fide, sola scriptura, sola gratia, priesthood of all believers. Led to Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, and Anglican traditions. Transformed Christianity, politics, and European civilization.
Modernizing council under John XXIII. Key changes: Mass in vernacular languages, ecumenism, religious freedom, collegiality, engagement with modern world. Transformed Catholic worship, theology, and relations with other Christians and Jews.
Applied Christian ethics to social problems — poverty, labor rights, temperance, civil rights. Walter Rauschenbusch, Washington Gladden, Martin Luther King Jr. Influenced the New Deal, civil rights movement, and liberation theology.
Began at Azusa Street Revival (1906, Los Angeles). Emphasizes Holy Spirit baptism, speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy. Fastest-growing Christian movement — 600+ million adherents. Transformed global Christianity, especially in Global South.
Practice Questions
A: (1) Christus Victor (Aulén): Christ's death defeats evil, sin, and death — liberation. (2) Penal Substitution (Reformed): Christ bears the punishment deserved by sinners. (3) Moral Influence (Abelard): Christ's sacrifice inspires love and repentance. (4) Satisfaction (Anselm): Christ's death satisfies God's honor. (5) Ransom: Christ's death pays ransom to Satan.
A: Authority: Catholic — Scripture and Tradition, papal authority. Protestant — sola scriptura. Salvation: Catholic — faith and works, sacramental grace. Protestant — sola fide, sola gratia. Church: Catholic — hierarchical, sacramental. Protestant — priesthood of all believers. Sacraments: Catholic — seven. Protestant — typically two.
A: Liberation theology (Gutiérrez, 1971): interprets Christianity through the lens of the poor. God has a preferential option for the poor. The Church should work for structural justice. Influenced base communities, Black theology, feminist theology. Criticized by Vatican for Marxist influences but transformed Christian social ethics.
A: (1) Mass in vernacular languages, (2) ecumenism — dialogue with other Christians, (3) religious freedom, (4) collegiality — shared governance with bishops, (5) engagement with modern world, (6) Nostra Aetate — new relationship with Jews and non-Christians, (7) liturgical reform, (8) lay participation.
A: Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing Christian movement — 600+ million adherents. Emphasizes: Holy Spirit baptism, speaking in tongues, divine healing, prophecy, direct experience of God. Transformed global Christianity, especially in Global South (Africa, Latin America, Asia). Challenges traditional denominations and shapes contemporary worship.