[air‘-ee-uh-niz’-um]
The teachings of 4th Century theologian Arius who lived and taught in Alexandria, Egypt. His controversial teachings on the relationship of Jesus Christ to God the Father led to the Council of Nicea. Arius believed that Jesus was not one with the Father, and that he was not fully divine in nature, though almost. The […]

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(Latin, “to the man”)
An argumentative tactic where a person fails to engage the substance of an argument, choosing instead to opt for a personal attack on the character of the one making the argument. A popular and humorous extreme of this would be to respond to someone by saying “Your a monkey’s uncle.” Another example […]

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[uh-tone’-mint]
(Middle English atonen, “to be reconciled,” from Middle English at one, “in agreement”)
In Christian Theology, this refers to the doctrine of the reconciliation between God and man through the accomplished death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the Elwell Evangelical Dictionary, atonement “is the expiation of sin and the propitiation of God by […]

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(ahr-mih‘-nee-uhn-iz’-um)
A summary of teachings that are attributed to 17th century Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius. Arminian theology took issue with the teachings of John Calvin on 5 points, articulated in the Five articles of Remonstrance of 1610. The doctrines can be summarized as universal (prevenient) grace, conditional election, unlimited atonement, resistible grace, and uncertainty of perseverance. […]

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[uh-paw’-stuh-see]
(Greek apo-, “away” or “apart” + Greek stasis, “standing”)
When a person commits a formal desertion, denouncement, or rejection from one’s religion, namely Christianity. A person who commits apostasy is called an “apostate.” The Bible is replete with warnings against, and examples of, apostasy [cf. Heb 6:4-6, “Forsaking the LORD,” Jer. 2:17]. Jesus himself spoke of a […]

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[an’-thruh-puh-mor‘-fiz’-um]
(Greek anthropos, “human” and Greek morphe, “shape” or “form”)
The ascription of human attributes to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. With respect to Christian theology, the authors of the Bible assign certain emotions, actions or physical features of man to God. For example, in Exodous 3:20 we have God “stretching out His […]

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(Greek autos, “self” + Greek graphos, “written” = “written with one’s own hand”)
Refers to the original documents of the Scriptures that are no longer extant. The closest our current manuscript evidence comes to the original is p52 (papyrus #52), often referred to as the John Rylands Papyrus. P52 contains a few verses of the Gospel of […]

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or, Saint Anselm (1033–1109)
He was a Roman Catholic philosopher and clergyman best known for his work Cur Deus Homo [Why the God-man?], 1098. Called the founder of scholasticism, he is considered the father of the ontological argument for the existence of God. He also openly opposed the Crusades.
Read more on Anselm here.
…and here.

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[uh-say’-ih-tee]
(Latin a-, “from” + se, “itself”)
Attribute or property of God describing his self-existence and non-contingency. In other words, God is the only absolutely independent being. His existence and well-being are not dependent upon any being or circumstance. He is the final and primary cause of all things, therefore, there is no cause that precedes him. […]

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[ad’-ih-af‘-or-uh]
(Greek, “things indifferent”)
Issues of theology and morals upon which the Scriptures do not speak, positively or negatively, in precept or principle. Examples might be styles of worship in church, the use of a clerical collar, or the use of birth control as a means to prevent pregnancy. Philipp Melanchthon popularized this term in Protestant theology […]

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