[tee’-lee-awl‘-uh-jee]
(Greek teleos, “perfect” or “complete” from telos, “end” or “result”)
The study of the evidences of design or purpose in nature.
It is the school of thought that holds all things to be designed for or directed toward a final result, that there is an intrinsic purpose for everything that exists. In Christian apologetics, it represents the […]

Posted in T Comments Off

[thee’-iz-um]
(Greek theos, “God”)
Worldview that believes that an eternal God freely created all of existence (time, space, matter, celestial realms and bodies) out of nothing (ex nihilo) and that he continues to act within the creation in varying degrees. This is to be contrasted with atheism (the belief that there is no God), pantheism (the belief that […]

Posted in T Comments Off

[teh’-truh-gram‘-uh-tawn’]
(Greek tetra-, “four” + Greek gramma, “letter”)
Refers to the four Hebrew letters that make up the personal name of God (Yod-Hay-Vav-Hay, equivalent to English Y-H-W-H) as revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14-15. It is found nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is often rendered, “I AM WHO I AM“ or ” […]

Posted in T Comments Off

[tran’-sub-stan’-shee-ay‘-shun]
(Latin transsubstantiati, “change of substance”)
The Roman Catholic doctrine that refers to the change by which the substance (not the appearance) of the bread and wine in the Eucharist becomes the actual body and blood of Christ. That is, Jesus is not merely symbolically or figuratively present, but is really (or actually) present in what was […]

Posted in T Comments Off

Though considered the sub-discipline of Christian theology, it deals specifically with the being, attributes , and works of God. Because the Christian concept of God is triune, trinitarian considerations are presupposed when undertaking this discipline. As such, it often includes the study of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology) and the study of Jesus Christ (Christology).

Posted in T Comments Off

[teks’-tus ree-sep’-tus]
(Latin, “received text”)
The name given to the edition of the Greek New Testament first published by Erasmus in the early sixteenth-century. The Textus Receptus, at the time of Erasmus, represented a small collection of Byzantine texts and, despite its name, is considered by most scholars today, conservative and liberal, to be representative of […]

Posted in T Comments Off

[thee-awd’-ih-see]
(Greek theos, “god” + Greek dike, “justice” = “the justice of God“)
The branch of theology (and philosophy) which attempts to harmonize the reality of evil with an omniscient, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent God. More specifically, it endeavors to vindicate the divine attributes of God, particularly with respect to holiness and justice.
Read Damian Romano’s ongoing book review […]

Posted in T Comments Off

Also referred to as “free will theism” and “openness theology,”it is the belief that God does not exercise meticulous control of the universe but leaves it “open” for humans to make significant free will choices that impact their relationships with God and others. A corollary of this is that God has not predetermined the future. […]

Posted in T, O Comments Off

[cat-uh-fat’-ik thee-aw’-luh-jee]
(Greek kata- <as an affirmative> + Greek phanai, “speak” = kataphasis, “affirmation”)
Often called “positive theology,” cataphatic theology describes the theological methodology of those who focus on God’s self-revelation as a coherent avenue of God’s communication. While finite men cannot understand an infinite God completely, they can understand him truly.

Posted in T, C No Comments »

[ap-uh-fat’-ik thee-aw’-luh-jee]
(Greek apo-, “other than” + Greek phanai, “speak” = apophasis, “to say no”)
Theological methodology which starts with the ineffability of God, believing that God’s infinite nature cannot be contained by finite men through finite language. The best way to describe God, therefore, is through way of negation (via negativa). In Christianity, apophatic theology is […]

Posted in T, A No Comments »