SYSTEMS OF THEOLOGY

Romans 11:33-36, Galatians 4:8-9

Theology is the scientific study of God, his attributes and nature, as well as his relationship with the universe, the world in general, and man in particular. Two Greek words “Theos” (θεός) God and “logos” (λόγος) combine to create the word “theology.” Our modern concept of theology began with the Greeks, even though it gained its content and method with Christianity. Plato, with whom the concept emerges for the first time, associated with the term theology a polemical intention. For Plato theology described the mythical. This identification of theology and mythology also remained customary in later Greek thought. In distinction to philosophers, theologians testified to and proclaimed that which they viewed as divine. Theology became significant as the means of proclaiming the gods, of confessing to them, and of teaching and preaching this confession. In this practice of theology by the Greeks lies the prefiguration of what later would be known as theology in the history of Christianity. 

In spite of all the contradictions and nuances that were to emerge in the understanding of this concept in various Christian confessions and schools of thought, a formal criterion remains constant: theology is the attempt of adherents of a faith to represent their statements of belief consistently, to explicate them out of the basis (or fundamentals) of their faith, and to assign to such statements their specific place within the context of all otherworldly relations (e.g., nature and history) and spiritual processes (e.g., reason and logic).

Theology is a flow of knowledge that differentiates the secular pursuit of knowledge from the sacred one because of its starting point: all secular studies begin with reason and experience while theology begins with faith. The starting point for all extra-theological studies is the world (Latin: saeculum); the starting point for theology is the Word of God. Theology is the study of God.

It is important to establish the difference between theology and heresy, which is its corruption. A heresy is a corruption of dogma and departure from biblical faith through invalid argumentations on scripture. The Apostles warned against heretics (II Peter 3:16, Jude 17-19).

DEISM

This system acknowledges that there is a God, but denies that God sustains the creation. "God is the Maker, but not the Keeper".

Deism (derived from Latin deus, meaning "god") is the philosophical position and rationalistic theology that rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge and asserts that empirical reason and observation of the natural world are exclusively logical, reliable, and sufficient to determine the existence of a Supreme Being as the creator of the universe.

The term deism refers not to a specific religion but rather to a particular perspective on the nature of God. Deists believe that a single creator god does exist, but they take their evidence from reason and logic, not the revelatory acts and miracles that form the basis of faith in many organized religions. Deists hold that after the motions of the universe were set in place, God retreated and had no further interaction with the created universe or the beings within it. Deism is sometimes considered to be a reaction against theism in its various forms—the belief in a God that does intervene in the lives of humans and with whom you can have a personal relationship. 

THEISM

Theism is the belief in one or more gods, separate and distinct from people or other creatures. The term “theism” comes from the ancient Greek word theos, which means “god” or “deity.” Theism assumes a living relation of God to his creatures but does not define it. It differs from deism in that the latter is negative and involves a denial of revelation, while the former is affirmative, and underlies Christianity. One may be a theist and not be a Christian, but he cannot be a Christian and not be a theist

ATHEISM

The root for the word atheism originated before the 5th century BC from the ancient Greek (atheos), meaning "without god(s)". Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.

Atheism is one thing: A lack of belief in gods. Atheism is not an affirmative belief that there is no god nor does it answer any other question about what a person believes. It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system. To be clear: Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods.

Older dictionaries define atheism as “a belief that there is no God.” Clearly, theistic influence taints these definitions. The fact that dictionaries define Atheism as “there is no God” betrays the (mono) theistic influence. Without the (mono) theistic influence, the definition would at least read “there are no gods.” Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion.

SKEPTICISM

Skeptics and infidels are full of doubt and disbelief with regards to God, especially the God of Revelation. The word “skepticism” comes from the ancient Greek skepsis, meaning “inquiry.” Skepticism is not a cynical rejection of new ideas. It is an attitude of both open mind and critical sense. The ancient skeptics simply doubted that human beings can achieve certain knowledge, and preferred to be agnostic about a number of notions that they felt we just did not grasp securely. It aims at helping the public navigate the complex borderlands between sense and nonsense, science, and pseudoscience.

AGNOSTICISM

This school of thought does not deny God but denies that God can be known. Agnosticism is the view that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is not known or knowable with any certainty. If the question is "Does God exist?", "yes" would imply theism, "no" would imply atheism, and "I'm not sure" would imply agnosticism that God possibly can or cannot exist. Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist."

PANTHEISM

Everything is God, and God is everything. Everything you see is God. God is in everything. God and creation are synonymous.

POLYTHEISM

This is belief in many gods. There are various gods over us; these, in turn, have gods over them; and these have gods over them, and so on.

TRITHEISM

Tritheism is the teaching that the Godhead is really three separate beings forming three separate gods. It is the belief in three gods, as opposed to the Trinitarian doctrine of three Persons in One Godhead. Tritheism understands that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three separate gods. It accepts the threeness of God but ignores the unity of God. 

TRINITARIANISM

Trinitarianism is the teaching that God is triune, that He has revealed Himself to be three co-equal and co-eternal Persons. As affirmed at the Council of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381), the doctrine of the Trinity is essentially that God is one in being or essence, while existing as three co-equal, co-eternal Persons - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

DUALISM

This is the belief in two gods: a god that is good, and a god that is bad. They are both equal in power and persuasion. Dualism is the idea that there are two equal powers good and evil in competition with one another. Some have adapted this idea into the concept of so-called Christian dualism, the idea that God and Satan (or evil) stand in conflict, with equal power in competing with one another.
There is only one God who created all things (Genesis 1:1). There is no biblical teaching of an equally powerful evil being. Satan's power is clearly limited and less than God's power. Dualism is not a biblical concept, but a philosophical one that finds itself in conflict with the clear teachings of Scripture.

 MONOTHEISM

This is the doctrine of one God. The Jews, Mohammedans, and some Evangelicals are monotheists.

A poor theology and a superficial or inaccurate understanding of God will make our lives worse instead of bringing the comfort and hope we long for. Without theology, we have no direction about who God is and what He does, and we waste our lives and lose our souls. All Christians should be preoccupied with theology, the intense, personal study of God, so that we may know, love, and obey the One with whom we will joyfully spend eternity.