Systematic Theology Pastor Brett Peterson Syllabus Page 2

Systematic Theology Pastor Brett Peterson

Syllabus ® Page 2 – our course as planned ® Page 3 – goals and expectations ® Page 4 – great theologians – their books and their presuppositions ® The end – more theologians and their denominational backgrounds

Introduction ® DEFINITION ® • ® ® ® THEOLOGY – theos- God – logos- word, study, discourse, understanding, universal rational • SYSTEMATIC – Synistemi, Synistano- comprehend, put together, organize • Systematic Theology is “that department or section of theology which is concerned with setting forth systematically, that is to say, as a organized whole, what is known concerning God. ” Warfield, Studies in Theology, 91.

Science and Theology ® Theology then is the study of God and how He relates to the universe. It is the scientific pursuit of understanding God. It is the exploration of God’s revelation of Himself in the Bible (divine) and our experience (natural). Theology has been referred to as "fides quaerens intellectum" or "faith seeking understanding. "

Why look at science in a theology class? ® When you think of science, what do you think of? Test tubes, laboratories, mathmatics, etc. Science is evaluating empirical data in order to understand the universe and establish (or discover) laws that govern our natural world. ® Theology is evaluating empirical data in order to understand the universe and discover laws (both spiritual and natural) that govern mankind.

So how is theology science? • • • It is a Practical Science; it has more than mere Ontology (existence) Theology has Teleology; it has purpose and direction The end of theological inquiry is not merely mental equilibrium – a stagnate state of existence – it is dynamic The goal of scientific inquiry is knowledge that must produce a response and a transformation. Theology is more than philosophical ascension – it is experienced in all we do!

the big beginning …a very good place to start… Both scientists and theologians agree to the fact that there was a beginning of the universe. blaise pascal

®Christian worldview gave rise to modern science 3 -4 centuries ago ® Christian theism taught that an infinite, eternal, personal God made it all ® Therefore, to them, the creation was johannes kepler orderly & uniform, moreover…

® Man was created in His image, so humans could reason… and were also isaac newton capable of discovering truths about God through nature, His creation, and…

® Because they believed the heavens declared His glory that they concluded we could both conceive of the workings of the world around us, and we were spiritually driven to do so, nicolaus copernicus almost as if it were an expected human response.

® To them, God revealed Himself in 2 ways: through the Bible (special revelation) and nature (general revelation). galileo

bottom line #1: ® Science was founded and flourished on a Christian worldview which said the universe was understandable and worthy of being discovered. ® Today’s claim that the Christian faith is adverse to science in general is a mistake or a lie. ® Theology is the science of God!

® So why do some find it impossible to reconcile science and faith? Why do some Scientists have a bad attitude about Christianity? ® Why does there seem to be a mutual mistrust between the two camps?

the real issue… ® Fallible humans, seeing the same facts, can come to entirely different conclusions (interpretations), and end up with totally different views… facts lead to different conclusions? ? ? And ® But how can same what does that have to do with science and the Bible? …

interpretations ® We tend to interpret things through the filter of our own limited experience. ® A true scientist or theologian learns how to ‘think outside the box’. ® This is how we developed scientific method. ® This is also why we developed hermeneutics

® Most theologians agree on the facts; they disagreed in each other’s interpretations of those facts… ® So, for us in this systematic theology class, we are driven to systematically establish the facts and methodically interpret those facts in order to reach Truth – absolute, unbiased truth.

Naturology… ®Nature (the realm of the scientist & theologian) has its facts. ® Scientists argue amongst themselves about interpretations of their own facts…

facts of nature ® Things galaxy fall ® Time only goes forward ® The earth turns ® All men must pay taxes and die interpretations of nature ® Distances to distant galaxies? ® The workings of the mind? ® The exact mechanisms of DNA? ® How did it all begin?

®The Bible (the realm of theologians – scientist typically do not even attempt to read or study it) has its facts, too. ® Theologians argue about interpretations of their own facts…

facts of the Bible ® There was a people of Israel ® There was a King David ® Jesus was born, lived, was killed, resurrected ® The disciples argued over who was greatest interpretations of the Bible ® Once saved, always saved? ® Baptism necessary for salvation? ® Predestination and/or free will? ® Works or faith?

® If the God of the Bible is the God of facts from both should agree since they have nature, then same Source… … and they do!

® examples of facts for nature and the Bible: ® The universe had a beginning! ® There are extra dimensions of time and space! ® Man was the last of His creations! ® There was an ancient Mesopotamian cradle of civilization! ® There was/is a people of Israel! ® There was a city of Jericho! ® There was a Palestine ruled by Romans! ® And so on and so on…

® The big fuss comes over differences in interpretations - not facts, for example: ® Man is the accidental product of a godless vs man is a special creation. ® Homosexuality is an inherited trait vs a result of universe sinful nature. The universe is here… just because! vs because God created it with intricate design & purpose ® Chaos vs. creation ® There are many ways to God vs. since God is not the author of confusion, He established one way to get to know Him. ®

factsn { facts. B interpretation 1 interpretation 2 interpretation 3 interpretation 4 interpretation 5 { interpretation 1 interpretation 2 interpretation 3 interpretation 4 interpretation 5

the big picture ® So, what’s all this have to do with theology? ®science is not truth but just a method to find Truth (or The Truth) ® Theology is also a search for the Truth.

The challenge as we begin this course… ® Go back to the spirit of centuries past ® Love & appreciate the complexity & beauty of nature (His creation) ® Embrace the spirit of discovery ® Be wary of interpretations, be welcome to new facts ® Rekindle curiosity in yourself ® Don’t take a man’s interpretation as fact – study it yourself! ® Let’s become scientists and theologians! ® Go write a psalm!

So, if theology is science, we may affirm that the Bible will agree with science rather than oppose science. And the more we learn scientifically, the more the Bible will be established as factual. God has established spiritual laws that govern our lives just as much as natural laws do. You can't fight gravity - it is a force too great for you to overcome by any act of will. Spiritual laws are more sure and powerful than natural laws. Science continues to establish one overwhelming fact – this universe had to have had an author. One of our top geneticist finally mapped the human gene, and found that it only contains 70, 000 bits of code, and proclaimed “if there is any evidence of God, this is it”.

Unfortunately, the church has killed some scientists for what they have taught. Take Copernicus. When he proposed that the planets go around the sun instead of the earth, he had no empirical evidence. Without telescopes, observations of the planets fit equally well with an earth-centered system. The sole factor favoring a sun-centered system was that it was simpler mathematically. And since Copernicus was convinced that God had made the world mathematically, that was good enough for him. Later, of course, he was proved right.

Robert Jastrow wrote: “Now we would like to pursue that inquiry further back in time, but the barrier to further progress seems insurmountable. It is not a matter of another year, another decade of work, another measurement, another theory; at this moment it seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is able to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries” (Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers, New York: W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. , 1978, p. 113).

Conclusion ® The study of Theology is the scientific process of experiencing God through the written revelation in His Word, and the natural expression of Himself in the universe. It is a great journey, and I pray this class will establish the absolute Truth revealed in scripture in your heart and mind so powerfully that you begin to make a stand for that truth. That you begin to make an impact on the world through your diligence to know God and make Him known!