Essential Terms and Definitions
Introduction
At Ozark Christian College, a critical element of our academic goal is that our graduates will be well grounded in the firm foundation of Scripture To that end, one of our institutional learning outcomes is that our students will come to know the historical and theological content of the Bible To accomplish this outcome, the Bible remains at the center of our curriculum OCC makes it our priority to teach the content of Scripture as well as sound principles for studying and applying Scripture An important aspect of becoming grounded in Scripture is learning theological concepts. This booklet is a summary of the various theological terms that you will learn during your time as a student at Ozark As you make your way through our curriculum, these terms will be explained and analyzed in various courses. This booklet will be a helpful resource and guide for your theological study
Chad Ragsdale OCC Academic Dean
EssentialTermsandDefinitions
A
Adoptionism
the belief that Jesus was adopted by God at some point in his life in contrast to being eternal with God
Agnosticism
the belief that knowledge about God cannot be known or proven
Allegory
a literary form in which the surface details of a text are interpreted to reveal a latent meaning
Ancient Near East
a term referring to early civilizations in a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East
Anthropology
the study of humanity; theologically, humanity as understood within the framework of creation, fall, and redemption
Apocalyptic
a literary genre that discloses a heavenly, eschatological perspective on the events of human history (from a Greek word meaning “unveiling” or “revelation”)
Apocrypha
a collection of documents not included in the Protestant Old Testament canon (from a Greek word meaning “hidden”)
Apologetics
the reasoned defense of the Christian faith
Arianism
the belief that Jesus was God’s first creation, thus denying his full equality with God the Father
Arminianism
a theological framework associated with Jacob Arminius that views God’s foreknowledge as the basis for predestination and affirms libertarian free will
Ascension
the belief that Jesus returned to the Father’s right hand after his resurrection, where he is exalted and intercedes for his people
Atheism
the belief that there is no God or gods
EssentialTermsandDefinitions
B
Baptism
the act of being immersed in water to enact one ’ s faith in Jesus
C
Calvinism
a theological framework associated with John Calvin that emphasizes humanity’s total depravity and God’s unconditional election of certain individuals for salvation
Catholic
a word meaning “universal” that is often associated with the Roman Catholic Church
Chiasm
a literary device in which words or concepts are stated and then similar words or concepts are stated in reverse order (e g ABCBA)
Christology
the study of the person and work of Christ
Christus Victor
the belief that Christ’s death on the cross defeated the powers of evil
Circumcision
the practice of cutting off the male foreskin as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel
Complementarianism
the view that men and women are equal in value and have distinct but complementary roles, with men serving as primary leaders in marriage, family, and the church
Cosmology
the study of the origin, nature, and purpose of the universe
Covenant
an agreement in which two parties become obligated toward one another in certain ways, often referring to God’s promises to his people
Creation ex nihilo
the belief that God created the universe without any pre-existing materials (from a Latin phrase meaning “out of nothing”)
D
Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)
a collection of manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves near the Dead Sea written by a Jewish community around the first century AD
Decalogue
the Ten Commandments (from a Greek phrase meaning “ten words”)
Deism
the belief in a God who created the universe but does not interact with it
Denomination
an institutionalized structure of multiple congregations united on the basis of certain commonalities (i e doctrinal, organizational, geographical, cultural)
Diaspora
the dispersion of a people from their homeland, typically associated with Jews living outside the land of Israel
Dispensationalism
a theological framework popularized by the Scofield Reference Bible which views God as working distinctly during different time periods of history, associated with ideas such as the rapture, Christ’s literal thousand-year reign, and the re-establishment of Israel as a nation
Docetism
the belief that Jesus was fully God but only appeared to be human
Doctrine
a term referring in general to what the church believes and teaches, and specifically to summary statements of scriptural teaching on a particular topic
Documentary Hypothesis
the theory that suggests the Pentateuch is a composition from Yahwist (J), Elohist (E), Deuteronomist (D) and Priestly (P) sources, instead of being compiled and written primarily by Moses
E
Ecclesiology
the study of the nature and purpose of the church
Ecumenism
the promotion of worldwide unity among Christian denominations through increased dialogue and cooperation
Egalitarianism
the view that men and women are equal not only in value but also as relates to roles in marriage, family, and church leadership
Eisegesis
reading meaning into a text
Election
God’s choosing of individuals or peoples to receive benefits and/or to fulfill a particular role in his saving plan
Epistemology
the study of what counts as knowledge and how it may be obtained
Eschatology
the study of the last things (e.g. death, resurrection, judgment, heaven, and hell)
Eucharist
the church’s liturgical consumption of bread and wine (or juice) as a remembering of Christ’s saving death and proclamation of his imminent return (also known as the Lord’s Supper or Communion)
Evangelicalism
a transdenominational movement within Protestantism that emphasizes the authority of Scripture, the exclusivity of Christ’s saving work on the cross, salvation by grace through faith, and the church’s call to evangelize the lost and serve the needy
Exegesis
drawing meaning out of a text
Exegetical Theology
an approach to theology that prioritizes the emergence of doctrine from the exposition of biblical texts
F Faith
taking God at his word, such that one believes what God reveals and obeys what God commands
G
Genre
a distinct type of literature with common characteristics and specific guidelines for interpretation
EssentialTermsandDefinitions
Glossolalia
speech in a language unknown to the speaker, whether another human language or ecstatic speech not identifiable with any human language (i e speaking in tongues)
Gnosticism
heretical belief systems oriented around salvation obtained through access to secret knowledge
Grace
favorable disposition, often better than what is deserved
H
Hamartiology
the study of the nature and consequences of sin
Heaven(s)
the area above the physical earth, often associated in Scripture with the realm of God; often used today in reference to the eternal destination of God’s people
Hell
the realm of eternal punishment for all who reject God
Heresy
the belief or teaching that denies something essential to the Christian faith
Hermeneutics
the theory and methods of interpreting texts
Heterodoxy
belief or teaching that differs from historic Christian doctrine
Higher Criticism
the study of the literary methods and sources behind a text, especially as applied to biblical writings (e g Source, Form, Redaction, Rhetorical)
Historical Jesus
what may be known about Jesus by reconstructing facts about him using the tools and methods of modern approaches to the study of history
Historical Theology
an approach to theology that prioritizes how the church has interpreted Scripture and developed doctrine throughout its history
EssentialTermsandDefinitions
Holiness
God’s absolute perfection, or the state of created things being set apart for his service
Hypostatic Union
The indivisible union of divine and human natures in the single person of Christ
I
Imago Dei
The belief that humans are unique among created beings as those made to reflect God’s likeness (from a Latin phrase meaning “image of God”)
Immanence
the belief that God is present in, close to, and involved with creation
Immutability
the belief that God’s nature is unchanging
Impassibility
the belief that God cannot be overcome by external circumstances, particularly the experience of suffering and its effects
Imputed Righteousness
the transference of Christ’s righteousness (i e his legal status before God) to those who believe in him
Incarnation
the belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the divine Son of God in human flesh
Inerrancy
the belief that the Bible is free from falsehood or mistake
Infallibility
the belief that the Bible never fails to tell the truth and is therefore reliable in all the matters it addresses
Inspiration
the belief that God enabled the biblical authors to write what he intended
Intertestamental
the roughly 400-year time period between the events recorded at the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament
J
Justification
God’s assessment and declaration that an individual is free from the guilt of sin through faith in Jesus Christ
K
Kerygma
the gospel message as preached by the apostles (from the Greek word for "proclamation")
Kingdom
the reign of God, specifically as proclaimed and inaugurated by Jesus Christ
L
Logos
a term identifying Jesus as God’s eternal Word and agent of creation (from the Greek word for “word”)
M
Marcionism
a movement following the teachings of Marcion, who viewed the God of the Old Testament as incompatible with the God revealed in Jesus Christ
Masoretic Text
the Hebrew text of the Old Testament as preserved and marked with vowels by Jewish scholars called the Masoretes
Messiah
a royal title for Jesus of Nazareth that declares his fulfillment of God’s promise to save and restore his people (from the Hebrew word for “anointed one”)
Millennialism
the study of various eschatological views based on Christ’s thousand-year rule in Revelation 20:1-6 (e g historic premillennialism, dispensational premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism)
Mishnah
a collection of Jewish teachings codified in the late second century AD but based on earlier oral traditions and oriented around the interpretation of biblical laws
Missiology
the study of the mission of the church, typically with specific reference to cross-cultural engagement
EssentialTermsandDefinitions
Modalism
a heresy that views the Father, Son, and Spirit as three manifestations or modes of the one God without seeing them as distinct and coexistent persons within the Trinity (also known as Sabellianism)
Monotheism
belief in only one God
O
Omnipotence
the ability to do whatever one wills
Omnipresence
the quality of being present everywhere simultaneously
Omniscience
the state of knowing all things
Open Theism
the belief that God does not possess exhaustive knowledge of the future because he has chosen to leave the future partially conditional upon human will
Orthodoxy
belief or teaching that aligns with traditional Christian theology (from a Greek phrase meaning “right thinking” or “right worship”)
P
Pelagianism
a theological framework associated with Pelagius that views salvation as attainable through human effort
Pentateuch
a term referring to the first five books of the Old Testament (from a Greek word meaning “five scrolls”)
Pneumatology
study of the person and work of the Holy Spirit
Postmodernism
a series of shifts in Western philosophy and culture in the late 20th century that rejects many principles of modernism and distrusts metanarratives
Predestination
the belief that God’s plan for salvation in Christ was set before the world began; in Calvinism it comes to mean that God has predetermined the eternal state of all people
Propitiation
Christ’s work of turning away God’s wrath by dying in place of sinners
Providence
the belief that God preserves and guides all creation toward the ends for which he made it
Pseudepigrapha
ancient Jewish and Christian writings composed under pseudonyms that were excluded from the canon
R
Reconciliation
Christ’s work of restoring believers to peace with God through his blood
Redemption
Christ’s work of liberating believers from bondage to sin
Regeneration
Christ’s work of bringing believers from death to life
Relativism
a philosophical view that regards meaning as bound to particular cultures and so denies that one may possess objective truth
Restoration Movement
a Christian tradition initiated in 19th-century America that emphasizes the unity of all believers through a return to church practice as revealed in the New Testament
Resurrection
the belief that Jesus Christ was physically restored to new life after his crucifixion and that upon his return all believers will receive transformed bodies like his
Revelation
God’s disclosure of his nature, character, and purposes
Righteousness
the quality of meeting an appropriate standard; of God, conformity to his own perfection; of people, either legal status or the moral quality of living up to God’s command
S
Sabbath
a day of rest instituted by God and patterned after God’s resting on the seventh day of creation
Sanctification
being made holy; initial sanctification refers to God setting apart believers as his own, and progressive sanctification refers to the process by which God forms believers into the likeness of Christ
Satan
the spiritual adversary of God and his people
Septuagint (LXX)
the earliest known Greek translation of the Old Testament (from a Latin word meaning “Seventy,” named after the approximate number of scribes believed to have begun its production)
Soteriology
the study of salvation
Sovereignty
the belief that God has supreme authority to bring about his ultimate will
Substitutionary Atonement
the belief that Jesus makes salvation possible by dying in our place as a sacrifice for sins
Synoptic Gospels
the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which bear certain similarities not shared by the Gospel of John (from a Greek phrase meaning “ seen together”)
Systematic Theology
an approach to theology that prioritizes the logical organization of biblical teaching into doctrinal categories (e g , Christology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology)
T Talmud
the written record of the Jewish oral law (Mishnah) and subsequent commentaries on it (Gemara)
Textual Criticism
the theory and methods of determining earlier forms of a text
Theism
belief in the existence of God or gods who interact with the universe
Theistic Proofs
a set of arguments for the existence of God
Theology
the study of God and all things in relation to God
Theology Proper
the study of God the Father and the nature of the Trinity
Torah
a term referring to the first five books of the Old Testament (from a Hebrew word meaning “instruction”)
Transcendence
the belief that God is not bound by the limitations of creaturely existence
Transubstantiation
the view that the bread and wine of Communion transform into Christ’s body and blood at consecration, even while retaining their natural characteristics
Trinity
the belief that God eternally exists as one being in three distinguishable but inseparable persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Typology
the study of correspondences between people, offices, or events throughout history, often used of Old Testament correspondences to the New Testament
U Universalism
the belief that all people will eventually be saved
W
Wesleyan Quadrilateral
a heuristic tool outlining four chief factors that contribute to theological reflection: Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience
