Objectives

A person’s "theology" is their religious belief structure. It might be elaborate and well-developed, or it might be simplistic, but it is still theology. Christian theology, then, is a specifically Christian belief structure.

The deliberate construction of genuine theology is always a personal religious act, since the individual believer is thereby creating their own religious belief structure. It is therefore not appropriate in a state university to ask students to engage in the construction of Christian theology as a part of their course work. If Christian students in this course are stimulated to engage in that enterprise by this course, that may be a good thing, but it will not be part of the assigned or graded course work. Students who are not Christians need not be concerned that they will be asked in this course to become Christians or to engage in the construction of Christian theology.

It is appropriate in a state university to analyze beliefs that are commonly included in Christian theology, to see how these beliefs connect or fail to connect with each other conceptually, to ask on what grounds those beliefs may be held, and to explore the very idea of grounds. In this course the tools of academic philosophy will be used to conduct that examination. As a result, students should gain the following from this course...

	Basic knowledge of some main themes and ideas found in Christian theology
	Understanding of some of the philosophical issues raised by these themes and ideas—where “understanding” implies the ability to explore in some depth
	Some ability to explain the relationship between secular philosophical ideas and the content of Christian theologies
	Some ability to analyze Christian beliefs with intelligence and sensitivity, and express such analyses in coherent and relevant writing

What if a student is suspicious or skeptical about Christianity?

We will be trying to look at Christian belief structures honestly, rather than trying to "sell" Christian ideas or "push" them. Sometimes, in fact, there will be serious philosophical questions raised about Christian theological ideas. This is an academic course, not a devotional exercise. The aims of the course are those listed above, and making people into better Christians is not on the list. Students of various religious and anti-religious persuasions should feel welcome in this course.

On the other hand, the course will take Christian theological ideas seriously, and will examine some of those ideas in detail. A student who is totally convinced that Christian ideas are so completely absurd that they are not worth any serious consideration may become frustrated with this course. To such a student, this course will perhaps appear to be a huge waste of time.

What if a student is a committed Christian?

That can be a powerful motivator to take the course content seriously, and in that regard it can be a plus. However, such students need to be aware of the remarks made above. Some Christian students find it difficult to consider Christian ideas objectively, or to talk about them academically, since they are used to considering those ideas only in the context of faith-building activities. A course like this can possibly have the effect of faith-building, but whether it does has to do with how the student reacts to it. Some students in the past have found this course to have a faith-building effect; others have found it to be disturbing. Be aware that course work will be graded on the basis of its philosophical quality, not on the basis of whether it expresses a high level of Christian commitment.