This document summarizes the topics that will be covered in a theology course over six weeks. Week two focuses on how theological knowledge can be obtained. Theology involves both describing God and constructing models to understand divine realities. Theologians build conceptual frameworks to make sense of scripture, tradition, philosophy, science and human experiences of God. The document lists different historical periods to provide context and outlines three common views of how scripture is understood. It emphasizes that the Bible reflects communities seeking to understand God's presence in their lives.

1. How Can We Know?
Session Two

2. www.gracelearning.org

3. • Who is a theologian?
• Two tasks of theology?

4. The Constructive Task
Building Models

5. Our
Course
Week One: Everyone is a Theologian
Week Two: How Can We Know?
1. God Talk (theology)
Week Three: Why Is Life So Hard?
2. Original Blessing (Creation)
3. Missing the Mark (Sin)
4. East of Eden (Covenant, Law, and Community)
Week Four: Is There Hope?
5. God con Carne (Incarnation)
6. Life Wins (Atonement)
Week Five: What’s the Point?
7. The Body of Christ (Church and Holy Spirit)
8. The End of All Things (Eschatology)
Week Six: Keep the Conversation Alive

14. Ancient World

15. Medieval
World

16. Modern
World

17. What is the Post-Modern World?

19. • What was an “aha” moment in the presentation?
• What question would you want ask?
Find a relatively friendly
looking stranger and listen
them into free speech.

21. 3 Views of Scripture
Just
another
book
God’s Rules
for Living
An accurate
record of
humans in
relation to
God

22. ISRAEL PRIMITIVE CHURCH
C
A
P
T
I
V
I
T
Y
History of the WORD OF GOD
Word
of God
WORD
of God
Canon
Word
of God
Canon
Abraham - Malachi 400B.C. - Christ Christ – 400 A.D.
oral oral
EZRA

23. Scripture…
“The major significance of the Bible is not that it is
a book, but rather that it reflects the life of the
community of Israel and the primitive church as
those communities sought to come to terms with
the central reality that God was present with them
in ways that regularly outran their ability to
understand or cope.”
-- Paul Achtmeier quoted in Revisioning Evangelical Theology by Grenz p. 122

24. • What was an “aha” moment in the presentation?
• What question would you want ask?
Find a relatively friendly
looking stranger and listen
them into free speech.

26. The Fusion of Horizons

27. • What was an “aha” moment in the presentation?
• What question would you want ask?
Find a relatively friendly
looking stranger and listen
them into free speech.

28. Why is It so Hard?
God, Creation, Sin, and
Humanity