TRS6312 - The Christian Understanding of God

Objectives:

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the origins, distinctiveness and development of Trinitarian theology;
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of issues in contemporary Christology and Pneumatology, especially at the interface with the study of culture, religion, gender and politics;
Frame and analyse complex Christian theological concepts and identify significant theological differences with some other philosophies, ideologies and faiths;
Assess the influence of the contexts (socio-political, cultural, religious, gender, etc.) of theologians and theological movements on developments in theology;
Critically appraise the work of selected modern theologians and theological movements from different global regions.

Content:

This module builds on study of the New Testament and Christology in TRS 5502 and TRS 5312 to provide an in-depth study of contemporary dogmatic or systematic theology. It focuses particularly on theology of the Trinity, Pneumatology and Christology since World War Two and also deals retrospectively with doctrinal and theological development before then. It explores the interaction between theology and its context, particularly in the West, but also in a global context to identify commonality and differences in a world of many faiths and philosophies.

Topics will include:
• Challenges to Theology in modernity in view of debates about faith and history, faith and reason, politics and the church, religious pluralism, colonialism, globalisation, interculturation, etc.
• The doctrine of the Trinity, including a review of the Ecumenical Councils, and selected applications of Trinitarian theology, such as to personhood, ecclesiology, society, creation, religious pluralism.
• Development of pneumatology, including East-West debate over filioque
• Debates in modern Christology, such as ‘the Crucified God’, ‘the Christological impasse’ in theology of religions, Christology ‘from below’, Christ and culture.
• Study of the writings of selected modern theologians and contemporary statements of faith.
• The nature of Theology. Study of selected contemporary theological movements may also be included, such as: Liberal Theology, Ressourcement Theology, Radical Orthodoxy, Asian Theologies, Feminist Theology, Eco-theology, Postliberal Theology, Postcolonial Theology, Pentecostal Theology

Learning and Teaching Information:

Learning and teaching takes place in plenary sessions and using blended learning. It may also include group activities and also opportunities for individual help through face-to-face meeting or online means. Scheduled learning activities are varied and include include: lecture-style presentations by the module tutor or occasional guest speaker; seminar-style discussion of a particular topic; informal prepared presentations by students, followed by discussion; debates; and other exercises as appropriate to material and group. Students receive guidance on reading in preparation for each session and activity and learning is supported by the VLE (Moodle) and sometimes by readers and other resources. Guidance on research and essay-writing is integral to the learning and teaching process in each module and may also be supported by tutorial guidance on essay plans if requested.

Lecture
Contact hours: 20 hours
Intended Group size: 20

Seminar, group work, tutorial, etc.
Contact hours: 20
Intended Group size: 3-20

Guided independent study
Hours: 160

Assessment: