Adventist Academy of Negros Oriental-Siquijor, Inc.

Maayungtubig, Dauin, Negros Oriental

11 HOMEWORK FOR

CHRISTIAN BELIEFS (2ND MODULE, GOOD FOR 2 WEEKS)

STUDENT’S NAME: _____________________________________________

GRADE & SECTION: ____________________________________________

DEZON C. TANILON
TEACHER

CONTACT #: 09352379744
EMAIL: dezontanilon9@gmail.com
 To any non-theology students, the word ‘theology’ might conjure up some intimating images:
the intense study of God within the halls of academia, a subject that’s confined to lectures and
seminars, where only serious study can do it justice.

But really theology is an essential part of the Christian faith. It should give meaning to our faith,
enabling us to deepen our understanding of who God is and breathing new life into how we live in the
real world. How do we know we do theology?

Firstly, theology means thinking about who God is and what it means to believe in God’s
existence. Therefore, anyone who thinks about God, or relates to God in any way, or lives a certain
way based on a belief in God is already doing theology.

Secondly, theology is something we do. People often think that theology is really wordy: ‘I
couldn’t do theology’ because I don’t really like reading, or I don’t have complicated thoughts, or I’m
no good at long arguments. But we don’t just think or talk theology – we do it; as part of our worship –
the songs we sing, both musically and lyrically, what our places of worship look like, what customs
and rituals we take part in, what creeds and/or prayers we say, the way we interact with other people
in our churches. We also do theology in any conversations we might have with other people about
God. And we do theology through the many varied ways that Christians live out their faith through
their actions and through demonstrating God’s love in the world. All of this is doing theology; so really,
we all do it, we just don’t necessarily know that we’re doing it.

Thirdly, as Christians, it’s important we engage with theology because theology surrounds our
whole experience of faith. So having decided that theology is important because we do it – it’s
important that we should do it... intentionally. Intentionally doing theology will change the way we live,
and the ways we think about God and our relationship to him. It’s important in everything, that we live
intentionally, otherwise we are simply “going through the motions” of life. In our Christian journeys, we
want to be seeking God in everything we do, and theology is a way for us to do that. Through actually
reflecting on the views we hold about God, and the way we live because of them, and the customs we
enact, and the ways we talk about them, we find that we understand both ourselves and our faith
more. We then know why we believe what we believe, and our relationship with God is strengthened
by that.

Fourthly, theology is part of being in relationship with God. When we’re in relationship with
someone, we’re constantly learning more about them. Even when we’ve known them for years and
years, and we could answer a million questions about them, there are still new things for us to learn.
Like the way they respond to a new situation, or the way they show a new extent to which they love
you, or any number of things. Part of being in relationship is this constant openness and desire to
learn more about (and draw closer to) the other. And in the case of our relationship with God, this
learning and drawing closer is theology!

Lastly, when we are more aware of our own views and why we hold them, we are more able to
hear other – different – views about God. Because our own thoughts on God go deeper, and we see
them running through everything we do and say, we are more able to communicate our beliefs. And
therefore, when somebody believes something different, we don’t feel that they are threatening what
we believe, and in turn we don’t need to try to threaten what they believe. In this way, we can remain
in conversation with people who believe different things to us. Being able to talk together about
difference is what breaks down prejudices and builds up peace and friendship between people
groups – something increasingly important in our world today.

So, theology is important because we’re all already doing it, and becoming aware of that
strengthens our faith, our relationship with God, the ways we live and decisions we make, and the
ways we engage with other people about belief. Doing theology is an integral part of any Christian’s
journey – whether we are theology students or not!

Please bow your head and pray. Ask God to guide you deeper as you study His Word.

First Activity. Among the five reasons given in your devotional why we need
theology, which do you consider important to you. 6 Points. 2=Idea not clear;
4=Idea is not explained well; 6=very well explained and elaborated.

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Content Standard:
The learners demonstrate understanding on the importance of religion and its “beliefs”.

Performance Standard:
The students shall be able to explain theology, the nature and purpose of theology, and the
surrounding issues of its involvement.
WEEK 2- Lesson 2: Christian Theology

I. OBJECTIVES
1. To evaluate the importance of theology to our daily understanding of spiritual experience.
2. To validate the relationship of faith and reason to what we already know in existence to
religious life of a person.

Pretest Activity. What is theology?

Instruction: Write T if you think the statement is TRUE. Write F if you think that the statement contains
error or not true. Complete this and you get 5 Points.

_____1. The daily spiritual experience has nothing to do with our understanding on God.

_____2. Faith is the link of our understanding God.

_____3. Religious life has something to do with our theological understanding.

_____4. Reason has no place in our theological experience.

_____5. The Bible is our best source of theology.

MOTIVATION. Activity 3. Looking for evidence of faith. 5 Points.

Direction: Read John 3:16. What theology can you draw about God’s love. Write in three sentences.
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Lesson Content.: THE IMPORTANCE OF THEOLOGY

A. Meaning of the word "Theology" — Greek roots are "theos", meaning "God," and logos,
meaning "word" or "speech". Literally, theology may mean simply "language about God".
a. Refers to the beliefs of religious community. (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism)
b. Refers to activities reflecting such religious beliefs. (e.g., Various rite of passage)
c. Any reference to divine being qualifies as theology.

In another sense, "theology" refers to the activity of reflecting on our religious beliefs. Broadly
speaking, we all do theology when we think or talk about what we believe. More specifically, theology
is the activity in which we examine our religious beliefs and seek to express them in a clear and
logical way.
B. Theology and Religious Experience
Religious beliefs and theology are closely related. Beliefs are not only essential to Christianity;
they are also closely related to the other dimensions of religious experience. (e.g., SDA's distinctive
doctrines and practices). This interchange between doctrine and experience flows in the other
direction too. Doctrines not only express experience, but they also influence and shape it. To a great
extent, what you believe about God will determine the quality of your relationship to Him. An
inadequate doctrine of God will have a negative effect on your experience of Him.

C. Faith and Reason

Theology involves the application of reason and faith. One cannot exist without the other.
Therefore, we need to examine the relationship between faith and reason in these two theories.

1. Faith and Reason in Tension

Here faith and reason stand at opposite ends of the line, in constant tension with each other. The
more you have of one quality, the less you have of the other (Inversely proportional in mathematics).
This forces us to make a choice between the two only, either Faith or Reason.

FAITH REASON

The closer you are to faith, the farther you are of knowing the reason. Or the closer you know the
reason, the farther your faith shows.
We observed that inadequate doctrine has a negative effect on religious experience, while
good doctrine has a positive effect. So, we cannot accept the idea that faith and reason are opposed
to each other. We need to find another way to express their relationship and that will lead us to
another relationship between the two.

2. Faith & Reason in Balance

This graph will describe ways in which faith and reason plays in the experience of a person.
Obtaining the balance is the goal that one must have to attain.
 0 5 50 100
REASON
Position A. Great deal of faith but relatively little understanding.
Position B. Great deal of understanding but has little faith or relationship to Him.
Position C. Very little of faith and understanding.
Position D Experiences abound in both faith and understanding (reason)

In a healthy religious experience, faith, and reason compliment, rather than compete with each other,
just as knowledge and affection reinforce each other in important human relationships. People in love
naturally want to find out more about each other. In a similar way someone who trusts God wants to
know more about Him and the more he learns, the more his trust and love to God will grow.

Nature and Purpose of Theology

During the centuries of Christian history, people have described theology in many different ways. One
of the happiest definitions is of Bishop Anselm of Canterbury. He identified theology as "Faith seeking
understanding". In His view, Theology is a Christians attempt to make sense of what he believes.

Features of Theology:

A. Theology is Biblical — The most important feature of theology is its "Biblical character".
Christians usually associate the Bible with divine revelation. Christians accept it as authoritative. The
basic purpose of theology is to express the contents or the message of the Bible reliably. Faithfulness
to the scriptures is the most important criterion for evaluating any theological work.

B. Theology is Rational— From the beginning, Christians have maintained that there are good
reasons for believing the gospel. As it seeks to express the message of the Bible, theology searches
for the most adequate concepts available. It strives for clarity and coherence; it seeks to avoid
contradiction and confusion.

C. Theology is Historical — Good theology must also be historically sensitive. Our

understanding of the Bible is shaped by long centuries of Biblical interpretations, and this must not be
overlooked. However, we must be critical to views that depart from the bible.
D. Theology is Contemporary — A good theology is creative and constructive. It brings to the
task of interpreting the Biblical message the conviction that our present experience may enable us to
see things that have never been as fully appreciated before. Truth does not change, but our
perception of it does. So does the situation in which we are called on to express it.

Theology and creed - creed is simply a statement of beliefs. However, creeds are problematic.
Reasons are:
a. Finality—some regard it as ultimate and fears making any revisions.
b. Comprehensiveness—topics not mentioned in the creed are given any thought of
consideration.
c. Authority—people simply believe on creed without examining the bible. The Bible and
the Bible alone must be our only creed.

E. Theology is for the Church — Theology is the task of the whole church, not merely of the
individual Christian. It expresses the Faith of a religious community and thus enriching lives.

F. Theology is Systematic — Theology seeks to organize the various Christian doctrines in a

logical way so the discussion of one topic will lead to the consideration of the next. The following are
the sequence of systematic, Theology:

1. Doctrine of Revelation 4. Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology)

2. Doctrine of God (Theology) 5. Doctrine of the Church (Ecclesiology)
3. Doctrine of Man (Anthropology) 6. Doctrine of the Last Things (Eschatology)

Along the traditional arrangement of the central Christian doctrines, theology has also its own
terminology. The words in parenthesis above are some of the most common theological terms. Most
of them come from the Greek roots, such as escathos, meaning "last" and ekklesia meaning "church".

Activity 4.Making Sense of Theology

The following exercises will help you understand deeper on the importance of
theology in the Biblical setup.

1. What can you say to a person who likes going to a church only to enjoy the friendship of the
members but has no interest to the doctrines of the church? (2 Points)
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2. According to the Bible, sound doctrine will exhibit certain characteristics. What characteristics
of sound doctrine do the following passages indicate? (2 Points each)

a) 1 Tim. 4: 1-2

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b) Gal. 1: 6-9

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c) John 8: 32
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3. According to the Bible, sound doctrine is important for a number of reasons. What are some of
the reasons suggested by the following passages? (Give the main idea only. 2 Points each)

a) 1 Peter 3:15

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b) Colossians 2:2

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c) Hebrews 5: 12
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 Fifth Activity
. Rationalize yourself.

1. How many years have you believing

spent there is a God? ___________

2. In those number of years, was there any time you doubt that perhaps there is no

God? ________

3. What makes you believe there is a God?

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4. How does faith and reason work together for you ? (5 Points)
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5. Close this lesson with a prayer.
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