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Aimee Gaspari
Professor Hans Svebakken
THEO 100-010
30 April 2014
Christian Theology
Having attended Catholic school since the age of three, I definitely consider myself a
member of the Christian way of life. That being said, Christian theology holds a very special
place in my heart and is very important to both my family and I. As a Christian, I have found this
course to be full of familiar information, yet I constantly continue to learn more and more about
the religion. As a whole, my impressions on the nature, methods, and value of Christian theology
have simply continued to grow as a result of this course. Not only have I learned more on the
nature and background of the religion, I have also gained a significant amount of knowledge on
the different methods within Christian theology; with all of this knowledge, I have grown to
value the Christian faith on a much deeper level.
In my opinion, I believe that the nature of Christian theology consists of extremely strong
morals, beliefs, and teachings that all work together to form the religion. Just as we learned in
our first week of classes, theology is faith seeking understanding. This famous phrase comes
from Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a monastery worker. From that definition, Christian
theology can be defined as seeking a better understanding of Christian faith, or the study of God
from Christian view. In looking at this Christian view, we find the nature of Christianity through
its numerous teachings and beliefs. For example, Anselm asks the question Cur Deus Homo
(Why God Became Man?) in his search for the reason behind the Incarnation (Anselm of
Canterbury). This is a key issue in Christian theology seeing as how God and his only son, Jesus
Christ, are extremely prominent figures in the religion. In Anselms Argument, he concludes that
humanity owes God a compensation for their sins, and since humanity cannot pay that debt,

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Jesus must pay the debt because none but God can make this satisfaction (Anselm of
Canterbury). Hearing this argument was not new information to me, but it allowed me to get a
better feel for the overall nature of what values makes up Christian history. Additionally, the
nature of Christian theology also stems from the belief that Christ loves us unconditionally. As
Hastings Rashdall describes, the love that Christ reveals by dying for our sins reveals Gods love
for humanity and his loving purpose to redeem mankind (The Idea of Atonement in Christian
Theology (1925)). This view of Atonement relates to the doctrine of the Trinity formulated by
St. Thomas Aquinas. With this belief in the undivided Trinity, Christians express their belief in
God as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spiritthree parts in one ultimate God. In Catherine
Mowry Lacugnas text, she discusses how by concentrating on the mystery of God with us and
for us, it is becoming possible for the doctrine of the Trinity to stand at the center of faith once
again (The Practical Trinity). Through the belief in the Trinity, Christians such as I are given a
summary of what they believe about God who saves Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit. Also, it
gives context for the entire unique theology. Overall, through these basic teachings, morals, and
belief systems, I feel that the nature of Christianity stands out as one which firmly believes in a
God of protection and love. With a God like this, Christian theology truly does seek to
understand God and all other elements that make up Christianity.
Moving on, the numerous methods and resources for understanding Christian theology
have given me a broader understanding of just how complex and unique Christian scholars,
theologians, and disciples are when presenting Christian beliefs. Starting with the Five Ways by
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the theologian discusses his teleological argument that natural
bodies lack intelligence, but also act for an end; because one without intelligence cannot move
unless it is directed, some intelligent being exists by whom all natural things are directed to
their end (Whether God Exists?). By stating this, Aquinas displays his argument for the

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existence of a God and proof for the Christian belief in the Apostles Creed statement, I believe
in God. Another method of understanding the process of Christian theology can be seen through
Martin Bubers I and Thou text, in which he describes the personal relationship with God (IThou) versus the impersonal relationship with God (I-It). In my opinion, this twofold attitude of
man is extremely present in Christian theology, and it is only when thinking of God in the IThou way that we can truly address and personally relate to God. Similarly, the Theologia
Germanica also displays a method for gaining a closer relationship to God and to ones faith. In
this entry, it is understood that in order to have a spiritual life, one must be willing to sacrifice a
loss of self just as Adam did when he was disobedient to Gods will. With this idea, Christians
are urged to care as little for their existence as possible and hold on to God in order to reach true
obedience (Theologia Germanica). This process for remaining loyal and close to God seems a
bit hard for me to comprehend, but I definitely respect the moral intentions of this method in
relation to Christian theology. As far as different resources go, we have read from many different
texts, including different books of the Bible. In the Gospel of Mark, we get a perspective on
history that differs from the perspectives of John, Matthew or Luke. For example, Mark uses his
gospel with an editorial perspective to portray stories of Jesus through special selection and
interpretation. Not only does he use the term Son of God in his Gospel, he also uses it to
portray Jesuss suffering and death as Gods will. I think that it is very interesting how each of
the gospel writers chose to focus on different details regarding Jesus life, yet they still all hold a
place as key teachings of Christian theology. As a whole, this course has taught me that there are
many distinctive methods that contribute to the overall belief system that is Christian theology;
with knowledge of these various methods and resources, I have been able to understanding what
is most important to Christian theologians and scholars.

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Upon reviewing all that I have learned this semester, I believe that there is a great amount
of value in Christian theology, despite any conflicts it may have with diverging belief systems.
One major example of this would be the conflict between Christian theology and the belief in
science or evolution. In John Paul II Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: On
Evolution, he elaborates on how the truths of the Bible and the truths of Science cannot
contradict each other. Indeed, the debate over Revelation versus Reason has led many Christians
to have trouble believing fully in the teachings of the Church; however, I believe that having
faith is stronger than any facts or figures that may attempt to distort your point of view, and I
believe that there is always another way to look at things. For instance, in John Pauls text on
Evolution, he indeed states that evolution is more than a hypothesis, but he goes on to proclaim
that if the body is made through evolution, than the soul is directly created by God and humans
have a different ontological order (Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences: On
Evolution). Because I am a very religious person, I see much value in the stories of the Bible,
especially the creation stories. Even though there is so much scientific evidence that leads
Christians away from the belief in Revelation, I do feel that it is possible to accept evolution as
science, but also have faith that God exists, just like in Theistic Evolutionism. For me, I have
grown up studying and worshipping the stories of the Bible, and to me, they serve as proof that
the Christian faith has value. Christian teachings have allowed me to feel safe and cared for
because it creates concrete images and metaphors like, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not
want (Metaphorical Theology). As our Shepherd and our Father, God will guide us and find us
always. The value of Christian theology definitely comes from the fact that its beliefs and
teachings allow its believers to feel protected, secure, loved, and hopeful for the future. As seen
in the Book of Revelation, visions of a new heaven, new earth, new Jerusalem, and a River of

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Life are presented as means for discussing the end of time, hope of heaven, and Jesus second
coming. With all of these hopes for the future, Christian theology displays its ability to give its
believers something to look forward to on their faith journey. As a Christian, I have definitely
been taught to look forward to heaven and the time when I will be reunited with Christ and all of
my loved ones after death. If not for the value that I place on Christian theology, I would not be
the same person who I am today.
Overall, I feel that I have successfully gained an increased amount of knowledge on the
nature, methods, and value of Christian theology in this course. Introduction to Christian
Theology has not only allowed me to take my current knowledge of the Christian faith and
expand on it, but it has also allowed me to gain more respect for the faith and all of the
components that make it up. In the end, I am extremely grateful that I took this course and very
content with all of the knowledge that it has allowed me to walk away with.