Age of Enlightenment
The era in Western philosophy [in Europe and America], intellectual, scientific and cultural life, centered upon the 18th century, in which reason was advocated as the primary source for legitimacy and authority. It is also known as the Age of Reason. The Enlightenment was less a set of ideas than it was a set of values. At its core was a critical questioning of traditional institutions, customs, and morals, and a strong belief in rationality and science.[1]
Anthropomorphism
The attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.[2]
Apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian Theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other worldviews. From the Greek apologia, a legal term meaning defense.[3]
Aseity
Existence derived from itself, having no other source. (From Medieval Latin aseitas, from Latin a [from] + se [oneself].)[4]
Most often used in the sense of any speech directly dishonoring God. Biblical examples are found in 1 Kings 21:10; 2 Samuel 12:14; Psalm 74:18; Isaiah 52:5; Romans 2:24. Stoning was the penalty.[5]
Catholic
1. Denoting or relating to the entire body of Christians, especially to the Church before separation into the Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western Churches. (This is the more common usage in this series.)
2. Referring to the Roman Catholic Church.[6]
Church Fathers
Early writers of Christian doctrine. Any of the pre-8th-century Christian scholars who set down the doctrines and practices of Christianity.[7]
Corporeal
Having a body.[8]
Covenant
Theology: an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and His people.[9]
Creed
A concise, formal statement of the essential articles of Christian belief, such as the Apostles' Creed, Nicene Creed, or Athanasian Creed.[10]
Deism
Belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe. The term is used chiefly in describing an intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries that accepted the existence of a creator on the basis of reason but rejected belief in a supernatural deity who interacts with humankind.[11]
Deity
1. Divine character or nature, especially that of the Supreme Being; divinity.
2. The Deity, God; Supreme Being.[12]
Dichotomy
A division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.[13]
Doctrine
A creed or body of teachings of a religious, political, or philosophical group presented for acceptance or belief; dogma.[14]
Ecumenical
Of or relating to the whole Christian church.[15]
Foreordain
To appoint or decree (something) beforehand.[16]
The Christian God, especially when considered as the Holy Trinity.[17]
Heresy
An opinion or doctrine contrary to the orthodox tenets of a religious body or church.[18]
Impinge
To have an effect or impact, especially a negative one.[19]
Impute
1. To attribute or ascribe (especially something dishonest or dishonorable) to a person.
2. Theology. To attribute to a person or persons vicariously; ascribe as derived from another.[20]
The doctrine that the second person of the Trinity assumed human form in the person of Jesus Christ and is completely both God and man.From the Latin word carnem, meaning flesh. The Incarnation means that Jesus is God in human flesh.[21]
Incorporeal
Not composed of matter; having no material existence.[22]
Liberal Theology
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century onward. The word "liberal" in liberal Christianity does not refer to a progressive political agenda or set of beliefs, but rather to the manner of thought and belief associated with the philosophical and religious ways of thinking developed during the Age of Enlightenment.
Monotheism
The belief that there is only one God.[23]
Ontology
The branch of metaphysics [system of principles underlying a particular subject or study] that deals with the nature of being.[24]
Orthodox
Conforming to the Christian faith as established by the early Church.[25]
Pantheism
A metaphysical and religious position. Broadly defined, it is the view that (1) “God is everything and everything is God … the world is either identical with God or in some way a self-expression of his nature” (Owen 1971: 74). Similarly, it is the view that (2) everything that exists constitutes a “unity,” and this all-inclusive unity is in some sense divine (MacIntyre 1967: 34). A slightly more specific definition is given by Owen (1971: 65), who says (3)“‘Pantheism’ … signifies the belief that every existing entity is only one Being; and that all other forms of reality are either modes (or appearances) of it or identical with it.”[26]
Paraclete:
In Christianity, the Holy Spirit (Source: Encarta World English Dictionary).
Phenomenological
The science of phenomena as opposed to the science of being.[27]
Polytheism
The worship of or belief in more than one god.[28]
Propitiation
Atonement or atoning sacrifice; specifically, the influence or effects of the death of Christ in appeasing the divine justice, and conciliating the divine favor.[29]
Propositional knowledge
Descriptive knowledge, also called declarative knowledge or propositional knowledge, is the species of knowledge that is, by its very nature, expressed in declarative sentences or indicative propositions. This distinguishes descriptive knowledge from what is commonly known as “know-how,” or procedural knowledge (the knowledge of how, and especially how best, to perform some task), and “knowing of,” or knowledge by acquaintance (the knowledge of something’s existence).[30]
Protestant
Christian belonging to one of the three great divisions of Christianity (the other two are the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church). Protestantism began during the Renaissance as a protest against the established (Roman Catholic) Church. That protest, led by Martin Luther, was called the Reformation, because it sprang from a desire to reform the church and cleanse it of corruption, such as the selling of indulgences.[31]
Sheol
The Hebrew word which was the Old Testament designation for the abode of the dead, which is translated into English as the grave, hell, or the underworld.
Substitution
The action of replacing someone or something with another person or thing.[32]
Theology
The field of study and analysis that treats of God and of God's attributes and relations to the universe; study of divine things or religious truth; divinity.[33]
Theophany
(From Greek theophaneia, “appearance of God.”) Manifestation of deity in sensible [perceptible to the senses] form. The term has been applied generally to the appearance of the gods in the ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions, but has in addition acquired a special technical usage in regard to biblical materials. In the Old Testament, God is depicted as appearing in human form, in natural cataclysms, in a burning bush, a cloud, or a gentle breeze. Old Testament theophanies are presented as actual historical events or as prophetic visions with symbolic overtones.[34]
Vicarious
1. Performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another: vicarious punishment.
2. Taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute.[35]
[2] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[3] John M. Frame, Apologetics to the Glory of God (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Co, 1994).
[4] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[5] Fausset’s Bible Dictionary (Zondervan, 1969).
[6] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[7] Encarta World English Dictionary © & (P) 1999, 2000 Microsoft Corporation.
[8] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[9] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[10] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[11] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[14] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[15] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[16] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[17] Microsoft Encarta World English Dictionary 2001.
[18] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[21] The Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2011. Phillip Cary, The History of Christian Theology, Lecture Series, Lecture 11. (Chantilly: The Teaching Company, 2008).
[22] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[23] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[24] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[25] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[26] Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2011.
[28] Collins English Dictionary: Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition, 2009 (HarperCollins Publishers).
[29] Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary.
[30] Wikipedia.
[31] The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition, Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
[32] New Oxford American Dictionary.
[33] The Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2011.
[34] Encyclopedia Britannica.
[35] The Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2011.