Studies in Soteriology
While the ecumenical councils have clarified who the Savior is, namely, that he is one person who is both fully divine and fully human, the ecumenical councils never clarified how Christ saves humanity. The Scriptures have much to say, and we will look at how the Scriptures can inform our answer. However, we do not read the Scriptures in a vacuum. We stand at the end of a history of interpretation. How have the Christians who have gone before us read these passages and understood how Christ saves humanity? This course will investigate the three primary trajectories that have been taken up in the Christian tradition and discuss their value and ability to capture the biblical insights discussed. In addition, there will be particular attention paid to the Reformed approach to soteriological questions along with the challenges that have been raised in response. Recent decades have indeed raised new concerns in soteriology, emphasizing how we are to understand God’s relationship with violence and whether certain soteriologies lead to behaviors that are antithetical to the Gospel. Feminist, womanist, Anabaptist authors, and others have raised concern that soteriologies requiring Jesus’ death foster violence and passivity in the face of evil and are therefore deleterious. How should these concerns shape soteriology, if at all? Or, if one holds to a Confessional view, what kind of response should be forthcoming?
While the ecumenical councils have clarified who the Savior is, namely, that he is one person who is both fully divine and fully human, the ecumenical councils never clarified how Christ saves humanity. The Scriptures have much to say, and we will look at how the Scriptures can inform our answer. However, we do not read the Scriptures in a vacuum. We stand at the end of a history of interpretation. How have the Christians who have gone before us read these passages and understood how Christ saves humanity? This course will investigate the three primary trajectories that have been taken up in the Christian tradition and discuss their value and ability to capture the biblical insights discussed. In addition, there will be particular attention paid to the Reformed approach to soteriological questions along with the challenges that have been raised in response. Recent decades have indeed raised new concerns in soteriology, emphasizing how we are to understand God’s relationship with violence and whether certain soteriologies lead to behaviors that are antithetical to the Gospel. Feminist, womanist, Anabaptist authors, and others have raised concern that soteriologies requiring Jesus’ death foster violence and passivity in the face of evil and are therefore deleterious. How should these concerns shape soteriology, if at all? Or, if one holds to a Confessional view, what kind of response should be forthcoming?
While the ecumenical councils have clarified who the Savior is, namely, that he is one person who is both fully divine and fully human, the ecumenical councils never clarified how Christ saves humanity. The Scriptures have much to say, and we will look at how the Scriptures can inform our answer. However, we do not read the Scriptures in a vacuum. We stand at the end of a history of interpretation. How have the Christians who have gone before us read these passages and understood how Christ saves humanity? This course will investigate the three primary trajectories that have been taken up in the Christian tradition and discuss their value and ability to capture the biblical insights discussed. In addition, there will be particular attention paid to the Reformed approach to soteriological questions along with the challenges that have been raised in response. Recent decades have indeed raised new concerns in soteriology, emphasizing how we are to understand God’s relationship with violence and whether certain soteriologies lead to behaviors that are antithetical to the Gospel. Feminist, womanist, Anabaptist authors, and others have raised concern that soteriologies requiring Jesus’ death foster violence and passivity in the face of evil and are therefore deleterious. How should these concerns shape soteriology, if at all? Or, if one holds to a Confessional view, what kind of response should be forthcoming?