MySats: Glossary of terms

This glossary of terms contains standard definitions of theological terms that are used in SATS courses.

Browse the glossary using this index

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ALL

A

annihilationism

:

"The belief that at least some humans will permanently cease to exist at death or some point thereafter". In its purest form, it is the belief that "those who do not believe, and thus are not saved, are to be obliterated by a direct act of God or as a result of sin" (Erickson 2001:12).

antinomianism

:

"An opposition to law; specifically, a rejection of the idea that the Christian’s life need be governed by laws or rules" (Erickson 2001:14).

Keyword(s):

Arminianism

:

"A view that contradicts the Calvinist understanding of predestination. Arminianism holds that God’s decision to give salvation to certain persons and not to others is based on his foreknowledge of who will believe. It also includes the idea that genuinely regenerate people can lose their salvation, and that some actually do. Arminianism often has a less serious view of human depravity than does Calvinism" (Erickson 2001:16).

B

biblical authority

:

"The teaching that since God, the supreme authority, has given us the Bible by divine inspiration, it has derivatively the right to prescribe the belief and actions of Christians" (Erickson 2001:22).

biblical revelation

:

"The revelation that has been preserved in the Scriptures" (Erickson 2001:171).

biblical theology

:

"Organization of theological teachings in terms of the portions of the Bible where they occur rather than by topic. Biblical theology makes no attempt to restate the biblical expressions in a contemporary form" (Erickson 2001:23).

biblicism

:

"A very strong and even unquestioning commitment to the authority of the Bible" (Erickson 2001:23).

C

Calvinism

:

"The thought of John Calvin. The term is applied particularly to the doctrine of predestination, according to which God sovereignly chooses some to salvation not because of any merit or even foreseen faith, but simply by his free will and unmerited grace" (Erickson 2001:28).

E

e-learning

:

e-Learning is an interactive methodology in which students work in online learning communities consisting of cohorts of 8-20 students. On a weekly basis, they interact asynchronously with one another over a period of 11-12 weeks, completing a variety of learning tasks. These include listening to mp3 teachings by world renowned scholars, studying prescribed materials, participating in discussion forums, writing journal entries, and submitting assessment tasks (e.g., assignments; tests; projects).

Keyword(s):

exegesis

:

"The obtaining of the meaning of a passage by drawing the meaning out from, rather than reading it into, the text" (Erickson 2001:62).

F

form criticism

:

"A method of biblical criticism that seeks to get behind the written sources to what was actually said and done. It attempts to identify and evaluate layers of material added to the tradition during the period of oral transmission" Erickson 2001:45).

G

general revelation

:

"Revelation that is available to all persons at all times, particularly through the physical universe, history, and the makeup of human nature" (Erickson 2000:171).

H

hermeneutics

:

The art and science of interpreting the Scriptures.

historical criticism

:

"A method of attempting to evaluate historical evidence, particularly for the biblical text. The ultimate aim is to determine what actually occurred" (Erickson 2001:45).

I

inspiration

:

"A reference to anything that moves or excites a person; in particular, the act of the Holy Spirit upon the biblical writers that ensured that what they wrote was the Word of God" (Erickson 2001:102). There are many theories of biblical inspiration:

Concursive theory: The process by which God revealed truth simultaneously with the Scripture author’s being moved to write.
Dictation theory: The view that God actually dictated the exact words the biblical writers recorded.
Dynamic theory: The view that God guided the biblical writer to the concepts that were to be recorded, but not to the actual choice of words.
Illumination theory: The idea that the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration merely heightened the normal powers of the authors of Scripture. He gave them no specific guidance in what they wrote.
Intuition theory: The idea that inspiration involves simply a high degree of religious insight.
Verbal theory: The doctrine that the Holy Spirit so guided the biblical writer that even the words and details are what God intended to be written.

J

justification

:

"In the doctrine of salvation, the declaration that the human has been restored to a state of righteousness in God’s sight" (Erickson, 2001:109).

L

liberation theology

:

"A collection of theological movements (Third-World liberation movements, feminist theology, and black theology) that put more emphasis on deliverance of human beings from various types of temporal bondage—economic, political, and social—than on personal redemption from sin. It tends to draw upon social sciences rather than biblical and theological bases" (Erickson 2001:116).

licentiousness

:

"A form of antinomianism or self-indulgence that rejects or casts off all rules; particularly, permissiveness in sexual matters" (Erickson 2001:116).

M

MySats

:

MySats is a website that integrates all your academic information. By logging into MySats, you can access all your course materials, interact with the teacher and other students, submit your assignments and keep track of their status, and receive feedback on your assignments. MySats will also provide you with direct access to library resources and other vital documents. The URL for the MySats site is www.satsonline.org/satsecampus.

N

natural revelation

:

"Manifestation of God apart from his special revelation. Natural revelation pertains to those aspects of God’s revelation accessible to all persons, such as his power in the physical universe" (Erickson 2001:171).