The Christian doctrinal tradition has recently been the object of both retrieval and criticism. The debates thus generated have focused on such issues as doctrine's relationship to scripture, its authority and functions, the diverse discourses in which it is found, its communal provenance and reception, and its relationship to various contexts. This unit will explore these debates, exploring such ideas as doctrine as 'teaching', 'rule', 'prompt', 'catalyst' and 'witness'. It will also introduce discussions about the significance of doctrinal disagreement across time and place, and make constructive proposals for the relationship between continuity and change in doctrine. The relationships between doctrine, dogma and theology will be addressed. In any given semester, the pastoral, imaginative, and community-defining roles of two classical areas of doctrinal enquiry will be critically explored (e.g. any two of creation, atonement, pneumatology, eschatology, etc.). Students will also study the way doctrine and specific doctrines function in a community of faith known to them.
Unit code: CT9020P
Unit status: Approved (Major revision)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Systematic Theology
Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Demonstrate a critical understanding of origins, developments and functions of Christianity's doctrinal tradition |
| 2. | Articulate the relationships between doctrine, scripture and theology |
| 3. | Interpret and assess contemporary debates about the nature and functions of Christian doctrine, especially its function as truth claim |
| 4. | Describe and weigh the challenges posed to Christian doctrine by the ideologies of Western pluralism and the diversity of the global church |
| 5. | Identify and describe the various doctrines explicitly and implicitly shaping the life of a particular Christian community |
| 6. | Analyse and evaluate recent developments in one specific major area of Christian doctrine |
CT8000P or CT8009P
Lectures and Tutorials
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case Study - Case Study | Identify two or three of the doctrines which either explicitly or implicitly shape a specific local Christian community and explain their impact. |
1400 | 20.0 |
| Document Study - Document Study | Analyse one of a designated selection of influential doctrinal statements with a view to identifying its doctrinal emphases, its relationship to scripture and the form of its truth claims. |
2100 | 30.0 |
| Essay - Major Essay | Engage the scholarly discussion of one major Christian doctrine and assess that doctrine's most important contribution to the Christian imagination in a particular context. OR Drawing on contemporary debates on the nature of Christian doctrine construct a proposal for describing its nature and purpose. |
3500 | 50.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 24 Aug, 2022
Unit record last updated: 2022-08-24 15:20:52 +1000