ISTH-201

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course will be to provide the student with an introductory survey through several fields of Systematic Theology. The student will engage the discipline’s primary concepts at a 10,000 ft view and interact with big picture ideas.
We will survey three doctrines. These doctrines will be foundational to all the rest:
Theology Proper (the doctrine of God), Anthropology (the doctrine of man), and Soteriology (the doctrine of salvation). You will need a Bible nearby, in addition to the assigned reading.

COURSE PURPOSE/RATIONALE

The purpose of the course is to introduce the student to a variety of categories in the discipline. All Christians should have a cursory knowledge of what systematic theology is and why it is vital to the believer’s life. Systematic theology is the foundation of apologetics,
counseling, and sound preaching. Thus, for this class’s purpose, the rationale will be to give students a solid footing on the topics that will permeate the rest of their Christian education.

COURSE OUTCOMES

Once students complete this class, they will be able to:

DEFINE what dogmatics (systematic theology) are. (C/O #1)

OUTLINE critical topics within the discipline of systematic theology (C/O #2)

ANALYZE the connection between current culture and these foundational doctrines (C/O #3)

PRE-REQUISITES

High School Education/Diploma Recommended

Completed/Approved CROSS & Culture class application

COURSE READINGS AND RESOURCES

Four books will be used for the class. Three of which are in the public domain and will be used most heavily. The fourth is a book you would need to purchase separately through our Logos affiliate link, or you can choose to complete the course without that book.

Berkhof, L. Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1932.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.
Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.
Pictet, Benedict. Christian Theology. Translated by Frederick Reyroux. Philadelphia: Presbyterian Board of Publication, n.d.

ASSIGNMENTS

LECTURES
The lectures associated with each week can be found in your course on the CROSS &
Culture website. These are lectures from the Course Designer and could be in video/audio or
solely audio format. These lectures need to be watched each week before engaging the reading
and assignments for the week.

SELF-ASSESSMENT (2)

There are two self-assessment quizzes this semester. Self-assessment quizzes are designed to be a journal to the student. This assignment will help the learner keep track of where he/she started and where he/she ends. This is a developmental diagnostic to see how opinions
change when knowledge has been imparted.

GENERAL QUIZZES (GQ, 4)

General quizzes test retention. Have you read the books? Are you starting to understand the concepts? These quizzes are designed to help you begin synthesizing and applying information.

INTERACTIVE BOOK QUIZ (IBQ, 2)

These quizzes are strictly related to your reading. They are straightforward and will be done quickly if you have read the material. If you have not read the material, you will struggle with these two quizzes.

FINAL EXAM (1)

The Final Exam will be a composite of questions from the IBQs and GQs with a few additional questions related to studied topics. This Final Exam is the final assessment of satisfactorily completing your reading and study.