This is the next installment of things I've learned while doing the Theology Program.

Categories of Theology:

There a a number of cateogries of theology. Each category has its strengths, and it own way at looking at theology. Its helpful to come at a theological question through the lenses of severale categories. Each way of looking at things sheds a different light on the question.
Here are the categories:

1. Systematic

2. Biblical

3. Historical

4. Philosophical

5. Creedal/Dogmatic

6. Apologetic

Systematic theology is the 'catch-all' style of theology that evaluates scripture in the light of all the information we have, using the analogy of scripture - comparing scripture with scripture, nature, experiences, historically, anthropologically etc.
These are some of the hallmarks of systematic theology

• Formulates theology from all sources of theology, including Scripture.

• Correlates the entirety Scripture to formulate a general theology for all
time and for all people.

• Correlates information on a doctrine by examining the theology of all the
authors.

Theological Process:

This is a very useful framework for interpertating scripture.  Scrputure is made up pf many Genera and needs to be interpertated in light of this, just as we would evaluate any other literary work.  Some things are couched in a cultural and need to be elusidated out while other principals are much clearer.  More on this later.

One interesting point which was bought up is the timing of some of our theology was first articulated. The theology that we hold to about atonmnet  was not first articulated untill the 12th Century.  This does not mean that they did not believe this earlier, it just was not articulated till then (they were too busy fleeing for their live!)