God: The ground of all being, existence, and reality (hat tip: Paul Tillich).
Panentheism: Panentheism is the belief that God is the animating source/force behind the universe. Panentheism differs from Pantheism in that it does not equate God with the universe, synonymously. The universe is all God, but God is not limited to the universe.
Pantheism: Pantheism is the equating of the universe with God. God and the universe are one and the same. This differs from Panentheism, which posits God as the animating source/force of the Universe, but different from.
Christus Victor: Christus Victor is a theology of the cross of Jesus of Nazareth. Christus Victor is the title given one expression of Atonement. Jesus did not die to appease a God who required a satisfaction of sorts. Jesus died as he conquered sin, death, systemic injustice, and evil. Jesus of Nazareth conquered death. We now find victory over such things in Jesus.
Natural Revelation: Divine inspiration or knowledge sourced from the natural, or natural human abilities and process, such as nature and/or reason.
Wesleyan Quadrilateral: 1) Scripture – the Holy Bible; 2) Tradition – the two millennia history of the Church; 3) Reason – rational thinking; 4) Experience – one’s personal journey in Christ.
Original Sin: Original Sin is the theological term/phrase used to identify humanity’s inherited brokenness which resulted from Adam’s sin in the Genesis Garden. Original sin is passed along through the human reproductive act. This means we are all inherently sinful.
Foreknowledge: The term foreknowledge describes God’s ability (attribute) to be conscious of the past, present, and future, simultaneously and constantly. God’s knowledge is infinite.
Single Predestination: Single Predestination is a concept which characterizes God as a being who destined some for salvation. Jesus’ atonement is for the whole world. There are those who will not be saved, but their condemnation is a result of their own corruption and sinful wills.
Docetism: Docetism is a heresy which ignored the humanity of Jesus, thus making him a God who merely seemed to be a human. Jesus, in other words, was simply wearing a Jewish disguise and was not really human at all. He therefore could not and did not experience humanity in its fullness. Docetism – or a weak version of it – is quite possibly the most ignored heresy of our time.
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