UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

BISHOP TUCKER SCHOOL OF DIVINITY AND THEOLOGY

DIPLOMA IN THEOLOGY

Course Name: Introduction to Systematic Theology

Course Code: DTH 1102
Course Level: Year 1, Semester 1
Course Unit: 3

Course Description
This is the introductory systematic theology course whose emphasis is on what it means to think
theologically in the selected themes. The purpose of this course is not to develop a system of
theology but rather to introduce theology students to the development of selected themes in
Christian theology. It is important therefore for each theme to take the form of a definition of the
topic, a survey of its basis in the Bible, its treatment in Christian history, a summary of its
contemporary discussions and its reinterpretation from the evangelical Christian point of view.

Course Objectives
Students will:
• Define the selected themes in Christian theology.
• Comment correctly on the development of theological themes in Christian theology.

Learning Outcomes:
Students should be able to:
• Explain the key themes in Christian theology
• Relate selected themes in Christian theology to the life and witness of the Christian church.

Course Outline

Topic LH Lib/PH
Definition of theology 6
Systematic theology as a branch of theology 2
Importance of studying systematic theology
Sources of systematic theology
Schools of systematic theology
Nature of Revelation 8 2
Revelation
Models of revelation
Revelation in African Traditional Religion
God the Creator 4 4
The reality of God in the Bible
God the creator of the universe and its sustenance
God in modern world
Humanity in the image of God 4 4
The original condition of humanity
Modern interpretation of humanity in the image of God.
Biblical and Classical view of the fallen humanity.
Modern interpretation of sin.
Salvation in modern theology.
Doctrine of Christ 4 4
• Biblical evidence for the full humanity of Christ and its
theological implications;
• Biblical evidence for the full divinity of Christ and its
theological implications.
• The formation of Chalcedon Christology (refutation of
Arianism, Nestorianism, Apollinarianism etc.).
Doctrine of Salvation 4 4
• The anthropological need for salvation.
• The Trinitarian act of salvation;
• Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.
32 20
TOTAL CH 42

Mode of Delivery
Lectures and Discussion
Practical including group discussions and visits to sites, etc.

Mode of Assessment
In order to receive a passing grade for this course, a student should complete at least three
assignments and pass them. The basis for the final grade awarded is: Course Work is 50% and Final
Exam is 50%.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Byaruhanga, Christopher. Christian Theology. Kampala: Wavah Books LTD., 2005.
McGrath, E. Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction 4th Ed. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2007.
Migliore, L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology2nd Ed. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.
 UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

THE BISHOP TUCKER SCHOOL OF DIVINITY AND THEOLOGY

BISHOP BARHAM UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. -KABALE

COURSE UNIT: An Introduction to Christian Theology (DTH 1102)

Programme: Diploma in Theology (Full time and Modular)

LECTURER: Rev. Agaba Moses (Cert. Educ, Dip. Educ, Bd, MAT -Student, research year)

INTRODUCTION

This course provides a primer on the basics of Christian theology as it is understood in the African
context. It explains the major beliefs or doctrines that are generally accepted by all Christians
while also highlighting the theological diversity of the Christian churches. In other words, although
all Christians adhere to the doctrines discussed here, various groups of Christians often interpret
these doctrines differently. These disagreements usually have historical roots; thus, Christianity’s
historical development is inseparable from its doctrinal development. For this reason, our
introduction gives an overview of Christianity’s historical development before moving into a
discussion of the major Christian beliefs.

As would be the case with any religious tradition, the complexity of Christian theology and history
cannot be explained fully in a belief introduction we ‘are. Many nuances of Christian theology and
history tend to remain in the background of how Christianity is perceived and practiced in the
African context; frequently, these details may not even be familiar to African Christians
themselves. Nevertheless, some knowledge of these particulars is essential to ground an accurate
understanding of Christianity.

As new students, you need to begin with a brief historical outline of the beginnings and major
divisions of Christianity. Then; Definition of theology, Systematic theology as a branch of theology,
Importance of studying systematic theology, Sources of systematic theology, Schools of systematic
theology etc respectively following the course outline given at the start.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY

The history of Christianity unfolds organically through time. It is commonly understood to begin
with Jesus, who was born two thousand years ago. However, because Jesus was Jewish, some date
Christianity’s roots much further back, to the beginnings of Judaism. To illustrate the vast sweep
of historical development, this section proceeds in four parts. First, it addresses the roots of
Christianity in the first through the third centuries C.E. (“Common Era,” dating from the time of
Jesus’ birth); second, it describes Christianity’s development through the Middle Ages; third, it
explores the Protestant Reformations in the 1600s and their continuing influence today.

The Beginnings of Christianity (1-300 C.E.)

Christianity began as a movement within Judaism during the first century C.E. At this time, the
Jewish rabbi now known as Jesus of Nazareth undertook a public teaching ministry in which he
preached about the imminent coming of the Kingdom of God. As reported in the Christian
Scriptures (commonly known among Christians as the New Testament), Jesus assembled a core
group of twelve Jewish disciples, along with many other followers. Together they ministered to the
poor and outcast in present-day Israel and Palestine. Around the year 33 C.E., Jesus was arrested
and executed by the Roman governor. However, Jesus’ followers claimed that he rose from the
dead; they came to believe that he was the Son of God and that his death and resurrection saved
them from their sins. As their conviction grew, they named Jesus the “Christ”— meaning Messiah or
Anointed One—according to the prophecies of the Jewish Bible, the Hebrew Scriptures (commonly
known among Christians as the Old Testament). This is the origin of the name “Jesus Christ” and
led to Jesus’ followers being called “Christians.”

After Jesus’ death, “Christians” became identified as a particular sect within Judaism. These Jews
believed that Jesus was the Messiah foretold in their Hebrew Scriptures, whose coming they had
long anticipated. However, as time went on, the majority of Jews did not believe that Jesus was
the Messiah, and their differences with “Christian” Jews increased. Further, many non-Jewish
people did come to believe in Jesus. In this way, “Christianity” gradually became a religious
movement distinct from Judaism, as it is practiced today.

Over several generations, Christians compiled their collective memories of Jesus’ teachings and
sayings in various documents. Best known among these today are the four narratives of Jesus’ life,
death, and resurrection that now appear in the Christian Scriptures, the “Gospels” of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John. During these early years, many letters were also circulated among
Christian communities about their belief in Jesus as the Messiah and the way Christians should live
and worship. The letters of the apostle Paul and a few other authors were eventually included in
the Christian Scriptures along with the four Gospels.
Christians debated for centuries over which documents to include in their scriptures; the first
known list of the twenty-seven documents now accepted as the Christian Scriptures did not appear
until the year 367 CE, and it may have taken even longer before Christians universally accepted
this list.

Further Development (300-1500 C.E.)

Since their religious practices were distinguished from Judaism only gradually, Christians of the
first and second centuries worshipped in small pockets throughout the Middle and Near East, and
their religious practices differed from town to town. Moreover, Christianity was often outlawed
under Roman law; many believers were persecuted and executed for professing their faith. In the
year 313 C.E., the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and legalized it, virtually
ending the persecutions. Noticing that Christians disagreed with one another on many important
points, such as the relationship of Jesus to God, and that these debates were causing unrest and
confusion in his empire, Constantine called Christian leaders (bishops) from across the empire to a
council at Nicaea in 325 C.E. This first major council of the Christian churches clarified key points
of theology, including the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus (see discussion below). The primary
written contribution of this council was the Nicene Creed. More debates followed in the
succeeding years, and the second great council, held in Constantinople in 381 C.E., expanded this
creed into a longer statement of faith that members of many Christian churches still recite. (For
the full text of the creed, see Appendix.)
Although lively debates over key theological points continued, Christianity underwent further
unification in the fourth century under the reign of Emperor Theodosius and through the theology
of Bishop Augustine of Hippo (b. 356-d. 430). Almost seventy years after Constantine legalized
Christianity, Theodosius established the Christian faith as the official religion of the Roman
Empire. From then on, Christianity spread rapidly. Some converted to Christianity to advance in
Roman society or out of fear of Roman authorities, but many converted willingly. These
conversions catapulted Christianity forward as a leading religion of the Roman Empire, which then
encompassed most of Europe and North Africa.
Shortly after Theodosius’ decree, Augustine became bishop of Hippo in North Africa. An adult
convert to Christianity, Augustine came to be one of the most influential theologians in the history
of the Christian church. At this time, basic Christian beliefs were still contested, so Augustine
articulated much of his theology in response to competing interpretations of the faith and to non-
Christian faiths of the fourth and fifth centuries. Through these conflicts, Augustine provided
significant explorations of the Trinity and human sinfulness, as well as the relationship between
church and state. Augustine’s numerous writings greatly influenced Christian thought from the
fifth century to the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century and beyond.

Despite his powerful influence, Augustine did not end the disputes within Christianity. At the
church councils, which continued to take place every 50-100 years, questions about Jesus’
humanity and divinity—that is, his identity as the Son of God—proved an ongoing source of
controversy. As Christians from different areas of the world drew on the philosophical traditions of
their cultures to reflect upon these questions, the most marked differences arose between
Christian leaders of the Latin West and those of the Greek East. In the year 1054 C.E., these
disagreements culminated in the “Great Schism” that divided Christianity into two major strands,
Western and Eastern. Today, Eastern Christianity includes the Orthodox churches, while Western
Christianity includes the Catholic and Protestant churches.

Western Christianity flourished during the High Middle Ages of eleventh- to thirteenth-century
Europe. Christianity inspired exquisite art, music, and architecture. As the first universities were
established, Christian theology became highly systematized, most notably in the works of Thomas
Aquinas (b. 1225-d. 1274). The leader of the Western Christian church, the pope, was a major
figure in European politics. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, however, the papacy
lost some of its moral authority due to widespread corruption in the church, and many Christians
began to question the power of Rome.

The Emergence of Protestant Christianity (1500 C.E.-Present)

These questions eventually led to another major split within the Christian church in the early
sixteenth century. What is now known as Protestant Christianity first began to emerge in present-
day Germany, where Christians protested (hence the name “Protestant”) corruption in the
Christian church.

The key figure of the German protest was a Christian monk, Martin Luther (1483-1543). In 1517
Luther wrote ninety-five theses criticizing various corruptions in the church, most notably its
practice of selling “indulgences.” In their original form, indulgences were gifts offered to the
church by repentant sinners to show their gratitude to God for the forgiveness of their sins. By the
early 1500s, the practice had become corrupted, and it appeared that the Christian church was
selling forgiveness rather than merely accepting gifts from the faithful. Luther criticized this
practice for de-emphasizing repentance and making
Christians think they could buy God’s forgiveness. Instead, Luther preached that salvation is a gift
from God that comes through faith alone upon repentance for sin. Luther also objected to the
hierarchical structure of the Christian church, arguing that any Christian could interpret the Bible
and serve as a minister as well as any other; this idea is now known as the “priesthood of all
believers.” His efforts at reform, however, met with resistance, and in 1522 Christian authorities
condemned his theological claims. Luther continued his attempts at reform, and his followers
eventually formed a new Christian group distinct from the original Western or “Catholic” church.
These Christians became known as “Lutherans” and remained most numerous in Germany.

Other reformations closely followed Luther’s. The most successful included the Calvinist, English,
and radical reformations; these movements eventually resulted in several new churches. (As a
result of these and subsequent divisions, the various Christian churches are distinguished by
differences in theology and worship practices and are now known as “denominations.”) The
Calvinists took their name from the French lawyer and theologian John Calvin (1509-1564), who
fled the Catholic city of Paris to avoid persecution for his religious ideas. He eventually settled in
the thoroughly Protestant city of Geneva. While several of Calvin’s ideas paralleled Luther’s,
Calvin advocated a closer relationship between church and state than Luther. Calvin’s ideas
influenced many Western Europeans, including an English group known as the Puritans.

The English Reformation began in 1529 with King Henry VIII’s decision to annul his marriage in
defiance of the pope’s orders. To justify his annulment in religious terms, Henry established the
English or “Anglican” church, making himself the titular head. This church eventually adopted a
blend of Catholic and Protestant ideas; the Thirty-Nine Articles, written in the latter years of the
sixteenth century, summarize the principles of Anglican theology. In the Africa today, the
Episcopalian church has Anglican roots.

The Anabaptists, whose movement is called the “Radical Reformation,” separated themselves
more definitively from the Roman faith than the Lutherans or Calvinists. Anabaptists rejected
some traditional worship practices that Lutherans and Calvinists continued. Most notably,
Anabaptists refused to baptize infants, instead deferring baptism until people were old enough to
request it. Today, Quakers and Mennonites trace their origins to Anabaptists. Most have adopted a
modern lifestyle, but small numbers within these denominations live in isolated communities,
witnessing to their faith by dressing simply and preserving traditional ways of living.

These four groups—Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, and Anabaptists—represent the original

manifestations of Protestant Christianity as distinct from Catholic Christianity. In response to the
Protestant reformations, the Catholic church adopted some minor reforms and reaffirmed certain
teachings, most notably at the Council of Trent (1545-1563); this response became known as the
“Counter-Reformation.”
Structurally, however, the Catholic church has continued until the present time in much the same
form as it had in the Middle Ages; Roman Catholic churches in the Africa are part of the worldwide
church.

What is the definition of theology?

The word "theology" comes from two Greek words, theos meaning 'God' and logos meaning 'the
word about (or the study of) God' as He is revealed in the Scriptures. Even though our attempts to
understand an infinite God will fall short because of our limited understanding (Romans 11:33-36),
God has given us the Bible for us to study and understand who He is. Some people try to avoid
theology because they believe it is divisive. However, understanding God as He is revealed is
uniting and a beneficial thing (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Without theology, our relationship with God would be limited. Practically, theology is reading the
Bible to discover what God has said about Himself. Theology teaches us that God is the Creator,
Sustainer and Judge of all things; that He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of all
things; that He is, as Moses learned (Exodus 3:14), the great "I AM", the free, purposeful, self-
sufficient, almighty, self-existing, self-determining Being and not an impersonal cosmic force.
Through theology we learn that God has revealed Himself to humanity through His Son Jesus Christ
and that through His blood we have eternal life.

In our own lives, we must understand theology in order to live a life of love and obedience. How
can we love God if we don't know Him? And how can we obey him if we don't love Him? As we get
to know God better through reading His Word, our lives are immeasurably enriched by the comfort
and hope that He imparts to those who know, love, obey Him. Inversely, poor theology and a
superficial or inaccurate understanding of God will make our lives worse instead of bringing the
comfort and hope we long for. Without theology, we have no direction about who God is and what
He does, and we waste our lives and lose our souls.

Note: All Christians should be preoccupied with theology—the intense, personal study of God—so
that we may know, love and obey the One with whom we will joyfully spend eternity.

Systematic theology as a branch of theology; How does systematic theology work?

Systematic theology is the field of study that correlates the data of the Bible as a whole in order
to organize the total of God's special revelation. In other words, systematic theology is a way of
categorizing what the Bible teaches regarding key areas of the Christian faith.

Traditionally, theologians concentrate on a list of specific categories within the field of systematic
theology. Some of these categories / schools of systematic Theology include the following.

Prolegomena, a technical term meaning "the beginning of the discussion," is often found in
theology books to discuss introductory issues and definitions.

Theology Proper (also called Paterology) is the study of what the Bible teaches about God the
Father.

Christology is the study of God the Son.

Pneumatology is the study of God the Holy Spirit.

Bibliology is the study of the Bible (also called special revelation).

Soteriology is the study of salvation.Ecclesiology is the study of the church.

Angelology is the study of angels (including fallen angels or demons and Satan, sometimes under
the headings of Demonology and Satanology).

Anthropology is the study of humanity (different from the field of anthropology since Christian
anthropology focuses on the spiritual aspects of humanity).

Harmartiology is the study of sin.

Eschatology is the study of "last things," including biblical prophecy, the end times, and the
afterlife.

In addition to systematic theology, there are many other ways in which theology can be studied.
Some of the more common categories include historical theology, which is the study of a
particular doctrine throughout history; dogmatic theology, which includes the study of a particular
group's theology, such as Calvinistic theology or Arminian theology; and biblical theology, which
develops the theology of particular biblical books or writers (such as Lukan theology or Pauline
theology).

More recent areas of theology include contemporary theology, various ethnic- or gender-focused
theologies (African theology, feminine theology), and philosophical theology (often included within
the field of apologetics) which focuses on the rational evidence that supports Christian beliefs.

In summary, systematic theology is one of many ways to study theology, and the one way that
specifically concentrates on an organized understanding of the Bible's overall teachings regarding
important areas of faith.

Importance of studying systematic theology

1: The Bible’s interest in truth demands it. Systematic theology is nothing if it not the pursuit of
truth, and truth is essential to biblical Christianity. Jesus said the truth will set you free (John
8:32). The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). The work of the Holy Spirit was to
guide the apostles into all truth (John 16:13). Eternal life is to know the only true God (John 17:3).
Jesus prayed that we would be sanctified in the truth (John 17:17). Paul warned that for those
who do not obey the truth there will be wrath and fury (Rom. 2:8). We are to be transformed by
understanding the truth (Rom. 12:2). People can go to hell for preaching what is not true (Gal.
1:8). People within the church should be corrected when they believe the wrong things. “[An
elder] must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage
others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9). People are sometimes to be
kept out of your house for believing what is not true (2 John 9-10). The wicked perish because they
refused to love the truth (2 Thess. 2:10). The workman of God must rightly handle the word of
truth (2 Tim. 2:15). In other words, no Christian worthy of the name should be indifferent to the
pursuit of right doctrine. As Louis Berkhof put it, “They who minimize the significance of the truth,
and therefore ignore and neglect it, will finally come to the discovery that they have very little
Christianity left” (Systematic Theology, 29).

2: Our view of Scripture demands it. All of Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Tim. 3:16). This
means that everything in the Bible matters. It also means that everything in the Bible possesses a
fundamental unity, coming as it does from the same author (Matt. 19:4-6; Hebrews 3:7; 2 Peter
1:21). Systematic theology seeks to make the comprehensive unity seen and savored.

3: Realism about the human intellect demands it. One way or another, we will come to
conclusions about the most important religious questions. Who was Jesus? What is the human
predicament? Is there a hell? How can we be saved? How should we treat each other? What does it
mean to be a good person? Why is there something rather than nothing? As soon as we set out to
answer these questions we are engaging in systematic theology. The human mind can’t help but
synthesize and organize.

4: The history of the church demands it. Why can’t we just let the Bible speak for itself? Because
that’s not what we see in the Bible or in the early church. In Nehemiah 8:8, the leaders “read from
the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood
the reading.” In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul refers to the tradition they had received from him. God has
always given his people teachers to not only read Scripture but to communicate and guard the
truth of Scripture (2 Tim. 1:13-14). This is why the early church naturally wrote creeds and
confessions. They did not consider it sub-biblical to explain, defend, and protect the truths that
were handed down to them in the Bible.

5: The unity of the church demands it. True ecumenicity is not possible apart from robust
theological fidelity. Church unity requires doctrinal agreement: “There is one body and one Spirit-
just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” ( Eph. 4:4-6). How can we
contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) if we do not have a deep
understanding of that faith?

6: The duty of the church demands it. Why waste time on systematic theology when there are
people who need to hear the gospel?! Because those people need to hear the true gospel. If we are
to proclaim the message, we must know what that message is. We owe it each other, we owe it to
other churches, and we owe it to the world to give a clear articulation of our faith. “An open
statement of the truth” is what Paul called it (2 Cor. 4:2).  “The Church of Jesus Christ,” Berkhof
observed, should never seek refuge in camouflage, should not try to hide her identity” (31). Clarity
requires carefulness, carefulness requires precision, and precision requires systematic theology.
Get into it. Stick with it. Pass it on.

Note: Although systematic theology has its potential weaknesses and pitfalls, to which biblical
theology may serve as a helpful corrective, it also has its strengths, and may prove to be the
remedy to certain possible shortcomings of biblical theology. For instance, systematic theology
ensures that all the doctrines of the bible find a place in the Christian's understanding; every
doctrine is treated exhaustively, from the entire testimony of the scriptures, so that nothing “falls
through the cracks,” or is overlooked. Also, systematic theology ensures that one's understanding
of a given doctrine is the most developed and up-to-date that it can possibly be. Systematic
theology demands the fullest and most final expression of a doctrine that revelatory history has
made possible, so that there is no overlooking or forgetting any later clarification in the scriptures.

Along the same lines, systematic theology, by comparing scriptures with scriptures, according to
the so-called “analogy of faith,” precludes any potential inconsistencies in one's doctrinal
understanding. The scriptures are all brought together and compared side-by-side, in relation to
any particular theme; and any scriptures that seem to be contradictory are ironed out and brought
into harmony. Finally, systematic theology is valuable as a comprehensive explanation of the
Christian worldview. Because it brings all the truths of the bible into a well-organized system, it is
invaluable for explaining to the world just what Christianity is, defending it logically and
scripturally, and edifying and equipping Christians to interact knowledgeably and reasonably with
others.
The students need to know that; the systematician’s job is to look at the source of biblical data;
the sources of the historical developments that come through controversies and church councils
and their subsequent creeds and confessions; and the insights of the great minds with which the
church has been blessed over the centuries. The New Testament tells us that God in His grace has
given teachers to the church (Eph. 4:11–12). Not all teachers are as astute as Augustine, Martin
Luther, John Calvin, or Jonathan Edwards. Such men do not have Apostolic authority, but the sheer
magnitude of their research and the depth of their understanding profit the church in every age.
Thomas Aquinas was called “the doctor angelicus,” or “the angelic doctor,” by the Roman Catholic
Church. Roman Catholics do not believe that Aquinas was infallible, but no Roman Catholic
historian or theologian ignores his contributions.

The systematician studies not only the Bible and the creeds and the confessions of the church, but
also the insights of the master teachers that God has given throughout history. The systematician
looks at all the data—biblical, historical, and systematic—and brings it together.

What is Paterology? What is Theology Proper?

Theology Proper (also called Paterology, meaning the study of the Father) is the area of Christian
Systematic Theology that investigates what the Bibles teaches regarding God the Father, the first
Person of the Triune Godhead. Theology Proper is complemented by Christology (the study of Jesus
Christ) and Pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit) as a complete study of the God of the
Bible.

The areas of God the Father typically studied in Theology Proper include the arguments for the
existence of God, defining God (being/ontology), the attributes of God, and the works of God.
Theology Proper includes a biblical definition of God while also providing information to show
some of the many contrasting views of God that exist (often called worldviews). These include a
wide variety of ideologies, ranging from atheism (belief in no God), to agnosticism (uncertainty of
God's existence), to other religions that portray God defined differently, whether as a single God
(such as in Islam or Judaism), multiple gods (as in Eastern religions), or pantheism (all is god).

The books of the Bible are the primary source for Theology Proper in Systematic Theology.
However, information from General Revelation (the natural world) is also often discussed as it
reveals significant information regarding God's intimate involvement in the design of the universe,
animal life, and human life (Psalm 19). Special Revelation includes the Bible, in addition to other
unique ways God has communicated (such as in the form of a cloud to Moses, visions, dreams,
miracles). In addition, the importance of Progressive Revelation is often emphasized, as the Bible
chronologically reveals more information about who God is over time as part of His perfect,
sovereign plan.

Of vast importance within Theology Proper is an understanding of Trinitarianism (study of the

Trinity). While other areas of Systematic Theology focus on Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit,
Theology Proper is usually the area in which Trinitarianism is included. Since God is both one
(Deuteronomy 6:4) and exists in three Persons, it is important for those who study God from a
biblical perspective to understand how the concept of the Trinity relates to one's understanding of
God in general.

When discussing the attributes of God, Theology Proper generally uses a division between those
attributes that are communicable (able to be shared) and those that are non-communicable (those
unique only to God). Examples of communicable attributes include God's kindness, love, and
compassion. Examples of non-communicable attributes include God's perfection and sovereignty.

Those who seek to grow in their relationship with God, or who are investigating the teachings of
Christianity, desire to learn more about who God is. Theology Proper is the area of theology that
provides much of this information, specifically as it relates to God the Father.