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A Layman's Reference Guide to Selected |
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Theological "-ism"s, "-ology"s, "-tion"s
and Other Terms |
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by Randy Smith |
A B C D E F G H I-J K-L M N O P-Q R S T U-Z
Title Page Acknowledgments Bibliography Scripture Index
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Though associated with the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the holiday known as Easter is actually based upon a pagan celebration. There are several possible origins for the name "Easter." One view offered is that the holiday is based upon the pagan celebration of the resuscitation of the mythological Phoenician god Tammuz, the consort of the goddess of love, Ishtar. As the story goes, Tammuz died and remained in the netherworld for 40 days before miraculously returning to life. In celebration of Tammuz's return, gift eggs, called Ishtar eggs (Easter eggs?) were exchanged in celebration. Among Christians, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is based upon the Jewish calculation of the Passover and falls on the Sunday closest to the Jewish calendar date 14th Nisan. (Harrison, p.175) A professed faith that demonstrates neither supernatural regeneration nor repentance from sin. Easy believism typically results from an emotional human reaction to an external stimuli culminating in a temporary profession of faith. This reaction is typical of the vast majority of professions arising from evangelical crusades and rallies. While some people genuinely come to believing faith at religious crusades, a large majority of those who answer altar calls are never regenerated and eventually backslide when the emotional euphoria wears off. (Heinze, p.76) The doctrine of the Church. The English word church is translated from the Greek word ekklesia, which is derived from ek, meaning "out of," and kaleo, which means "to call," hence the church is "a called out group." The word Church is used to designate the New Testament church, a group of called-out believers in Jesus Christ. (Enns, p.347) Within the study of ecclesiology there are several divisions. These include the study of the historical formation of the church, the various types of church governments, leadership positions within the church, and the study of the ordinances of the church. Economic Trinity - see Trinity From the Greek oikoumenikos, meaning "of or from the whole world." Ecumenical means "furthering or intended to further the unity or unification of Christian churches." (Webster's Dictionary) This unity movement invariably sacrifices some truth for the sake of maintaining unity. Modern examples of ecumenical movements include Promise Keepers and Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT). Ecumenism is the ecumenical movement among Christian churches. It is the principles or practice of promoting cooperation or better understanding among differing religious faiths. (Ibid.) The act of instructing, enlightening and improving knowledge of spiritual things. Edification is the result of a greater understanding of God and the things of God. Also known as Irresistible Grace. As the name says, efficacious grace is effective in those to whom it is given. All who are the recipients of efficacious grace respond to it and become believers. Efficacious grace is also called special grace, in contrast to common grace. (Enns, p.335) An incorrect manner of biblical interpretation whereby the interpreter reads something into the Scriptures which is not there. (Zuck, p.216) This is contrasted with the proper method of biblical interpretation known as exegesis. Elder is the title given to the spiritual leaders of the church. The word Elder is derived from the Greek words episcopos and presbyteroi, from which we get the words "prebyter, elder, overseer, and bishop." In the New Testament Elders are given the function and responsibility for maintaining pastoral oversight over the flock. The qualifications for Elder are specified in Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Timothy 3:1-7. Election is the eternal act of God by which He, purely for His sovereign good pleasure, and on account of no foreseen merit in them, chooses a certain number of men to be the recipients of special grace and of eternal salvation. (Enns, p.328) The word election comes from a compound Greek verb eklego meaning "from" (ek) and "to gather, pick out" (lego) and describes God's sovereign act of choosing some individuals for salvation. (Ibid., p.634) One of the humanistic theories that laid the groundwork for the theory of evolution. Empiricism is based upon the writing and work of Francis Bacon (1561-1626). A scientist, Bacon believed that only what you can see and touch is real. Bacon taught that through the collection and observation of data, a hypothesis could be formulated and tested. These hypotheses could then be used to establish universal laws. Bacon believed that these universal laws could then be used to observe, change and control our universe. (Sarles, Anthropology, p.6-2) Episcopalianism - see Church Government The study or theory of the nature, sources and limits of knowledge. (Webster's Dictionary) Religious epistemology centers on the question of how man gains knowledge of God. While the Bible is the revealed word of God, it is not a systematic presentation of divine knowledge. Instead, the Bible presents man with the truth of who God is and with the spiritual and moral law of God. At the same time, the Bible presents man with the truth that all men are blinded by their sin and the reality of the redemptive work of God in Jesus Christ. Because men are blinded by their sin, the only men who can truly understand the truth of Scripture are those whom God has chosen to reveal His truth to. Because unregenerate men cannot understand the things of God, they must rely on their own limited, finite minds to find answers to unanswerable questions. This is the essence of humanism, men using their finite knowledge to answer the unanswerable. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. - 1 Cor. 2:14 From the Greek word epistole, meaning "letter." While a letter is sent from one individual or group to another individual or group, an epistle is sent from an individual or group and is intended for general circulation. In the study and interpretation of New Testament epistles it is important to understand who the writer was and who his original intended audience was to fully understand the message he was attempting to convey. (Harrison, p.186) This view came from Thomas Erastus (1524-83) who held the view that the duly appointed state government has the right to intervene in ecclesiastical matters. Erastus believed that the church is a creature of the state, and as such, does not have the right to exert power or authority distinct from the state. There are many historical examples of problems associated with this view. In particular, the practice of the state putting to death accused religious heretics is seen as one of the greatest dangers. (Ibid.) From the Greek word eschata, meaning "the last things," eschatology is the doctrine of last things. Correctly understood, eschatology involves the study of such "last things" as death, resurrection, judgment and the afterlife. Virtually every book of the Bible contains information pertaining to eschatology. The theology of end times events generally centers around the books of Revelation and Daniel since these two books have the greatest amount of prophetic Scripture as it relates to end times events. Major areas of study include: heaven, hell, the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the judgments, the eternal state. There is disagreement within the study of eschatology concerning the timing of events described. There are four schools of thought concerning the timing of events. Preterism - from the Latin word preter, meaning "past," the preterist sees prophetic events as having already occurred in history. In regards to the Millennium, the preterist sees the Millennium as the kingdom Jesus Christ established at His first coming, with Christians now reigning as kings on earth. Historicism - this theory sees the current Church age as being in the Tribulation or Daniel's 70th week. The historicist says that the 1260 day of Daniel and Revelation actually refer to years instead of days. For this reason the historicists focus their attention on origin of the Roman Catholic church and the Papacy, then adding 1260 years to determine when Jesus Christ will return and end the reign of the anti-christ. Futurism - this theory literally interprets the Word of God and sees the events of Revelation 6-20 having yet to be fulfilled, and correlating to Daniel's 70th week. This is the orthodox view of eschatology. Idealism - this theory does not accept the time passages of prophecy literally. The idealist sees the timing of events as unimportant and unknowable. Instead, the idealist focuses on the principles and lessons gleaned from prophecy without concern for the timing of events. (Arthur, Interpreting Revelation, p.13-14) This is the phrase used to denote the orthodox intertrinitarian (see Trinitarianism) relationship between Father and Son. Much confusion and heresy has arisen from misunderstanding the ontological relationship between Father and Son. Eternal generation does not imply that there was a time when the Son did not exist, as Arianism argued. Instead, eternal generation declares that God the Father has eternally existed as the Father, and that God the Son has eternally existed as the Son. There has never been a time when the Father was not the Father and the Son was not the Son. Father and Son have existed eternally. (Harrison, p.194) This doctrine says that a true believer cannot lose his salvation. In the Calvinistic doctrine this is known as the "perseverance of the saints" (see Calvinism). In contrast, the Arminian view holds that a truly saved person can lose his salvation and therefore must always guard against falling away and forfeiting his salvation (see Arminianism). The doctrine of eternal security does not suggest that a believer will not sin, but because salvation is a gracious gift from God, a believer has the assurance that God will never withdraw His gracious gift of salvation from anyone. (Enns, p.340) Theologically, the terms eternity and eternal refer to infinite time. As an attribute of God, eternal is used to describe God's transcendence of temporal limitations of duration and succession. By definition, God is an eternal being...without beginning and without end. Etymology is the meaning of a word according to its original root and original understanding. The etymology of a word or phrase is one of the basic tools in hermeneutics. see Hermeneutics From the Greek word eulogeo, meaning "to pronounce blessing." The application of a eulogy, or blessing, depends on whom the blessing is applied to. For a more complete definition, see Bless, Blessed, Blessing. In reaction to Nestorianism, Eutyches (AD 380-456) founded the monophysite heresy that Christ had only one nature. Because Christ was both deity and human, His divine nature was polluted by His human nature, while His human nature was altered by His divine nature, rendering Christ neither completely divine nor completely human in His nature. This resulted in Eutyches' conclusion that Christ had only one nature, a new third nature that was neither divine nor human. This view was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 but continued in the Coptic church in Egypt. (Ibid. 422) Evangelicalism is a doctrine of salvation that claims the soul is dependent for its salvation on God alone, operating upon it by His immediate grace. The Evangelical believes that all the power exerted in saving the soul is from God, and that God in His saving operations acts directly upon the soul. In direct opposition to the maxims of sacerdotalism, the evangelical believes: 1) where the Holy Spirit is, there is the church; 2) outside the body of the saints there is no salvation. In point of fact the whole body of Confessional Protestantism is evangelical in its view of the plan of salvation. Protestantism and evangelicalism are virtually the same, if not exactly synonymous designations. (Warfield, p.19) Properly understood, evil is not something created. It is the result of something. Known as the doctrine of theodicy, evil is simply the absence of God's goodness. Just as darkness is the result of the absence of light, evil is the result of the absence of God's goodness. Evil does not exist actually, but only potentially. Where there is God's goodness, there is no evil. And since God is omnipresent, it is possible for evil not to exist actually. It was only by God's divine permission that evil and sin entered into His creation without His moral culpability or agency. (Sarles, Angelology, p.4-5) see Theodicy A direct refutation of Scripture, the theory of evolution is a result of centuries of humanistic thinking on the origins of man. Various theories emerged over the centuries (see empiricism, rationalism, mechanism and uniformitarianism), finally resulting in the theory ascribed to Charles Darwin (1809-1882). In his two books, The Origin of the Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin borrowed heavily from the theories of his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) and Jean Baptiste Lamarcke (1744-1829). Based upon the work of these men, Charles Darwin offered up the theory of "natural selection." According to Darwin's theory, genetic mutations in a population which render the mutant better adapted by the environment are "selected" by nature in that the mutant survives longer and produces more offspring until eventually the entire surviving population has the mutation. (Sarles, Anthropology, p.6-5) The word excommunication is often used to describe the severance of fellowship within the church. The concept is derived from the Old Testament practice of banning those who violated the Mosaic law and subsequently removed from the covenant relationship. During the early years of the Christian church the threat of excommunication was used as a disciplinary action against anyone who came into opposition with church leadership. There are numerous accounts of one powerful church leader having an opponent excommunicated, only to find himself excommunicated later by another ambitious man. Today the concept applies simply to the breaking of fellowship with a member in accordance with the process of Church Discipline described in Matthew 18:15-17 A word derived from the Greek term exegesis meaning "to draw out" or "to explain"; hence, the explaining of a passage of Scripture. (Enns, p.635) Exegesis calls for an analysis of the biblical text according to the literal-grammatical-historical methodology. 1) The passage under consideration should be studied according to the normal meaning of language. How is the word or statement normally understood? 2) The passage should be studied according to the rules of grammar. Exegesis demands an examination of the nouns, verbs, prepositions, etc., for a proper understanding of the passage. 3) The passage should be studied in its historical context. What were the political, social, and particularly the cultural circumstances surrounding it? (Ibid., p.21) A philosophical view that says life is meaningless and absurd. It teaches that we should be free to "do our own thing" just as long as we are willing to take responsibility for our choices. Existentialists are concerned primarily about how they feel. They answer to no authority. In fact, they become their own authority. (MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p.48) Exorcism is the act of expelling evil spirits or demons from an demonized person. The practice of exorcism, or casting out demons, is generally not practiced by the orthodox church. There are two exorcists identified in Scripture, Simon Magus (Acts 8:9 ff.) and Bar Jesus (Acts 13:6 ff.). Both men are identified as magicians and sorcerers, both things prohibited in Scripture. (Harrison, p.206) The apostles were given the power, for a time, to cast out demons. But that spiritual gift apparently ceased at the end of the apostolic era. Acts 19:13-16 records the failed attempt of a Jewish exorcist to cast out a demon because he had no authority over demons.
But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place,
attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the
Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul
preaches." And seven
sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize
Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"
And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and
subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that
house naked and wounded. - Acts 19:13-16 The theological belief that your personal, internal experiences have greater authority and meaning than external authorities. Examples of experiential theology are the charismatic movement, humanism, existentialism, and paganism. The seeking of reconciliation with God through sacrifices. The Old Testament system of sacrifices was instituted by God as a means of the Jewish people expiating their sins. "Among the sacrifices appointed by God under the Old Testament dispensation, there were sacrifices for which the purpose was clearly expiatory. Not only the simple and most natural understanding of such sacrifices, but also the divine teaching concerning them, was that they stood in important relation to the forgiveness of sins (see Lev. 17:11). Preeminent among these were the sacrifices on the great annual Day of Atonement. It was only because of divine grace that these sacrifices availed for reconciliation. The sacrifices were not only appointed by God, but were also provided by Him." (New Unger's Bible Dictionary) In the New Testament we have the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the "once for all" sacrifice, making the expiatory sacrifices of the Old Testament unnecessary. see Propitiation The communication of the meaning of Biblical text along with its relevance to present-day hearers. (Zuck, p.20) |